Looking through the gate I took my time to analyze the scene before me. It had been around one hour since the first contact, however, the scene before me betrayed my expectations. The streets and walkways were quiet. Early quiet for what appeared an apocalypse, with blood trailing the floor through multiple intersections. Whatever happened had happened fast. Unfortunately the blood coating the floor was red unlike the colors of the monsters.

I opened the Player system due to the rapid blinking in the bottom corner of my vision.

{Congratulations Player you have successfully killed a higher tier organism than your species}

{Congratulations you have leveled up “LV1---LV2” one free SP is available on the status screen}

Excited as I was thanks to the level up, it also came with a pinch of salt. It seemed that the earlier notion of gaining 5 SP may have been one of to allow humans a chance of survival. With only one point per level, this would lead to greater diversities between players due to fewer points. I had to think about what build I would attempt to survive this new world. Opening the Player status I looked over my options.

{Player status

Name: Raza

Age: 20

Nickname: Number 2

22:56:23

Class: -

Level: 2

Trait: Dimensional storage - E - 0% - +10%

Titles: First Player (U/E)

SP: 1

Ether Particles: 170 +20

Stats:[

Strength:14 +2

Stamina:13 +2

Agility:17 +2

Dexterity:12 +2

Endurance:15 +2

Wisdom:14 +2

Intelligence:17 +2]

Active skills: -

Passive skills:-

Click for further information}

The clear downside to the status screen was a lack of an experience bar, which would help estimate the number of kills needed for level-ups. Pleased with my stats the title clearly giving me a boost I thought over my options. I considered both strength and endurance but waved them off for now as they seemed enough. My agility was equally high so although it saved my life I decided to hold back for now. Stamina didn’t show the changes I would experience, more energy was good but this early on I would not be fighting any long battles. Dexterity was an obvious no as I had no use for it. Finally, my sight landed on the last two, wisdom and intelligence. The fact that there was a skills sections meant I could gain one. But having no skills now investing in the two didn’t seem beneficial. In the end, I decided to hold off on spending the point until I needed them.

I closed the screen once more looking at the landscape before me. Taking a quick drink from the bag and eating some biscuits I decided to start my journey home. I carefully opened the gate, but as you would expect nothing goes as planned and the stiff hinges creaked open denying me of both my peace and sanity. Quickly glancing around I was relieved to find no movement. Confidently pushing of the floor I walked half hunched towards the nearest barricade, a large 5 seater car with the front window smashed in, blood searing the front bonnet of the vehicle pooling out of a large dent.

Checking the interior of the car quickly a broken leg sat severed at the knee. Gaging from the repugnant smell I fought to keep my previous meal in. I checked the walkways quickly. Happy that they were clear I stuck to the wall of a building and walked forward beginning my long and very dangerous walk home.

Having walked past a few blocks I sighed heavily and sat down to regain some energy. Although the walk had not been tiring the mental exertion to avoid being scene was. Sitting close to the underbrush by a park I was glad that I was close to home. The park, being a place I ran past frequently in the morning. During my walk, more with a crawls speed, to be honest, it had taken almost 2 hours to reach this point. Along the way the report of gunfire surged from different directions, dust and debris rising high into the sky through a black dense cloud. I witnessed many creatures devouring, ripping, and tearing through anything that moved. Concrete, steel, and brick walls like tissue paper in their wake. This made me realize that my earlier encounters could have gone much worse. Thankfully I had left the Store I occupied earlier as a herd of what appeared to be wildebeests on steroids crashed past me each over 2m tall the biggest being close to three. These clearly unfriendly animals barrelled towards the direction I came from, like massive sweepers cleaning the streets. I blew a gentle kiss to the store not feeling bothered by the fact that the people there would meet a very flat end, due to the stampede approaching.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Serves you right suckers. Try closing the door on that!”

Evilly snickering to myself, I gathered the club and bag and begun half crouched the last part of the journey.

Arriving on my street the familiar buildings blanketing the side casting large interweaving shadows due to the sun finally making an appearance. I jogged quickly casting fervent glances glad to be nearly home. My castle, my kingdom laid before me. With a very broken door?

Realizing the implication of the door and the banging noises within. I launched myself through the entrance pounding up the stairs. My gut quenching hoping the worst had not happened. Although I was unconcerned about other people. My family meant everything and had anything happened to them I wouldn’t know what to do. Anger raised in place of fear as I reached the apex of the staircase. Blood clung to both sides of the wall. Small creatures holding pikes, even small than the goblins littered the floor. I counted 9 in total. Raising the club in one hand I screamed, adrenaline coursing through my veins as bolted through them.

