Just as he was about to rush forward and open the door, the unknown woman spoke, halting him in place.
Elias gritted his teeth before charging back to the other side of his room.
He picked up a standing fan and, with his supernatural strength, bent the iron, ripping out the head and bottom, wielding it like a pole.
The steel turned crimson, burning in his grip. A smoking, hissing sound emerged from it. Elias's Solar Infusion skill had passively activated, channelling through the weapon.
Elias checked his status and saw that his mana wasn't being drained by the passive active of his unique skill [Solar Infusion]; instead, it was draining the sunlight he had stored within him.
Elias sensed that he had enough to last him for an entire ten minutes, no matter which unique skill he used, so he sighed and paid no attention to it. He quickly unsummoned his status window and turned to the unknown woman.
"Thank you for the advice, but I can't stay behind and watch people I know meet their deaths," Elias said.
At that moment, the voice and banging against the door seemed to fade.
A faint sigh escaped the unknown woman's lips.
"Pathetic."
With trepidation, Elias walked toward the door and took a deep breath. After a brief moment, he pulled it open.
Before him stood a barefooted young man dressed in black shorts and a blue T-shirt. His body spasmed uncontrollably as a bloody figure behind him bit into his neck, causing blood to drench the floor. His friend, whom he had come to save, was already being zombified.
"I'm too late."
Elias clenched his teeth, tightening his grip around the blazing steel. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and struck the steel against the head of the young man with his eyes closed.
BANNGG!!
The steel also collided with the zombified head over his shoulder, striking them both. Both heads exploded into gory shards of flesh and blood, unable to withstand the force of the attack.
The residue of the strike scattered around Elias's front door and splattered onto him, but before it could touch him, it sizzled into thin air from the brilliant heat emanating off his body.
The heads of the corpses lit up in flames, and smelled like burnt flesh.
Both bodies fell limply backwards outside Elias's door as he pushed them away to keep them from landing in his room.
A bright white light shot out from the two dead zombies and entered his body.
[You've killed two Level One Wide-Mouth Zombies. +40 Experience Points]
A message appeared before Elias's eyes.
Elias felt a refreshing wave spread throughout his body for a moment before fading away.
"I'm already this strong," Elias muttered under his breath, feeling the unknown power surge through his hands as he tightened his fists.
"I thought you were a mindless good-for-nothing who moved on nothing but emotion and would do anything to try to save him. It seems I was wrong. You do possess some intelligence," an amused voice sounded behind him.
Elias shut the door and turned to look at the unknown woman. "Who are you? How did you appear in my room? Do you have any idea what's happening right now? And how?" he asked, gripping his scorching steel tightly.
With his new physique, he now stood shoulder to shoulder with her as she floated in the air.
His breath turned cloudy as the tension in the room rose.
Even if Elias had filled out a questionnaire before entering this world, he could feel that this place was tangible and real. Nothing felt artificial. It was no mere questionnaire anymore, so there should at least be some explanation for what was happening, especially how this woman had appeared out of nowhere in his room.
"You are not worthy of knowing my true identity. However, since this is your abode, I will provide some explanation to keep you satisfied. I am Queen Anna, Eighth Sequence Paragon and Leader of the Sixteenth Legion," Queen Anna responded.
"As for how I appeared in your room, that is none of your concern. For your last question, the Akashic Records are a mysterious entity connecting all things in existence, even across dimensions. It is older than some universes themselves and dictates the rise and fall of words and realities."
"Your world has reached the threshold to ascend to the next stage of evolution, and so it has been marked by the Akashic Records to ensure your survival. If your race survives, you will gain several privileges, including the ability to connect to other mid- and high-tier worlds, depending on your performance," she continued.
"But if you fail, you will lose the Akashic Records' protection, and the calamity that will descend upon this world will be ten thousand times worse than what you see now, ultimately leading to your destruction."
'Such high stakes.' Elias trembled inwardly as he listened to her explanation.
He had only imagined the fun of levelling up in an apocalypse. Now that he was living it and experiencing two deaths, especially that of someone he had once called a friend, he understood the scale and severity of the situation.
As for the identity of Queen Anna, and given her knowledge, he could only surmise that she was someone who had already experienced the Akashic Records and had thus descended from one of the so-called high worlds.
"Have you also experienced an apocalypse like this?" Elias asked cautiously.
"Yes," Queen Anna responded, "but every apocalypse is different. You never truly know what might happen."
Elias nodded in understanding. "You said 'win.' How do we know if we're winning or losing?" he asked.
"I can't answer that question. Any attempt to share knowledge beyond your current capacity will alert the Akashic Records, so you'll have to figure that out on your own," Queen Anna replied, shaking her head. "That's enough questions. I believe I've given you enough to be satisfied."
Elias nodded in understanding.