SWNOVELXO Chapter 2: [The Trial Begins]
Leon sat in the dim glow of his apartment, his breath steadying as he forced himself to think.
The timer loomed in front of him, glowing with an eerie red light.
05:47:32
Fifty-eight minutes had already passed since his return to this time.
His fingers curled into a tight fist as he leaned back against the cold wall, trying to process everything.
He was alive.
He had reincarnated here..
And in just under six hours, the world as he knew it would come to an end.
Not in a slow, gradual collapse.
No, the gods weren't that merciful.
They would tear reality apart in an instant, warping the very fabric of existence.
He had witnessed it once before — felt it, suffered through it, and died in it.
Now, he had a second chance.
His mind raced back to what he knew, what he had experienced firsthand in his previous life.
The moment the timer hit zero, everything would change.
A divine decree would echo across the world, and a translucent screen would appear before every human, regardless of their age, status, or beliefs.
[The Trial Begins.]
That was all it would say.
Those three words, carrying the weight of destruction.
Then, the Awakening would commence.
Every single human being would receive a system — a fragmented piece of divine power meant to 'help' them in the trial to come.
But help wasn't the right word.
The systems weren't gifts; they were chains, tying mortals to the cruel amusement of their celestial overlords.
Everyone would receive a class, a supposed advantage in the fight for survival.
But it was never fair. It never had been.
Classes were determined by luck — randomized in a sick game of chance.
Some awakened as warriors, mages, assassins — combat-oriented paths that at least gave them a fighting chance.
Others weren't so lucky.
The unlucky ones would be granted worthless classes, ones with no combat prowess at all.
A merchant. A bard. A farmer.
Leon had seen people fall into despair the moment they realized they were doomed.
Some tried to fight back, to survive with whatever they had been given. Most failed.
He exhaled sharply, pushing those memories aside.
That wasn't going to be him this time.
He had knowledge, and knowledge was power.
He knew where the hidden items were — the forgotten relics of old, the artifacts buried beneath the earth, the weapons that could shift the tides of fate.
He also knew what paths would lead to death.
Certain cities would be reduced to nothing within hours.
Military defenses would crumble. Governments would fall into chaos, their leaders either fleeing or perishing within the first few days.
People would turn on one another.
And then there were the monsters.
Leon's grip tightened around his wrist.
The creatures that would emerge after the Awakening weren't simple beasts.
They were horrors crafted by the gods themselves, each one designed to push humanity to its limits.
They came in waves.
At first, the weaker ones would appear — gnarled beasts with jagged claws, mindless abominations that tore through flesh like paper.
But they were only the beginning.
Soon, stronger creatures would follow. Nightmares given form, descending upon the remnants of civilization.
Leon had survived through all of it once before.
He had clawed his way through the blood-soaked ruins, fighting with every ounce of strength he had.
And in the end, it hadn't been enough.
But now?
He had time. He had the advantage. And he would not waste it.
His gaze flicked back to the countdown.
05:12:09
A shiver ran down his spine.
He could still remember the exact moment the apocalypse began in his past life.
He had been outside, heading home after a long, miserable day at work.
Then the notification had appeared, and the world had plunged into madness.
He had been weak then. Just another terrified human caught in the storm.
But not anymore.
This time, he would be ready.
Leon pushed himself off the floor, his movements sharp, controlled.
He needed supplies. Weapons, food, anything that would give him an edge in the first few hours of chaos.
His old life had taught him one thing — staying in one place was a death sentence. People would panic.
The streets would become battlegrounds, filled with the desperate and the doomed.
If he wanted to survive, he had to act before the world collapsed.
He moved quickly, grabbing a backpack and stuffing it with essentials.
Canned food, a first aid kit, a flashlight — anything that might prove useful.
Then, his eyes landed on something near his bedside table.
A knife.
It wasn't much. Just a simple survival blade, something he had bought years ago and barely ever used.
But it was better than nothing.
He picked it up, testing its weight in his hand.
It wouldn't be enough. Not against what was coming.
But it was a start.
The minutes ticked by, each second dragging him closer to the inevitable.
He double-checked his supplies, running through everything he knew he would need.
He had no idea what class he would receive.
Even with all his knowledge, that was the one thing he couldn't control. Classes could come at random.
His gaze flicked back to the countdown one last time.
00:00:10
The air grew thick.
A strange pressure settled over the world, unseen yet suffocating.
00:00:05
Leon's pulse quickened. This was it.
00:00:02
He closed his eyes, steadying his breath. He had faced this moment before.
He had failed before.
00:00:01
Not this time.
00:00:00
The world trembled.
A deafening chime echoed across reality, ringing from the heavens themselves.
The very fabric of existence seemed to shift, the light outside flickering unnaturally.
The earth groaned as something vast and incomprehensible took hold of it.
And then, it came.
[The Trial Begins.]
The words burned into his vision, searing into his very soul.
Leon inhaled sharply as his body shuddered, his mind overwhelmed by an impossible force.
He wasn't the only one.
All across the world, every human experienced the same sensation.
A pull deep within them, something awakening, something foreign yet familiar.
The System had arrived.
And with it, the apocalypse had begun.