It was chaos aboard the ship and I was caught in its center.

From above strange alien creatures rained down on us, carrying weapons that looked straight out of a reenactment. They killed indiscriminately, stabbing, slashing, and hacking at anyone unfortunate enough to be within proximity.

I waded through the crowd, ducking to avoid a hail of black-tipped arrows. Jesus H Christ, this was no a show. The screams, the blood and the violence…it was all real.

My heart slammed against my ribs as a man not four paces away took a spear through the neck in a spray of blood. The word ELIMINATED popped in up red letters above his head.

“What the fuck,” I breathed. The words barely out of my mouth before another person fell. And another. I broke free of the crowd and stumbled, barely able to catch myself on the deck with one hand. There were bodies everywhere.

Men or women, these monsters didn’t seem to discriminate. I looked around, spotting a group of people huddled under a nearby umbrella. It was your typical family of four, a dad, a mother, and two young kids.

“Hey!” I called, waving a hand. The father glanced around. His face was pale and sweaty, and his glasses had slid halfway across his nose.

“Behind you!” I shouted. “Look out!”

A giant winged bug insect had landed on the deck and this one was far from humanoid. It looked like some demented cross between a beetle and a spider, with dark purple chitin and forelegs ending in sharp points.

I cried out as one of those points speared the father of two in the chest, lifting him off his feet. He kicked uselessly in the air, but only succeeded in sliding further down the sharp foreleg.

To my horror the monster leaned its head forward, opening its mandibles. And, in a spray of blood, it bit his head off. The mother screamed.

I dove to the side, snatching up one of the pool chairs and lifting it over my head. I hurled it at the beast, swearing when it bounced harmlessly off its reinforced shell.

“Don’t just stand there lady!” I shouted to the mother. “Take your kids and run.”

She hurried by, giving me a grateful nod. My second good act of the day and it was about to go south. The Giant bug turned its shiny red eyes on me and tossed aside the headless corpse of the father.

Then it began to shamble forward. Seeing a bug the size of a small car headed your way with murderous intent is enough to make most people shit their pants. Somehow I managed to avoid that fate and did the logical thing.

I turned and ran. My feet were bare and for that I cursed myself. A nice pair of boat shoes might have saved me from slipping and sliding I did on the bloody deck. A bug warrior threw a spear at me and I ducked as it passed inches over my head.

I couldn’t run forever. If I wanted to live then I needed some sort of plan. A quick glance in the direction of the double doors told me the nearest exit wasn’t a viable option. The crowd was crammed into the space, with other survivors added to the chaos by pressing in from behind.

No, If I wanted to get inside for shelter then I’d need to find another way. Behind me, I could hear the clicking of claws across the wooden deck. That damn but was coming for me and I was all out of time.

I darted to the side, around an insectoid warrior stabbing a spear through the gut of some poor sod, and vaulted over a pair of pool chairs. There in the distance, I could see the walkway that wrapped around the side of the deck. If I took that, I’d be able to take the doors on the side of the ship to the elevators.

It was my best bet and I was all out of time. I sprinted for the side of the deck, the only sound of the screams of panicked people and my own heavy breathing. Damn, I was a skinny guy but running really wasn’t my strong suit.

I managed to dodge aside as another crude spear whipped past me to bury itself quivering in the side of the ship. Then I spotted the doors.

“Thank fuck,” I hissed as I reached them and waited for the double doors to open. Only, they stayed closed. What the..?

I tried to step up to them again, waving my hands at the sensor and swearing inwardly when the doors didn’t react. The damn things had been locked from the inside and it didn’t take me long to figure out why.

There was a man inside, arms wrapped around his knees and rocking back and forth. His white t-shirt was splattered with blood and his eyes were wild.

“Hey!” I called, pounding on the glass. “Open the doors!”

The wide-eyed man raised his head, took one look at me and shook it violently. I stared at him.

“Let me in or I’ll die out here!” I shouted, pounding on the glass again. I swore and tried three times to ram my shoulder against the glass earning nothing but a soreness I knew I’d feel tomorrow.

A buzz behind me made me spin around and my heart did the foxtrot as soon as I saw what had made the noise. A bug warrior had landed before me, wings folding behind his back. Up close he looked like a strange bluish cross between an ant and a man, with multiple arms and large clicking mandibles.

A text box appeared over his head.

Hive Warrior Level 5

I backed away, looking for some sort of way out. I could try to dart around him but with that long lethal looking spear I didn’t like my chances. Fighting an armed opponent with no weapon just seemed like the type of dumb shit that would get me dead. But then again what choice did I have?

