God of creation system : The apocalypse

Nathaniel’s POV

It was a quiet and peaceful night inside my small apartment in the city of Manila. Most of my neighbors were fast asleep, leaving only my unit alive with the noise from the open television—even though I had no real desire to watch anything at this hour.

I sat alone in the dark living room facing the TV, looking like an absolute idiot staring blankly at the ceiling. Suddenly, my phone buzzed, signaling a new message. Even though I heard it clearly, I had no intention of moving or even glancing at it, certain it was just another reminder from one of my creditors.

" What a boring life... "

I remained completely blank, lifeless, and staring into space. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, I let my body slump backward onto the sofa to finally lie down. This had simply become an ordinary routine for each day of my current life.

I am Nathaniel Muntingbato, a 25-year-old comic artist, otaku, and NEET.

Aside from drawing, I have no other redeeming qualities to speak of. Perhaps if I do have any, I haven't discovered them yet—and I neither have the time nor the desire to find out, having long been content with what I could do through the art of illustration.

"What has happened to my life... my manga got canceled, and now I don't even have money for daily expenses," I whispered to myself.

I forced myself up from the sofa and walked over to my workstation. Scattered across it were loose papers, sketchpads, and various artist tools.

I stared at them as a wave of intense self-disappointment slowly crept into my mind. "Maybe it's time I finally quit making manga."

With a heavy sigh, I picked up my pencil, but the moment I placed it down on the desk, I noticed something strange.

An unfamiliar golden book was resting there. I was puzzled because I was certain it hadn't been there earlier, nor did I remember ever owning anything like it.

"What kind of book is this?"

I picked it up with hesitation and read the title inscribed on the cover: "The Book of Life."

I couldn't fathom how it ended up on my desk, but I could feel a peculiar energy radiating from it. Without a second thought, I opened to the first page.

In an inexplicable turn of events, the book suddenly emitted a blinding light. The moment I flipped it open, I squeezed my eyes shut against the painfully piercing glare.

"What's happening? my eyes !"

Moments later, the brilliant glow gradually faded. It was accompanied by strange, echoing sounds and shouting from all around—the clashing of sharp steel and the terrifying, crackling hiss of electricity in the air.

When I finally opened my eyes, I was shocked to find myself standing in the middle of a vast, open landscape currently engulfed in a bloody war.

Shouts and the loud, harsh grinding of swords echoed across the entire area with every swift swing of the warriors.

"What happened? Am I dreaming?"

Overwhelmed by a sudden surge of terror, my knees nearly buckled when I realized I was only about ten meters away from the heat of battle. I quickly bolted and hid behind a large boulder to avoid being noticed.

I couldn't believe it, but I knew this wasn't just a simple dream because I could clearly smell the metallic scent of blood in the air, the cold night breeze, and the rough earth beneath my feet.

"Where am I? Why am I here?"

"Don't be afraid, I won't let anything happen to you," said a soft yet mysterious voice from above.

I immediately searched for the source of the sound and spotted a small young girl sitting right on top of the boulder I was hiding behind. She was wearing a black gothic dress and had striking pink hair.

"Huh? Who are you?" I asked.

She only smiled, looking calm and completely at ease amidst the surrounding chaos.

"I am Koko, and I am an angel."

"Huh? An angel? W-what are you talking about?"

She slowly stood up straight atop the rock, exuding the posture of a powerful being descended from the heavens.

I didn't know if she was serious about what she was saying, but amidst my mixed anxiety and confusion, I blurted out a question.

"I don't know who you are, but why am I here? What is this place?"

"Huh? Wait, don't you recognize this place? Look."

With a single, simple wave of her hand, I felt my body lift and float effortlessly down from the large boulder to stand right beside her.

"What? How did I float? Wait, was that your doing?"

"I told you I'm an angel, and I can do many things. In fact, I'm also the reason why you are in this place," she replied with a continuing smile.

With another flick of her hand, the boulder we had been hiding behind slowly rose and floated up into the sky.

Overwhelmed by sudden shock and fear, I practically dropped to the ground and clung tightly to the top of the stone.

"Wait, what are you planning? Please, I'm afraid of heights!"

She only laughed as she watched me panic and tremble from sheer nervousness.

"Hahaha, what's wrong with you? Don't be scared, because I won't let you fall and die," she said.

"Take a good look around. Does this place remind you of anything?" she asked, looking down.

From a height of nearly a hundred meters above the ground, I clearly witnessed the entire plain now filled with thousands of warriors killing one another.

"What are you talking about? I have no idea where I am, and can you please put me down!" I shouted.

She explained that she brought me to that place to test me and grant me an extraordinary life.

"You are here now for a mission, and I cannot return you to your world until you complete it," she said seriously.

"A mission? What are you talking about? Wait, why would I listen to you? And besides, why me?"

"Hmm... It's simple. Because you are one of the chosen ones of the Great Creator, and to fulfill your desire, I am going to grant your long-held dream."

She further explained that she had known me since birth and was there to bring a blessing from above.

She mentioned that she knew of my passion for fantasy stories and how I was influenced by anime—the very reasons why I became a manga creator and crafted stories that previously existed only in my imagination.

"I am standing right here before you now to bring your past dreams to life. Look at your surroundings."

She raised both of her hands slightly while proudly displaying the land below.

"This world is full of adventure, magic, and trials. This is the world of Endoryo—the world you created yourself."

My eyes widened at her words, and I instinctively repeated myself in disbelief. "What? Endoryo? Say that again!"

She reiterated that the entire land I saw below and the warring armies originated from the world of Endoryo—the fictional setting of the manga I was making.

I couldn't accept or believe what she was saying, so I asked her how it was even possible for me to end up inside a purely fictional world.

"What are you saying? That was only a work of fiction, so why would I end up in Endoryo?"

Moments later, a loud, thunderous roar echoed. The ground in the distance suddenly split open, and a wave of dark energy surged around. The earth fractured violently alongside a massive tremor, while warriors caught in the collapse screamed and wailed.

"Look. The answer to your question is right before your eyes," Koko said, placing her hands on her hips.

I froze and locked up in place as I witnessed the emergence of a gigantic dark magic circle, from which a horrifying skeletal giant slowly arose.

"What is happening? Wait... is this world being destroyed?"

As the colossal skeleton fully materialized, a strange sense of fear and familiarity gripped my chest—a familiarity I could never mistake.

"Wait... Impossible! Is that the Destroyer?" I gasped, staring in absolute shock.

"That's right. That is the destroyer monster you created—one of the primary weapons of the antagonist in the story born from your wild imagination," Koko answered. "Do you like it?"

My jaw practically hit the floor because every single detail of the gigantic monster before me was an exact match for what I had drawn on paper.

The Destroyer was the terrifying weapon of the Dark Lord Halloween. He used it to wipe out all his enemies and crush anyone who dared oppose his conquest.

"If the Destroyer is here, that means..."

In the distance, I caught sight of thousands of undead, and right in the middle of them was an extravagant yet terrifying warship. There, I witnessed another entity—a skeletal monster wrapped in dark energy and a heavy aura.

"It's not impossible for this to happen. Halloween is here too."

Halloween was the main antagonist in the manga I was creating; a heartless being who ruthlessly killed and conquered towns without mercy.

"If that's the case... I really am in Endoryo."

The Destroyer unleashed a massive wave of dark flames that completely wiped out a rival faction of enemy warriors.

"Well, Nathaniel? Do you believe me now that I'm an angel?" Koko said with a smile.