The next morning, Rex and Nyra stepped out of the compound, sunlight slicing through the morning haze. The city ruins beyond the perimeter looked calm at first glance, but the faint violet shimmer in the distance betrayed the truth — they were heading straight for the Spill Zone, the most unstable region in the sector.
Behind them, Garron and Selene stood like proud parents sending their kids to war. Garron had his arms folded, the corner of his mouth twitching into what might've been pride — or worry. Selene, on the other hand, gave a little wave that said try not to die before lunch.
A few of the night-shift guards who hadn't turned in yet lingered near the gates, whispering. It wasn't every day their boss's protégé and the red-haired sharpshooter left together before dawn.
"Think they'll survive?" one guard muttered.
"Not my problem," another said. "But I got fifty credits on Nyra dragging his corpse back before noon."
"Ha! You're on."
Rex caught the exchange and shook his head, adjusting his gloves. "People really have faith in me."
Nyra smirked without looking back. "They've seen you spar. Can't blame them."
"Wow. Thanks for the confidence boost."
Once they were clear of the compound walls, a sphere of light blinked into existence at Rex's shoulder. It wobbled, flickered, then stabilized — forming a small, floating avatar shaped like a cartoonish fox.
"Hey, Rex! Ready to begin your first AI-assisted adventure?" the bot chirped, its synthetic voice full of enthusiasm.
Rex sighed. "Morning to you too, Fuzzy."
"Actually, it's technically still morning by only eight minutes, but I'll take the greeting!"
Rex rolled his eyes. "What kind of monsters are we expecting in the Spill Zone anyway?"
Before Fuzzy could respond, Nyra stepped ahead, scanning the jagged horizon. "The worst kind," she said flatly. "Mutated beavers that can chew through reinforced steel, foxes that move faster than a train, and airborne ones — the Perugian Falcons. Those things dive at near Mach 3, two-ton bite force minimum."
"The red-haired one is correct," Fuzzy confirmed immediately. "Several specimens in that category have been documented. Additional caution is advised."
Rex blinked. "Hold up. How do you even know that?"
"I've lived here all my life," Nyra said, as if that explained everything. "It'd be weird if I didn't."
Rex gave a short laugh. "Right. 'Normal' for you must mean surviving monster stampedes before breakfast."
She didn't answer — just stepped up to the canyon's edge and, without hesitation, jumped.
"Wait—what the hell?!" Rex rushed forward and looked down. A dark canyon yawned beneath him, mist swirling like smoke over broken highways and twisted skyscraper roots.
"Come on!" Nyra's voice echoed faintly from below.
"Nope! Not doing that!" he said instantly, stepping back from the drop.
"Would you like me to search for alternative routes down the canyon?" Fuzzy asked, perfectly calm.
"Yes! Absolutely!" Rex said, nodding too fast.
---
Ding!
> Linking Fuzzy to Devourer System v1.0...
Success!
Creating Topographical Map of Spill Zone...
Error: Insufficient Knowledge!
Troubleshooting...
Running 3D Simulation Protocol...
Success.
---
A pale-blue window flickered to life beside Rex's vision. A single arrow pulsed at the center of a black grid — a live map. As he moved, the arrow moved with him, and the fog of war peeled back.
"Nice," he muttered.
"Thank you, thank you," Fuzzy said, puffing its holographic chest. "Yes, I am awesome."
"Yeah, you are," Rex admitted, chuckling.
"HEY!" Nyra shouted up from below. "You coming or what?"
"Got it!"
"Just jump! It's not that deep!"
Rex frowned. "You sure about that?"
Nyra didn't answer — she climbed back up effortlessly, glaring at him with her hands on her hips. "It's literally eight feet. Stop wasting time."
"Eight—?!"
Before he could argue, she grabbed his sleeve and yanked him toward the edge.
"Wait—hold on—"
"Too late."
She shoved him.
Rex hit the ground hard with a thud and a groan. "Ow. Totally not eight feet."
Nyra landed beside him like a cat. "Your landing technique sucks."
"Noted."
Then, a deep growl rumbled through the mist.
Rex froze. "You hear that?"
"Yeah," Nyra said, already raising her gun. "Sounds like—"
A piercing screech cut her off.
Something burst from the rubble — half-rat, half-machine, its ribs lined with steel plates and its tail segmented like a sawblade. Sparks crackled as it lunged, jaws wide.
Rex barely dodged, Shadowstep flaring beneath his boots. He blinked five meters sideways, reappearing as the ground where he'd stood exploded into shards of concrete.
"Mutated Class-D pest," Fuzzy reported quickly. "Mana core detected — thoracic cavity. Metallic exoskeleton. High resistance to blunt force."
"Got it."
Rex pulled a crude Stone Spear from his inventory — temporary, but better than nothing.
The Ratbeast hissed and lunged again. Rex feinted left, then drove the spear into its exposed underbelly. The tip hit resistance — then slid through something warm and pulsing.
The creature convulsed, shrieked once, and collapsed, oil-black blood pooling beneath it.
---
[Devourer Protocol Activated]
> Absorbing residual mana...
Conversion successful.
EXP +240
Level Up → Lv. 7
Mana +15
---
Rex exhaled slowly. The corpse disintegrated into static, leaving a faint chemical smell.
