Void Reaper: The Essence Apocalypse

The store was still shrouded in dimness, broken only by streaks of light filtering through the shattered windows. Adam moved between the shelves, kicking boxes and peering into every crevice, searching for anything that might still be edible. Valeria followed him silently, lightly—like a shadow—but with clear curiosity glinting in her eyes.

"So..." she suddenly began, breaking his train of thought. "What was that ability you were so desperately trying to understand?"

Adam was digging through a cardboard box between the shelves, shifting through cans that looked like they'd gone through hell—and lost. Finally, he pulled one out that appeared undamaged and tossed it over his shoulder with little enthusiasm.

"Void Manipulation."

For a fraction of a second, something flickered in her eyes. Adam didn't notice—he kept rummaging through the box as if nothing had happened, and only after a moment tossed out casually:

"You know it?"

Valeria stopped and looked out the window, as if searching for something on the horizon.

"I do," she said slowly. "It's a power older than this world. It once belonged to a being whose name isn't worth mentioning now. It was powerful. But that's all I can tell you for now. The rest... is locked. Knowledge not meant for worlds of your level."

Adam frowned. "Knowledge not meant for my world? What does that even mean? Why would something be forbidden... just because I'm from here?"

Valeria sighed softly, as if expecting the question but not particularly eager to answer it.

"It's not just about where you're from, Adam. It's about developmental structure. Every world embraced by the Essence Record goes through stages—like a child learning to walk, talk, think. The knowledge you're asking about isn't just facts. It's tools. And any tool, in unprepared hands, can become a weapon."

She stepped closer, and her voice grew more serious.

"This division of knowledge stems from a fundamental principle: there are lower and higher worlds. Your planet belongs to the former. It's new, unripe, freshly touched by the system. And Essence Record—on its own, not by the will of any external being—imposes strict restrictions on the interference of higher entities in lower-level worlds. Any violation can disrupt natural evolution. And that... is not permitted by Essence Record."

Adam narrowed his eyes. "Lower... worlds? What are you even talking about?"

Valeria looked at him like she'd just remembered how inexperienced he really was. "This isn't the only world, Adam. Not the first, not the last. There are places where the system has existed for millennia. Where humans, beings, and civilizations have reached levels that, to you, seem like fantasy. Worlds have maturity levels. Yours has just awakened."

Adam was silent for a moment. "So I'm like a kid in preschool, and you're a university professor?"

Valeria smirked. "That's a very gentle comparison."

She turned to him with a smile.

"Essence Record doesn't prohibit me from telling you things you already know. And that's one of the upsides. I can talk to you, I can nudge you. But only within the limits of what's already within your reach—even if you don't understand it yet."

"But I don't know it."

"You don't understand it. That's different. You've already made contact with that knowledge. I merely... guide. I show you the doors you hadn't noticed."

Adam bit his lip. He was slowly beginning to understand how heavily the system relied on nuance. Nothing was handed over on a silver platter. "So you have to follow the rules... but you can interpret and bend them in different ways," he said aloud, more to himself than to her.

Valeria raised a brow, clearly amused. "Finally something insightful from your mouth. Maybe you're not as resistant to learning as I thought."

"So... can many people have the same ability?" he asked.

Valeria nodded.

"It's normal. Most abilities are shared tools. But some... are different."

She reached out and lightly ran her fingers across the dusty shelf, leaving a clear trail.

"Imagine a world where millions of people can conjure fire with the same spell. They all use the same spark. Now imagine someone who doesn't need fire—because they can bend the space that sustains it."

She glanced at Adam from the corner of her eye.

"That's the difference between ordinary... and something rare. You are the latter."

Adam grinned with satisfaction. "So I hit the jackpot after all."

Valeria gave him a look laced with amused scorn but said nothing. This was his lesson, not hers.

"I have a question," Adam said. "Why did I get a skill scroll from that first mutant... but nothing afterward? I've killed a dozen zombies and not a single one dropped anything like it."

Valeria leaned against the doorframe. "Because you weren't supposed to. A skill scroll from the first kill and essence acquisition is... guaranteed. Think of it as a welcome gift. But after that? It all depends on luck."

Adam sighed. "So I need to pray to the system?"

"No. You need to fight. And grow. Because that's all you've got."

Adam exhaled heavily, sitting on one of the overturned boxes. "Wonderful... So I've been thrown into a world where the only way to survive is to kill everything that moves. I feel like the system made me a survival machine, not a human."

Valeria glanced at him sideways. "The system made you nothing, Adam. It merely gave you tools. It's you who decides who you become—despite everything or because of it."

She walked a few steps through the store, glancing at dusty refrigerators and broken shelves.

"But there's one thing I should tell you."

She stopped and looked him straight in the eye.

"I won't tell you what to do. But if I can give you one piece of advice—think about forming a team. Or at least rallying people around you. Maybe right now it seems pointless, but in the future... it'll help you more than you think."

Adam snorted, as if amused, but there was no humor in it. "That's not possible," he said after a moment. "I'm not the leader type. I'm no hero of mankind."

He looked toward the store's back door, as if something was pulling him there.

"I abandoned people in the supermarket. They were in trouble, and I... I just ran. I didn't try to help. I didn't even hesitate. I simply chose myself."

Valeria didn't reply immediately. She simply nodded slightly.

"That's okay. There's nothing wrong with what you did, Adam. Everyone makes choices that let them survive. You don't need to blame yourself."

For a moment, silence reigned. Then, with her usual lightness, Valeria shifted the subject.

"Now then... what's your plan? What do you intend to do next?"