Unless…

The warrior menaced me with his spear, advancing while chittering in excitement. The spear was already red with blood and I knew I would be next if I didn’t think of something.

Okay, so the world had ended. This was some sort of invasion, right? But all of the damn bugs had level indicators. Did that mean I had a level indicator?

“Menu!” I shouted, waving an arm in front of me like a madman. Nothing happened.

“Uh,” I said, feeling sweat trickling down the back of my neck. “Status!”

This time something did happen. My vision flashed and a black box expanded in front of me. As it did, the warrior in front of me slowed to crawl. His spear was thrusting forward but I managed to move aside.

Welcome to the Multiverse System! Scrawled the white text enthusiastically in front of me.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Earth has been selected to undergo the five-year integration into the System. Rejoice! For the gods wish to test the resolve of mankind. Choose your class, survive, and ascend. Only three can be named as the Champions of Earth!

“Champions of Earth?” I said incredulously, sidestepping another slow-mo stab from the now frustrated bug warrior. “You mean to tell me that out of 7 billion people here on Earth, only 3 will become these.. these champions?”

That is correct! The multiverse collision has already begun. survive Calamity Events, defeat Dungeon Monsters, and kill legendary beasts in order to level up and earn your place among the ranks of the universe's most elite hunters.

I stepped back up, my back finding the wall behind me. Then I asked the obvious question – the one I didn’t want to ask but knew I needed the answer too.

“And what happens if humanity fails to produce three champions in five years?” I asked. The system took a while to respond. I watch the white cursor on the black box blink for several long seconds. Then, text began to appear.

If Earth fails to produce three champions of SSS rank or beyond, then the Dead World Protocol will be activated, and all lives on Earth will be terminated. Good luck!

I stared at the word terminated, heart still galloping in my chest. There was no damn way this was happening. And yet the evidence was right in front of me. The Hive warrior advances in slow motion, beady eyes narrowed.

Fuck this, if I was going to do this… If I was going to accept my fate then I was going all in.

“Show me the classes!” I snapped at the system and waited. The black box expanded in my vision and a list complete with small icons and pictures popped up. I scanned the words, there wasn’t much time to read. I needed to get this done and fast if I wanted to survive.

I extended a hand and used my fingers to scroll.

“Ranger? Nope, not my speed. Warrior, eh maybe…. Berserker..” I paused to give that one a once over then shook my head. Getting up close and personal might be appealing at times, but if I had to fight monsters the size of that beetle creature or larger I wanted to have the option of range.

Paladin was interesting but I would have to choose the alignment of a God. Didn’t the system just say the Gods, whoever the hell they were, had done this to us?

That left only a few options. My eyes snagged on one and I read it aloud.

“The Mage class is better suited for those who wish to grow their power. There are ten schools of magic, and each school has a subset that can expand the user's class and capability. Specialization can improve basic stats as well as Arcane power, overall damage, and spell sustainability… blah blah blah. Sure, sounds good to me.”

I clicked Mage and a message popped up.

Are you sure you want to select Mage as your class? This choice cannot be undone.

I grit my teeth and swore. There was no going back now. A moment later I had clicked the yes button and the text boxes in my vision narrowed. The one box reappeared and I was the symbol of what looked like some type of dice rolling.

Congratulations! You have selected a Mage class. A role for your magical affinity.

Roll?

“You gotta be kidding me,” I said as I tried to step around the big warrior not positively frothing at the mouth with his need to kill me.

“I don’t even get to choose what type of magic I get? I’m supposed to leave it up to chance?”

The system didn’t respond as the dice tumbled over and over on the little black screen before me. I hoped I’d get something good. Something like fire! The fire was cool. Er wait, maybe that wasn’t a great idea on a cruise ship. I could get shadow powers and fade in and out of the darkness like an assassin. Damn, that would be cool as hell.

I was eager now, watching the dice with a kind of hunger I hadn’t felt before. It was possible I had passed out at the bar and this was all a weird drunken dream. But if this was real… this could change everything.

At last, the dice slowed to a stop and I stared, breathing hard as I waited.

Congratulations! Your magic affinity has been selected. You are a Sand Mage.

I blinked.

“What do you mean a Sand Mage? Sand? Is that even a magical power? Reroll.”

Sorry, there are no rolls available.

A muscle worked in my jaw. If some God was behind this he or she was having an absolute laugh at my expense. Sand? Seriously? I was about to give the system a piece of my mind when a status window popped up and drew my gaze.

Zade Russo

Hunter Rank: H

Class: Sand Mage

Skills Learned: None

Strength: 5

Agility: 5

Magic: 6

Wisdom: 0

Unused skill points: none

Ding!

