Is it Wrong to Copy Abilities in Apocalypse?

19:35, 12 July 20XY.

Tehri, Uttarakhand.

Tehri was a suburban area before the apocalypse; all that was left now was just debris.

Even the Tehri dam was broken, causing the area to be flooded with water.

But fortunately for the humans in that area (if any), the same apocalypse became the reason for their relief.

The craters formed on the ground due to the earthquake and became an outlet for the water to pour in, letting all of the excess water get drained.

Now, other than some wet patches here and there, nothing else of the flood was left.

For some strange reason, though, the water bodies such as rivers and oceans were unaffected by the earthquake.

But well, it was a good thing in a way, as it gave people a source of water.

Right now, it was almost nighttime, yet the light from the stars—the new ones—gave enough light for one to be able to view their surroundings 200 meters clearly.

Under that dimly lit sky walked a lone figure, skipping through the debris of the building in the area.

It was a boy with striking features.

He had red hair and golden eyes, but one couldn't make out the frosty light that shone in those golden eyes under the dim starlight.

It was Alex, and he had decided to go through the Tehri area, as it was the only place where he wouldn't have to cross the river.

This place had a dam, and although it was shattered by the earthquake, the large debris gave him enough foothold to cross the river with ease.

This was the shortest route to Dehradun and this path also had more level 5 zones, which Alex wanted to clear.

Alex was having a nice time as there was no one to order him around, no one to annoy him, and no one to force him into doing tasks or face a penalty.

[A certain god is saying that you look fresh after a bath.]

[A certain god wishes that the censorship of the video be stopped.]

[A certain god…]

[...]

.

'Sigh…'

Alex sighed in resignation, accepting his fate of never being able to get rid of this certain god.

Yeah, he did discover a few things about the system because of her constant notification, such as the fact that the system censors the view of the gods, if someone is bathing, or if someone had to remove their clothes for some reason.

Alex found out about this the moment he took off his clothes to bathe.

[A certain god grumbles while demanding the censorship of the images be removed.]

This was what made Alex realize what was happening, and although he didn't feel much shame in showing his body, he still felt a bit of relief that at least the system knew how to not breach the privacy of a person.

Alex just wished that he could mute this god as well, as that would make this a perfect moment for him.

But the instant Alex thought that, a new notification from the system flashed in front of his eyes.

*Inhale*

Alex took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It felt like the system just hated to see him have it easy.

*Exhale*

After keeping the air in his lungs for a while, he exhaled and opened his eyes, finally focusing on the notification.

[You are being provided with the compulsory daily food supply.]

But as he took in the information, he frowned.

Just like many humans around the world, he didn't have a doubt that this wasn't free.

He looked into his system storage only to find a loaf of bread and a water bottle—something that was not there before—occupying two spots in his inventory.

This revelation just caused his frown to deepen.

Alex didn't say anything about that. The system clearly stated it, so there was no doubt about it in the first place.

The system didn't ask for their consent in this one; it was as if it wanted them to live, or at least not die.

[10 coins are being deducted.]

It didn't take long for the next notification to arrive, and the moment it did, Alex's frown loosened.

'It's just 10 coins.'

Alex muttered without much change in his expression, but he was relieved—relieved that at least the system didn't ask for something unreasonable.

For Alex, who had coins in the thousands, 10 coins weren't much.

Just a single sponsor from God would give him 100 coins, so why would he spoil his time worrying about a mere 10 coins?

He just checked the new items in inventory before focusing on the path ahead of him.

His eyes, however, caught sight of a man who was needling on the floor with a despairing look, as if he were about to die or something.

Alex had night vision, so he could see things as clearly as day, meaning he could see everything perfectly, unlike others who needed to get closer to make out one's feature.

But after a single glance, Alex ignored the guy; his expression remained emotionless as he kept on his path, bringing him closer to the next level 5 zone.

The man, however, seemed to have other plans.

"Hey!"

Alex frowned when he heard the call from the man echoing throughout the area, but he didn't stop, nor did he turn to look at the guy.

The guy's voice was filled with desperation and hope, and Alex could easily get a read on that, fortifying his thoughts of ignoring the guy.

"Help me!"

That guy, however, didn't seem to get the cue; he yelled out a plea as he kept moving toward Alex.

*Step*

With a final step, Alex paused.

From the distress, panic, hope, and plea in the man's voice, it was clear that he wasn't going to give up, so Alex decided to confront the guy.

*Grab*

A bow—the same one that the kobold chief had used—appeared in Alex's hand along with an arrow; the man, however, didn't seem to notice it.

His eyes were completely focused on Alex, but his focus shifted to the bow and the arrow the moment Alex knocked the arrow on the bow and aimed it at him.

"Stop."

Alex ordered the man the moment he reached within a 20-meter range—a sure-hit range for Alex.

The man—just like anyone would feel when they are at the point of an arrow—stepped back in fear while raising his hands in surrender.

"W-What? W-Wait, wait!

I don't mean any harm!"

He exclaimed in panic, wanting to make his intentions clear.

*Shiver*

But the moment he saw Alex's icy gaze, his body shivered as he felt a chill run down his spine.

'W-Who's he…?'

The man's eyes quivered in fright the moment he looked into Alex's eyes.

As those cold, motionless eyes—something no normal human could have—stared at him, the man realized that he might have encountered a monster in a human's clothing.

[1:33]

But as the man heard the constant ticking sound in his head, reminding him that he was running out of time, his body trembled.

He, with much effort, stared back into Alex's eyes with a newfound resolve and spoke.

"I-I just want a little help. Just think of it as helping a fellow v-victim of the system and hear me out…"

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