While others screamed and scrambled for a safe place, Irvin's thoughts turned to survival. I need supplies, he realized, his hand tightening on his backpack. Food, water, anything valuable.

He watched as a group of students ran towards the campus buildings, desperate for shelter. Irvin ground his teeth, his lips in a tight line.

Fools, he thought. Those buildings are deathtraps now.

He'd seen the way the structures had started to crumble, the metal and glass twisting and breaking under some unseen force. No point in risking going inside any buildings.

The city, he decided, turning away from the campus.

He moved quickly, sticking to the shadows as he made his way towards the city center. Around him, the streets were filled with people escaping the collapsing infrastructure, their faces etched with fear and confusion.

Irvin kept his head down, avoiding eye contact. Don't get involved, he told himself, his jaw clenching. Just focus on what you need to do.

As he walked, he passed a group of people huddled around a car, its frame twisted and mangled. They called out to him, but Irvin ignored them, his pace never slowing.

What could I even do, he thought, a twinge of guilt quickly suppressed. I have to look out for myself.

He reached the city center, his eyes scanning the storefronts and office buildings. Most were dark, their windows shattered, but a few still stood intact, beckoning in their promise of supplies.

Irvin approached one, a small grocery store, its door hanging off its hinges. He peered inside, his heart racing as he spotted the shelves still stocked with food and water.

Jackpot, he thought, a grin spreading across his face.

But as he stepped forward, the ground beneath him began to shake. The door fell and Irvin jumped back as the roof of the storefront collapsed, burying everything under it.

Irvin stared at the rubble, his mouth dry. Dust filling his lungs sending him into violent fit of cough.

He glanced around with bloodshot eyes, his allergy kicking in. Everywhere he looked, buildings were crumbling, their structures failing under the same unsuspecting force that had brought down the campus.

He turned away from the ruined store, his lungs heaving, tears going down his face. The fear in him stirred, bubbling beneath the surface, but Irvin forced it down.

He got up from his knees, turning to run before something fell and crushed him, his mind jumbling about how to survive. But as he took his first steps, a desperate cry cut through the chaos, stopping him in his tracks.

"Help! Please, someone help me!"

Against his better judgment, Irvin glanced over his shoulder. A middle-aged man lay pinned beneath a pile of rubble, his face contorted in pain. A woman knelt beside him, her hands scrabbling uselessly at the heavy debris.

Irvin's jaw clenched, his eyes darting between the trapped man and the path to safety.

Just go, a voice in his head urged. You can't save anyone.

But as he watched the woman's desperate attempts to free the man, something stirred within him. A flicker of empathy, perhaps, in the face of this unfolding catastrophe.

With a muttered curse, Irvin turned back, hurrying to the man's side. The woman looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear and hope.

"Help me get him out," she pleaded, her voice cracking.

Irvin nodded, positioning himself beside her. Together, they strained against the heavy rubble, their muscles screaming with the effort. But despite their combined strength, the debris refused to budge, the man's legs remained hopelessly pinned.

Irvin's heart sank as he realized the futility of their efforts. He glanced around, searching for something, anything that could help.

And then he saw it.

A bag of food lay on the ground nearby, its contents spilling out onto the dusty concrete. Irvin's eyes locked onto it, his mind scattered.

With that, I could last for days, he thought, his mouth going dry. Maybe even weeks.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He looked back at the trapped man, his face pale and sweat-soaked. The woman met Irvin's gaze, her eyes pleading.

Irvin's heart raced as he stood over the trapped man, his gaze flickering between the desperate woman and the spilled bag of food. The temptation to grab the supplies and run tugged at his mind, but before he could act, the world around him suddenly faded away.

Darkness enveloped him, and Irvin found himself standing in a void, his body reduced to a mere silhouette. Five dark holes gaped within his form, and two shimmering orbs circled around him, casting an eerie glow.

As he stared at the holes, a surge of knowledge flooded his mind. Each point represented a different aspect of his being - strength, agility, intelligence, charisma, and spirit.

The orbs, he realized, were augments that could be used to enhance these attributes.

Irvin's eyes widened as the implications of this strange new phenomena dawned on him. In a world where technology had failed and society had crumbled, these augments would be the key to survival. With the right enhancements, he could become stronger, faster, and smarter than those around him.

A smile crept across his face as he considered the possibilities. While others struggled to adapt to this new reality, he could use the system to his advantage.

The playing field had been leveled, Irvin read too many books not to realize what was happening, he knew that with the right strategy, he could rise above the rest.