The notification sound made me jump.

You have learned your first skill.

Skill: Sand Spike

Launch a spike of hardened sand at your enemies, dealing damage and even death. This spell has a low mana cost.

A small circle of dark blue appeared at the corner of my vision. The word Mana was highlighted beneath it. Sand Spike huh? There was only one way to find out if I was crazy.

I tapped the x at the corner of the box and it winked out of existence. The rest of the world came back into focus and to my dismay, formally slowed time resumed to normal.

The tip of the Warrior’s spear grazed my cheek on the way by, drawing blood. I dodged aside as he advanced on me, clicking his pincers in triumph.

I threw up a hand palm outward and concentrated. I stared at the hand. The warrior stared at the hand. For a moment nothing happened.

I’m going to fucking die, I thought glumly. I hadn’t even had time to enjoy my vacation. What a waste. Then I felt a stirring within me. It was as if I had drank a shot of something strong.

Heat bloomed in my core, spreading up my arms and out of my fingertips. Even as I watched a small spike of sand the size a soda bottle formed. Then it shot outward.

The insect warrior stumbled sideways, on account of the hole now punched through one of his bulbous eyes. He collapses, blue liquid pooling on the deck beneath him. I didn’t hesitate. I stepped forward and snatched up his crude spear, hefting it in my hands.

Ding!

You have claimed a weapon – a basic iron spear. Condition: poor

Well, it was better than nothing. Power still buzzed in my veins, but when I checked my mana level I saw it was already half depleted.

I had one or two more uses at most and couldn’t afford to waste them. Fumbling in my pocket I realized I left my phone at the bar. Damn, there was no going back for it now.

Looking around I spotted several bodies lying face down on the deck. One of them was a man whose uniform I recognized. He was crew staff, or at least he had been.

Checking the sky for any more bug bastards, I crossed the deck and knelt beside him.

“Sorry old pal,” I said, rummaging around in his pockets. It didn’t take me long to find what I was looking for. A white keycard with a cheesy ID photo and the words “Employee Access” written in big letters. Perfect.

I hurried back to the door, wincing as I heard a scream from somewhere behind. I fumbled with the card, holding it up to the scanner until I heard the click.

I wrenched the door open, stepped inside, and slammed the door shut just as a bug warrior landed somewhere down the deck.

He was a bigger bastard than all the others, and his large iridescent wings folded behind him as he swung his horned head from side to side. Without meaning to I locked eyes with a woman not ten feet away, cowering behind a couple of pool chairs.

Shit. I wet my lips, heart pounding. I should have just turned around in left but the question was – could I? That’s somebody’s mother out there. I sank my teeth into my lower lip and spat out a few curses that would have earned me a beatdown from my old man.

I stepped forward, reaching for the door.

“Don’t do it.”

The words came from behind me, and I was so surprised I nearly jumped. I had forgotten about the guy who had been sitting on the floor the whole time. The one who had seen my request to open the door and ignored it.

Fighter level one Flashed over his head. He was fumbling with something, some sort of wrap around his fists.

Before I had mistaken his posture for fear but on closer examination he leaned against the wall, methodically wrapping his fists.

“Why?” I asked bluntly. “I’m no Mother Teresa but I sure as shit ain’t leaving folks to die If I can do something about it.”

He laughed, and I didn’t much like the sound.

“What’s the point? It’s dog eat dog out here, or did you not get the system message? Earth is fucked, and the only way to survive is to level up and get stronger.”

He rose to his feet and rolled his neck from side to side like a prize fighter. His blonde hair was shaved close to his head and there was a tattoo on his neck of an upside-down raven. I had seen that mark before, on guys my Uncle Vinny used to warn me to steer clear of.

Shit, was this guy made?

“You want to make it through? Then it’s every man for himself.” He said, gesturing to the door. “Leave her, she’s as good as dead.”

He turned and jogged down the hall, shoes squeaking. I turned back to the glass and saw the woman gripping the legs of the chair. Her eyes darted from the door to the large warrior now prowling among the bodies on the deck.

The warrior twirled a large spear and stabbed it into the corpse of a man. The man screamed, back arching against the blow. He had been playing dead, and now he was paying the price.

“God damn it,” I said as I ran a hand through my hair. What tough guy had said had gotten into my head and I couldn’t deny he had a point. The introduction to this thing called the system, the Apocolypse, the stakes? The odds were already stacked against mankind.

In the end, all we had was each other. I let out a breath and smiled.

“I’m gonna regret this shit,” I whispered to no one.

Then I pushed open the door and gestured to the woman to run.