Nighttime came, and the crimson tint in the sky only seemed to grow deeper.
Everyone had been given sleeping bags to make the night a little more comfortable.
It was a few hours to midnight, and the entire auditorium was silent save for heavy breathing, snores here and there, and the occasional shrieks and screeches from the corrupted roaming the school.
Even with all that, everyone seemed to have fallen asleep right away — understandable, given the day had been stressful both physically and mentally.
In the pitch-black silence of the hall, only one person remained awake. Drooping eyelids struggled to stay open as he stared into the void, battling uncontrollable drowsiness.
Seth.
Alright… thirty-seven minutes to go. Come on, I can do this, he thought sluggishly, trying to encourage himself.
The Origin had just connected to Earth, and human bodies had undergone huge changes. They were stronger, faster, more durable, and could now wield a new form of energy called essence.
But everyone had been forced to battle for their lives from the very start. The stress from his fights, his essence expenditure, plus the fact that his genes had resisted the bloody corruption that tried to defile him, left him drained.
His body longed for rest. It craved it. It needed it.
But he couldn't sleep. And he wouldn't.
Who knew when the next Flash Sale would come around?
His system might offer incredible items for cheap, but this wasn't a normal sale — it was a two-second Flash Sale. He couldn't risk missing it.
"Sigh… why didn't I get a Black Market system or something?" he murmured, vision blurring.
Still, he battled through, forcing his heavy eyelids open.
I wonder how little aunt and everyone at home are doing… Seth had been avoiding this thought.
He wasn't alone. Everyone dreaded it. After all, corruption was random. Who was to say their family members weren't…
Sigh. I need to get stronger and get out of here, he muttered with conviction.
[Ding! Flash Sale offer is available!]
[Get the Tier 1 Oracle Crystal now!!!]
[Details available on purchase!]
[Price: 170 FP > Balance: 200 FP]
[Timer: 00:00:02]
[Click to Purchase!]
"Huh? This is almost three times more expensive than the first!" Seth blinked, his drowsiness vanishing instantly.
He grinned, punching the air to click the purchase button. "Whatever. Just means this one's more broken!"
[Congratulations! User has purchased Tier 1 Oracle Crystal!]
[Details:] A creation of an ancient civilization, used to educate their younger generations. Within the crystal lies all knowledge concerning the Origin and Corruption for its specific Tier.
[Function:] Ask and get your reply!
[Balance remaining: 30 FP]
Seth's eyes widened, his amethyst pupils glistening in the dark as he stared at the screen visible only to him.
"No wonder it was so expensive… this was worth it!" he yelled inwardly.
With this, the glaring problem he had been facing was gone.
With this item alone, he would be ahead of other humans by far.
After all, this was the key to what everyone sought most.
Information.
He quickly summoned the crystal from his inventory, his heart thundering with excitement and expectation.
With a flash, a round emerald orb pulsed into existence, levitating above his palm.
Suddenly, a mechanical voice speaking a strange language echoed directly into his brain.
Seth's expression warped immediately. An ancient civilization, huh? What are the chances they speak English?
Thinking for a bit, he shook his head, reluctant to give up. No… a civilization that created such a miraculous object shouldn't be restricted by something mundane like language… right?
Luckily, he didn't have to convince himself for long.
[Language calibration successful!]
His eyes lit up as the crystal switched to English, pulsing faintly as it bobbed midair.
Feeling giddy, Seth thought excitedly, I knew it! So… where do I begin?
His eyes flickered as he considered the number one question he'd had since the apocalypse began.
Can a planet get rid of Corruption? replied.
[It is possible for a planet to get rid of Corruption. In fact, there are multiple corruption-free planets in the cosmos!]
Seth blinked. Cosmos? He hadn't thought that far. Wait… did this mean interstellar exploration would begin soon?
After all, intelligence was now a stat — one that could be increased. It should soon be possible to build cosmic vessels.
He shook his head, forcing himself not to go down that rabbit hole. He needed to secure his survival first.
How does a planet rid itself of Corruption?
[Correction! A planet cannot rid itself of Corruption, but its inhabitants can.]
Seth rolled his eyes at the lecture. He almost forgot this was an educational item.
He corrected himself. How can a planet's inhabitants get rid of the corruption on their planet?
[There are various requirements to be met. One is by clearing Corruption zones…]
[As for the remaining, I cannot find the information in my archive. You will need a higher Tier privilege to get a reply.]
Seth's gaze narrowed. My first roadblock, huh? Meaning I'll need a higher-tier crystal for a full list of requirements…
He decided not to get ahead of himself and stuck to what he had.
What is a Corruption zone, and how can they be cleared?
[Corruption zones are fester grounds for corruption, points at which a Corruption seed (source of Corruption) is located.]
[Corruption zones can be cleared by destroying said Corruption seeds.]
And doing that wouldn't be easy, I presume.
[Correct! Corruption seeds are often protected by high-level corrupt creatures called the Defiled… and if unlucky, Charm beasts.]
[Note!: Charm beasts and the Defiled are not to be trifled with. If you see one, run! Don't believe you can win, because you can't. You will die.]
"Huh?" Seth was stunned by the certainty of the Oracle's tone. Wait… how do you know that? Our world has just been infested, it's barely been a day. Shouldn't all creatures still be at the same rank? Or… are these special beasts born directly at higher rank?
[Even if they are of the same rank, the weakest Defiled beast has an ability equivalent to a Royal-grade gene skill.]
[While the host's gene skill is detected to be Royal grade, you might have a chance — but only if the Defiled is weak. Most Defiled have higher-level skills. Charm beasts… they are worse. They are the most feared creatures in the cosmos.]
Seth went silent, unwilling to give up. How do I find a Corruption zone?
[Easy! Requesting permission to perform a scan of the current surroundings.]
Do it.
Suddenly, a faint emerald ripple swept forth from the Oracle crystal.
[Corruption zone detected!]
Seth didn't hesitate. Where is it? Show me.
[You're sitting in it!]
His eyes widened, but before he could react, a pulsing ache overwhelmed his brain.
His lids grew heavy, his mind murky.
[Warning! Warning! Warning! Essence is dangerously low!]
[Essence unit: 01/67]
"Motherfucker!" he hissed silently.
No one told him this thing drank essence!
Unfortunately, he couldn't sustain thought any longer. His body shut down, forcing a long-deserved sleep.
The orb pulsed red faintly before vanishing back into his inventory, since there was no essence to sustain it.
Unfortunately, Seth couldn't hear what it said next.
[Danger! Danger! Danger!]
[Charm beast detected!!!]
And this wasn't like a system message. He wouldn't be seeing it when he woke up.