Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System

["...Springs went, winters passed. As the years have gone by, more and more, the apocalypse becomes a distant memory. I find myself sometimes in thought, questioning if maybe it was all a dream–a nightmare, but then I remember–I remember the experiences ingrained into my body.

Then all over again, I feel thankful that I'm here, with you."]

At his desk, he sat in a spacious office built within a house, having a personal view outside of the window that overlooked the acres of verdant fields. He took a moment in thought, giving his mind a minute of rest before beginning to type away at the code once again.

As he was focused on his programming, the door to his office opened with the light rattle of glassware following.

Glancing over, he watched the girl, barely tall enough to reach her arms up, set the mug of coffee down on his desk. She had the same ethereal, blue hair as her mother, though shared the same sharpness in her eyes as him.

"Thanks, Amelia," he smiled, giving the young girl a pat on her head.

"Mhm," she grinned as though just happy she managed to deliver the coffee without spilling it.

The days were often quiet, though may some see them as uneventful, to him, each day was one to be cherished.

["As winter arrived for Amelia's fifth birthday, Charlotte and I rented a cabin in the Deschutes forest. It was the first time Amelia got to experience snow."]

With a mug of steaming coffee in his hand, he stood by the opened door of the wooden cabin, looking out towards the snow-white stretch.

Beside him, Charlotte leaned her head on his shoulder, watching alongside him as the small girl made herself a snowman, "She doesn't seem to mind the cold. I hope she doesn't get sick, though."

"With how many coats you have her wearing, I think she'll be fine," Finn laughed softly.

As the hours passed in the quiet, snow-covered forest, the aroma of stew filled the cabin as Charlotte prepared dinner. Though the idea was to get away from technology for a few days, Finn couldn't help but check his laptop as he sat near the window, typing away.

"Ahhh—!"

–A frightened scream of a young girl made his blood immediately run hot. There was no second guessing who such a yell belonged to, leaving him practically flinging the laptop from his lap as he shot up.

"Amelia–!?" Charlotte called out, running out of the kitchen.

Finn ran past her, picking up the hunting knife left on the table, "Stay here!"

There was no thought in his head but running to his daughter, not so much as putting on a coat as he leapt out of the front door. As breaths left his lips as frost, he pushed himself through the leaf-barren trees, tracking down that scream with haste.

"Aaaaah…!"

Again, he heard it, then found it within a moment as he slid down a slope. There she was, unharmed, though not free from danger; the small girl pressed up against a tree, faced with a beast tenfold her size.

–A grizzly bear; the apex predator of the woodlands. It didn't make sense to him why the massive animal was there in that specific forest, though there was no time to question it.

"Amelia, run back," Finn quietly and calmly instructed, placing himself between the girl and the bear.

Though young, she was smart enough to know to simply nod, sniffling as she backed away. As the girl fled, the bear foamed at the mouth, unleashing a roar that sent its saliva flinging in every direction.

["It's a senseless beast. There's no negotiating with it. If I run, it'll run faster. I have to deal with it."]

For some reason, the resonance of his heartbeat felt as though it hit its most calming rhythm as he faced down the salivating grizzly. Its snow-covered, bristly fur shuddered as it roared again, digging its massive paws into the land.

As he squeezed the handle of the knife, breathing out slowly, it felt as though the pieces of a puzzle were falling right into place; it was natural.

He let it approach first, choosing ro react–to anticipate rather than blindly act. It lunged at him, standing on its hind legs as its massive claws came sweeping through. He ducked beneath its furry arm, countering as he sprinted right by it, letting his dagger slash across its side.

The meager cut hardly seemed to slow the beast down as it slobbered, unleashing another roar as it sloppily turned itself around.

["It's strong and wild, but it's a beast all the same; it has no concept of deceit, that means all of its movements–I can read them."]

It practically threw its entire body at him, sweeping both claws as a wave of snow rippled towards him. He slid back, ducking down as one of its paws sought to remove his head from his shoulder.

As he was left with a complete opening of the snow-coated beast, he breathed out frost as his heart resonated within his chest. It was as if he was right back there, in the desecrated cityscape, wearing his black, dirty coat, facing down a bloodthirsty orc; as an assassin.

["I was right back there, in the apocalypse. The stench of death; the sight of blood; the necessity to fight to survive. That's right, this who I was–who I am; Finn, the assassin."]

That's all he could see; the beast appeared in his eyes as a wild monster, swinging its club around as he was forced to kill-or-be-killed.

He slashed his knife across its wide neck, though hardly felt his blade cut deep enough–

"Ngh?!--"

The bear retaliated even with its lacerated neck, roaring as it swept its claws right through his chest. A warmth flooded to his torso as he found himself stumbling back, glancing down at his body.

He was completely soaked in his own blood, unable to even see his skin as his lacerated flesh bled like a fountain. A mortal wound, if untreated, yet it didn't bother him–

No, he experienced worse; if he didn't keep moving forward, if he didn't stop the bear, things could only go from worse to worst. Even if his body fell, he couldn't let it near his wife or daughter–

"Raaagh!"

As his blood rained upon the pure snow, he lunged onto the bear, plunging his knife into its body without hesitation. It clawed at his body, tearing at his flesh, though he stabbed it faster, piercing its neck and head over-and-over.

["I didn't stop. Even as its claws stopped digging into my body, I didn't stop slamming my knife into its until I felt the warmth leave its body."]

As he removed the knife from the bear's body, he fell backwards into the snow as the beast slumped over beside him. He breathed out, watching the cloud of coldness part from his lips, staring up at the sky as snowflakes trickled down.

The lacerations across his entire body would leave him dead within moments; he was well aware of that fact as the snow all around him became dyed crimson.

Yet–

["Grizzly bear defeated."] ["Anarch Coin x10 obtained."]

[Experience points: +1000]

[Level six reached.] [0/1500]

[Assimilated ability from ["Grizzly Bear"]: "Bear Strength"]

The prompts that appeared in his vision felt like a hallucination spurred by the rapid closeness to death.

'I leveled up? No…That's impossible. Systems don't exist anymore…' He tiredly thought, laying in the bloodied snow.

"Finn!"

–The concerned voice of his wife brought his eyes to open as he shot up. It surprised him that he was still alive, let alone able to pick himself up. He watched Charlotte slide down the frosty slope, rushing over to him.

"Are you okay!? The bear–you–" Charlotte worriedly asked in a panic.

As she wrapped her arms around him, he found himself stunned, not feeling an ounce of pain through his body–just the opposite in fact; he felt better than ever.

"I'm…fine?" He answered, questioning it himself.

"All of this blood, your clothes…Finn, how're you unharmed…?" Charlotte questioned, inspecting his body with tears in her eyes.

It was beyond any logical conclusion of worldly possibilities, though there was only one answer he could come to, looking at his bloodstained hands.

"...Status…" He whispered.

[Level: 6] [0/1500]

<Vitals: Healthy>

<Magic: Healthy>