Derek stared at the wreckage of his Null Thread Vest, the remnants of molten acid still sizzling on the floor like a forgotten snack left in the sun. He kicked the ruined fabric aside with a sigh, his gaze wandering over the mess.

"Well, that was fun," he muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Guess I'm officially out of the 'cool guy suit' club. Nice while it lasted."

The System chimed in, cold and emotionless as always.

[System Notification: Suit damage detected. The host is advised to proceed with new upgrades.]

Derek rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks for the reminder. Can I get my rewards now? Remember that generous reward for clearing the Netherworld mission? Now would be a good time for me to get it"

[System Notification: Reward sequence initiating.]

"Finally," Derek said with a grin, snapping his fingers. "You know, sometimes I wonder how you can be so unreliable when I'm just here… barely holding it together."

The System ignored him.

[Exosuit: "Tempest Walker Mk I" (S-Rank) unlocked.]

Derek's eyes lit up as the suit materialised in front of him. It was pristine white, almost blinding in its brilliance. The armour was sleek, with smooth, angular plating that seemed to shift with his every movement, as though the suit were alive and adapting to him. Thin veins of blue ran through the edges, pulsating with energy like lightning trapped in metal. His fingers tingled as he reached for it, feeling the suit hum with potential.

The moment the suit connected with his body, he felt a surge of power unlike anything he'd experienced before. It fit him like a second skin, contours shifting as the exosuit adapted perfectly to his form. The air around him buzzed, charged with static electricity, every muscle in his body feeling amplified. His senses sharpened—he could hear the faintest hum of the city's broken lights, his heart pounding in his chest as though it were synced with the rhythm of a storm.

"Okay, okay. This is... this is nice," Derek said, grinning like a kid in a toy store. "Exosuit, huh? Not bad for a guy who just spent the last few days getting his face melted off."

The System's voice droned on.

[System Notification: Twin Blades "Voltfang" (A-Rank) unlocked.]

"Oooh, the weapons. Now we're talking." Derek turned to see the two blades materialise beside him. They were striking, their blades a deep electric blue with streaks of white lightning running through the steel, crackling with energy. The hilt was wrapped in a slick, dark material, the pommel shaped like a jagged bolt. As Derek gripped the hilt, he could feel the blades' power vibrating, almost as if they were begging for battle.

He swung them through the air a few times, and the blades hummed, leaving a trail of faint arcs of electricity that sizzled and crackled as if testing the air for the right moment to strike.

He winked at them. "I'm not saying I'm excited to use you, but… well, I am."

[System Notification: Lightning Ability "Tempest Fury: Convergence" (A-Rank) unlocked.]

Derek flexed his fingers, feeling the electricity surge up his arms, and the air around him seemed to hum with a storm's fury. His body felt like a live wire, his skin tingling with static. The suit reacted to his emotions—whenever his thoughts flickered toward battle, the exosuit would pulse with raw energy.

"Alright, time to fry some bad guys," Derek muttered, barely able to suppress his excitement. "Hopefully, I don't give myself a new hairdo with this one."

[ You gained 30000 Credit points ]

[System Notification: Sword-Style Attack Skill "Thunderclap Strike" (S-Rank) unlocked.]

"Thunderclap Strike. Damn, that sounds badass." Derek cracked his knuckles, his confidence swelling. "I can feel this one. Gonna be a fan favourite. Gotta look good while wrecking people's days."

He glanced down at the credits notification that popped up, but there was no time to waste. The city was still burning, still screaming, and there was no one left to save it but him.

"Alright, System. What's the survival rate for this little adventure of mine?" Derek asked, sliding the twin blades into their sheaths on his back.

[System Notification: Probability of Survival in Next Encounter: 15%. Good luck, Derek.]

"Ha, good luck. You know, I'm starting to think you don't believe in me," Derek said, stepping toward the balcony, his heart pounding with adrenaline. "Fifteen per cent? Pfft. I'll take those odds."

He pulled the blades out, positioning them like he was about to go into the world's most epic dance-off.

The System replied, dry as ever.

[System Notification: "I would suggest not getting cocky. But then again, who am I to stop you?"]

Derek couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, you'd love to see me fail, huh? Not today."

With a deep breath, he turned and stepped toward the open balcony. His exosuit hummed around him, adjusting to every movement, making him feel like he was part of the sky itself.

The city stretched out below him, some places eerily quiet for a few moments, and others wreathed in blood and flames. Roars and screams, as well as gunshots from the police and civilians, rang from all corners of the city.

For some reason, there were no rifts in the luxurious area of the city.

" Is the Apocalypse also discriminating against the poor?"

Derek already knew the answer; the luxurious part of the city had better security, even in the Apocalypse, the poor were the first to die. Then he remembered the one true person he cared about in this apocalypse.

" Lila, I have to find her "

Derek clenched his fists, feeling the energy in his body and the weapons at his side. It was time to jump. Time to make his mark on this mess of a world.

He stepped forward and arrived at the edge of his balcony.

He took one deep breath—and then exploded forward.

The balcony didn't stand a chance. The concrete beneath his feet shattered as he launched himself into the night, leaving a sonic boom in his wake. It wasn't a flight. It was pure, brute-force propulsion—a controlled detonation of strength and speed. The air screamed past him, the shockwave rippling through the nearby buildings as lightning arced from his limbs, crackling in his wake like a personal stormfront.

For a heartbeat, he was weightless, suspended high above the city like a spark caught mid-burst.

Then gravity remembered him, and Paleview rushed up to meet its least favourite problem.

"Let's do this."

He tucked mid-air, twin blades flashing in his hands as the ground approached. The dark rift in the sky pulsed like a heartbeat gone wrong, casting shadows over a city that had no idea its next chapter was about to begin.

Derek grinned into the wind.

The legend didn't descend.

He crashed into the world like a thunderclap.

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