Apocalypse Baby-Chapter 202: Two Weeks

Back to the present.

Alex sat chained down, surrounded by dozens of players.

The thick metallic bindings glowed with a faint, eerie purple light—pulsating with magical energy.

A sealing spell.

Alex let out a slow breath and tensed his muscles, testing the strength of the restraints.

The chains didn't budge.

They weren't something he could break with brute force.

His grin widened.

Good.

He had just the thing for situations like this.

Lifting his head, his gaze locked onto the man standing in front of him—Ethan.

A smug grin plastered across Ethan's face.

And just behind him—Katie.

Half-hidden.

Their eyes met for a brief second.

Then—she looked away.

A flicker of emotion stirred within him.

Memories surfaced—moments they had shared, conversations, laughter…

But he clenched his jaw.

And shook his head.

Those were all a lie.

The truth was right in front of him.

Alex exhaled slowly, his eyes scanning the faces around him.

Greedy. Cautious. Uncertain.

Ethan stood at the front, arms crossed, staring at Alex with a look of mild curiosity—as if he were inspecting a caged animal.

Then, he leaned slightly toward Jonah and muttered,

"Are you sure he's the monster the system is referring to?"

Jonah hesitated, his eyes flickering between Alex and the glowing map screen in his hand.

The pulsing red arrow pointed directly at Alex.

"The arrow on the map indicates he is," Jonah confirmed, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Something felt off.

He couldn't shake the strange, gnawing feeling in his chest.

Why was Alex here—at the exact location the Beast Lord was supposed to be?

And more importantly…What was about to happen to him?

Ethan frowned at Jonah's response.

The being in front of him—it looked human.

It looked like the same weakling he had bullied and toyed with.

But what he saw and what he felt—didn't match.

There was something wrong.

Ethan could feel it.

A pressure—dense and overwhelming—radiated from the man before him. It seeped into the air like a heavy storm, unseen but impossible to ignore.

Immense.

Unbelievable.

Ethan clenched his fists. This isn't right.

This isn't Alex. It can't be.

His eyes narrowed as he stepped closer, his voice low but demanding.

"Tell me… are you really Alex?"

Slowly, Alex lifted his head.

His gaze locked onto Ethan's, and then—he grinned.

A slow, knowing grin.

"Tell me," Alex said, his voice calm. "What do you think?"

Sythrel stepped forward, a smug smirk curling his lips.

His eyes gleamed with amusement as he glanced at Alex, then back at Ethan.

"Does it even matter?" he mused, tilting his head slightly. "If the system calls him a monster, then why hesitate? Let's just kill him and be done with it."

Some of the players murmured in agreement, shifting uncomfortably.

Sythrel made it sound so simple.

But Ethan wasn't convinced.

If this really was Alex… then how?

How did he go from a nobody to standing at the very top?

Ethan's jaw clenched.

"Tell me," he demanded, his eyes sharp. "How did you manage to reach first place in tutorial points?"

Had he betrayed his allies?

Was there a deity backing him?

What was his cheat code?

Alex blinked at him, brows furrowing slightly.

"First place?" he muttered, sounding almost… confused.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. Was he pretending? Playing dumb?

Then Alex tilted his head, his expression unreadable.

"Didn't you check the ranking list?"

"Ranking? There's a ranking?"

Alex asked, genuine surprise flashing across his face.

Ethan's brow furrowed. Was he serious?

Everyone else had seen the announcement.

How had Alex not?

If he truly didn't receive it… then the system's classification of him as the rising beast lord might actually be correct.

A tense silence fell over the group as Alex opened his system window.

His fingers moved swiftly, scrolling through his notifications.

His eyes scanned the messages until—

There it was.

The ranking announcement.

It had been there the whole time.

But it hadn't popped up as an urgent alert.

Alex clicked his teeth.

The Overseer was messing with him again.

Frustration burned in his chest, but he kept his expression neutral.

He continued scrolling, and something else caught his eye—

A notification stating he had crossed level 40 and could select a new skill.

Then another notification appeared.

One is far more important.

A major quest?

[MAJOR QUEST]

A unique monster has spawned.

Once human, it now seeks to take the place of the fallen Beast Lord. If left unchecked, it will grow in strength and become an even greater threat.

Objective: Hunt it down before it claims its throne.

Reward:

- DOUBLE the tutorial points you currently possess.

- A unique skill.

[The target's location has been marked on your map.]

Map?

Alex navigated through his system interface and pulled up the map. His eyes locked onto a blinking red marker—the designated location of the beast lord.

It was right where he stood.

"Oh..."

The realization hit him instantly.

So that's what this was all about.

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Alex exhaled sharply, then—He laughed.

Not a chuckle. Not a smirk.

A loud, mocking laugh that echoed through the forest, making the players around him uneasy.

"So this is your game..." he muttered between laughs.

He had been wondering what kind of nonsense the Oracle would pull next to hold him back.

And this was it.

The system itself had labeled him as the beast lord.

The rabbit—the so-called Overseer—wasn't even pretending to be fair anymore.

It wasn't hiding its intentions.

It wanted him gone.

Alex chuckled, the sound low and unbothered.

Ethan's frown deepened.

Something about Alex's attitude rubbed him the wrong way.

How could he be so calm? So unfazed?

He was chained down, completely outnumbered, and surrounded by a dozen hostile players—yet not a trace of fear flickered in his eyes.

Ethan's fingers twitched.

His irritation grew.

Then...

He unleashed his aura.

A crushing wave of power erupted from him, pressing down on the surroundings like a storm. The air thickened, charged with invisible force.

The weaker players staggered back, their breath hitching.

Some even broke into a sweat.

And yet—

Alex didn't flinch.

His expression remained the same.

Ethan's patience snapped.

His voice came out like a hiss:

"You still haven't answered my question, filth."

Alex slowly raised his head, his gaze locking onto Ethan.

His eyes held no fear.

Just pure, unshaken resolve.

Alex leaned back slightly, his tone almost nonchalant.

"Right, first place."

He decided to play along—for now.

Then, as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world, he said:

"I killed a Beast Lord. It's as simple as that."

Silence.

Ethan's jaw tightened. His fists clenched.

He said it so casually.

Like it was nothing. Like it wasn't a big deal. Like it was barely any effort.

Impossible.

Ethan's anger flared. His voice was sharp. "Did you do it alone?"

Alex opened his mouth to respond, his usual smirk forming—

But then, he froze.

His eyes widened.

Something on his system window caught his attention.

No way.

His heart skipped a beat.

The Tutorial Quest.

Alex's breath hitched. He scanned the notification again.

The words burned into his mind.

This... This changed everything.

[Tutorial Commencing Now]

[Quest: Survive for 1 Month in Tutorial]

[Time Left: 2 weeks, 8 hrs, 45 minutes]

Alex's breath hitched:

2 weeks left?

2 WEEKS?!