MMORPG: Rebirth as an Alchemist Chapter 902 Prelude to the Apocalypse 1

"Hoi! Leo, have you finished your homework yet? Or have you been glued to that game all day again? Finals are just weeks away, you know. Why are you staying up all night playing?"

Leonel flinched as his mother's flood of questions hammered his ears. Her words hit like stinging strikes, each one landing painfully.

He rubbed the spot on his head where his mother's fist had struck just moments ago. "Mom, what do you want me to do? Study or make money?"

His mother's face grew stormy as she lifted her hand to hit him once more. "I want you to do both."

Frustration surged within Leonel. "But that's impossible!"

His mother's palm smacked his head again, shooting pain through his body. "If you can't handle both, you'll never become a man. You'll never be as successful as your sister."

The heaviness of her words pressed down on Leonel. No matter his efforts, he always fell short of her standards.

"I'm the one footing the bill for everything here! Do you even grasp the sacrifices I make so you and your sister can have a home, good meals, and cash for shopping? Don't I deserve a break?" Leonel declared, chest puffed out to look tougher.

Yet he shrank back instantly under his mother's scorching glare.

"What did you just say?" His mother hiked up her sleeves, one eye bulging while the other narrowed sharply. "How dare you repeat that, you ungrateful son!"

"U-uhhmm . . . I meant I'll head to my room now and study hard for the exams," Leonel stuttered, scrambling to retreat.

Leonel dashed to his room without pause. He itched to slam the door in fury, but held back, fearing his mother's wrath would follow.

Her harsh words still burned in his thoughts as Leonel gazed at his untouched homework, the laptop cursor flashing tauntingly.

Beyond his window, exam fever gripped the world, yet his mind churned with turmoil and anger.

His sister had forever been the family star. She shone in academics, clubs, and even a job, juggling it all with ease.

Her triumphs loomed over Leonel, making him feel small and overshadowed.

While lost in his troubles, his phone vibrated with an alert.

Leonel noticed the abrupt blackout. He hadn't felt it coming; the AC and lights hummed on normally. Intrigued, he went out to investigate and saw swaths of the city shrouded in dark.

"What's going on?" he wondered aloud.

His phone rang again, this time from Isolde.

"What's up?" Leonel picked up.

"Ah, nothing much. Just checking on you and the rest. Are Ren and Evie still gaming?" Isolde asked.

"Yeah, they are. Ren and Evie logged in recently. They talked about saving some princess or something. They'll be stuck in there till they exit their pods," Leonel answered.

"Ah, I see..." Isolde sounded distant, making Leonel suspect deeper motives. "Isolde, what's really bothering you?" he pressed directly.

Isolde paused briefly, drew a breath, then spilled her thoughts in a hurried jumble that Leonel struggled to follow.

"I'm not getting anywhere with my studies, so I thought maybe you could come help? We're in different majors, but we could team up for finals, covering weak spots together. Two heads beat one... or none... uh, what am I saying?"

Leonel laughed softly. "Relax. I'm on my way."

"Great! I'll send someone to pick you up."

"No need. I'll drive myself."

"Okay. See you soon, and drive safe. It's super hot out there."

"Got it."

Leonel hung up and headed to his car for the trip to Isolde's.

But outside, gridlock jammed the streets.

"What the heck?" Leonel muttered as ten minutes crawled by with no movement. The heat pressed hard, but the car's AC held it at bay.

An accident maybe? Leonel scanned around, hunting for the jam's source.

Just as he prepared to reverse and hunt for an alternate path, Leonel noticed vehicles already blocking him from behind, pinning him helplessly on the road with zero room to turn.

"Great," Leonel grumbled quietly, his irritation surging amid the mounting chaos.

Intent on notifying Isolde of his delay, Leonel fished for his phone amid distant screams. Chaos exploded around him before he could respond, with folks shrieking and scattering wildly in every direction.

Leonel swiftly cranked down his window and seized the closest bystander he could grab. "Hey, what's going on?"

The bystander, ghostly pale and gripped by terror, stuttered, "M-monsters!"

Leonel creased his forehead. Monsters?

The man yanked Leonel's hand free and dashed away in blind panic before further questions arose.

"What in the world?" Leonel whispered to himself, curiosity now blazing. He exited his car to probe the madness, dead set on unraveling the mystery.

Scorching heat slammed into his skin at once, fiery sand lashing painfully. Shrugging off the torment, Leonel locked eyes forward as horror-struck crowds surged his way.

Some movie production? he pondered. Explaining the brutal traffic?

His mind froze as an anomaly snared his sight.

Far away stood a gore-soaked form. Half its face shredded, one eyeball dangling loose from the socket, the other ballooning freakishly wider each instant.

Then the grotesque unfolded.

The figure's jaws stretched long and needle-tipped, mimicking a mosquito's proboscis. With demonic might, it pulverized a nearby car's windshield, hauled out the occupant—double its own bulk—and rammed the spear-like mouth into the victim's flesh.

Right then, Leonel grasped he must flee. He whirled and bolted, yet something vaulted overhead before he covered much ground.

Agony ripped through his back next from a gaping puncture. Blood surged forth as darkness swallowed his vision.

I-Isolde . . .