Year 2025.
In a random city, a young man stared at the sky as if hypnotized. But it wasn't just him—every person on the planet was doing the same. There was only one reason for this behavior.
A countdown had appeared in the sky, written in blood-red letters.
Countdown
05
04
03
02
01
Warning: A new era is about to begin. Humans will no longer be at the top of this world.
The moment this message appeared, multiple portals opened across the planet, and from within them, countless monsters began to emerge, attacking everything in sight.
Every kind of creature could be seen—even mythological monsters that easily wiped out entire cities.
What most people didn't notice was that as the monsters came through the portals, a message appeared in their minds like a notification. But one young man was among the few who paid attention to it.
Ding
Species successfully scanned: Human.
Initial advantage activated.
Status:
Name: Dean
Race: Human
Class: Monster Tamer
Strength: 10
Agility: 9
Vitality: 10
Intelligence: 15
Abilities:
Tame Monsters – When used on a monster, there is a chance to tame it. (Note: The chance increases if the monster is unconscious, weakened, or has a strong bond with you.)
Upon reading this, Dean felt an indescribable sensation—a mix of excitement and fear for what was about to happen to the world he once knew.
While Dean was still processing the information, a portal opened next to him, and from it emerged several staggering figures. At first glance, they didn't seem different from normal humans, if not for their yellow eyes, missing body parts, and a horrible smell of decay.
Hearing footsteps, Dean turned around and found several of those creatures walking toward him, seemingly unaware of his presence—until one finally stepped out of the portal.
The monster looked coldly at Dean, its yellow eyes growing brighter, then opened its mouth and let out a screech so piercing that it nearly scared him to death.
The zombie's scream alerted all the others behind it to Dean's presence, and they immediately did the same.
"Shit, those are zombies!" Dean cursed, taking off in a sprint toward his house, which luckily wasn't far away. The other people nearby also ran in panic, desperately seeking shelter—after all, the screams of over a hundred zombies would terrify anyone.
The zombies ran after them frantically, and their speed was nothing like the slow, clumsy creatures from movies and shows.
'Damn, how are they even able to run like that with muscles missing and rotting?' Dean wondered as he ran without stopping. He reached his house quickly, slammed the door shut, and locked it.
He heard a loud thud right after, along with growls and crazed screams from outside.
"They almost got me… Thank God I started jogging again a few months ago," Dean muttered, grateful he wasn't out of shape. He locked the door, shoved a heavy dresser in front of it to block it off, and went upstairs to look outside through the window.
What he saw chilled him to the bone—zombies chasing and devouring people still in the streets. Their victims screamed in agony as the monsters tore into their flesh.
Then he noticed one of them climbing a house, trying to reach a woman who had made it to the roof, filling Dean with urgency.
'I need a weapon—something to defend myself.' That was the thought racing through his mind as he left the window and hurried to his room.
Opening his closet, he grabbed his Vixion Leopard 75 compound bow—an incredibly powerful weapon—and his quiver with 20 carbon 8mm arrows that came with the bow.
Now armed, Dean felt a bit more secure. At least now, he could fight back if any zombies entered his home.
He walked back to the window to assess the situation, but just then, the sound of breaking glass echoed through the house—from downstairs.
'Shit, they've already gotten in... I hope it's just one.' Dean crept toward the stairs to check the lower level.
Peering down, he saw shattered glass and blood everywhere—but no sign of a zombie, which made his skin crawl.
'Damn it, where the hell did that thing go?' He searched everywhere but couldn't find it. Not even blood trails.
Dean's heart pounded even harder. He decided to go back upstairs, afraid of being ambushed.
Back at the top of the stairs, he built a barricade to buy himself time in case the zombie tried to climb. He dragged over a nearby chair and sat facing the stairs, with some food nearby—ready to wait it out and catch the zombie off guard.
Minutes passed. Then hours. The sun had set, and the only sounds now came from the streets—screams of agony and zombie growls. For some reason, the electricity was already out, adding an extra layer of terror.
Dean began to wonder if it had all been his imagination. But the blood on the window reminded him this was very real. Just as he thought about going downstairs again, he heard footsteps coming from below.
He jumped up, grabbing his bow and aiming it, ready to fire at whatever came.
The steps grew louder, and then, through the darkness of the staircase, two yellow eyes appeared. Despite the lack of light, Dean had battery-powered a spotlight focused on his area, which now proved very useful.
He released the string, and the arrow flew with deadly speed—hitting the zombie climbing the stairs and knocking it back down.
'Yes! A clean hit. I hope it's dead,' Dean thought, quietly celebrating.
But the celebration didn't last. The footsteps resumed, and he saw the zombie again—climbing the stairs with an arrow lodged in its throat.
'Damn it. Missed the head. This time I won't.' Dean fired again, calmly. The second arrow pierced right through the zombie's skull.
Ding!
Congratulations on defeating your first monster.
Zombie killed.
+1 EXP
1/10 to next level
Dean finally sighed in relief and headed downstairs to retrieve his arrows.
He brought the spotlight with him and began pulling out the arrows from the zombie's corpse with ease—until he heard multiple footsteps nearby, and his blood ran cold.
He turned toward a dark corner near the stairs, just out of reach of the light, and saw multiple pairs of yellow eyes staring at him.
Dean's heart skipped a beat. He dropped everything and bolted upstairs with the zombies right behind him.
At the top, he looked around frantically. There was only one option. He tightened his grip on the bow, made sure the arrows were secure, and ran toward the window.
Looking down, he was horrified. The streets were swarming with zombies. Jumping would be suicide.
"Damn it, I have to kill them. It's the only way."
He pulled a flashlight from his pocket, angled it at the stairs, and aimed his bow.
The first zombie charged up the stairs. Dean kept calm, breathed slowly, and fired. The arrow landed right in the head.
"One," he muttered, drawing another arrow.
Two more zombies appeared.
Zoom! Zoom!
Two more fell, not getting back up.
But it didn't stop there. More kept coming, but none made it past the top step.
After a few intense minutes, the flow finally stopped. Dean sat down, mentally drained. His body trembled.
"Ha… I thought I was gonna die for sure," he said with a nervous laugh, looking at his quiver—only one arrow left. Notifications from the system filled his vision, but he hadn't dared open them mid-fight.
While distracted, a shadow suddenly lunged at him at terrifying speed. Dean barely had time to dive aside. The shadow crashed into the wall with a loud thud.
Dean stared at the figure in shock, then quickly nocked his last arrow and fired—hitting it right in the eye.
But instead of blood, the sound was metallic, like the arrow had hit armor. Dean froze.
His arrows were gone, and the monster wasn't dead.
'Shit… what do I do? Am I really gonna die here?' Dean braced himself as the creature approached.
Then, a wild idea crossed his mind.
"Activate skill: Tame Monster!" Dean shouted, stretching out his hand.
A purple light shot from his palm, striking the enemy. The creature froze for a moment. Its yellow eyes turned purple.
Ding!
Congratulations on taming your first monster.
Skeleton Knight.