I Awakened the Apocalypse System

The First Hunter

Ethan stared down at the black box resting in his hands while Victor stood only a few steps away, watching him with an unsettling calmness that made the moment feel even more dangerous. The rain continued falling steadily around them, though Ethan barely registered it, his entire attention consumed by the box and the warning that had flashed across his vision only moments earlier.

BEGINNER WEAPON BOX BOUND TO PLAYER ETHAN COLE.

He still had no idea what the box contained, but Victor’s reaction alone had already told him everything he needed to know. Whatever waited inside had to be significant enough to shake a man who otherwise seemed entirely unbothered by everything around him. Victor took another step forward.

“Give me the box.”

Ethan tightened his grip instinctively. “No.”

Victor’s eyes narrowed. “You have no idea what you are holding.”

“Then tell me.”

“I could, but you would not believe me.”

Ethan backed away slowly until his mother stood safely behind him, his body still aching from everything that had already happened that night, though he refused to let any of that fear show on his face. Victor’s gaze drifted toward Mary. “Your son has been chosen by something that does not care whether you live or die. If you stay with him, you will become a target.” Mary looked at Ethan with growing confusion. “What is he talking about?”

Before Ethan could even attempt an answer, another message appeared before his eyes.

WARNING. HOSTILE PLAYER DETECTED.

His eyes widened at the revelation. Victor was not merely someone who understood the System from the outside, he was a player himself, and that single discovery changed everything about the situation they now found themselves in. Ethan studied him carefully. “You have the System too.”

Victor’s smile returned. “Now you understand.”

“How long have you had it?”

“Long enough to know that the rules are not as simple as they appear.”

Ethan glanced down at the black box again. “What is inside this?”

Victor’s smile vanished instantly. “You will find out soon enough,” he said, and then he moved without warning. Ethan’s Danger Sense reacted before his own eyes could even track the motion, and he yanked his mother out of the way just as Victor’s hand struck the wall behind them hard enough to crack the concrete on impact.

Ethan stared at the damage in disbelief, fully aware now that Victor possessed strength far beyond his own, meaning any direct confrontation would end in defeat. “Run, Mum.”

Mary hesitated. “Ethan.”

“Trust me.”

She finally obeyed, and Ethan turned to follow her while Victor trailed behind them at an unhurried pace. They reached the end of the passage and emerged into a wider street, where Ethan spotted an old warehouse with its door left partially open.

“Inside,” he said, and they rushed through the entrance together.

The warehouse greeted them with darkness and the heavy smell of dust and old oil, wooden crates scattered haphazardly across the floor and an aging staircase leading up to a second level. Ethan quickly guided his mother behind a stack of boxes. “Stay here.”

“What about you?”

“I will come back.”

She held onto his hand tightly. “You are my son. I am not hiding while you face that man alone.” Ethan looked at her for a long moment, recognizing that arguing would only cost them precious time. “Then stay close to me.”

They pressed deeper into the warehouse as Victor entered through the main door behind them, his footsteps slow and deliberately unhurried. “Ethan,” he called out, “you cannot hide from me.” Ethan said nothing in response, focusing instead on the black box still clutched in his hand, reasoning that the System would not have granted it to him for surviving the first night without some meaningful purpose behind it.

He focused his attention on the box, and a new prompt appeared.

BEGINNER WEAPON BOX. OPEN? YES. NO.

He selected yes, and the box opened to release a burst of bright light before something small fell directly into his waiting palm, a short black blade that looked deceptively simple. The moment his fingers closed around it, another message appeared.

BEGINNER BLADE. RANK: COMMON. DAMAGE: +5. ABILITY: NONE.

He understood the message immediately, recognizing that the blade would boost his attack power without granting any special ability beyond that, which made sense given that the System clearly was not handing him unlimited power outright. He had earned this weapon through survival, and its strength reflected that modest achievement.

Victor suddenly emerged from between the shelves. “You opened it.” Ethan raised the blade in response, and Victor glanced at the weapon before laughing softly. “That thing will not save you.”

“I do not need it to save me.”

Ethan surged forward, and for the first time that night he chose not to wait for his opponent to strike first. He swung the blade toward Victor, who simply stepped aside, letting the weapon slice harmlessly through empty air before delivering a powerful blow directly to Ethan’s chest that sent him flying backward into a wooden crate. Pain radiated through his entire body as his mother screamed his name.

He forced himself back onto his feet as Victor approached. “You are strong for someone who awakened only recently, but you are still far too weak.” Ethan wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. “Then why are you afraid of me?”

Victor stopped mid stride, and Ethan seized on the reaction, having already noticed that Victor could easily have taken the box back in the passage but had hesitated instead, held back by the fact that the System had already bound it to Ethan alone. There was clearly something Victor feared about that bond. Ethan tightened his grip on the blade. “You want what I have.”

Victor’s expression turned serious. “I want what you represent.”

“What does that mean?”

He studied Ethan for several long seconds before answering. “The System has different players. Some receive ordinary abilities, while others receive unusual conditions. You are different from the rest of us.” Ethan’s heart began pounding harder. “Why?” Victor’s eyes turned cold. “Because the System marked you as Player Zero.”

The memory of that earlier message returned to him instantly, PLAYER ZERO HAS BEEN FOUND, and everything about Victor’s pursuit finally made sense. “What happens to Player Zero?”

Victor’s smile returned. “That is what I came to find out.” He attacked again, and Ethan raised his blade to meet the strike, the two weapons colliding with enough force to push Ethan backward, though he managed to stay on his feet this time thanks to the increased strength coursing through his body. His Danger Sense continued warning him a fraction of a second before each attack landed, allowing him to dodge several of Victor’s strikes in succession, and for the first time genuine surprise crossed Victor’s face. “You can predict my movements.”

Ethan did not bother explaining that his ability only warned him when danger drew near without revealing exactly what form that danger would take, though even that small advantage proved enough to keep him alive through the exchange. Victor suddenly stepped backward, and for a moment Ethan believed he was retreating, but instead Victor simply smiled. “You have potential.”

A loud crash sounded from somewhere outside, and Victor turned toward the warehouse entrance as several sets of headlights swept through the broken windows. Ethan’s heart sank as Victor slowly lowered his hand. “The Hunters are here.” Mary’s face filled with fear. “Who are the Hunters?” Victor glanced toward Ethan. “The people who kill players before players become too powerful.”

Ethan tightened his grip on the blade. “Are they coming for me?”

Victor’s smile returned one final time. “They are coming for both of us.”

The warehouse doors burst open violently as a group of armed men flooded inside, dressed in dark tactical clothing and carrying weapons unlike anything Ethan had ever seen, each jacket marked with a circular emblem crossed through with a single black line. Their leader stepped forward first. “Victor Kane.”

Victor exhaled slowly. “Commander.”

The commander’s gaze shifted toward Ethan, and the moment his eyes landed on the black box, his entire expression changed. “Player Zero.” Ethan felt his stomach twist painfully as the commander raised his weapon. “Take the woman alive.” His men advanced immediately, and then he pointed directly at Ethan. “And kill the boy.”

Ethan raised the beginner blade as his mother moved close behind him, and the System flashed one final message before his eyes.

NEW MISSION. SURVIVE THE HUNTER RAID. TIME LIMIT: 30 MINUTES. REWARD: LEVEL UP.

He stared at the words, recognizing for the first time a genuinely clear path toward becoming stronger. There was only one problem standing in his way. More than ten armed Hunters now stood between him and survival.