MMORPG: Rebirth as an Alchemist Chapter 906 Prelude to the Apocalypse 5

While dashing down the stairs, Ren observed the horrific wounds on the victims—gaping holes punched through their heads, shattered skulls, and brain matter strewn across the ground, all bearing witness to the nightmare that had erupted inside these confines.

"Did you cause these?" Ren questioned Joker and Angelica, gesturing toward the burst-open skulls of the monsters sprawled on the floor.

Joker flashed a wide grin. "How else do you suppose we got to your room?"

"I have no idea. Maybe flying?" Ren replied flatly.

"Though I'd love such a skill, my class doesn't go that way."

"Class?" Ren probed.

"You ought to know about it," Angelica remarked. "The panel showing your stats. You're an Evolve like us now, so you can open that panel."

Ren accessed it.

|| R E N ||

Crafter, Technomancer

0 Credit Points

1st Stage, Apex Evolution

|| E N D ||

"See it?" Angelica peeked at Ren through her lashes.

Joker laughed. "That's exactly why we wanted you on our squad."

Ren dismissed the interface. "I don't recall sharing my class with you."

Angelica and Joker shared a knowing look.

"Well, we sort of figured it out," Joker teased.

Ren scowled.

"As a gesture of trust, here's a hint: your class ties to your in-game class," Angelica revealed.

Ren averted his gaze. He had suspected as much already.

"That means you can guess our classes and powers too," Joker chimed in.

Ren stayed silent, and they pressed onward down the stairs.

"They're known as Stingfeeders."

"What?"

"Those twisted mosquito creatures are Stingfeeders," Angelica restated, adding, "They're common in low-tier worlds like this one."

"So you're saying . . . mutations come in various types?" Ren clarified.

Angelica affirmed with a nod. "Correct. These are typically feeble, but some evolve over time into tougher versions. Mutations vary too, so brace for more monster types beyond just Stingfeeders here."

"Wonderful," Ren mused inwardly.

Their path halted as a Stingfeeder obstructed them.

"Looks like one slipped through," Joker declared, advancing. "I'll handle this pest."

Spotting them, the Stingfeeder charged forward with a fierce buzz, extending its arm—only to freeze halfway.

"Watch closely, Ren. This is my specialty," Joker boomed with laughter.

BaAanNg!

The Stingfeeder's head burst apart, its blood halted mid-splash toward Joker's face.

"Hey, Angelica, I'm in the middle of explaining here."

Angelica gripped a peculiar handgun—crystalline and toy-like at a glance, with swirling blue glows. Its grip was tiny, but the barrel bulked large, packing enough force to obliterate the Stingfeeder's skull in a single blast.

No bullets fired; instead, it unleashed a devastating laser beam.

Strangely, the weapon then vanished into her palm.

"Quit dawdling and push forward."

Despite her childlike stature and youthful looks, Angelica held nothing back.

"Do you have some kind of spatial storage for that gun?" Ren wondered.

Angelica smirked astutely. "Not quite. But certain . . . artifacts can hold other items."

"Extraordinary gear from real life," Joker supplemented. "No sweat; snag one with sufficient credit points."

That explained the CP on his panel, Ren figured. "How do you earn them?"

"By taking down foes," Angelica indicated the Stingfeeder remains. "Though on this Rank-D planet, the mutants are feeble, yielding just 1 credit point per kill."

Weak? Ren pondered the word.

These counted as weak? Ren reflected, recalling Evie's ferocious shift.

Perhaps to Angelica and Joker, they qualified as such.

Ren pondered their strength tiers. As a first-stage Evolve, he speculated on their levels.

This world felt game-like to Ren. A first stage implied seconds, thirds, and more.

He wondered: how many stages were there, and what perks came with each?

Survival mattered most now. Ren decided to tackle the present crisis first, saving questions for later.

Keeping his musings private, Ren descended further.

At last, they emerged outdoors, where Ren beheld Earth's utter ruin.

The city echoed its past grandeur in a ghostly manner, wrapped in a chilling aura of abandonment and deterioration. Towering skyscrapers stood as mute watchers over the deserted avenues, their glass panes broken and exteriors scarred by the toll of time and disregard.

Those formerly lively roads now lay in ghostly quiet, interrupted only by the sporadic wail of wind gusting past the ruined structures, bearing faint echoes of a lost era.

Debris and wreckage cluttered the streets, the leftovers of a flourishing society crumbled into heaps of destruction.

Pockets of spooky calm and ominous gloom persisted, where shadows clung stubbornly and hidden gazes lurked from the hearts of forsaken buildings.

Ren had lost all sense of time since Evie's death, while the familiar city view beyond shifted into a bizarre vista of disorder and turmoil.

"Don't look so surprised," Angelica's voice cut through the chaos. "This is merely the beginning. The END will arrive soon."

"Before that happens, we must reach Tower A," Joker cut in with a lighthearted tone.

"What's in Tower A?" Ren asked, curiosity stirred even amid the growing peril.

"It's one of the key transportation hubs in this world. If you possess a [Green Car], you gain access to the interdimensional train bound for Nexus, the sanctuary city," Joker explained.

"Nexus?"

"It's the singular beacon of stability and safety in this tumultuous universe," Angelica clarified. "We'll provide further details once we're there. But for now, our priority is reaching the tower and dealing with the threats."

Ren spotted the mutated creatures stepping out one after another, their hideous shapes sniffing the air as their insect-like eyes whirled in wild patterns.