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The ruins of Veyra-7 were a graveyard.
Kael Vorrin moved slowly across the ashen floor of what had once been a weapons depot. The air stank of rust and decay, thick with the scent of old plasma burns and rotting alien gore. His eyes darted to every shadow, bone knife gripped tight in his shaking hand.
One wrong step out here meant death.
The colony's outer sectors had fallen to Rift Beasts two cycles ago, now only scavengers like him dared enter, risking death for scraps. He needed one good find to barter medicine for his sister Lira. Lira's fever was climbing and time was running out.
Kael crouched near a shattered storage unit, brushing debris aside.
Metal glinted beneath the dust.
"Huh?"
He swept more rubble away, revealing a strange shard. Smooth, black like obsidian, faint blue lines pulsing inside, as if alive. Not a beast core or a standard tech either.
"...What the hell is this?"
The moment his fingers touched it, the shard flared.
A surge of burning cold shot up his arm. Kael gasped, staggering back, but the shard liquefied into threads of light, sinking into his chest. Symbols, alien and sharp, flashed across his vision.
[SYSTEM FILE SHARD DETECTED]
Compatibility Scan: 96.7% – Suitable Host Found.
Initiating Core Fusion...
Warning: No Existing System Detected. Emergency Installation Mode Engaged.
Kael screamed as invisible circuitry seared patterns beneath his skin.
[INSTALLATION COMPLETE]
OBLIVION SYSTEM ONLINE.
A transparent blue screen snapped open before his eyes:
---
[SYSTEM STATUS SCREEN]
Host: Kael Vorrin
Race: Human (Scavenger-Class)
Level: 1
EXP: 0 / 100
HP: 100 / 100
Stamina: 50 / 50
Status: Healthy (Mild Fatigue)
Strength: 4
Agility: 5
Stamina: 5
Intelligence: 6
Perception: 5
Luck: 2
Skills: None
Mutation Potential: 0%
Beast Companion Slot: Locked (No active link)
Quests Available: 1 (Mandatory)
---
Kael's heart slammed against his chest. His breath frosted in the air.
[MANDATORY QUEST: FIRST SURVIVAL TRIAL]
Objective: Eliminate or evade hostile threat: FLAME RAPTOR – Rare Tier.
Target Analysis;
Name: Flame Raptor
Tier: Rare-Class III Theropod
Estimated HP: Unknown
Status: Aggressive – Hunting Mode
Special Traits: Superheated Breath, Armored Hide, Tail Strike
Weak Points: Throat Vent Glands (Light Armor)
Time Limit: 10 minutes
Consequence of Failure: High Probability of Host Termination
Reward for Success: System Core Stabilization, Evolution Path Unlocked (Locked), Attribute Gain (Random).
"No....No, wait...I didn't sign up for this!" Kael whispered, stumbling backwards.
A loud snort echoed from the corridor.
His blood ran cold.
The ground shuddered as something massive approached, claws scraping ruined metal.
Flame Raptor.
Kael cursed under his breath, scrambling behind an old bulkhead. He fumbled in his pouch, emptied it's content for any usable tool to fight this beast, one cracked flare, half-dead, and a bone knife.
[COMBAT ADVISORY ACTIVE]
Host Combat Potential: LOW.
Recommendation: Evade or Distraction Tactic Preferred. Direct combat discouraged unless critical weak point exploited.
The Raptor entered the chamber, four meters tall with a crimson scale plates glowing with inner heat. It sniffed the air, golden slit-eyes flashing.
It smelled him.
Kael gripped the flare with trembling hands. If he could blind it, just long enough to reach the neck vents.....
He threw the flare.
FWOOSH!
A burst of blinding light erupted. The Raptor hissed, flinching back. Kael bolted from cover, bone knife ready.
One well placed strike, One chance.....
He lunged...
The knife scraped between neck plates, but not deep enough. The Raptor roared and slammed him sideways with its tail.
CRACK.
Pain exploded in Kael's ribs. His vision flickered for some seconds.
[WARNING: HP 62/100 – Fractured Ribs Detected.
Mobility Impaired: 14% Reduction.]
The beast turned, vents gurgling, spewing hot gas. But Kael had seen the weakness, the throat gland, torn slightly from his blade strike.
He grabbed a shard of broken metal, forcing his battered body upright.
"Come on... just die already..."
As the beast lunged, he ducked under its jaws and rammed the shard deep into the exposed gland.
The Flame Raptor gurgled, vents flaring wildly....
[Critical Damage Detected: Target Internal Combustion – Imminent.]
The Raptor exploded from within.
Kael hit the floor hard as burning gore sprayed all across the chamber.
Then silence....
[TARGET ELIMINATED]
Quest Complete: Mandatory Trial – SUCCESS.
Reward: System Core Stabilized. Attribute Points +2 (Random).
-----------
[UPDATED SYSTEM STATUS]
Level: 1
EXP: 50 / 100
HP: 42 / 100
Stamina: 18 / 50
Status: Injured (Fractured Ribs, Bruising)
Strength: 5 (+1)
Agility: 6 (+1)
Stamina: 5
Intelligence: 6
Perception: 5
Luck: 2
-------
Kael coughed weakly, dragging himself toward the wrecked nest.
Something glowed faintly, half-buried under the ruin.
A cracked egg fragment. Pale, blue-veined. Warm to the touch.
[NEW ITEM ACQUIRED: MONSTER EGG FRAGMENT – Lesser Variant]
Status: Dormant – Incubation Incomplete.
Beast Companion Slot: Locked.
Estimated Growth Cycle: 50–70 Solar Days (Environmental Factors Dependent).
Kael grinned bitterly.
"Looks like I have got a beast now... great."
Above him, a distant Rift crackled in the sky. New threats stirring.
[NOTICE: Major Rift Surge Detected – 4.6km East.]
Next Quest Pending: Survival Phase – Initiation Imminent...
'SHIT'...
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