By the time the sun dipped below the fractured skyline, Rex and Nyra had gathered enough Gueazz Stones to fill two small crates. The once-silent canyon now bore their footprints and the scorched marks of a dozen dead beasts.
Rex ran a hand through his hair, looking over the glittering fragments stacked inside a reinforced container. "That should do it," he said with a tired grin. "Finally."
Nyra wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Took you long enough to say that. Thought you'd want to fight the whole zone while we were at it."
"Tempting," Rex said. "But I'm not suicidal."
"Good," she replied dryly. "Because I'm out of bullets."
Neither wanted to linger after dark — not in the Spill Zones. The fog turned toxic, and the mutated fauna got hungrier. So they packed up fast and made their way back toward the compound.
The crimson sunset washed the horizon as they arrived at the gates.
Rex glanced at Nyra. "Drink to celebrate? My treat."
She hesitated, already pulling her gloves off. "Rain check. I've got someone to meet tonight."
"Oh?" He tried not to sound too curious.
She shrugged. "Old contact. Nothing serious."
"Sure," Rex said, forcing a small smile. "Catch you later, then."
"Yeah."
They split paths at the courtyard — her boots echoing toward the west wing while he trudged toward the dormitory.
---
In his room, Rex collapsed onto the bed, letting the silence wash over him. The faint hum of machinery and filtered air was almost comforting after the chaos of the wilds.
With a flick of his fingers, his System Interface materialized above him — rows of glowing blue text cascading like a waterfall.
---
[System Interface: Devourer Protocol v1.0]
User: Rex
Level: 8
Race: Human (Unregistered)
Class: Blacksmith
System Tier: Devourer
Title: Mediocre Newbie Blacksmith
Stats:
• Strength: 26 (+3)
• Endurance: 12 (+2)
• Agility: 5 (+5)
• Intelligence: 4 (+2)
• Mana: 88 / 68 (+20)
• Luck: 3 (+1)
Stat Points Available: 10
System Points Available: 7
Abilities:
† Shadowstep (Tier D) – Teleport up to 5 meters in a chosen direction. Leaves a brief afterimage.
→ Mana Cost: 5 per use
→ Upgrade Progress: 22 / 100
† Scrapmeld (Tier E) – Fuse junk materials into temporary weapons or armor.
→ Mana Cost: 13 per item
→ Cooldown: 2 minutes
† Drawing Room (Sub Skill)
Ability: Creates a holographic simulation space for designing, testing, and manufacturing weapons or armor. Linked to Scrapmeld.
→ Mana Cost: 10 per minute
→ Upgrade Progress: Linked to Scrapmeld's growth
† Player's Map (Tier D) – Generates a 2D holographic map using Sector AR-15 [Caldrath] as the reference point. Active as long as mana is supplied.
→ Mana Cost: 5 per minute
→ Cooldown: 2 hours
→ Upgrade Progress: Requires System Points
Passives:
• EXP Gain +100%
Active Protocols:
• System Assimilation – Consume a weakened or inactive System. Absorb core features.
• Mana Integration (NEW) – Absorb residual mana when a System cannot be assimilated.
Items:
Relic – Forgotten Throne Fragment [1/6] (Tier SS)
Item Note: Fragment of a lost relic from an ancient sovereign erased from history.
Bonus Stats:
• Strength +3
• Endurance +2
• Agility +5
• Intelligence +2
• Mana +20
• Luck +1
---
Rex stared at the glowing interface, grinning faintly. "Not bad for a day's work."
He'd gained two levels, unlocked Mana Integration, and secured the Gueazz Stones he'd been hunting for weeks. The Devourer System hummed with new life — adapting, growing, almost as if it had a will of its own.
The Mana Integration Protocol explained why he'd been able to drain the alpha wolf and the rat hybrid earlier. It was a failsafe — one that allowed him to convert the ambient mana of slain enemies directly into his own energy reserves. Dangerous, but efficient.
Then there was the Player's Map, a gift from Fuzzy after their systems synced. The AI had somehow integrated its own navigation algorithms into Rex's Devourer codebase, creating a hybrid ability.
He'd read the skill's description three times already and still felt confused.
Ever since he'd acquired his System, one thing had constantly bugged him — System Points.
They were rarer than stat points, and he couldn't figure out what they were truly meant for. He'd advanced from Level 1 to Level 8 and earned only seven of them.
Now, finally, he had a clue.
