“Bow!”
Mom’s voice sounded very far away.
Bow wanted to answer, but her body no longer belonged to her.
Heat raced up from her spine to the base of her skull, then spread down her arms and legs, as if someone had poured molten metal into her veins.
This hurts like hell...
She clenched her teeth.
Phod, you’d better wake up. If you don’t bow down to me, I’ll kill you myself.
The white light around her flickered.
Text appeared in front of her.
[Restructuring body]
[Compatibility: 41%]
[Below stability threshold]
Bow hadn’t finished reading when her heart gave a violent spasm.
The pain stole her breath.
[Damage detected in circulatory system]
[Selecting innate trait...]
Several images flashed through her mind.
Mom was crying.
Dad was holding her.
Phod was lying on a bed.
Then one thought rose above all the rest, clear as day.
I can’t die yet.
Not because she was afraid of death.
At least, that was what she wanted to believe.
If I die, Mom’s going to yell at me all the way through my funeral.
The corner of her mouth twitched, even though the pain had nearly knocked her unconscious.
Then the system spoke.
[Compatible intent detected]
[Ability generation complete]
[Trait: Restoration]
A tiny point of pale green light appeared in the center of her chest.
A cool sensation flowed from it, slowly moving through the veins that burned with pain.
Her erratic heartbeat gradually fell back into rhythm.
[Innate ability is restoring wielder]
[Selection complete]
Bow opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Mom’s face.
“Mom...”
Mom hugged her immediately.
“You crazy kid!”
“Ow... Easy.”
Dad, who had been supporting her, let out a long breath, as if he’d only just remembered that he was still capable of breathing.
Bow sat still for several seconds.
Her body was still trembling.
But it wasn’t the same body anymore.
She could feel something flowing beneath her skin, like warm water moving in response to her thoughts.
A new window appeared.
[Selection Survivor]
Name: Bow Class: Unassigned Innate ability: Restoration Compatibility: 41%
[You can develop your ability through use and proficiency]
Bow read it twice.
“Restoration...”
Her eyes immediately turned toward Phod.
Mom knew what she was thinking.
“Not yet.”
“Mom, I got a healing power.”
“You just nearly died!”
“But—”
“Bow.”
Dad’s voice made her stop.
“Figure out how it works first.”
She bit her lip.
Dad had a point.
She didn’t even know how to activate it.
It was like getting a gun without knowing where the trigger was... Awesome.
At the same time, an invisible window above Phod’s body changed.
[Analyze person: Bow]
[Innate ability: Restoration]
[Ability structure incomplete]
[Development paths detected: 7]
[Insufficient data to disclose until Player 0 awakens]
The text faded.
No one in the room knew that the ability Bow thought was merely a “healing power” had many more possible destinations than her system had revealed.
Screams from the hallway made everyone whip around.
A nurse ran past the room.
“Help! Anyone who can still walk, clear the way!”
A patient in a wheelchair was being pushed from the far end of the hall.
A young man lay hunched over in it, his right arm twisted into an unnatural shape despite having no external wounds.
He had survived the Selection.
But his arm no longer responded.
Behind him, a woman was sobbing because she couldn’t see a thing.
Another person could walk only by dragging their left leg across the floor.
Others lay motionless beneath white sheets.
Bow stared at the scene until her hands went cold.
How close had she come to ending up like them?
No one could answer that.
Another wave of shouting rose from downstairs.
“The doors! Close the doors!”
“What’s outside?”
“Don’t go out!”
A deafening impact came from the street in front of the hospital.
Boom!
The windows rattled.
Dad hurried to the window.
Bow followed him.
What they saw left them both speechless.
The giant hand in the sky was gone.
But from the cracks, countless black specks were falling.
At first, they looked like ash.
Until one of them spread its wings.
It flew past the top of a building a few hundred yards away. Its shape resembled a tall, thin person, but its arms were grotesquely long, and black leathery wings were attached to the center of its back.
Then another flew past.
Then ten more.
Then dozens.
The sound of cars crashing came from the street.
People ran in all directions.
“What the hell is that...”
Mom came up behind them.
No one answered.
Suddenly, the television—which had been turned off—switched on by itself.
There was no signal.
Then white letters appeared against the black screen.
[First stage of the Selection complete]
[Beginning world adaptation process]
[Otherworldly creatures have been granted access to the area]
Bow stared at the last line.
“Granted access?”
She gave a dry laugh.
“This is my house. Who the hell gave them permission?”
No one had time to answer.
A scream rang out from the basement.
This time, it was different.
It came only once.
Then silence.
The two nurses outside the room stopped walking.
A male security officer raised his radio.
“Basement, what’s going on?”
Static crackled in response.
“Morgue calling security. Do you copy?”
There was no answer.
Krrr...
A sound cut through the radio.
It sounded like something dragging its feet across the floor.
The officer swallowed.
“Who’s there?”
Krrr...
Krrr...
Then a very faint male voice came through the radio.
“Help... me...”
The officer was about to answer, but the elderly nurse beside him went pale.
“That’s Somchai’s voice.”
“Who?”
She looked toward the elevator.
“The morgue attendant.”
“And?”
Her lips trembled.
“He died during the Selection half an hour ago.”
The radio in the security officer’s hand went silent.
Three seconds later, knocking came from the elevator doors at the end of the hall.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Everyone turned to look.
The number above the elevator doors was changing.
B1
1
2
3
Phod’s floor was the fourth.
The final number lit up.
4
Ding.
The elevator doors slowly parted.
A damp chill mixed with the stench of rot drifted out first.
Then something that had once been human
stepped out from inside.