The Lowest Point

Warning: The following content contains graphic imagery and topics that may be disturbing to viewers.

June 27th, 2024

Five days after the main character died

POV: Jeremiah

There were ten of us left, and I feared that number would only continue to decrease. We were trapped on the second floor of a mysterious system. The only reason we're still alive is thanks to Arlo, the man who was destined to defeat the Syndicate and restore humanity. He gave us shelter, food, water, and most of all, hope. He transformed us into 'Evolvers' and brought us to The Depths, a place that was unforgiving and favored the survival of the fittest.

However, everything changed on that fateful day. We met an impossible opponent, one of the leaders of the Syndicate, Maksim, also known as the 'Fourth Demon'. His power was so absolute that he could've killed us all by snapping his fingers if he willed it. The only reason I or any of us are still standing here is because of Arlo's sacrifice.

In his place, I became the new leader of the group. It was a sick joke, truly. I wasn't even half the man that Arlo was, but that didn't stop everyone from looking at me with hope-filled eyes.

Our current situation was dire. We had gone days without food, and our strength continued to wane as the days dragged on. We couldn't consume the monsters before they dissipated, and the plants in this cave rarely bore fruit. If we tried attacking the plants directly for their leaves, the plants would also dissipate. We were in an era where the surface of Earth spelled certain death. The Sun had been choked out and the surface of the planet was irradiated and frozen. Even if we could leave, we would only die in vain.

Over 95% of the human population had been wiped off the map. The only piece of humanity that remained were the Eight Crimson Cities.

New Orleans

Seoul

Mumbai

Miami

Warsaw

Lagos

Shanghai

Moscow

These were the cities that betrayed humanity to assist the Syndicate in exchange for their temporary protection. When the nukes were released, I wasn't in any of those cities. I was one of the humans marked for annihilation. Even if we somehow made it to one of the Eight Crimson Cities, I had no doubt that its inhabitants had already been enslaved. I was sure that they would be eradicated as well in due time.

I only knew a few things about this system. Firstly, the floors became more uninhabitable the lower you went. We had been attacked by a few floor 3 returnees at this point, and their power was on another level compared to the floor 2 monsters. Secondly, we had lost access to the first floor. And, finally, when Arlo died, the god that had been supporting him, began speaking to me. I asked him questions frequently and he always responded. Even now,

I repeated my question like a drone, "Is there a chance that we can save humanity?"

________________________

The 17th creator, Nexus, is responding

"No."

________________________

I had asked this question at least ten times now because this god had an ability to peer into the future, but he didn't seem to be annoyed by my insistence. He always responded the same way to that question.

"Is there any point to living anymore?"

________________________

The 17th creator, Nexus, is responding,

"Yes."

________________________

I wasn't sure, but it seemed like the creator was limited in his ability to respond. That, or, it was costing him something every time he did. Honestly, I was too close-minded to properly ask the "yes" or "no" questions that I needed to ask. If there wasn't a way to save humanity, then why would we continue struggling to survive? In the midst of my thoughts, I decided to pull up my status window.

________________________

Jeremiah

Age: 19

Gender: Male

Species: Homo Sapien

Race: Italian

Class: Defender (Rank F)

Stats: | Affinity:

Strength: 16 | Epic

Agility: 9 | Common

Stamina: 22 | World

Ability Control: 9 | Common

Pressure: ?? | Epic

Skills:

Shield Bash: (Rank F)

Proficiency: 20/100

Reinforced Block (Rank F)

Proficiency: 18/100

Lion's Roar (Rank E)

Proficiency: 17/100

Steel Wall (Rank E)

Proficiency: 4/100

Observers:

Nexus

________________________

The defined numbers gave me a strange peace of mind in this tumultuous situation.

I had my back against the cavern wall as I looked into the soft flame of the campfire.

I wasn't sure whether it was the frequent fighting or the symptoms of starvation setting in, but the cave floor had become like the softest bed I've ever had the privilege of sleeping on. Even now, I wanted to just give up and drift into the next life.

Everything seemed bleak, but at least I wasn't alone.

"Get up. We can't stay here." Ezra spoke with a strained voice. His face was emaciated and sunken in, and he only looked half-present, but the embers passing in front of his eyes gave him a somewhat fierce look. He reached his hand out to me.

