"I give up."

On the partially destroyed bridge, a tall man declared decisively. 

"I'm tired of fighting these monsters. There's nothing left for me." 

He revealed his intention calmly, his voice soft. His once-dark hair, now streaked with silver, is pulled back into a tight bun, keeping it out of his sharp, alert eyes. His face, though lined with the passage of years, retains a striking intensity—his jaw square, his nose slightly crooked from an old break, and his eyes a deep, stormy gray that seem to hold the weight of every soul he's encountered and lost. Scars crisscross his tanned skin, tokens from a lifetime of battles against both man and monster. His name was Dante Antonelli.

His words were lost in the sound of groans and grumbles coming from below. He sat on top of a truck, gazing wearily at the undead shuffling back and forth. 

"Damn corpses, why won't you stay dead?"

The man beside him let out a short laugh, and suddenly something clicked in his mind. He quickly turned toward the setting sun beyond the bridge.

"Dante, it's time."

"Arthur... don't you have any regrets?"

Arthur Bailey, a man between 32 and 35 years old. Arthur was a man caught in the chaos of a dying world. In his early thirties, he bore the weight of his experiences in the lines on his face and the determined set of his jaw. His golden hair, tousled by the wind, framed a pair of piercing blue eyes that seemed to hold both resolve and weariness. Clad in lightweight white armor that shimmered faintly under the sun, he carried a sharp spear, its tip glinting ominously as he prepared for the trials ahead. Though he stood alongside Dante on the crumbling bridge, Arthur's spirit remained unbroken, and beneath his calm exterior lay a fierce determination to protect what remained of humanity.

He turned his gaze to Dante and let out a long sigh.

"I can't say I don't. There are certainly things I wish I could change, but I'm glad we survived together."

"You're a simple man..."

Dante smiled as he rose from the ground. Dante regretted deeply every day. After all, how many lives had been lost just to get them here? To this very moment. 

This was an important day, as in a few minutes, the final mission would be given to the last survivors on Earth.

---

[Supreme Mission: Survive the Calamity]

Description: 
The system has detected the approach of an unimaginable catastrophe. The final Calamity that will destroy everything. The sky darkens, the earth trembles, and incomprehensible entities prepare to consume the world. Only those who complete this last mission can save Earth and ensure humanity's survival.

Objective:
- Survive for 72 hours in the epicenter of the Calamity. 
- Defeat the source of the Calamity (Mission Boss: The Calamity). 
- Protect the remaining survivors. 
- Prevent the total destruction of Earth's core.

Rewards: 
- [Title] Hero of the Last Era: ???
- [Resource] Fragment of Creation: ???
- [Revelation] The Truth of the Observer: A revelation that unlocks the hidden knowledge of the universe.

Penalty for Failure: 
- Total Destruction: If this mission fails, Earth will be destroyed, and all survivors will be eradicated. There will be no return.

Difficulty: Extreme

Special Rules: 
- Survivors cannot hide. The Calamity will find everyone. 
- The use of destructive abilities above a certain level may accelerate the destruction of Earth's core. 
- Cooperation is key. All surviving players must contribute to stopping the Calamity, or everyone will be punished.

---

Arthur stared at the square in front of him, petrified. It was like a hologram, emitting a faint blue light. As he read it, his hands trembled—not with fear, but with rage.

"What the hell…?" 

His eyes widened. He knew this final mission would be difficult, but not on a level that seemed impossible to win.

"These bastards are playing with us!"

As Arthur slowly succumbed to fear, Dante, standing nearby, burst into loud laughter.

"Finally lost it?"

Arthur asked, confused. But Dante could only find humor in the situation.

"Looks like we're screwed, huh?"

Arthur still seemed angry, kicking a nearby can. While Dante simply enjoyed his last view of the sunset, another message popped up in front of him in the same square window as before. 

[Sender: "Observer of the Infinite Dance": Oh, you've finally made it to the grand finale, haven't you? It must be exhausting standing on the front lines, facing the end of the world. Don't worry, I'm just watching… from the VIP seats, of course. 👀"] 

-Tsk.

"Are you still here?"

Dante asked, disapprovingly. Another window popped up in response. 

[Sender: "Observer of the Infinite Dance": How could I leave my favorite pet?] 

"You're annoying, you know that? If you're not going to help, then stay quiet."

[Sender: "Observer of the Infinite Dance": I won't lie, I've seen worlds fall before, but there's always that special player who manages to turn the tide at the last moment. Maybe you're one of those, maybe not. Who knows? Fate loves to play with probabilities.]

 "Hey, I'm talking to you!" 

[Sender: "Observer of the Infinite Dance": A tip? Have fun. If the world's going to end, at least let it be a memorable show, don't you think? Good luck, little hero. You're going to need it... or not. 😉"] 

Another window appeared in front of Dante, who was visibly irritated. 

[Observer of the Infinite Dance has left the chat] 

"That guy… he does whatever he wants." 

Dante looked up at the sky above him. It was strangely blue, a beautiful, vibrant blue that didn't seem to match a world on the brink of destruction. It was almost as if 'The Fall of Humanity' had never even happened. 

--

'The Fall of Humanity'—that's what survivors called the day everything began. It was September of 2024, a particularly tense year when governments were on the verge of starting a third world war. Chaos was spreading across all nations. Hunger, despair, disease, and murder were daily occurrences for many, while the rich enjoyed their wealth and pleasures. The world teetered on the edge of madness.

