Dark clouds rolled overhead, heavy with the promise of rain, but the world beneath them continued in its usual hurried rhythm. Cars rumbled down the street, horns blared, and neon lights flickered from signboards as dusk settled over the city. Alex , nineteen years old, hands buried in the pockets of his black hoodie, walked along the pavement with his head lowered, eyes glued to the glowing screen of his phone.
His earphones were in. His playlist was on. And like countless other teenagers, he scrolled without thinking—memes, videos, chat messages—an endless stream of digital distraction.
He didn't notice the sudden distortion flickering on the surface of his screen.
He didn't notice the faint purple glow gathering beneath the glass.
He only noticed when the glow twisted into a shape. A shape that didn't belong on a phone screen. Something that looked like—
A bug?
A tiny insect, no larger than his thumb nail, crawled out of the digital display as though the screen were a membrane instead of glass. Its body was metallic, segmented like a mechanical beetle, with faint violet circuitry pulsing beneath its shell.
Alex froze.
"What the—"
The bug lunged.
A flash of searing light burst from the creature's body, and before Alex could react, the world around him shattered like broken glass. Colors warped. Sound vanished. His body felt weightless, as though falling through a vortex with no end.
Then everything went black.
⸻
When he opened his eyes again, he wasn't lying on the road.
He wasn't even on Earth.
A stale, metallic scent filled his lungs as he sucked in a sharp breath. The ceiling above him was steel—cold, seamless, and veined with faint lines of violet light that pulsed rhythmically like a heartbeat. He jolted upright, eyes wide, scanning the unfamiliar room.
This wasn't a hospital.
It wasn't a lab.
It wasn't anywhere he recognized.
The room was circular, its walls smooth and pitch-black, illuminated only by faint purple luminescence embedded in the metal. Strange symbols glowed faintly across the surfaces, arranged in patterns that resembled both circuitry and ancient runes.
"What… what is this place?" Alex whispered, heart pounding.
His words echoed softly.
Then something moved in front of him.
A small orb—no larger than a grapefruit—hovered into view. It was perfectly spherical, with a glossy white surface stitched by glowing lines of pale blue. Two digital eyes, wide and childlike, blinked into existence on its smooth face.
"Hello!" the orb chirped, voice bright and high-pitched—like a twelve-year-old child.
Alex nearly jumped off the platform he was lying on.
"W–What are you?!"
The floating orb bobbed up and down, as if laughing.
"I am Mice! Unit M-1CE, administrator assistant of this Settlement. And you, Alex , are now the leader of your own civilization!"
Alex's blood ran cold.
Civilization?
Leader?
Settlement?
"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded. "Where am I? What happened? And how do you know my name?!"
Mice tilted slightly, as if puzzled by the question.
"You were selected."
"Selected for what?"
"For God's Authority."
That didn't explain anything—but before Alex could speak, the orb projected a holographic window into the air.
A twisted, ruined landscape filled the projection.
Broken skyscrapers leaning at impossible angles. Craters large enough to swallow buildings. Roads cracked and twisted like dried veins. Fires burned in the distance, sending pillars of smoke into a greenish sky.
And roaming between the shattered ruins were creatures—grotesque silhouettes of things that once might have been human.
Zombies.
And towering beasts with too many limbs, scales, or horns—monsters warped beyond natural form.
Alex's throat tightened.
"This… is not Earth."
"No," Mice chirped happily. "You have been transported to an apocalypse world! Aren't you excited?"
"Excited?!" Alex choked, staring incredulously at the little sphere. "I was walking home and a bug thing pulled me into my phone—how is this—how is any of this real?!"
Mice blinked its digital eyes again, almost sympathetically.
"Reality is often disappointing at first. But you will adjust!"
Alex groaned and rubbed his face, trying to steady his breathing.
"So I've been isekai'd…" he muttered. "This is insane."
"Correct!" Mice said proudly. "You have been chosen to rebuild humanity and create a new civilization! And you have obtained God's Authority—Level One."
Alex stared.
"…God's Authority? What does that even mean?"
Mice floated closer, glowing brighter with excitement.
"I will explain! First: where you are."
The orb spun once, projecting a blueprint of the room around them.
"This is your Settlement," it said. "Level One. It is the base and starting point of your civilization. As your Settlement levels up, you will unlock new structures, technologies, features, and functions necessary for rebuilding humanity from scratch."
Alex absorbed the information slowly.