“AAAAHHHHHHH”

Swinging at anything that moved, I pushed forward through the pain of being cut leaving a trail of broken beaten bodies in my wake. Stopping as I smashed the last of the red creatures it split skull oozing mixtures, I gasped, heaving for air as I turned to the door. Conjugated blood coated the handle. Multiple rods stuck out leaving small holes over the now bloodied door. My stomach lurched as I grasped the handle, ignoring the burning pain from over my body. I twisted the handle, my hands shaking uncontrollably as I forced the door open. I heard panicked shouts and voices from the other side. seeing the familiar faces, I fell to my knees, wet tears flowing down the sides of my puffed face. This world was what I always wanted. But was family worth power. Being strong and all alone.

In my vision, I saw my older brother standing in the front. My dad weakly holding a blood cover left arm but still standing next to him. They stood over my younger brother, sister, and mother ready to fight whatever entered. Seeing my face they all gasped relaxing, my brother working quickly to remove the barricade and helping move my torn body through the door.

“Damn Raza I’m glad to see you. I thought you would have been chilling at the store since you like to eat so much.”

My brother spoke half-jokingly poking my injuries pleased at my discomfort.

“Hey, no 2 glad to see you still alive. Though I doubt wed miss you”

My dad spoke in a pained voice clutching the bleeding arm in one hand. My mother firmly smacked the injured man stating how inappropriate such a thing was, and to never speak to ‘her’ children like that. My dad laughed tears forming in his eyes. We stayed like that for a brief moment looking I looked over them all glad they were safe a soft chuckle leaving my lips.

“Don’t you laugh? Why didn’t you call? Do you know how worried I was? What would I do had something happened?”

My mother lectured me, not breaking down as a mother should be reunited with her son but ‘educating’ me to the worries of a parent.

“Makes sense why your dad call you No 2”

This nickname given to me by my dear old Dad had stuck through the years. An easy form of abuse to shut down a rebellious teen. Bing the second child, a mistake on my part which my elder brother emphasized. like I had control of it. In my earlier years, I use to do half the work when helping my dad out in odd jobs hence the name being formed. Doing second class work not up to par but good enough not to be detrimental had allowed my Dad to grace me with this name. My brother stood happily pulling the spikes from my back, eyes glittering in my moans of pain.

“It seems that something was blocking the connection. You wouldn’t now Mum since you don’t know how to use your phone anyway”

Getting a death glare from my mum I decided to shut up. Any more and I may get the famed flip flop seen in Asian culture. Don’t know how or by what forces of physics, but it always hit its target like a homing missile.

“How did you kill those things we used knives and baseball bats. They flew when hit but they got no injuries from it. Despite the whiplash of hitting the wall”

My brother asked curiosity on his face. Being taller than me at 6’2, he was a large man. However, the small shoulders and flabby arms showed that he preferred other things that did not involve exercise. Jack liked computers and decided to study Computer science at University. Being pretty intelligent and spending all his time on the computer lead to his unimpressive physique. Having combed back hair, making him almost fully aerodynamic, which should have been useful when walking in England’s breezy weather. This mixed with how high his head was in the clouds lead to a less intimidating aura. Me being born with my Dad's bulkier physique with broad shoulders. On the other hand, my dear brother over here was the spitting images of my grandfather. Very tall and a good partition for the wind.

“I have a theory about that. It seems that using their own weapons damages them”

Telling my family quickly about the system and that the way to access it could be killing one of the organisms I continued.

“The system said something about ether particles. I think wherever these monsters come from they came with ether particles of their own and make a barrier over the skin. It stops damages from weapons that don’t have ether infused, which is probably why your weapons didn’t work. However, when killed the ether probably leaves or dissipates and you can then penetrate the skin. This is probably why the army is losing as conventional weapons won't be affecting monsters.”

Letting the torrent of information sink into them I turned to cover my wounds. Removing my jacket and top, I was glad that the blood stopped flowing. Small wholes and scratches covered my body leaving me mummified as I finished the bandaging. I looked at the creatures. Small satiny red creatures, no bigger than 4 foot laid dead over the floor. Small thick limbs protruding off the snapped torsos. They had horns sprouting from different places for each with sharp razor-like teach jutting out below the nose. No lips were insight. These creatures now named imps for ease seemed to possess a low level of intelligence. The weapons a clear example of why. Beginning to pile the creatures in the living room downstairs avoiding piling them outside lest some hungry creatures pick up the sent. I proceeded to eat the food cooked by my sister and mum.

After finishing the flavour full food preferred over the previous meal of biscuits I walked over and helped my brother and father place barricades. Finishing the strenuous exercise we moved upstairs, huddling in the master bedroom. I placed an alarm for 2 hours on my phone and closed my eyes. The soft rays embracing my tired body as the sun lulled me to sleep.