Entering Apocalypse in Easy-Mode-Chapter 569: Third

The alarm’s echo faded, replaced by a familiar chime that rang directly inside their heads.

Then a translucent blue panel unfolded in the air before them.

[ ATTENTION! ]

[ The Third Scenario will start now! ]

[Third Scenario "The City That Hunts" will start now.]

[Difficulty: A]

[Description:]

The boundaries of the city have collapsed. The environment itself has become hostile. Monsters will no longer remain confined to nests or zones. They will roam, adapt, and hunt.

Certain areas have been marked as active hunting grounds where danger increases exponentially over time.

[Objective:]

– Survive for 72 hours.

– Eliminate roaming elites to reduce environmental hostility.

– Failure to meet minimum survival conditions will result in elimination.

[Warning:]

Human hostility is expected to rise.

The panel lingered for a few seconds before dissolving into particles of light.

Mina stared at the space where it had been, her fingers tightening around the edge of the counter. Her chest felt tight. Seventy-two hours. Roaming monsters. The city itself hunting them.

She swallowed. "This one... feels different."

Clyde glanced at the empty air, then back to the stove. His expression didn’t change.

"It is," he said simply.

Mina looked at him, searching his face for something, like fear and tension. Anything. But there was none. His calm was steady.

"We’ll deal with it," he continued. "After we eat."

She blinked. "Eat?"

He nodded toward the table. "You cooked. No point letting it get cold."

For a moment, Mina just stared at him. Then she let out a slow breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

Something in his casual and grounded tone eased the tight knot in her chest.

"Okay," she said quietly.

They sat down and ate.

The food was warm and filling. It didn’t erase the danger waiting outside, but it pushed it back just enough to let Mina think clearly.

Clyde ate steadily and unhurried. Mina followed his pace, her nerves settling as the minutes passed.

When they finished, Clyde stood and stretched lightly.

"Next," he said, "Let’s take a shower before setting out."

Mina hesitated. "Now?"

"Yeah," he replied. "No rush. Third Scenario or not, moving while tense just gets you killed faster."

She considered that, then nodded. "Alright."

They bathed in their own bathroom without urgency, letting the water wash away the lingering fatigue.

This time, Clyde stayed under only as long as necessary. His mind was already shifting gears, mapping routes and probabilities.

When they regrouped on the first floor, fully dressed and equipped, the hotel felt different. Not safe anymore, as if the wall was alive.

Clyde adjusted his grip on the spear. "Let’s move."

They stepped out into the street. The city had changed. It wasn’t subtle.

The air felt like it was filled with a low, constant pressure that hadn’t been there before. The silence from the night before was gone, replaced by distant scraping and growling sounds. Something heavy moving through rubble far away.

Mina noticed the streets first. Cracks in the asphalt pulsed with dull red light, like veins beneath skin. Some buildings leaned at unnatural angles, their shadows stretching weirdly, shifting even when they didn’t move.

A corpse lay ahead, human, and fresh.

Mina stiffened, but Clyde raised a hand.

"Wait."

He crouched near the body, eyes narrowing. The wound marks were jagged and deep. Not clean, like it was not done by a single attacker.

"He looked like he was being chased," he said.

As if responding to his words, a distant howl echoed through the street. It wasn’t a single sound, but a layer of multiple throats with different tones.

"That does not sound like one monster." Mina felt her skin prickle.

"No," Clyde agreed. "It’s a pack."

They moved carefully now, sticking close to the sides of buildings.

The city felt awake, like they have their own life. Shapes moved at the edge of vision. Reflections flickered in broken windows.

Then Mina saw it.

Down the next street, a creature crawled along the side of a building, its limbs bent the wrong way, claws digging into concrete as if it were soft clay. Its head turned slowly and sniffed the air.

Another shape dropped from a rooftop behind it. Then another.

Clyde stopped.

"This is the Third Scenario," he said quietly. "This will be harder than before."

Mina tightened her grip on her daggers and nodded with clenched jaws.

—

The room was pure white.

Not the dull white of paint or concrete, but an endless, sterile brightness that seemed to erase shadows before they could form.

The walls, the floor, the ceiling. All of it blended together into a seamless space that felt unreal.

A man sat comfortably on a white sofa at the center of the room.

He wore a pristine white suit. His legs were crossed casually, one arm draped over the back of the sofa. His posture was relaxed and lazy.

In front of him floated a massive transparent monitor.

On its surface, the streets of the ruined city unfolded. Monsters roamed. Buildings collapsed. Humans struggled, ran, screamed. And among them, two figures moved forward with steady steps.

Jack and Mina.

The man’s lips curled upward.

It wasn’t a warm smile. It was a sharp smile that stretched just a bit too wide, revealing something predatory beneath the polished surface.

His eyes gleamed with interest as he leaned forward slightly, resting his chin against his knuckles.

"This guy is still alive," he murmured. "Good."

The image shifted, briefly focusing on Clyde’s calm expression as he scanned the streets, spear resting naturally in his hand.

The man let out a quiet chuckle.

"Very good product," he said softly. "Durable and emotionally fractured."

His fingers tapped once against the air, and data flickered across the screen.

He straightened slightly, the smile never leaving his face.

"I need to raise the stakes," he continued, voice light and amused, "you’ll get bored. And we can’t have that."

The screen trembled for a moment as if reacting to his intent.

Then another light bloomed beside him.

A smaller floating screen formed, its edges clean and sharp. Within it appeared another man, also dressed in white. His hair was white as well, neatly combed back, his face stern and unyielding.

His eyes held none of the amusement.

"Director," the man on the sofa said.

The Director of the World Master Bureau nodded his head slightly, acknowledging him without losing his smile.

"Is there someone strong over there?" he asked. Straight to the point.

The man’s smile widened.

"Yes," he answered without hesitation. "Very much so."

He leaned back into the sofa, one arm spreading comfortably.

"I’m certain the Higher Beings will like this one," he continued. "His resistance."

The serious man remained silent for a moment, eyes thoughtful.

"Don’t break him too early," he said at last.

The World Master laughed quietly.

"Oh," he replied, eyes gleaming as he turned back to the monitor. "I wouldn’t dare."

The screen zoomed in once more on Clyde and Mina stepping deeper into the ruined streets.

—