[Game concluded]

[Survivors Detected; 21,233]

Alan opened his eyes just as he perceived the last message sent through [Gamelink]. He was back in the 4by4 Virtual Waiting room.

His lips parted as he let out a huge relief seeing almost twice the number of survivors compared to his previous life.

He took a precious few seconds to consolidate his thoughts before he got bombarded by a series of notifications/messages.

[Processing player data…]

[Round One: Human versus Force of Nature]

[Main Quest: Survive for 8 hours]

[Quest Completed: 100% (Rating F)]

[Sub Quest 1: Aid Civilians]

[Quest Completed: 85% (Rating F > E-)]

[Hidden Quest: Saved VIP]

[Quest Completed: 70% (Rating E- > E)

[Bonus Quest: Escape the city]

[Quest Completed: 100% (Rating E > D-)

[Battle Performance: Active (Rating D- > D)]

[Exploration Performance: Normal]

[Special Rating 1: Kill Boss Monster (Rating D > C-)]

[Final Player Rating: C-]

Alan examined each message; as he reached the final one, an uncontainable smile made its way onto his face. Especially when he looked at the final evaluation. C- rating. One of the, if not the highest, ranking possible to achieve in the first round.

In his previous life, he received an E+ rank like 80% of other survivors, while the additional 20% got a D. He never heard anyone get C in the first round, except maybe veteran players.

Alan believes he didn't receive a perfect rank for Sub Quest: Aid civilians. Which was understandable as he left them behind in Laura's care.

His Only regret was with Hidden Quest. If not for the redneck's untimely intervention, he could have got the perfect C rank. Fortunately, having all three VIPs successfully out of the city still got him an upgraded rank.

A second later, the most awaited notification popped up.

[Calculating player rewards…]

[Rank: C -]

[You received Survival Points 2,000 and 2000 XP]

[You received: D rank reward 2x]

[You received: Attribute Enhancement Bonus 1x]

[Acquired Title: Pyromaniac]

[Pyromaniac: You like to set things on fire, with this title, all item-based fire will deal 35% more damage]

"A Title?" questioned while rubbing the base of his neck.

The Two D rank reward was impressive, but it was expected for a C- rank reward. The Attribute bonus was also within his expectations, as it was rewarded for displaying an excellent performance among other players.

The title, however, was news to him.

Extra damage for Fire-based Items. Something like a Molotov, an incendiary grenade, a flamethrower weapon, or all of its nieces and nephews. There is a wide variety he can choose from.

With this, he can forever forget the "Don't play with fire" warning.

In the end, of all the notifications, his Status was on display.

[Alan D Angello, Male, 25 years]

[Level 12: 6540/7000]

[HP: 170/170]

[Stamina: 100%]

[Survival Points: 4500]

[Strength: E+]

[Agility: D]

[Endurance: D-]

[Perception: E]

[Intelligence: D]

[Spirit: F-]

[Two attribute point to distribute]

[ E rank reward x3, D rank reward x 2]

[Title: Pyromaniac]

####

[Equipment]

[Night Cloak, Jumper, Sneaker]

[Defense: 8]

[Hunting Knife]

[Attributes: Damage 14-16]

[Equipment Rating: 20]

####

[Inventory]

[Canned Meat x 10, Canned Fruits x 8, Lighter, Painkiller x 2, Antibiotic, Cigarettes, Money $1000, Medicated Gauze x 16, Bottled Water x 2]

####

[Skill- Common]

[Hand to Hand (Novice), Sword Weapon (Novice), Small Firearm (Basic), Dagger Weapon (Basic)]

[Skill- Uncommon]

[Sneak (Novice+), Science (Novice), Medical Treatment (Basic)]

Any player would have been over the moon with such a remarkable record. But not Alan. All he felt and heard were voices in his head judging his results.

'Not enough...it's not good enough.'

Regression was the biggest cheat anyone could get. And with it, he should always aim for the heights, to the pinnacle. But the increase from E+ to C- does not seems to justify such a fortune.

Thinking about 9 million people that died in the last 8 hours put even more pressure on him.

'This must be what survivor syndrome feels like.' Alan said in a light tone. His elated face turned somber.

He shook his head and tried not to think about it and focus on the more positive side of the situation.

Alan thought of something that made him feel better instantly

A specific item he picked just before he finished the game

[Name: Crimson M16]

[Type: Weapon (Medium firearm)]

[Rarity: Superior]

[Attributes: Firepower 60-82 (500 meters), 56 - 70 (500 - 3600 meters)]

[Magazine: 30 rounds (5,56mm)]

[Fire Rate: up to 10 rounds/ second]

[Effects: Accuracy increase 20%, Medium Firearm skill +1]

[Add on: 60-round magazine]

[Add on: Iron sight - Accuracy increase 10%]

[Able to Bring Outside the Game: No]

[Remarks: Better than AK]

Although he never preferred using an assault rifle, it was still a valuable weapon with Superior rarity.

A mischievous smile crept on his face as Alan thought of ways to reap the benefit of this.

Soon enough, the final notification came and informed him of his departure.

[You will be teleported to Transit Area in one minute]

[5..4..3..2..1]

A bright light blinded him. He felt as if his body lifted up for a moment before finally, he could feel the hard ground. The bright light slowly faded away or dimmed down, showcasing a coastal town as the sea breeze caressed his cheek, tall palm trees waving in the distance welcoming his arrival of docked ships. Alan gazed at all this with a sense of nostalgia, standing surrounded by hundreds of colonial buildings.

[You have arrived at Port Town 017]

[Server: New York]

[Player Population: 21,233]

Alan glanced at the hundreds of other players appearing through the light, left and right.

Most looked around with despair visible in their eyes, and some with excitement and anticipation. Among them, only a few, along with Alan, stood out as a sore thumb with neither on his face.

Just as the last light faded away, an announcement resounded.

[Next apocalypse game will start in 24 hours, prepare yourself accordingly]

[Time Left - 24:00]