The Beginning of Human Extinction

When I was a child, I looked up at the stars in the sky. At that time, I wondered if there was life up there, if there were many stars and planets like Earth. I was excited to think that one day I might meet other beings from up there.

I had thoughts like that, but it turned out that the other beings emerged from within the Earth. They didn't come to befriend humans; they came to exterminate us. "Devrant," that's what we called those creatures, resembling ants but the size of humans.

Devrants look like ants but are human-sized, very fierce, merciless, and attack blindly. They destroy anything in their path, whether animals, plants, or humans.

Currently, Devrants have managed to wipe out half of the human population since their appearance three years ago in the United States. Almost all humans in the western hemisphere have been eradicated, with only a few refugees remaining in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia.

Humans in the eastern hemisphere have started building fortresses in their respective countries. These fortresses are used to fend off Devrant attacks, which usually come in large groups.

In Indonesia, I am assigned to build fortresses in the Sumatra region. I usually wake up very early and work until midnight. These exhausting working hours are to expedite the construction of the fortress.

Humans are currently struggling to survive the Devrant attacks, and I am one of those fighting for survival. I actually want to be a soldier and fight against the Devrants. Unfortunately, I have slightly poor eyesight, making me unfit to be a soldier.

The Devrant invasion is becoming more intense day by day, and humans are on the brink of extinction. For the first time in history, humans are the hunted, not the hunters.

**DEVRANT**

Devrants are creatures physically resembling ants but human-sized. They have strong pincers on their heads, which are extremely hard, very fierce, and blind in their attacks. These creatures have no pity or sympathy for humans; anything in their way will be annihilated.

Devrants were first known to appear in the United States, with only five of them attacking civilians. Their appearance shocked many people, becoming a global issue in the news.

The five Devrants that attacked American citizens were subdued with regular military weapons. The U.S. government then conducted research on the bodies of the subdued Devrants.

From this research, it was discovered that Devrants are very different from other animals. They have blue blood, their heads are harder than steel, and most surprisingly, their brains resemble human brains. This means that Devrants are likely as intelligent as humans.

Research after research was conducted to understand what these Devrants really are. Even researchers from other countries began to come to the United States to study the origins of Devrants.

Everyone started investigating the place where Devrants first appeared. From this research, it was found that Devrants came from underground. This was evident from the very deep excavation marks they left. It is said that Devrants dug holes 25-40 kilometers up, meaning they likely originate from the Earth's crust.

From this fact, everyone in the world was shocked, but no one thought it would turn into a disaster. Everyone assumed that Devrants were just ordinary animals unknown to humans.

Six months after the first attack, Devrants launched their second assault. This time, it wasn't just in the United States; Devrants attacked almost every country in the world. Even Indonesia was attacked. The Devrants that appeared in Indonesia attacked Sumatra, with about 100 Devrants emerging, believed to have come from Lake Toba.

Fortunately, the Devrants in Indonesia could be eradicated, but there were also many civilian casualties. In contrast, in the western hemisphere, nearly all humans were killed by Devrants. The Devrants that attacked the western hemisphere numbered in the millions, resulting in five million human casualties.

During the third Devrant attack, 10 million humans lost their lives. In this third attack, Devrants only targeted the western hemisphere. The United States and its surrounding areas in Europe were devastated.

Continuous Devrant attacks put humans in the western hemisphere on the brink of extinction. Some of them fled to East Asia, while others took refuge in Southeast Asia, which was relatively safer.

The ongoing Devrant assaults finally made humans realize that this wouldn't stop. Humans in the eastern hemisphere began uniting all resources, including weapons, food, and other logistics needed.

Humans also wanted to fight back against Devrants to avoid their own extinction. They started researching effective ways to kill Devrants. Devrants can be killed by shooting them in the chest or head. The problem is, Devrants' heads are as hard as steel, so only certain weapons can penetrate them. Devrants always protect their chests by moving like ants, making them difficult to aim and shoot.

Besides that, Devrants can also be killed by burning them. However, this method is risky because Devrants don't die immediately and can still attack humans while on fire. Despite this, humans continue to seek the most effective way to kill Devrants.

Who knows what fate awaits humans? Will Devrants prevail and humans become extinct, or will humans win this war and drive Devrants to extinction?

***BOBY ZUGARA***

I am Boby Zugara, currently living in the human defense fortress on the island of Sumatra. I lost both my parents and my younger sibling during the first Devrant attack in Indonesia. Now, I am tasked with building or repairing the defense fortress if it gets damaged.

Honestly, losing my family was very hard. I desperately want to become a soldier and exterminate the Devrants that killed my family, but my physical condition isn't suitable. I am only 160 cm tall, my muscles aren't well-developed, and I am nearsighted.

Every night, I have nightmares because I couldn't save my family at that time. These dreams haunt me so much that sometimes I can't sleep at night. The guilt that overwhelms me weighs heavily on my mind.

“Hey Boby, what are you daydreaming about?” Someone patted my shoulder.

I turned and saw Angga smiling broadly at me. Angga Kumara, my roommate at the fortress. He is a tall guy with a bright smile on his face, but he can be a bit annoying.

“Nothing, I was just thinking about my family,” I replied.

“Again? You’re still thinking about your family?”

“I’m not like you who easily forgets family,” I said with a slight scowl.

“Since they’re all useless, it’s easy for me to forget useless people,” Angga replied, laughing.

“Then I must be useless to you too. You’ll probably forget me soon.”

“Hahaha, you’re a valuable friend to me. I won’t forget you,” Angga laughed, patting my shoulder.

I know Angga was just trying to cheer me up, but he doesn’t know how to comfort someone.

“I really want to become a soldier to fight those damn Devrants.”

“Do you hate Devrants that much, Bob?”

“Of course, if they didn’t exist, my family wouldn’t have been killed.”

“Aren’t we fighting to eradicate them? This is all we can do with our physical limitations. Let’s leave the fighting to the soldiers.”

“It doesn’t feel satisfying unless I kill Devrants with my own hands,” I said, showing a bit of anger.

“Bob, I don’t know how deep your hatred is, but it’s better if you hold back. With our physical condition, you’d only get killed on the battlefield.”

“I know. I guess I’ll train on my own. The fortress commander never allows me to join the soldier training.”

I never told Angga how deep my hatred runs. Angga only heard about his family’s death from the news, but I witnessed my family’s death firsthand. Angga would never understand my feelings even if I detailed my family’s deaths.

I keep my grudge to myself, and one day, I’ll take it out on all those damn Devrants. All Devrants must be exterminated until the grudge in my heart is gone.

I, Boby Zugara, swear to annihilate Devrants until none remain.

To be continued in Chapter II