Apocalypse Tutorial System

Chapter 5 : Vulnerability

The obsidian tendril retreated into the shadows of the floor just as the overhead bulb flickered with a violent buzz and then died. Silence, heavy and absolute, swallowed the garage.

“Bruh, the graphics just hit zero percent,” Rendi whispered, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his newly reinforced ribs. “System? Tell me you didn’t just cut the power to cover up that cosmic violation coming out of the concrete.”

[ NOTICE: LOCAL GRID STABILIZATION UNDERWAY. SYSTEM DIVERSION COMPLETE. ]

[ NEW MANDATORY TASK: ENDURANCE CALIBRATION. ]

[ OBJECTIVE: ASSUME THE ‘IRON PILLAR’ STANCE. DURATION: TEN MINUTES. FAILURE WILL RESULT IN PHYSIQUE REGRESSION. ]

“Iron Pillar? Right now? You’re actually foul, System,” Rendi gritted his teeth, shifting his weight. His muscles locked into place—legs spread wide, back straight, palms pressed together in front of his chest. “I’m literally a stone statue in a pitch-black garage while Cthulhu’s intern is chilling under my feet. That’s low-key peak trolling.”

[ STANCE ENGAGED. DO NOT BREAK FORM. ]

A soft scuffling sound echoed near the metal garage door.

“Rendi? You in here?”

“Mbak Sari? Ayo, stay back!” Rendi’s voice cracked. “It’s super unsafe in here! I’m in the middle of a high-stakes, stationary... religious experience!”

“Rendi, I’m not joking! The whole building’s power went out and there was this—this noise!” Sari’s silhouette appeared in the doorway, a flickering candle in her hand casting long, erratic shadows. “It sounded like something was chewing through the foundations. I came down because I saw you leave the apartment earlier.”

“Chewing sounds? Probably just rats, Mbak. Urban wildlife, no cap,” Rendi grunted, sweat already beading on his forehead as the Stance began to exert a crushing gravitational force on his limbs. “Go back upstairs! Grab a flashlight and a cozy blanket. Be the main character of your own safe space!”

“Rendi, what are you doing?” Sari stepped closer, the candle illuminating his rigid, semi-nude torso. “Why are you standing like that? In the dark? You look like a weird temple statue that’s about to offer me a cursed quest.”

“It’s the ritual, Mbak! I told you! Aligning the chakras for maximum gains!” Rendi’s jaw vibrated with the effort. “The darkness is part of the aesthetic. Very avant-garde. Very niche.”

“You’re shaking,” Sari said, her voice dropping an octave as she stepped further into the garage. “Wait... something feels wrong in here. It’s too cold. Why is it colder in your garage than it is in a fridge?”

“Thermodynamics, fam! Energy conservation!” Rendi’s eyes darted toward the cracks in the floorboards. “Actually, now that I think about it, please get out. Like, move with haste. I’m getting maximum bad vibes for you.”

“I’m not going back up there alone,” Sari whispered. A sudden, sharp crack echoed from the back of the garage. She shrieked, lurching forward and grabbing Rendi’s arm—then his shoulder—before finally burying her face in his chest. “What was that?! Rendi, something moved!”

[ WARNING: EXTERNAL FORCE DETECTED. DO NOT BREAK STANCE. STABILITY: 85%. ]

“Mbak! Control your heart rate! You’re debuffing me!” Rendi yelped, though he couldn't move his arms to push her away or hold her. “I can’t move! I’m literally bound by the laws of physics and bad coding!”

“Your chest is literally made of iron,” Sari murmured, her voice muffled against his hoodie. “What is this? You’re vibrating like a motor. Rendi, I’m actually terrified. I saw something in the hallway earlier. A shadow with... I don’t even know. It didn't look like a person.”

“A shadow?” Rendi’s voice dropped to a hiss. “What kind of shadow? Be specific, Mbak. Was it mid-tier or a boss unit?”

“It was fast! And it’s eighty degrees in this garage and you’re the only thing that’s warm!” Sari gripped him tighter, her fingers digging into his biceps. “Don't move. Please don't move. Just let me stand here until the lights come back on.”

[ STABILITY: 70%. WARNING: PHYSIQUE INTEGRITY COMPROMISED. PERSIST IN THE STANCE OR SUFFER ATROPHY. ]

“System, shut up!” Rendi growled under his breath. “Mbak Sari, look at me. I need you to be strong. We are in a high-tension scenario, but we can’t afford to lose the momentum.”

“You’re talking to the air again,” Sari sobbed slightly, her frame trembling. “Every time you act like this, something weird happens. First the balcony, now this. Rendi, tell me you’re not into something illegal. Tell me you’re not part of a cult.”