Without hesitation, he reached out and grasped the two orbs, pushing them both to his belly. As the orbs settled into place, a rush of energy surged through his body. The emptiness in his belly filled with a newfound power, and Irvin couldn't help but gasp at the sensation.

But even as the strength coursed through him, a hollow feeling lingered in the rest of his body. The other attributes remained untouched, leaving him with a sense of incompleteness.

As quickly as it had begun, the experience ended, and Irvin found himself back in the chaos of the crumbling city. Only a few seconds had passed, but he felt the intoxicating sense of strength surging through is body before fading away. The woman beside him was gasping for air looking at him in confusion.

"You saw it too?" He asked.

Her eyes focused on his as she mumbled, "what was that?"

With his newfound strength, he reached down and pulled once more at the heavy rubble, this time it shifted, barely, but enough for the trapped man's legs to be pulled out. The sight of the bloody, limbs made his stomach churn, but Irvin forced himself to shift his focus.

As he dropped the debris down, he glanced at the bag of food lying nearby. Without a word, he snatched it up, slinging it over his shoulder.

"That's my payment for helping," he said, his voice hollow even to his ears.

The woman opened her mouth to protest, but Irvin was already moving, his legs carrying him away from the scene. He didn't look back as he ran.

Irvin moved cautiously through the crumbling city, his senses on high alert. The once-familiar streets had become a treacherous maze of debris and destruction, with buildings swaying precariously overhead.

The sound of cracking concrete and shattering glass filled the air, punctuated by the occasional scream or cry for help.

As he navigated the chaos, Irvin's mind raced with the implications of his recent experience. The strange void, the glowing orbs, the sudden surge of strength - it all seemed like something out of a video game or a fantasy novel. But the power coursing through his body was undeniably real.

He glanced up at the multistore buildings, their facades cracked and crumbling. The realization hit him - if those buildings came down, they would crush everything around them.

I need to get out of the city center, and fast.

Irvin quickened his pace, weaving through the rubble-strewn streets. His backpack bounced against his shoulders, the stolen food supplies a comforting weight.

Hours passed as he walked, the adrenaline of the initial chaos gradually fading. Fatigue began to set in, his legs growing heavy and his breath coming in short gasps. Finally, as the stars pierced the midnight fog, Irvin stumbled upon a small park, its trees still standing amidst the destruction.

He collapsed beneath one of them, his back pressed against the rough bark. For a moment, he simply sat there, his eyes closed, his chest heaving. Then, slowly, he began to take stock of his situation.

I'm alive, he thought, a mirthless chuckle escaping his lips. That's a start.

But as his mind drifted back to the strange experience with the augments, a sense of unease settled over him. In the heat of the moment, he had acted on instinct, pushing both orbs into his belly without a second thought. But now, in the quiet of the park, he began to second-guess his decision.

Strength is important, he mused, his hand drifting to his stomach. But what about the other attributes? Agility, intelligence, charisma, spirit... they all ought to have their uses.

He thought back to the trapped man, the way he had struggled to lift the heavy rubble. With more strength, he managed to freed him easily. But what if he had needed to run, or to think his way out of a difficult situation? Would strength alone be enough?

Irvin sighed, his head falling back against the tree trunk. I should have thought it through, he berated himself. I should have considered all the options before making a decision.

But even as the doubts swirled in his mind, Irvin knew there was no going back as he zoned into restless sleep.

With the first rays of the late morning sun piercing through the leaves, Irvin stirred from his restless slumber. His body ached, the events of the previous day taking their toll on his muscles and mind. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, trying to shake off the lingering fatigue.

A rustling sound behind him made Irvin freeze. He turned slowly, his heart pounding in his chest. But as his eyes focused on the source of the noise, his fear turned to confusion.

The trees and shrubbery around him were growing at an alarming rate. Branches stretched towards the sky, their leaves unfurling before his eyes. The grass at his feet seemed to lengthen with each passing moment, and the vines that had once clung to the crumbling buildings now snaked across the ground, enveloping everything in their path.

Irvin watched in disbelief as the park transformed before his eyes. The once-manicured lawns became a tangle of wildflowers and weeds, and the carefully pruned trees grew into towering giants, their branches reaching out to create a dense canopy overhead.

As he stood there, trying to make sense of the impossible scene before him, Irvin's mind raced with the implications of this new development.

If the world is changing this rapidly, how do we survive? How would anyone survive?