Is it Wrong to Copy Abilities in Apocalypse?

[ - Clear a level 20+ zone → Done.]

Alex was moving toward a new zone, and there was a fire arrow rotating in front of me, working like a compass.

The only difference was that if this compass were to tilt in a certain direction, much less point at it, then Alex was going to change his path and rush opposite to it.

The fire in front of him was the 'evil judging fire'—one of the abilities of Judgment of Truth responsible for pointing in the direction of anything evil.

For now, Alex only knew one evil thing, and that was nothing other than a demon.

So, if the arrow were to point in a certain direction, then for Alex, it was a no-go and his cue to turn around and move away from there.

He didn't want to get involved with a demonic zone right now, as although he had cleared the condition of the level 20+ zone clearing, that didn't mean that he could run away from another level 20+ zone.

The rule clearly said that he could not run away from the zone he was to enter.

There was nothing like: He could do it after he had cleared the quota for the quest or something like that.

He didn't want to take a risk, so he was entering only those zones, which he was sure didn't have any association with demons.

But just as he was dashing through the woods, looking for his next target zone, a new notification flashed in front of him, and it was not just him, but every other human over the globe was the same.

They had all received a quest notification, something none of them were expecting in the short time frame they were given before the third main scenario.

Alex, on the other hand, was half expecting it, but this time, he wasn't going to clear it if it were something like the last time.

It was sub-scenario 2, and as Alex's eyes scanned through it, his brows creased; the more he read it, the more it deepened.

[{Sub-Scenario 2—The Awakening.}

Quest Category: Subsidiary.

Difficulty: B.

Clear Condition: -

→ Protect the Egg of Calamity until the third main scenario.

Duration: Before the main scenario starts.

Reward:

→ In case the Egg is protected:

– The guardian of the Egg will receive a chance to form a bond with the calamity that comes out of the egg.

– 10,000 coins for the guardian of the Egg.

– A random rare-ranked item.

→ In case the Egg is shattered:

– Every human in the area other than the guardian will receive a 2000 coin reward.

– The top three contributors will get a chance to form a contract with one god of their choosing (If already contracted, then you can break the contract without facing any consequences).

– The first-ranked contributor will get a random rare-ranked item.

Duration: 02:20:56.

Penalty:

→ In case the Egg is protected:

– Every human in the area, other than the guardian, will have the difficulty of their third main scenario increased.

→ In case the Egg is shattered:

– The guardian's death.

]

Alex was fine when he read the clear conditions; he thought that maybe everyone would have to protect some kind of egg from someone, but things changed the moment he read the rewards and penalty.

'Gaurdian...'

There was only a single guardian ever mentioned in the rewards or penalty, and that would've been fine if there were more than one egg, as every egg would have one guardian, but it didn't seem like that.

But just as Alex was thinking hard about it, frowning as the conclusion he got wasn't something that would sit well with him...

[What…? Is it already time for the third scenario…?]

The system's yawn was heard; she was probably sleeping, as if she wasn't expecting this development, or so it seemed.

[Ah, so this is just a sub-scenario, and yet here I am. Funny, isn't it? That even a simple task like this was deemed too much for your… bird brains.]

The system's words, filled with a mocking realization, were heard after a brief pause, and Alex could imagine the system shaking her head with a condescending smile; it was as if not a single word that came out of her mouth was ever good.

But her words were true; the quest was hard for almost everyone to understand.

The problem wasn't in the quest itself; almost everything was clear, but there were some things that needed to be made sure, such as the question that Alex had: Is there only one egg?

The reason for this, however, wasn't the limited intelligence of humans, but the sly nature of the system that likes to play with her words.

[Sigh... I'll have to go through the whole explanation now...]

The system sighed in defeat. Taking it as her defeat for having to explain things to the humans.

[Well, welcome, dear participants, to Sub-Scenario 2: The Awakening.]

The next second, she began.

[The Egg of Calamity—a fragile thing yet full of potential. Some of you might think of this as an opportunity, others as a ticking bomb. Either way, it is the center of this sub-scenario.]

The system's voice was hinting at something more than it said, but no one knew what it was meant to say, but everyone knew that it was related to the egg.

[Your task—the one who is deemed the guardian of the egg—is deceptively simple: Protect the Egg until the third main scenario begins.]

*Woosh*

The moment those words sounded, Alex saw a bright flash of light in front of him, before the system materialized in front of him, grinning innocently before she added.

[The guardian is picked up randomly—no tweaking, I swear—and once someone is made the guardian, they cannot be changed, unless and until they are killed.]

The system's eyes looked into Alex's, a taunting light shining within them, clearly showing that it was not random but intentional.

Her words, however, caused Alex's eyes to turn frosty, and his fists to clench hard.

story-by-NovelFire

The system was being a bit too much now, as it was clearly showing bias, which it wasn't supposed to show.

[The guardian will be provided with an egg right after I'm done with my explanation, and from that moment on, every single human in this area—other than the guardian, of course—will have nothing but a single goal to achieve: Shatter the Egg.]

The system added with a mocking smile on her face, as if telling Alex that his cold face wasn't enough to scare her away.

But she wasn't done yet.

The system's voice returned, this time dripping with a sneer.

[Oh, I can already hear some of you geniuses thinking the guardian's job is the easy way out. 'Just protect the Egg? How hard can it be?' Right?]

A ridiculing chuckle echoed through the air, harsh and mocking, her eyes still staring at Alex, as if telling him that this wasn't all she had in store for him.

[Well, by all means—if you're feeling bold, 'why not just kill the current guardian?' Go ahead, take their place, claim the title for yourself. No one's going to stop you. After all, it's survival of the fittest, right?]

The voice turned dark, as an evil grin made its way to her face before she continued.

[Now, now, don't get too excited; I have yet to get to the main part...]