– Where Carl Questions His Life Choices for God Knows How Many Times –
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Location: Room 1A-08, Eastern Samar State University
Time: 8:56 AM
Mood: Existential Crisis with a side of "Why is everything shaking?"
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[Congratulations, Carl. You've survived the tutorial.]
[Welcome to the Main Game.]
Carl stared at the holographic message like it just slapped him with a fish.
His jaw worked soundlessly. His brain? Blue screen. Rebooting. Installing trauma.exe.
"…Main game?" he echoed softly.
[Yes! Now with 100% more monsters, trauma, and probability of death. Please enjoy responsibly.]
Carl blinked. "What. The actual. Hell."
His body was still buzzing from the quake. Dust coated his Uniform. Around him, the classroom had turned into a disaster movie set. People were either screaming, praying, crying, or frozen like deer in headlights. One girl in the back had puked on the floor and was just… sitting in it. Another was hysterically trying to open the windows as if fresh air could make this whole thing disappear.
I sat down—legs weak, hands clammy—slumped against the whiteboard like it could anchor me to reality.
Jerome sat beside him, pale and wide-eyed. "Dude, you seeing this? These craters… they're everywhere."
Carl turned to look at Jerome's phone.
A live stream showed a sinkhole in Cebu. Massive. Jagged. Like a scar torn into the earth. Dark and deep, like it led straight to Hell. And crawling out of it…
"…Is that a goblin?" Carl muttered.
Jerome gawked. "That's not a person in cosplay, right? Please tell me it is."
Carl didn't answer. He was already recognizing the signs. The size. The crooked fangs. The green skin and jagged dagger.
It was exactly like the ones he fought back in that other world.
Except this wasn't a fantasy isekai setting anymore. This was real. It followed him here.
And if goblins were coming out of that thing, then—
[ALERT: New World Event – "Earth's Awakening" has begun.]
[Status: Global Dungeon Emergence. Estimated Dungeon Ranks: F-D.]
[Public Awakening Rate: 0.1% – Individual Systems Assigned. System AI: Disabled.]
[You are a unique variable. Please try not to die.]
"Oh wow," Carl muttered, gripping his head. "That's comforting. I feel so special."
[You should. You're the protagonist of your own failure arc.]
"Thanks, system. Love the emotional support." Carl snapped, voice cracking somewhere between sarcasm and hysteria.
[You're welcome. Sarcasm detected. Logging emotional instability… again.]
He groaned, leaning back against the trembling wall, trying to breathe. It wasn't working.
So let's recap:
1. He's got a literal game system in his head. We already know that.
2. Dungeons are real now.
3. Goblins, Giant ants, and spiders the size of motorcycles are crawling out of the earth.
4. 0.1% of the people will awaken according to the system… probably one in a thousand people are awakening powers.
5. The rest of humanity? Screwed.
"Oh god," Carl whispered. "My family…"
My hands were shaking as I fished my phone out of my pocket. No signal bars. Just the mocking icon of a spinning circle.
"C'mon, c'mon…" I muttered, jabbing at my screen like force would help. A few agonizing seconds passed. Then—miracle of miracles—one bar.
I dialed.
It rang.
"Hello? Carl?" my mom's voice came through, shaky, urgent, like she'd been crying.
I almost broke right then and there.
"Ma." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I'm okay. I'm okay, I'm here."
"Thank God…" Her voice cracked. "We heard the news. The earthquakes. The sinkholes. I saw Manila on the TV—Carl, is it true? Are there monsters? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," I lied, because the truth would break her. "It didn't hit our area. Not directly. There's… just panic. Some buildings cracked. People are scared. But I'm safe. I swear."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah. I'm in the classroom. We're locked in for safety."
A pause.
"Where's Papa? The girls?"
"They're okay." She sniffed. "We're all in the barangay hall right now. Signal's bad everywhere. Your papa's here."
