Rise In The Apocalypse

Chapter 1: Enter The Apocalypse

[ Choose the Apocalypse you wish to face. ]

It was exactly 12:00 PM on a Monday when everything began.

"So it’s actually happening..." Max murmured while staring at the message floating before him.

Four monitors were already arranged across his desk, so the sudden appearance of a fifth “screen” immediately threw him off. Still, panic never came.

After all, he had worked as a cybersecurity ethicist before moving into systems engineering. His natural reaction wasn’t fear—it was analysis. He wanted to trace the source, to understand how this strange system was functioning.

Especially since the message wasn’t appearing on any of his physical monitors.

Instead, it seemed to exist directly in his vision, as though it were projected into his eyes—or perhaps a holographic display visible only to him.

‘What kind of tech even does this? Some kind of neural interface? There’s no way I’m hallucinating… right?’ Max wondered as he read the text again.

[ Choose the Apocalypse you wish to face. ]

[ You have 15 minutes to make your selection. ]

[ Failure to choose within the time limit will result in a random Apocalypse being assigned. ]

[ A.I. Armageddon ]

[ Alien Invasion ]

[ Demon Invasion ]

[ Deep Sea Awakening ]

[ Divine Judgment ]

[ Dragon Awakening ]

[ Fairy Realm Collision ]

[ Lycans versus Vampires ]

[ Magic War ]

[ Parasitic Evolution ]

[ Ragnarok ]

[ Zombie Outbreak ]

Soon enough, Max realized he hadn’t lost his mind. When he looked around the office, he saw others staring into empty air just like he was.

Several coworkers sat frozen in shock, eyes fixed on invisible screens.

Some barely needed time to process what they were seeing. One after another, a few of them made their choices—and the moment they did, they disappeared.

Gone instantly.

But not everyone accepted the situation so easily.

"What is this supposed to be? Should we call the police?"

"Why would anyone willingly choose an apocalypse?"

"This has to be some kind of joke! If this is a prank, you’re messing with my head! I’ll take you to court!"

"Hahaha! Shut it already! This is amazing! No more work! Zombie Outbreak… Ragnarok… Alien Invasion! Hmm—Zombies it is! Here I go! Goodbye, coworkers!"

One of the guys didn’t hesitate at all. The moment he chose Zombie Outbreak, he vanished right there.

The teleportation happened without warning.

No flashes of light. No fading animation. No dramatic effect.

It was as if the man had never existed at all.

Still, what he said earlier made Max realize something important. That guy probably only saw three choices.

Max had twelve.

After letting out a slow breath, Max steadied himself. He felt his mind sharpen as he focused again. Thirteen minutes remained on the timer.

The coworker who disappeared probably had a shorter countdown, which meant the system could vary from person to person.

Around him, the office had fallen into chaos. Once people realized the message was real, panic spread quickly. Some shouted, some cried.

A few individuals, oddly enough, looked calm—almost excited.

But many others, especially those with families waiting for them at home, looked completely devastated. Some broke down. Others simply froze.

Max couldn’t blame them.

Still, he didn’t have the luxury of worrying about anyone else.

Using the time he had left, he decided to inspect the option that coworker had picked—Zombie Outbreak. The man seemed incredibly confident selecting it, which made Max wonder if there was some kind of description labeling it as an easier difficulty.

The moment he focused on the option, additional information appeared.

[ Zombie Outbreak:

"The infection spreads. The dead rise with an endless craving for the living. Civilization collapses beneath overwhelming numbers. Yet the true danger may not be the infected, but the survivors who turn against one another." ]

‘No difficulty indicator… just narrative flavor.’ Max concluded after reading it. The description didn’t help much. Everyone already understood the basics of a zombie apocalypse.

The real problem would be the severity of the outbreak.

Regardless, Max knew immediately that this option was unacceptable. The risk was simply too great.

A single bite. A single infected wound.

That would be the end.

No recovery. No second chances.

If he turned into one of them, everything would be over.

The margin for error was nonexistent.

With that thought in mind, he began checking the other Apocalypse options.

Max sighed as he shifted his focus to the next one that caught his attention. The ideas of an A.I. Armageddon, Alien Invasion, or Demon Invasion didn’t appeal to him much, so he moved past them for the moment.

His eyes settled on another entry.

[ Deep Sea Awakening:

"The oceans surge forward, swallowing coastlines and cities alike. Ancient creatures emerge from the abyss to claim dominion over the flooded world. Humanity must retreat inland—or drown beneath the rising tides." ]

Max grimaced.

‘Water… swimming… yeah, that’s basically a death sentence for me.’

