Day 723.
In the active Doomsday Pillars all over the world shared between 60 nations and dozens of survivor groups, everyone was thrown in disarray as they all received a simple notification.
[New rank 1 for level 30 challenge]
[Rank 1. Doomsday Pillar 888 - Rank A+ Location: Russia]
The news took everyone all around the world by shock.
"A+ ranking? How is that even possible!" An adventurer shouted as he stared at their group's pillar in unmasked shock.
"Who is this? Where is this? Russia? There's no way they have someone who can achieve this!"
"We have a new record? A new hero has been born!"
Meanwhile, in one part of the world, far in Southeast Asia, one particular pillar was wrapped in a sullen atmosphere as a beautiful woman in her thirties shed a tear. After a few minutes, she finally looked away from the completion rank, rubbed her eyes, and sent a message. Despite her efforts, however, her tears kept on falling, wetting the stone cube below.
[Alex, is that you? Please, tell me if it's you.]
The question was simple, and Viktor was about to reply, but when he saw how Jessie seems to be thinking, he stopped. Baffled, he decided to ask.
"Who the hell is Alex?"
Considering Viktor locked himself in the bunker and partied for two years straight without listening to the world news, he wouldn't know who Alex is.
"He has many titles. People called him the Reincarnator, the Prophet, the Hero, but one thing was clear, he played a part to save many lives."
Jessie started explaining everything that happened involving Alex.
It sounded like something that came out of a fictional novel. A person who claimed to come from the future, warning everyone of the incoming calamity even as many doubted his words and actions.
Despite the onslaught of doubts, he continued on and warned everyone he could reach. As a result, his warnings managed to save millions of lives. He even warned others about the pillars, the appearance of the abyss, and many other things. Not only that, he tried his hardest, clearing obstacles and gathering power, until he was able to summon all the world's leaders to help prepare them for the upcoming disaster.
During those times, millions of lives were changed for the better.
Viktor was still baffled when Jessie confirmed that Alex was known as the hero who came from a future where the world fell into ruin. Alex would say he wanted to change that future, and many believe he did.
"That is crazy!"
Viktor found it difficult to believe that such things happened, but there was a lot more things to be concerned about. He then decided to ask, "Okay, but then who is this woman? Why did she think that we are him?"
"The woman is his wife, so as to why she thought so… I'd assume that it was because of the notification about a change in rankings. She must be looking for him and thought we were him, after all, we did beat his rank, the one in Australia was his"
Jessie then told Viktor the gist of a rumor she had heard about how Alex the Reincarnator has gone missing weeks before the tribulation 9 months ago. Many people have been looking for him ever since.
Viktor looked back at the message and shook his head, "Then what do you expect me to do? Explain who I am?"
Jessie glanced at the message again, a bit of sadness crossing her gaze as she spoke, "Can we… just take pity on this woman once and tell her who we are?"
Upon hearing that, Viktor quickly shook his head, "No, I don't think so."
Viktor felt he has no responsibility to explain himself, not to mention that doing so would just endanger him.
Jessie took a deep sigh, rubbed her forehead, and said, "Viktor, you know that many people are still trying to survive this Doomsday, don't you?"
"What do you mean by that? Of course, that is what we are doing right? we are currently surviving."
Realizing that Viktor failed to understand, Jessie told Viktor to access the stone panel and choose the one last option he never check before.
[Countdown Clock]
"What is this?"
Viktor could see that it was a clock going down, but there was something ominous about it.
[22,982,400] [22,982,399] [22,982,398]
"Thats in second.. What.. 250 days?"
"266 days actually"
"… Er, what exactly is this countdown for?"
"It's a countdown of the time left before the second tribulation begins at exactly day 1000. We believe that it'll spawn something even more terrifying than the abyss creatures that threatened us even now… Before this, we had Alex to help tell us what trials we are going to face, but now with him going missing…"
Jessie shook her head, and return to her previous concern "Okay, then at least can we tell the poor woman that we're not him? It's really sad to see someone cling to false hope, you know. Especially someone close to such a beloved hero."
Viktor gave it a thought. If too many people think he was Alex, things would take a turn for the worse. He'll probably be a target for people who wants to know who managed to get the first rank and beat the record.
Right as Viktor was deliberating what to do, the alarm sounded once again. At first Viktor thought the woman was calling him, but it was apparently a message feom Russia.
[Doomsday Pillar 863 - Location: Russia]
A quick look at the source revealed that it was from the pillar in Eastern Russia, right near the edge of the continent.
Well, if anything else, it might be better to reveal himself to a fellow Russian rather than an Asian woman as the situation may quickly turn awkward. One message should be enough to clear up the misunderstandings.
With his decision made, Viktor clicked the button.
[Accept communication]
As Viktor was thinking about whether the communication would be over voice or a virtual video call, he was transported into a virtual room.
He looked a bit confused at first, but then he realized that it was a chance to clear all the misunderstandings without revealing and thus risking his own life.
The room was dark, with a virtual grid that split the floor and celling into squares. Within moments, three figures appeared in front of him.
It was a handsome young man, accompanied by a pair of strong-looking fighters.
The two seem to be the bodyguard for the young man and Viktor seems to know the man
"I am Nikolas Yakov, of the Yakov family please step forward so i can see who I am speaking to"
Viktor silently cursed, for he immediately knew who was trying to contact him. He was from the Yakov family, the number one rival of the Romanovs. Ever since he was a child, Viktor had always hated Nikolas.
He was good-looking, an academic overachiever, a martial arts champion, and a great businessman on top of that. Viktor had always been compared to him in any way by his father.
Viktor shuddered as he realized how awkward it would be if he didn't come prepared.
As soon as he stepped forward, the three looked at him, and the young man known as Nikolas quickly turned shocked.
"Who are you? What are you? Why are you wearing armor?"
This was the solution Viktor came up with. He decided to tell the world that he was the first ranker without actually telling them about his real identity. He revealed himself while using his [metal fusion].
"I am.. the metal guardian. You can call me.. Northstar"
It was quite a decent name for something he came up with on the spot, or at least, Viktor seems to think it was better than Metal Guardian. However, while he was satisfied with the disguise, the person before him didn't share the sentiment.
"Is this some. kind of a joke! Reveal who you are right now!!"
"No, I am Northstar that is all you need to know, tell the world it is I the one who break the record."
The man narrowed his eyes and glared at Viktor, "What do you think I am, your lackey? Show yourself, or I can send people to drag you over here".
Viktor ignored the angry man and abruptly stopped the transmission while feeling proud of himself, "Ha, with that, problem solved."
However as soon she tells Jesie what he did Jesie turns pale,
"That Nikolas is one of the most powerful figures in eastern Russia. The Yakovs, in simple terms, are the family who build the Red Faction, and they were the ones currently fighting against the government. He is also one of the 8 saints, the youngest, one of the most powerfull person in Russia right now."
Viktor looked to the side with a slightly anxious expression. Did he just do something stupid?
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