Is it Wrong to Copy Abilities in Apocalypse?

Humans live with hope; if there is no hope, then their lives would be meaningless.

Some live in the hope of being able to make a living.

While others just hope to have a peaceful life.

But that hope is what keeps them going.

For the humans inside a dome-like barrier in an area between Khaliyan and San of Uttarakhand, Alex was a symbol of hope.

Alex, who could defeat 30+ goblins without breaking a sweat, was a being with an impossible amount of power for them.

They knew that they could achieve that strength as well, but for now, they didn't.

So, although the situation was hopeless and some of them were already crying with their heads buried between their knees, they were keeping an eye on Alex, who, even now, looked confident of being able to survive.

It was then that they noticed Alex's gaze toward the system.

His cold, emotionless eyes stared at the system without blinking.

None of them knew why he was doing that; no one could tell.

But one by one, their eyes also turned toward the system.

None of the people had read the information section with patience. They had either skimmed through it or hadn't even read it yet.

Garvit, who, following Alex's lead, was staring at the system, was among the former group of people.

He did read the information, but most of the ones on which he focused were about the system.

She was the most pressing matter for him at that time; as for the quest, scenarios, and other stuff, there was a lot of time to read that later.

Slowly, everyone in the vicinity noticed the change in the atmosphere.

It had changed from depressing to tense.

The more people stared at the system, the less worried they became.

Not without a reason, though.

They could all see the grin on the system's face receding; her face was now scrunched up with dissatisfaction.

They could hear her teeth grinding; the mark of her clenched jaws could be seen on her fair, soft, and rosy cheeks.

Her frustration and annoyance could be felt from a mile away.

That fact somehow elevated some of the worries and concerns of humans.

There was only one reason for the system to make such an expression, and that was when things didn't go her way.

Right now, she wanted to make the humans despair. Well, she always wanted that, but at this moment, she was trying to give them a reality check.

The humans did get their minds freshened up.

They did realize that the world had changed and there was no time to relax, but the system was a bit too euphoric, and she forgot that there was a limit to how much a human mind can take.

The constant pressure of what was happening and what was to come broke the humans inside the dome, causing them to tear up.

But things changed now; the humans were now staring at the system, trying to mimic Alex's emotionless stare, only to fail miserably.

However, the aim they didn't even know about was already achieved the moment they stopped crying about their hopeless situation.

That alone was enough to break the system out of her reverie.

She closed her eyes.

{It's him again…}

She gritted her teeth.

It was always him.

That one human that she couldn't get to break down.

*Inhale*

But then she took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

{I have time, and I have ways. Let's see how long you will be able to maintain that expression of yours.}

The system glared at Alex for a second before her lips moved.

[The third and final tutorial is about to start, and just so you know, it is related to the monsters you see outside.]

The system pressed on the word 'is' as if telling the humans in the barrier that they wouldn't be able to escape the beings outside.

The humans trembled a bit, and their eyes hurriedly moved toward the beings outside.

The system, on the other hand, grinned again, though this time, it was inwardly.

{This is just what humans are like, that's why I like playing with them.}

She shook her head inwardly as she saw the humans getting depressed again.

They did gain some confidence when they saw the system's grin vanish, but they didn't know what they gained from it.

All they got was a sense of victory, but the real problem was still there.

Unlike Alex, they were just staring at the system because he was doing the same.

They didn't have any other motive.

Now, whatever little positivity they felt a moment ago has evaporated like a drop of water on a hot pan.

The system was serious; they could tell that.

No matter what the system does, she has never lied to them.

She does like playing with her words, but her last words were as straight as they could be.

That was the reason for the rising sense of danger in humans' hearts.

{Sigh….}

But then she sighed inaudibly.

She knew that this moment of disparity was going to turn hopeful and motivated once they saw the objective of the third tutorial.

But she still did what she was supposed to.

*Snap*

With a snap, blue system windows appeared in the sight of the humans in the barrier.

The humans, with their hearts pounding and breaths held, watched as the transparent blue system windows materialized before their eyes, displaying the next phase of their challenge.

Alex, just like other humans, started to read the tutorial being displayed on the screen.

He could hear it ringing in his ears as well, but he preferred reading more than hearing.

'I knew it.'

He nodded his head inwardly when he was done reading the final tutorial.

The tutorial was just as he had thought.

It was not an impossible one.

The AI also agreed with Alex's past conjecture.

The thing that Alex had said before: The system is also bound by the rules.

Alex, who heard the AI's words, went silent.

His eyes, however, turned toward the system again.

His eyes, like always, held no emotions, but there was some uncertainty hidden beneath his cold expression.

'Yes, for now…'

He muttered inwardly.