"Can I talk to him?"
There was some shuffling and murmuring, then his voice came through, gruff and a little breathless. "Carl."
"Hi, Pa."
A pause. Then: "You're not lying to me, are you?"
"I'm really okay."
"You're at the university at class now?"
"Yeah."
"You've got food? Water?"
"We're alright. I don't know for how long, but…" I exhaled. "I've got enough for now."
"You keep your head down. Don't do anything stupid. Let the authorities handle this. Focus on school."
That last part almost made me laugh. Like it was just another storm passing through and grades still mattered.
Then my mom was back on the line. "Carl, listen to me. This will pass. I know it's scary, but—this is just another hardship. We've been through worse, anak. Typhoon Yolanda, Odette… this is no different."
I hesitated. Oh, Ma… this was very different.
She continued, "You still need to finish your semester. Don't fall behind. No matter how hard it gets. Your future depends on this, Carl. Nursing, med school—you need to be ready."
"I know," I murmured. My chest tightened. "I'll do my best."
"You're the eldest. Your sisters look up to you. We're all counting on you."
As if on cue, a tiny voice interrupted the call. "Kuyaaa?"
I blinked. "Nikka?"
"Hi, Kuya," she whispered. "Are there monsters near you?"
"No," I said quickly. "There aren't any here. I promise."
"Okay. Mama cried a lot. Papa too. Even ate Aira pretended she wasn't scared but I saw her hiding under the table."
I smiled despite myself. "Tell her I know her secret haha."
Another voice cut in—my middle sister, Aira. "Whatever. You better not die, Kuya. You still owe me a birthday gift."
"Noted." My voice cracked. "I'll survive just for that."
My mom came back on. "We'll call again later if we can. Just keep your phone charged. Stay with people. And Carl… I know we expect a lot from you. But that's because we believe in you. Don't forget that."
Carl sagged against the desk, eyes stinging. "I will. That's… good. Just stay inside. Lock the doors. Don't go near any cracks in the ground or weird glowing things or…" he paused, realizing how insane he sounded, "…Just trust me. Okay?"
"I will. You too, anak. Don't do anything reckless."
"I won't," I whispered. "I love you, Ma."
"We love you too, anak."
Click.
The line went dead.
And I just… stared at the screen. My hands trembled, but I forced them into fists. My heart screamed to run, to cry, to curl up in the nearest supply cabinet and wait for this nightmare to pass.
But I couldn't.
Because survival didn't care if you were ready.
"Dude."
I blinked.
Jerome stood a few feet away, watching me. Unlike the others, he wasn't crying or screaming. Just frowning, sharp-eyed, like he was watching a chessboard no one else could see.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Define okay," I muttered, standing up.
He glanced at the phone in my hand. "Your family?"
"Safe. For now."
Jerome nodded, silent for a beat. Then: "Y'know, no offense, but… you're handling this really well."
I arched a brow. "You expected me to melt down like Angela?"
"She's chewing on her rosary."
"Right." I sighed. "I don't know, man. I guess I'm just… good at pretending."
Jerome's eyes narrowed slightly. "Pretending, huh?"
I shrugged. "I compartmentalize. Useful skill. That or I'm in denial."
His stare lingered a moment longer. Then he smiled—thin, amused, and maybe a little suspicious. "You know, when the earthquake hit, you didn't even scream. You were just… alert. Like you were expecting something will happen..."
"Lucky reflexes?"
He tilted his head. "Maybe. Or maybe you know more than you're letting on."
My heart stuttered.
But I just gave him a lopsided grin. "Jerome, buddy. If I had secret knowledge, I'd be halfway to Palawan by now with a boatload of instant noodles."
He huffed a laugh. "Fair."
Still, he kept watching me like I was a puzzle he hadn't solved yet.
And I couldn't help but wonder—
How long until someone noticed I wasn't just surviving?
I was adapting.
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TO BE CONTINUED…