“Claire, how are you? How did the quest go?”
“Good, very good. It was long and tedious but… I got my price. A Mana Crystal Core. I had to navigate the four phases of water and found the Crystal in a waterfall at the bottom. I will tell you all tomorrow. How was your day? Did you level up?”
“Yes, I am now Level 6 Wizard.”
“I am never gonne catch up, am I?” She giggles softly. “I am very happy for you Danny.”
We spoke for a short bit and then made plans to meet the next day. I was looking forward to hearing all about Claire’s quest. It sounded very interesting.
I went to bed and day 15 After System AS ended.
I woke to my quest notification.
I was intrigued by the idea of a scavenger hunt. Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about the Kobolds while navigating the city.
My Comm Crystal buzzed.
“Hey, Jordy. How did the quest go?”
“Excellent.”
I listened as he described the quest in detail, and to be honest, it was fascinating. I was really looking forward to hearing about Claire’s quest next.
“I also got the second part of my quest,” I told Jordy excitedly. “I must find a Mana-infused Watering Can. It’s a scavenger hunt!”
“That actually sounds like fun,” Jordy said. “I wonder what my second part would be?”
“As soon as you advance to Level 6, you will find out. Just keep doing what you're doing and keep safe. Any luck contacting anyone more on your contact list?”
“Nope,” he shook his head, “I hope to upgrade my Comm Crystal more and hopefully…”
We spoke for a while longer before I decided to head out and hunt some Kobolds before meeting Claire.
I followed the barrier, passing the spot where I’d met Jason. Part of me hoped I’d see him again — just to know he was doing alright. My eyes flicked to the Mini Map as I walked, staying alert. A few low-level Kobolds crossed my path, but I dodged them easily and kept moving.
When I reached the barrier, there was no sign of Jason. I realized how silly it was to come this way on the off chance he’d be here. I could just contact him — I did have his info, after all. Still, I decided to reach out later that evening.
I continued along the barrier, trying to remember how far I’d mapped before. A quick check told me I’d already covered quite a distance. Mapping any farther today would take me too far from my meeting spot with Claire.
Maybe tomorrow, I thought. Maybe I’ll map the other side and with luck, meet another neighbour.
I walked back in the general direction of my meeting spot, keeping an eye out for a Level 5 Kobold. I still needed to loot that day for food and water packages.
I spotted a lone Kobold on the Mini Map and took it down quickly. They were getting easier to handle, and soon I wanted to take on two, maybe even three, of the Level 5 ones at once.
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The fight earned me two more knowledge shards. Between Claire and me, we’d have plenty of questions for the System. There was still so much we didn’t understand.
When I reached our meeting spot, Claire was already waiting.
“Danny! How are you? You won’t believe the quest I just finished. It was intense but also really interesting.”
She paused, cheeks flushing. “Sorry, I’m not even giving you a chance to speak.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for.” I shook my head, smiling. “I enjoy your enthusiasm. Now tell me everything.”
Claire had a way of telling a story that pulled you in completely. She spoke with her eyes, her hands, her whole body — a natural-born storyteller.
“So now I have the Core in my inventory,” she said, her voice bright with pride. “And I’m waiting for the next part of the quest.”
Her eyes narrowed, a playful suspicion flickering there. “Danny… did you get the second part of your quest?”
I grinned broadly, “Yes, I did and it is very interesting. I must find a Mana Infused Watering Can. It is in a rooftop garden, and a Scavenger hunt will give me clues to find it.”
“It sounds interesting but also dangerous. You must find things and avoid the Kobolds.”
I shook my head, “The System are going to keep the Kobolds from attacking me while I am doing the quest.”
“That is good,” She nodded her head and then her face lit up, “I got a few more Knowledge shards. Do you think we can ask a few more questions?”
I chuckled, “I was thinking the same thing on my way here. I want to know more as well. Do you have any questions you want to ask?”
She tiltled her head to the side and it looked so cute, with her face scrunched in while thinking.
“I was thinking of asking about children and older people. What do you think happened to them? We know about pets but…”
“That is a good question? You do the honours.”
She held the shard in her hand.
“I would like to ask a question. What happened to children and babies. Old people as well.”
Claire shrugged.” Yes”
I pondered that for a moment and decided the System was, at least, fair. Brutal, yes — it had thrown us into an impossible situation, and many people had died — but fair all the same.
“What are you going to ask?” Claire’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I was morbidly wondering how many people have died… maybe I’ll ask the System that. But honestly, I’m not sure I want to know.”
Her expression softened into sadness, and I immediately regretted bringing it up.
“Sorry, Claire. I shouldn’t have…”
She raised a hand, stopping me. “It’s okay, Danny. We… I need to accept that we’re in a different world now. In the old one, we had death too — accidents, sickness, loss. But here, it’s so close. We face it every day.”
I nodded. She was right. One bad decision, one careless step. That’s all it took.
“I think you should still ask,” she said after a moment. “But we should word it carefully.”
I nodded again. The System had once mentioned a percentage of the population being deceased, and we’d both quietly ignored it. Pretended it was an abstraction. But deep down, we knew what it meant.
Our friends. Our families. Our neighbours.
Some of them were gone.
The fact that I could expand my home base into apartments that used to be occupied said everything.
“How do you want to phrase the question?” I asked quietly.
“We could as the total number or the percentage of people still alive.”
I nod, “That sound right and I think total number would be best.”
I hold the shard in my hand, and the window pops up.
“What total number of all people are still alive…today?”
I felt shocked — numb, even — as the number sank in.
Almost four billion lives… gone.
My chest tightened. For all the destruction, for all the chaos we’d seen, I hadn’t truly felt the scale of it until now. The silence in the city suddenly felt heavier, the empty apartments more haunting.
Claire covered her mouth, eyes wide. “Four point eight… That means—”
“Yeah.” My voice came out rough. “That means billions didn’t make it.
I wanted to ask why, why did so many people need to die.
“I am going to ask why… So many people dead. Why?”
I took out the shard and after the message I asked my question.