"A… Settlement."
"Yes!"
"So I'm supposed to lead a civilization in a zombie-infested apocalypse… starting from this room?"
"Correct!"
Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. His heart was still racing, but beneath the shock… a spark of excitement flickered. It was ridiculous. Completely insane.
But it was also every fantasy he'd grown up reading.
Civilization-building. A system. A ruined world filled with monsters.
He should have been terrified, but—
He wasn't.
He looked up. "What about God's Authority?"
"Ah!" Mice hovered directly in front of his chest. "First, you must synchronize."
Before Alex could ask what that meant, the small orb launched forward like a bouncing ball.
"Hey—!"
Mice tapped lightly against his chest.
A pulse of purple light burst from the orb, passing through his skin like liquid fire. Alex gasped, clutching at his shirt as the warmth spread through his body—up his spine, across his limbs, and straight into his mind.
A soft chime echoed in the air.
Two holographic screens materialized before him, floating serenely:
[God's Authority – Level 1]
[Settlement – Level 1]
Alex exhaled shakily.
"So this is… my system?"
"Correct!" Mice nodded enthusiastically. "Let me explain God's Authority first!"
The little orb pointed at the first screen with a tiny glowing beam.
"At Level One, God's Authority allows you to summon people from your original world—Earth—into this world for a maximum of twelve hours."
Alex's breath hitched.
"Wait… I can bring people here?!"
"Yes! Only temporarily for now," Mice clarified. "As God's Authority levels up, the duration will increase, and eventually you may unlock further functions."
Alex felt a chill.
Summoning people…
Bringing them into a zombie apocalypse…
"This sounds dangerous," he muttered.
"It is! But very helpful," Mice replied cheerfully.
Alex stared at the screen again, mind racing.
"And how do I level up?"
"Simple!" Mice spun in a circle. "God's Authority levels up as your civilization expands. Settlement levels up according to how advanced your civilization becomes."
Alex blinked. "So… progress breeds power."
"Correct!"
He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm despite the overwhelming information flooding his head. This was too much. He barely understood half of what was happening, and yet—
His heart was pounding with adrenaline.
With excitement.
He had dreamed of worlds like this.
Of adventures like this.
Just not with this much pressure.
Mice's voice softened slightly.
"There is one more thing I must tell you."
Alex looked up.
"You are not alone."
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"There are other players like you," Mice said. "Other chosen individuals transported to this world. They have their own powers and abilities—different from yours. And they are also working to build their civilizations."
Alex's heart skipped.
"So… competitors."
"In a way, yes!"
He swallowed hard.
"So if I fail… what happens?"
Mice's cheerful tone dropped to something eerily neutral.
"If you fail, you die."
Alex froze.
"So I can't quit?"
"No. You already accepted. Your selection is binding."
Mice blinked its bright digital eyes innocently.
"Either you succeed… or you die!"
Alex stared at the little orb, stunned.
His hands were trembling.
Not from fear.
From exhilaration.
This was insane, impossible, unbelievable—and yet some primal part of him was roaring to life. A part of him that had always dreamed of escaping his mundane life. A part of him that hungered for more.
His lips curled into a slow grin.
"Well," he murmured, heart pounding, "that's one hell of a start."
Mice bobbed happily. "I like your attitude! You have high potential."
"Great," Alex muttered. "So what now?"
"Now…" Mice floated closer, voice rising with excitement, "we begin your Starter Pack!"
A new screen popped up in front of Alex.
A massive, spinning wheel—a Lucky Draw interface—covered in vibrant symbols, items, weapon icons, glowing orbs, and shimmering abilities.
"Welcome to the Beginner's Lucky Wheel!" Mice announced proudly. "You will spin once. If you are lucky, you may obtain a powerful ability. If not—you will at least get some coins!"
Alex swallowed.
"So this is… my first power?"
"Yes! Part of your Starter Pack."
Mice drifted aside dramatically.
"As the 257th Administrator of this Settlement… I wish you good luck."
Alex exhaled slowly, tension coiling in his chest.
He reached toward the wheel.
Purple lights danced across the hologram, illuminating his determined expression.
This was real.
All of it.
A ruined world.
A system.
A civilization.
God's Authority.
Life or death.
Everything began here.
Alex placed his hand on the glowing interface.
And pushed—
The wheel spun, lights exploding in a brilliant arc.
Mice cheered.
"Let the game begin!"