That's when the first bell rang. The sound was felt in every city, every village, every isolated corner. No one knew where it came from, but everyone heard it. A single bell.

Shortly after, as confusion still reigned, the animals stopped. Birds fell from the sky mid-flight like dead leaves. Dogs walking alongside their owners froze in place, statues of flesh. Cats, once agile and free, became silent figures, eyes fixed on the void. No more birdsong, no barking, not even the hum of insects. The world plunged into an eerie silence.

At first, many didn't understand. Some believed it was a passing phenomenon, perhaps something related to the climate or a strange event in nature. But as the hours passed and the silence persisted, fear began to grow. On social media, on news broadcasts, on the radio, the same question echoed: "What was happening?"

Governments had no answers. Scientists speculated, but with no concrete data. And the fear, which had been a subtle shadow, became a suffocating presence. Without the animals, the world felt empty, dead. Nights were even darker, without the nighttime songs of crickets or the distant hooting of owls. Earth had become a place devoid of life.

A week passed. That was the time humanity had to try to understand what had happened, to theorize, and wonder what would come next. Some said it was the beginning of the end, others spoke of government conspiracies, secret experiments. Tension grew by the day, and while people searched for answers, a new sound was approaching.

Exactly one week after the first chime, at noon, the bell rang again. This time, it was deeper, as if it came from the very depths of the Earth. And with it came darkness—not a physical darkness, but a technological blackout. An EMP swept the planet. Every electronic device, from phones to satellites, shut down instantly.

Chaos descended. Communication between continents, cities, even neighbors became impossible. Cars stopped in the streets, planes plummeted from the skies. Hospitals, factories, homes—all plunged into even deeper silence, now without the hum of electricity.

Seven days passed after the second bell. The world, already chaotic from the fall of the electrical systems, had barely had time to reorganize itself. Cities were in darkness, communication was done only through messengers, and transportation had reverted to primitive methods. People survived on what they could, growing their own gardens and improvising with whatever supplies they had left.

But then, at noon on the seventh day, the third bell rang, reverberating through the air like divine thunder. As the sound dissipated, the Earth seemed to fall even quieter. And it was in that silence that something devastating began to unfold. 

The plague. Almost invisible to the naked eye, yet deadly, it arrived like poison on the breeze. The crops that still resisted, which had become the last hope for many, began to wilt. Within hours, entire fields of wheat, corn, and rice were dead, as if they had been burned from within. The fruit trees dried up, their leaves falling as if winter had arrived instantaneously. 

The putrid smell of death spread across the farms and fields, and soon hunger began to plague the survivors. Despair took hold. Without electricity, without animals, and now without food, humanity's last hopes seemed to be fading away. Entire families fled the cities in search of any patch of land that still had life, but nothing remained. 

Sprouts rotted before they could break the soil, the remaining harvests were devoured by an invisible blight, and even the bodies of the dead began to decompose faster than natural. Scientists, lacking their equipment and resources, could not understand the cause. Hunger set in, and the struggle for survival became brutal. Groups began to loot and kill for food, and cities crumbled into total chaos.

When the fourth bell tolled, many had already succumbed to despair and starvation. The streets of the cities lay deserted, the fields empty and dead. Only the hungry and the strong survived, hiding in closed groups, trying to avoid total collapse. No one knew what to expect this time, but the fourth bell brought something worse than all the previous ones.

From the cracks that had begun to form in the previous weeks, monsters emerged. But they were not merely nightmare creatures; they were mutants, beings that appeared to be sculpted from the depths of madness. Some had human bodies, but deformed beyond recognition: arms elongated like tentacles, mouths filled with irregular teeth, eyes scattered across their bodies. 

These mutants seemed a fusion of man and animal, as if the very world had begun to grotesquely recreate its lost fauna. There were creatures with skin as hard as stone, advancing on cities and destroying what remained of the buildings. Others floated, their shapes resembling shadows that sucked the heat and light from their surroundings.

These abominations not only attacked but also multiplied. Each time one of these creatures killed a human, the victim's body would quickly start to contort, being absorbed into a new monstrous form. Humanity itself was becoming food and raw material for the monsters.

The resistance was crushed. Thousands died within days. Those who survived hid in caves, undergrounds, and any place where they could escape the monsters' sight. The world was unrecognizable. Civilization had fallen, humanity was on the brink of extinction, and everything seemed lost. 

It was in this scene of pure destruction that the fifth bell tolled. The world, already in ruins, heard the last and deepest chime at noon. Unlike the previous bells, which had brought death and chaos, this one brought something strange.

As the sound dissipated, a sudden change occurred. The monsters, who had been ravaging the world, froze in their places, as if paused by an invisible force. The air became heavy, dense, and time seemed to slow down. Then, slowly, something began to change in the sky.

A soft light emerged in the heights, and a message began to form in the sky, as if written by invisible hands. The letters glowed in shades of blue and white, shimmering as if made of pure energy. The message, simple and direct, read:

"Initializing systems..."

Dear readers,

Thank you so much for taking the time to read the first chapter! I appreciate your support and hope you enjoyed the story so far. I apologize for any errors in English, as it is not my first language. 

I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback! Please feel free to leave a comment about what you think. 

With gratitude,

Victorie