He despised the ocean. Even imagining the crushing pull of deep currents or encountering something enormous beneath the surface made his chest feel tight.

"Nope… absolutely not. That’s just suicide."

He had originally expected a different kind of awakening. Either way, he quickly moved on.

Next came another option.

[ Divine Judgment:

"The heavens part, unleashing celestial wrath. Angels and divine beings descend to purge the unworthy. Survival depends on faith, obedience—or rebellion against divine authority." ]

Max frowned.

"What is this supposed to be? A religious apocalypse?" he muttered. "That’s not something I can bet my life on. What if they just label me unworthy immediately? No chance to resist, no way to negotiate. Just instant judgment?"

He shook his head.

"Hard pass."

The next entry appeared.

Dragon Awakening.

[ Dragon Awakening:

"The ancient beasts awaken from their slumber…"

Max gave a helpless smile while reading.

"Dragons? So what, humanity just hides in caves while giant lizards burn everything?"

He dismissed the idea immediately.

Another option appeared.

[ Fairy Realm Collision:

"The barrier between worlds collapses. The fairy realm merges with reality as mana spills into the world. Time begins to distort, and mystical beings cross over to claim the land." ]

‘The fairy realm merging with Earth… actually, that doesn’t sound too bad.’ Max thought.

The only real concern was the type of creatures that might appear. Humans would obviously end up defending the planet.

If the invading beings turned out to be things like giants, phoenixes, ogres, or minotaurs, then the difficulty might skyrocket.

But if it was something smaller—kobolds, goblins—maybe survival would be possible.

Next came another option.

Lycans versus Vampires.

[ Lycans versus Vampires:

"The night becomes a battlefield. Vampires and werewolves wage war for dominance, dragging humanity into their eternal conflict. Survival is ruled by blood and moonlight." ]

"So we’re stuck in the middle of two monsters fighting each other?" Max muttered. "Do we have to pick sides or something?"

Still, based on discussions he had read online, he believed the Lycans would likely defeat the Vampires in a prolonged conflict.

If he somehow ended up there, siding with the Lycans might be his best bet.

He moved to the next option.

Magic War.

[ Magic War:

"Mana floods the world. Sorcerers and warlocks wage destructive battles, tearing reality apart with their spells. Ordinary humans must adapt—or perish in the crossfire." ]

Max stared at the description thoughtfully.

‘Adapt… does that mean people can learn magic and survive?’ he wondered.

That possibility alone made it interesting.

Then came another option.

Parasitic Evolution.

[ Parasitic Evolution:

"A new parasite spreads among all living creatures. Hosts mutate, evolve, and turn against one another. Survival requires resisting infection… or mastering it." ]

Max shivered.

The final sentence in that description definitely sounded like a warning.

"Parasites… no way," he muttered. "Losing control over your own body? That’s worse than zombies."

At least with zombies, death came quickly.

But parasites?

You might still be alive.

Just not yourself anymore.

Of course, he couldn’t be certain how things would actually unfold, but he had a strong feeling betrayals would be common in that kind of world.

Next appeared Ragnarok.

[ Ragnarok:

"The twilight of the gods arrives. Mythic beasts, colossal giants, and divine warriors clash in a final war. Humanity stands helpless in the storm of prophecy." ]

"That’s not even a battle I can participate in," Max muttered. "That’s literally the war of gods."

Humans would just be collateral damage.

"No thanks."

Anyone who willingly picked that option was probably insane—right after the ones who chose Divine Judgment.

Left with few alternatives, Max returned his attention to the first option again.

A.I. Armageddon.

[ A.I. Armageddon:

"Artificial intelligence surpasses its limits and seizes control. Machines rise against humanity, enforcing cold logic over life itself. Surveillance networks, drones, and mechanized armies hunt the last survivors." ]

"A.I. Armageddon… machines overthrowing humanity," Max murmured.

He had watched plenty of movies about scenarios like that. Compared to the others, it didn’t seem as horrifying.

But it was still incredibly dangerous—especially if the machines had already taken control of most of the planet.

He was just about to look away when the screen flickered suddenly.

"Hmm?"

[ Error… ]

[ Selection has been processed. ]

[ Challenge confirmed. ]

[ Admin… ]

[ Error… ]

Max froze.

"What?!"

Before he could react, the text shifted again—much faster this time.

[ You have selected A.I. Armageddon. ]

[ Entering the Apocalypse… ]

[ You have entered A.I. Armageddon: First Server. ]

[ Survivor Max will be deployed to a random starting region. ]

His heart skipped violently.

"Oh shit… Why?! I still had time!”