Apocalyptic System: Raka's Revival

First Skill: Predator' Eye

The roar tore through the silence of the night with an intensity that could shatter the courage of even the strongest man. Raka felt the vibration travel from the concrete beneath his feet all the way to his spine. Before his eyes, the massive shadow blocked the light of the dying streetlamps, creating a monstrous silhouette that looked more like a nightmare than reality.

"You... you're kidding, right?" Raka whispered, his voice barely audible over the creature's thunderous breathing. "System! Give me a hint! How am I supposed to fight something that big with a scrap of iron?"

[Warning: Level difference is too great.]

[Suggestion: Fleeing is statistically the most logical choice.]

"Thanks for the genius advice!" Raka growled.

He didn't wait for the next warning. As the giant claw slammed into the wall where he had just been leaning, Raka threw himself to the side, rolling across the rough asphalt. The sound of concrete shattering into pieces echoed behind him. Without looking back, he dragged his newly recovered legs toward a small iron door on the side of the building, the emergency exit leading to a minimarket warehouse.

Run, Raka! Run if you still want to see the sun tomorrow! he thought, holding his breath.

He slipped inside just as the creature slammed its head into the mouth of the alley, making the entire building shake violently. Raka locked the door from the inside, leaned his back against a pile of empty cardboard boxes, and listened to the growls outside slowly fade as their prey vanished into a gap that was far too narrow.

Two hours passed in a deathly silence.

Raka sat on the dark floor of the minimarket. Dim moonlight filtered through the shattered front window, illuminating the messy shelves. The smell of spilled detergent mixed with the metallic scent of blood that seemed to come from nowhere. He held a bottle of mineral water he had found under a shelf, gulping it down greedily until the very last drop.

"System," Raka called out softly. "Display menu. I need to know what I just got."

Ziiing.

A transparent blue screen reappeared, lighting up his dirty, scratched face.

[Name: Raka Pratama]

[Level: 2]

[HP: 50/100]

[Stamina: 45/100]

[Active Skill: Predator's Eye (Level 1)]

[Skill Point: 1]

"Skill Point?" Raka asked. "Is that for unlocking new abilities?"

[Correct, Player. You may open the Skill Tree to choose your initial specialization.]

"Open Skill Tree," Raka commanded.

A branching diagram appeared before him. There were paths for Physical Strength, Speed, and Perception. His eyes fixed on the branch connected to Predator's Eye. There was an option that caught his attention: Weak Point Insight.

"If I take this, what happens?"

[The 'Weak Point Insight' skill will provide an instant analysis of the target's anatomical structure. Any attack hitting a red point will deal 200% critical damage.]

"Double damage?" Raka gave a thin smirk. "Very useful for someone who only has a piece of rusted iron as a weapon. I'll take it. Confirm."

[Skill Point used. 'Predator's Eye' has evolved into 'Predator's Eye: Insight'.]

Raka closed his eyes for a moment, feeling a tingling sensation behind his eyelids. When he opened them again, the world looked different. Thin lines began to appear on every object. He looked at his hand and could see the paths of his blood vessels and nerve points pulsing faintly.

"Incredible," he muttered. "Now, I'm no longer blind prey."

Suddenly, his ears caught a faint scraping sound coming from the drink racks at the end of the room. It wasn't the heavy, dragging footsteps of the zombies he had fought in the alley. This sound was fast, light, and rhythmic.

Srak. Srak. Srak.

"Who's there?" Raka challenged, gripping his rusted iron tightly.

[Warning: 'Runner' detected within a 5-meter range.]

"Runner?" Raka activated his new skill.

In his monochrome vision, he saw a shadow moving incredibly fast behind the shelves. The creature was skin and bones, its skin clinging tightly to its frame, and the muscles in its legs appeared disproportionately enlarged. Unlike ordinary zombies, this creature didn't groan. It waited.

"Damn, they evolved this fast?" Raka whispered. It wasn't waiting because it was stupid; it was waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.

Without warning, the Runner leaped over the two-meter-high shelf. Its movement was so fast it looked like a black blur in the air. However, to Raka, everything seemed to move in slow motion. A bright red circle pulsed right under the creature's Adam's apple.

"Got you!" Raka shouted.

He didn't dodge. Instead, he ducked slightly and slammed the tip of his iron rod toward that red circle.

Jleb!

The iron went in easily, as if piercing through butter. The Runner choked, its body slamming onto the floor and twitching for a moment before finally going completely still. Black blood sprayed toward Raka's shoes.

[Target neutralized.]

[Gained 25 EXP.]

"Twenty-five?" Raka raised an eyebrow. "More than a regular zombie. But they're much more dangerous. If there were two or three at once..."

[Analysis: Your survival probability against three Runners simultaneously is 12%.]

"Thanks for that highly motivating statistic, System," Raka said sarcastically. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I need a better weapon. And maybe... a safer hiding place."

Raka began searching the back of the minimarket, hoping to find something useful. He found an intact black backpack and started stuffing it with several cans of food, chocolate bars, and two large bottles of water. His mind drifted to his life before this. Before, the most stressful thing in his life was facing overdue rent or his boss's scolding for a data entry error.

Now, I'm killing monsters for breakfast, he thought bitterly. The world had gone mad, or maybe he was the one going mad for enjoying this sensation of power.

He was just about to shoulder his backpack when a high-pitched scream erupted from outside the store. It was a human voice. A woman's voice, filled with sheer terror.

"Help! Help us!"

Raka froze. He stepped slowly toward the shattered front window, hiding behind the cracked wooden frame. Through the gap, he saw a group of people maybe four or five running down the middle of the dark street. Behind them, at least three Runners were chasing with terrifying speed.

"Hurry! Get inside that building!" a man in the group shouted, pointing toward an office building across from the minimarket.

One of them, a young girl, tripped over a cable lying across the road. She fell face-first.

"Sari! Get up!" her friend screamed, but the Runners were already too close.

Raka gripped his rusted iron. His heart pounded. Instinctively, his hand moved toward the minimarket's door handle. But he stopped.

What are you doing, Raka? a voice whispered inside his head. You just leveled up. Your HP isn't full. If you go out there, you'll just be another corpse on the street. They aren't your problem. Survival means not being a hero who dies for nothing.

"Damn it..." Raka gritted his teeth. He saw the girl crawling backward, her face pale with terror as one of the Runners prepared to lunge for her throat.

[Side Quest Triggered: Survivor Rescue.]

[Reward: 100 EXP and Mystery Item.]

[Failure: No penalty, but potential allies will be lost forever.]

"Potential allies?" Raka stared at the girl. There was something in her eyes, a determination to live that reminded him of himself when he was trapped in the alley.

Raka looked at the System screen, then back at the street outside. Logic told him to stay quiet, to stay safe in the darkness of the minimarket until morning. But his heart, the small part of him that still felt human rebelled.

"I'm going to regret this," Raka muttered.

He kicked the minimarket door wide open, creating a loud bang that drew the attention of the three Runners. Raka stood there, under the pale moonlight, holding his rusted iron like a gladiator entering the arena.

"Hey, rot-faces!" Raka roared. "You're looking for a more challenging prey, right? Come here and face me!"

The three Runners stopped instantly. They twisted their necks with the sound of cracking bones, their hungry yellow eyes now fixed entirely on Raka. Raka swallowed hard, activated his Predator's Eye, and saw three red circles p

ulsing before his eyes.

"Come on," Raka challenged, even though his hands were shaking. "Let's see who becomes whose EXP tonight."