I used to hate Ezra, but he became one of my closest friends after Arlo died. I took his hand and rose from the cavern floor. We still had a mission we needed to complete.

________________________

Current Mission

Difficulty: E

Objective: Kill the Tarantula Boss

Rewards: Access to the Third Floor

________________________

On the cavern floor in front of me was a makeshift map of the gargantuan cave. Since we've been exploring it for about a week in teams of 3 and 4 people, we managed to cover a huge amount of ground. Actually, there was only one tunnel left to explore.

I looked at my group and summoned what little strength I had left to project my voice, "Alright, let's get ready!"

It wasn't a surprise to see most of the group members with a defeated attitude. It especially hurt to see Xavier, who was only five years old, with a completely lost expression. Arlo was like a father to him and his death hit him the hardest. The problem is, that kid's our greatest weapon. He wouldn't disclose his stats, but his power was, by far, the most superior in the group.

Gael bounced up with an unusual energy, "Comrades! This is the final stretch! Join us on this last expedition!" Gael's eye began to show a soft purple light as he activated his ability.

________________________

You are being affected by the skill 'Incite'

________________________

Everyone knew about his strange ability at this point, but that didn't stop it from still being effective. The group members began to get up one by one and start the formation. The only one remaining was Xavier. I walked over and held my hand out to him.

"This is what Arlo would've wanted."

Xavier shook as he heard my words, and, eventually, took my hand and stood up.

I patted his head and gently pushed him towards the formation. As everyone began to take their spots, I performed a headcount.

In the front left was Blaire, our warrior. She stood there emotionless and gazed off into the distance. Her long blonde hair flew gracefully in the wind. I had only seen her show emotion a handful of times, but her poise was unmatched.

In the front middle was our summoner, Lani. Her happy expression seemed to never falter. Just looking at her made the corner of my lips rise unconsciously.

In the front right position was Gael, our sword master. His skills were subpar, and at times, I even doubted his class myself. Regardless, he was an invaluable beacon of moral support to the group.

In the middle left position was Hazel, our cryomancer and second leader. She had hesitation in her eyes, but that was to be expected. It was no secret that Hazel loved Arlo. I just hoped that she'd recover emotionally soon.

In the central position was Xavier, the greatest weapon we had. He wouldn't disclose his class to us, but his power was unrivaled. This formation was built primarily to protect him.

In the middle right position was Nikita, our electromancer. She had an ability to synchronize her lightning element with people's weapon, so she was a great asset and support class. She stayed to herself mostly, but was active whenever a battle began.

Kenji protected the rear left spot. He was an assassin, but could easily hold his own in direct combat. He was second only to Xavier in terms of power. He had an unshakable confidence, but a potentially dangerous weak spot. Kenji and Nikita had become lovers when Arlo rescued us. I had no doubt that he would break formation in a heartbeat to protect her.

In our rear middle position was Aria, our archer. Her positioning was practically a given. Her dark brown eyes quivered softly. She wasn't a person that lacked confidence though. Even I, myself, wasn't sure if her eyes were shaking because of excitement, fear, or a mixture of the two.

In the rear right position was Blaire's brother, Ezra, our spellblade. His once arrogant attitude had shifted closer to determination in the past few days. His fierce, piercing blue eyes looked forward as if ready for anything to come. He could still be a loose cannon at times, but his versatility was unmatched.

And, of course, I was the Vanguard. The formation covered the flanks by placing the melee fighters in the corners, but, of course, I would be taking the brunt of the damage.

There was only one crucial element that we were missing.

A healer.

That would've been Arlo's role. There wasn't just an emotional downside of his death, there was a tactical one, and it was critical. Any damage that was taken by the party would be irreversible.

And the person most likely to be damaged is me. Regardless, as the leader, I had to be unshakable in my position. My hands began to shake despite the reinforcing thought.

As hard as I tried, I just wasn't like him. I could never be.

Things couldn't get any worse than this. I looked at the emaciated, tattered appearance of my companions. We've finally reached the lowest point possible.

This would be the last expedition on the second floor. What happened today would determine whether or not we would see tomorrow.

I moved to the vanguard position in front of the group and spoke as confidently as I could muster.

"Let's move."