Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

We are looking at a world very similar to Earth. In the year 21XX humanity realized that they were done for. They had missed the mark and were facing inevitable climate change. More and more natural disasters plagued humanity. Storms raged, cities were flooded and the people became desperate. Projects were rushed, solutions were searched, catastrophes brought things to light that should have better stayed in the dark. But it was no movie and no novel. There was no way for them to stop it. Everything kept spiraling out of control, escalating up to the breaking point.

Reeee Reeee Reee~

Smack!

Drowsily he lifted his head after smacking his alarm clock to the other side of the room...where it was still ringing.

"God damnit.."

Squinting at the clock he rolled off the bed and crawled over to turn it off. Seth had been burning the midnight fuel playing games the night before and forgot to turn off his alarm.

Bright light fell in through half-closed shutters of the window and burned on his pale skin. Since when was the light in the city so bright?

Seth lived at B City, a medium-sized city at the southeastern corner of the continent. On a normal day, the light should be a refreshing yellowish gray, thanks to the invigorating smock of civilization.

So, what was up with these disgustingly bright rays of sunlight? Shielding his bluish-grey eyes with his hands the youth picked himself up and went towards the window. Brushing his dark hair out of his eyes, he blinked. Then he blinked again.

"Well, that's weird." He grabbed his phone. Yep, only slept for a few hours...then why the flip was the city overgrown like a forest?! The panorama of the city he had seen and known for almost all his life was tinted with overwhelming green. Streets were covered in tall grass like a Savannah. Trees had broken through the constraints of concrete and structures.Houses and Buildings had been pierced, some actually collapsed because of trees that had skewered them. And almost every vertical surface seemed to have been covered in vines.

His phone had no reception and his internet connection was cut off. Seth pursed the lips. Something was going on. Well, anyone who wasn't blind could see THAT.At this moment, a voice rang in his head and scenes started to play before his eyes like a cinematic trailer.

<Ding! Welcome to THE (Post)Apocalypse, Player! Your world, as you knew it, came to an end. Tragedies and calamities have hit Urth and changed the face of the planet forever! You are now responsible for your survival. You are the master of your fate! Whether you die in this foreign world or become the master of your own fate... is all up to YOU!>

He actually knew many of the scenes that were shown on the news. Natural disasters that had been hitting the continent the last few years. But there were some he didn't know. Scenes of a destroyed laboratory. Weird lines of code reminding him of a famous science fiction movie. Dark fiery holes opening in midair and glimpses of caves and ever-growing darkness.

<Would you like to start the tutorial!? Y/N>

This sentence was energetically floating in front of him like an early text animation. The letters were thick, golden, and kept spinning in order. Seth was reminded of old flashy retro-games.

They kept spinning in the center of his view, no matter where he looked.

"Hmm, sure why not.", he said to himself and clicked Y. Seth had no idea what exactly was going on, but a tutorial sounded like a good start to find out.

<Good Choice! Only 12% of all players have made the same choice!>

His vision became blurry and his surroundings changed into a dark void.

Like the copy of a game tutorial the system started to explain how to use things like Quest-, Status-, Skill- and Inventory Window which could be opened by thinking or reciting the names.It also mentioned, that most skills he could obtain would be self-explanatory when he concentrated on them.

His Status looked something like this

Name: Seth Smith

Level:1

Exp: 0%

Race: Ori Huma

Sex: Male

Age:23

Class: None

Affiliation: None

Health:1000

Mana:100

Strength:9

Dexterity:12

Agility: 12

Intelligence:10

Willpower:10

Endurance:11

Personality:7

Luck:14

Free AP (Attribute points):10

He had no skills or quests yet, so the skill window was empty. Similarly, the inventory window only showed what he was currently wearing and a field of 3x3, so 9 item slots to store his items in.

As Seth had expected, he could collect experience to level up. Each level up would grant 5-10 free AP.

And about gathering experience:

<There are a great many ways to collect experience on your journey! Whether it's quests or achievements and of course...by killing.>, the system said ominously and a sword appeared in front of him. It was a plain arming sword with some rust and a scratched-up blade.

<Take hold of this weapon and make your first step of many in this new world. Take your life in your own hands...or die.>

With this, a small ugly humanoid appeared in the void in front of him.

"Is that a goblin? Seriously? What a cliche..."

Seth grasped the sword and noticed surprised, that even so it looked beat up and plain, the sword seemed well balanced and felt good in his hand. The moment he gripped the sword in his hand the green creature charged at him with an unnerving screech.

It rang in his tired head and really annoyed him.

His body moved, using the sword like a club, trying to direct the sharp side towards the creature and hack down in its shoulder. The sword went halfway through its rib cage, almost splitting it in two.

<Ding! Skill: Basic Swordsmanship (Beginner) lv.1 has been learned.>

<Ding! Title: "Faster than the Thought" acquired. "Your body moved before your Brain reacted.">

<Ding! Passive Skill: Calm Reaction lv.1 acquired, thanks to Title: "Faster than the Thought" >

Seth felt everything traveling up the hilt of the sword. Cutting its meager wiry frame and tough flesh.The edge crushing and splitting apart it's bones under his hand. It was all real! he was looking on in shock as its dark smelly blood splashed everywhere and the goblin collapsed at his feet.

Until now, he was half-convinced that it was some weird, but really cool, dream. He scratched his scraggly beard, trying to think of what to do now... But his thoughts were interrupted by the system.

<Ding! You have killed -Goblin lv.1- You have earned Experience.>

<Ding! Congratulation on your first kill! You mercilessly struck down the hideous creature in a single cold-blooded strike! Only 0,5% of other Players have made this choice! Special Reward: Silver Class Wheel.>