"Let's go before more show up!" Nyra said sharply, leaping into the mist again.
Rex glanced at Fuzzy. "You coming?"
The AI bobbed. "If I had lungs, I'd be holding my breath."
"Good enough."
He jumped.
---
The descent carried them deeper into the canyon — a graveyard of twisted skyscrapers and fused vehicles. The deeper they went, the thicker the fog became. Buildings bent into impossible angles, and steel vines crawled along the ruins, their crystalline leaves dripping acidic liquid that hissed when it hit the ground.
Every surface hummed faintly, vibrating with corrupted mana.
"There," Fuzzy said, pointing toward a collapsed overpass. "Under that structure — strong energy signature detected."
They approached carefully. The walls around them pulsed with faint blue veins — corrupted mana crystallization.
Nyra crouched, touching one. "This isn't natural rock."
"Mana crystallization," Rex replied. "Raw and unrefined. Back in Sector E-92, this stuff sells for millions."
"Then I guess we just hit a jackpot."
Before he could respond, Fuzzy's tone shifted. "Warning. Multiple heat signatures inbound. Seven total."
"Seven?" Rex echoed.
"Six." Fuzzy paused. "Correction — seven. Definitely seven."
The mist around them thickened. A low snarl rolled through the air.
"Scrapfangs," Nyra whispered. "Wolf-type. Stay sharp."
The first lunged out of the fog, a blur of teeth and metal. Rex sidestepped using Shadowstep, countering with a downward strike that shattered its spine.
Another slammed into his flank, sending him tumbling against a wall. The impact rattled his teeth.
"Rex!"
Nyra fired twice — the gunshots echoed in the canyon. One Scrapfang dropped, sparks sputtering from its shattered head.
But then came the alpha.
It emerged from the darkness, towering over the others — its body fused with mechanical plating, crimson circuits glowing beneath its fur. The ground shook as it roared, metal claws gouging furrows in the concrete.
Rex winced. "Yeah, that's bad."
"Fuzzy," he muttered, "ideas?"
"One: run. Two: die creatively. Three: finish that trap you half-built earlier."
Rex's eyes widened. "Oh—right!"
Earlier that morning, while testing Scrapmeld, he'd fused a few metal beams into a partial trap. He hadn't finished it, but maybe—
He dashed behind a pillar, pressing his palm to the ground.
---
[Scrapmeld Activation]
> Mana Cost: 13
Incomplete Structure Detected.
Finalizing schematic...
Additional Mana Cost: 5
Reinforcement Wall Trap: Complete
---
Steel plates burst from the ground, forming a jagged barrier in front of the alpha. The beast charged, slamming into it with bone-rattling force. The plates bent inward — but held, pinning its front limbs.
"Now!" Fuzzy shouted.
Rex leapt forward, spear aimed for its throat. The weapon cracked on impact, splintering — but he didn't stop.
He drew two knives, driving both into its glowing eyes.
The alpha roared, tearing through the trap — only for Nyra's next shot to rip through its skull. The explosion echoed through the canyon like thunder.
The beast convulsed, then fell still.
---
[Devourer Protocol Triggered]
> Core energy absorbed.
EXP +480
Level Up → Lv. 8
Mana +23
---
The remaining wolves glitched out — their forms dissolving into streams of corrupted data before fading into mist.
Rex dropped to one knee, chest heaving. Every nerve burned. His body felt heavier, but his mana flowed sharper, denser.
"That," he said between breaths, "was way too close."
Nyra walked over, reloading calmly. "You handled yourself fine. For someone who almost refused to jump off a ledge."
"Progress," he muttered, standing.
---
System Alert:
> Stat Points Available: 20
System Points: 9
Assign Points?
→ Agility +5
→ Endurance +5
Confirm? [Y/N]
---
He confirmed. Power surged through him — not just physical strength but awareness. He could feel every vibration in the air, every tremor in the metal around them.
"Smart," Fuzzy said approvingly. "Keep some points in reserve next time, though. Never know when you'll need a quick upgrade mid-battle."
Rex nodded, stretching his fingers. "Got it."
Then something caught his eye — a faint blue glow beneath the alpha's corpse.
He crouched and brushed away debris. Embedded in the shattered concrete was a crystalline stone, pulsing with soft golden and azure light.
Fuzzy let out a digital gasp. "That's it. Gueazz Stone. Grade-A Specimen."
Rex stared at it, mesmerized. The light inside it seemed alive, like it breathed in rhythm with his heartbeat. He reached out and touched it — warmth spread through his hand, tingling up his arm.
"So this," he said softly, "is what all the trouble was for."
"More than trouble," Nyra said, checking her gun again. "That stone better be worth it. I'm down two rounds."
Rex smirked, pulling a metal pickaxe from his inventory. "Oh, it's worth it."
He swung. The pick struck the crystal with a dull chime. Energy rippled outward, illuminating the canyon in blue light.
Above them, Fuzzy's sensors flared. "Wait—something's moving. Big."
Nyra raised her head, scanning the mist. "How big?"
"...Too big."
The ground trembled.
Rex looked at the stone, then at Nyra. "So, round two?"
Nyra smirked. "You wanted an adventure, didn't you?"
Rex grinned, spinning the pickaxe in his hand. "Guess the Spill Zone's just getting started."