It is a day like any other. You are behind the wheel of your car, the streets are busy, the radio is quietly playing a meaningless tune. You are on your way somewhere, to a destination that will lose all meaning in a few minutes. Normalcy. Suddenly, a cold, blue text box flashes before your eyes.
SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE. WELCOME, USER. THE TUTORIAL PHASE BEGINS.
Confused, you blink, trying to see through the message. Just at that moment, a figure stumbles off the sidewalk directly in front of your car. You have no time to react. A dull thud shakes the vehicle, followed by the shrill squeal of your tires on the asphalt until you finally come to a stop.
Your heart pounds against your ribs. Through the windshield, now webbed with cracks, you stare at the motionless figure you just ran over. A terrible accident. But the true scale of the catastrophe only becomes clear when you raise your gaze. Your personal moment of shock fades into insignificance in the face of the scenes on the street: panic is breaking out everywhere, people are running for their lives, pursued by staggering figures. Your accident is just a side note in the beginning of the apocalypse. In the midst of this chaos, a new, golden message appears.
CONGRATULATIONS!
YOU WERE THE FIRST TO KILL AN INFECTED. FIRST STRIKE BONUS GRANTED.
UNIQUE REWARD RECEIVED.
"Infected"? The words hardly make sense. Your gaze wanders from the message to the golden box that has silently materialized on your lap. The thought "Open" flashes through your mind, and as if by an unseen hand, the lid flips open. Inside lies a single card made of a material that looks like polished, black obsidian. In its center, letters of pulsating gold form a single word: Invisibility.
What does this mean? What is Level 10? You try to focus on the card to get more information, but a new system message appears.
DETAILED INFORMATION NOT AVAILABLE. SKILL 'INFORMATION' REQUIRED.
Immediately after, another, more urgent question follows.
DO YOU WISH TO LEARN THE SKILL 'INVISIBILITY (LEVEL 10/10)'?
Outside, another of the staggering figures approaches your stationary car. It's not a real question. It's your only chance. A panicked, silent "Yes!" screams inside your mind.
The card in the box glows brightly, dissolves into golden sparks of light and streams into your body. It feels like a shock of ice, followed by an eerie silence. A new knowledge has anchored itself in your mind. The final system message is merely a confirmation.
SKILL 'INVISIBILITY (LEVEL 10/10)' SUCCESSFULLY LEARNED.
The confirmation hangs in your mind. A skill... a level... It feels like you've fallen into some kind of video game. The thought is absurd, but on instinct, you mentally ask for something that could make sense of this. My status? My character sheet?
As if in response, a new, clean interface overlays your vision.
--CHARACTER STATUS--
NAME: आप
LEVEL: 1
SKILLS:
- Invisibility 10
INVENTORY: 0.0 / 2.0 kg
