System Breaker: Surviving Apocalypse with Nine-Tailed Kitsune

"You’re probably wondering why you’re here," Damon began, taking a swift look at the ten people he had handpicked.

The six men and four women shifted uncomfortably. Each of them was already aware of who Damon was, just like everyone else in the station. That is precisely why being summoned by someone who killed his own best friend made each of them feel uneasy, not knowing what to expect.

"I’m sure each of you is familiar with the conditions of the quest. We must capture the citadel flying above our heads. Unfortunately, the leadership of the station can’t do it alone..."

A slow realisation began to emerge among the ten people.

"You want us to go up there and fight?" One, a woman with golden hair asked, disbelief clinging to her features.

The others quickly caught up, shaking their heads and rejecting the idea before Damon even replied.

"Yes. Each of you was handpicked because of your abilities. In exactly 30 days, we will siege the citadel, and those of you who are willing to fight will be there with us."

Damon paused for a second, observing the small group before continuing.

"Of course, you won’t go as you are now, you would die before you could blink. During those 30 days, you will follow my lead and level up so that you can be of use."

"I... I’m out, I can’t do this," the golden-haired woman mumbled before storming toward a nearby door.

She turned quickly, as if leaving before anyone could stop her, but her steps slowed after the first few paces, leaving enough time for Damon to speak again.

"I forgot to mention..."

His voice cut easily through the room, making the girl stop mid-step.

Damon didn’t truly forget anything, he kept this information for later on purpose. He knew that those who hadn’t fought so far wouldn’t feel the need to. They lived in the comfort of the station, eating their fill and not doing a hard day of labour in their lives.

But that had to change, and to make sure that change happens, each of them needed something to push them.

"Starting today, the rules of the station have changed. Only those who fight, those who contribute, and those who work to support other humans will receive rations. The rest?"

Damon’s eyes turned cold.

"They will fetch for themselves."

The gaze of everyone present widened at the words. Some breaths caught, while others stumbled back a step. They wanted to protest, but in that moment, the look on Damon’s face was scarier than the idea of finding your own food.

The golden-haired woman frowned. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides.

The hesitation lasted on her face for only a moment before she quickly whipped her head back toward the door and stormed off, slamming the door hard behind her.

The rest of the people exchanged a couple of quiet glances around each other, clearly debating what they should do.

Damon wasn’t truly surprised to see the girl leave, far from it. He already expected some of them to leave, that’s why he picked a few people with similar abilities.

Still...

’Too bad, that earth manipulation would’ve been useful to block off the arrows...’

Damon didn’t have long to linger on that thought as another person stepped forward.

"I’m... sorry," a young man with dark brown hair said hesitantly. "I can’t do it."

As if that rejection had given them confidence, two more people stepped forward, one woman and another man.

"Me too."

"I’m also out"

Damon watched them leave before turning his gaze back to the people present.

There were four men and two women left.

A broad, middle-aged man named Elias was one of the only two people Damon had picked who actually weren’t newbies and had killed some monsters before.

Then, there was a younger man, maybe in his thirties, with long brown hair, named Axel. Two twins with short black hair and brown eyes. One was named Luca, while the other was called Enzo, though looking at them now, Damon had no idea who was who.

A tall woman with golden-brown skin and black hair named Nyla.

Although her class wasn’t exactly something they would need during the siege, it was a class that might just make the biggest difference overall.

She awakened a blacksmith class, and while at first Damon didn’t show any interest in it, Kitsune was quick to explain that there are classes capable of creating Relics.

If he could help her reach a level high enough so that she could create relics, it would change everything during the siege.

The last person was a petite woman with short brown hair and brown eyes. She was called Amber, if Damon recalled correctly, and although she didn’t look like it, she was the second person in the group to actually kill monsters on her own.

Her class was called Jester, and although there wasn’t much information about it in the file, the fact that she managed to kill monsters on her own gave Damon enough of an indication that it could come in handy.

Finally, after taking a long look at each of them, Damon broke the silence.

"Anyone else want to leave?"

The small group of six people replied with silence, bringing a faint smile to Damon’s face.

"Very well. Meet me outside the station in an hour. I have some errands to run."

"Where are we going?" Nyla, the blacksmith of the group, asked.

"To close your very first rift."

Damon didn’t linger as he left the group, each blinking in disbelief at his sudden leave.

Every one of them had their own reasons for joining the fight. Some simply wanted to continue to receive rations, while others wanted to leave the sidelines and take matters of their lives into their own hands.

To Damon, however, those reasons made no difference, as his only goal was to capture the citadel, and to do so, he needed the people around him to grow stronger.

But before that, he arrived at the leadership meeting room to see how Ivy, Victor and a figure he hadn’t seen before were already waiting for him inside.