The Player's Map mentioned that System Points could be used for upgrades — potentially unlocking higher-tier functions.
Rex leaned back, staring at the ceiling, mind racing. If a Tier D map could already simulate basic coordinates... what if it evolved into a 3D simulation? Real-time terrain, motion tracking, maybe even predictive AI routing.
His grin widened. "That would be awesome."
He closed the map window and scrolled down to another new addition — Drawing Room.
---
> [System Notice]
New Subskill Unlocked: Drawing Room
Blueprint Stages Available:
• Stone Age
• Bronze Age (Locked)
• Iron Age (Locked)
• Arcane Tech Age (Locked)
---
"Alright, let's try this again," Rex muttered, selecting the first option.
A luminous grid formed in front of him, expanding until it filled half the room.
---
> Stone Age Blueprints:
• Stone Axe
• Stone Spear
• Stone Armor
• Stone Shield
• Stone Avalanche
• WILDCARD...
---
The last entry pulsed faintly, its edges flickering gold.
"Wildcard!" he said aloud. "So... what do you think it is?."
Fuzzy materialized beside him, ears twitching. "Ooh, mystery option. My favorite kind of button to push! Whatever it is I bet you're going to enjoy it"
"Agreed." Rex tapped the icon.
Another window unfolded, lines of text scrolling across the hologram like a classified file being decrypted.
---
> WILDCARD (Unlocked)
Description:
A fusion protocol that applies futuristic AI-based design logic to primitive materials, creating hybrid weapons or tools with enhanced usability and durability.
Requirements:
• AI Bot v9.30 – Installed ✓
• Intelligence Minimum: 5 ✓
• Materials: Gueazz Stone ✓ (x20 Acquired)
Initializing...
WILDCARD Reveal in Progress...
Loading—
---
A low hum filled the room. Blue runes lit up across the floor like circuitry, forming a ring around Rex's bed. Fuzzy floated higher, projecting streams of data into the air.
The word "WILDCARD" rippled once, then transformed — letters rearranging themselves into a new title.
---
→ ARCANE STEM: STONE GUN
(View More...)
---
Rex blinked. "A... stone gun?"
Fuzzy tilted its head. "Oh, that's definitely not primitive anymore."
The hologram expanded, showing schematics — an ancient crossbow-shaped frame merged with sleek mana conduits and arcane crystal chambers. It was half prehistoric, half futuristic — and very, very unstable.
Underneath the design, glowing subtext appeared.
---
> ARCANE STEM: STONE GUN
Tier: Prototype (Unclassified)
Material Base: Gueazz Stone (x20)
Estimated Mana Cost: 60 per shot
Efficiency: 41%
Danger Rating: "Experimental—Handle With Care"
Requirements: Basic knowledge of Arcane Stems
---
Rex couldn't help but smile. "Looks like the system just gave me my first real challenge."
He reached out and traced the outline of the projected weapon, the hologram flickering where his fingers passed. The more he stared, the more his mind began to fill in possibilities — how it might channel mana through Gueazz conduits, how recoil could be mitigated, how to refine the energy chamber without melting the barrel.
The Drawing Room hummed softly, reflecting his thoughts in real time — sketches adapting, details sharpening. The System was responding to his imagination.
"Okay," he breathed. "Let's build something insane."
Fuzzy floated closer, tail flicking with visible excitement. "Oh, we're definitely going to blow something up."
"Probably," Rex said with a grin. "But that's part of the fun."
The schematics shimmered brighter as the System began rendering the weapon's test version. Holographic fragments of Gueazz Stone spun in the air, aligning into a barrel shape surrounded by rings of light. The hum deepened until it felt like the entire room pulsed with power.
Then, with a soft click, the blueprint sealed itself.
> Blueprint Saved: ARCANE STEM — STONE GUN (Prototype)
Manufacturing Progress: 0%
Materials Required: Gueazz Stone x20 | Mana Core x1 | Structural Catalyst (Unknown)
Rex leaned back on the bed again, exhausted but exhilarated.
"It's time," he said quietly. "We start phase one."
Fuzzy dimmed its light to match the room's calm glow. "You know, statistically, there's a seventy-two percent chance of catastrophic failure."
Rex smirked. "Good thing I'm part of the twenty-eight."
"One problem though... You don't know anything about Arcane Tech. How are you going to solve that."
"Don't worry I've got a solution to that."