“It’s not a cult, Mbak! It’s high-key optimization!” Rendi’s muscles burned like they were being marinated in acid. “Listen, you’re safe right here. Nothing is gonna phase through me. I am the tank. I am the shield. No cap.”

“Then why are you making sounds like you’re trying to lift a truck?”

“I’m... battling internal demons!” Rendi managed, his face turning a deep shade of crimson. “Look, focus on your breathing. Inhale the vibes, exhale the toxicity. We’re gonna get through this blackout with zero L’s.”

“You’re really different now,” Sari said, pulling back just enough to look up at him. The candlelight reflected in her eyes, which were wide and moist. “I mean, you were always weird, but you were just... Rendi from 3B. Now you look like you could carry the whole building on your back.”

“Late-game progression, Mbak. It hits different,” Rendi gasped.

[ STABILITY: 40%. CRITICAL FAILURE IMMINENT. FIFTY SECONDS REMAINING. ]

[ PENALTY COMMENCING: MUSCLE ATROPHY IN 5... 4... ]

Sari flinched as another deep, wet thump came from beneath the concrete. She nearly fell, her legs giving out from the sheer psychic weight of the atmosphere.

“Rendi! It’s under us! It’s right under us!”

Without thinking, Rendi broke the pose. He ignored the blue screen’s screaming alerts and caught Sari before she hit the dusty floor, his arms locking around her with a speed and power that surprised even him.

[ TASK FAILED. STANCE BROKEN. FOCUS PENALTY APPLIED: -10 AGILITY FOR 1 HOUR. ]

“I got you,” Rendi said, his voice deep and surprisingly steady. He kicked a stack of wooden crates aside, creating a clear space between them and the crack in the garage floor. “Look at me, Sari. Deadass, look at me.”

She blinked, her breath hitching as she stared up into his intense gaze. “You moved.”

“The training can wait,” Rendi said, standing his ground as the invisible pressure of the garage seemed to recoil. “Your safety is the priority. I’m not letting some glitchy entity ruin the vibe. We’re good. You hear me?”

“I hear you,” she whispered, leaning into him, her hand resting on the center of his chest. “You’re actually being serious for once.”

“I’m high-key serious,” Rendi said, feeling the Focus Penalty dull his senses, but his grip remained firm. “I know I look like a total weirdo ninety percent of the time, and the other ten percent I’m probably eating garbage or falling off roofs, but if things get dicey, you’re safe behind me. That’s the mission. No exceptions.”

Sari let out a shaky laugh, wiping a tear away with her free hand. “You’re still a huge nerd, Rendi.”

“But I’m your favorite nerd, right?” Rendi smirked, though his eyes remained fixed on the door. “Now, let’s get you back upstairs before the System decides to throw more plot points at me.”

“The System?”

“Don't worry about it. Just some tech-bro talk,” Rendi said, gently guiding her toward the exit.

He stopped at the edge of the garage door, looking back one last time at the blue drums full of blood. The concrete had settled, but the air still felt thin—wrong.

The lights in the hallway suddenly buzzed back to life with a blinding flash. Sari squinted, shielding her eyes.

“Oh, thank God. It’s over,” she sighed, leaning against the doorframe. “I need a very long tea and about twelve hours of sleep.”

“Same, Mbak. Same,” Rendi said, though he didn't relax.

A sharp chime rang in his mind, louder and more urgent than any before. A new window appeared, not blue or orange, but a deep, pulsating crimson.

[ ALERT: FOCUS PENALTY HAS WEAKENED DOMAIN DEFENSES. ]

[ EMERGENCY UPDATE: CALIBRATION INTERRUPTED. LOCAL THREAT HAS ESCAPED THE GRID. ]

“Wait, escaped?” Rendi’s face went pale. “System, clarify! Where is it?!”

[ MISSION DETECTED: THE HUNGER MOVES. ]

[ LOCATION: APARTMENT UNIT 2A (NEIGHBOR’S RESIDENCE). ]

[ CURRENT STATUS: MONSTER SPAWN NODE 01 DETECTED IN NEIGHBOR'S KITCHEN. ]

Rendi stared at the text. Unit 2A.

“Mbak Sari?” Rendi’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Yeah?” she asked, already walking toward the stairs.

“Did you leave your kitchen window open?”

“I think so? To let the smell out after I burnt the toast this morning,” she said, pausing on the bottom step. “Why?”

Rendi looked at the flickering corridor lights and then at his own trembling hands.

“We need to run,” Rendi said, his voice flat with horror. “Right now. No cap.”