The harsh clang of metal on metal served as the Village's alarm, ripping Lorn from his shallow, practice-fueled rest. The Eternal Core had minimized the effects of exhaustion, but his body still ached. He had spent the remaining hours of the night silently channeling Aether-Flow into his three acquired skills—Runner's Break, Kick Spring, and F-Rank Spark—pushing their mastery levels incrementally beyond the initial 10%.
The Common Quarters were already stirring. Rath was nowhere to be seen, having likely started his own, less visible work.
Mute, the hulking guard, appeared at the doorway, his scarred face as hostile as ever. "Tier Zeros! Labor detail! You, Trench-Rat!" he bellowed, gesturing toward Lorn. "Front gate. Now!"
Lorn quickly rose, forcing his gaunt muscles to adopt the passive tension of the Gate Warden's Brace—a subtle, stabilizing effect that made him feel marginally less breakable.
At the fortified gate, roughly twenty people were assembled, mostly looking as resigned as the trash they were about to collect. Leading the group was Clork, the gate warden, now carrying a length of heavy chain instead of his mace, and a woman Lorn hadn't seen—a supervisor whose patched leather was newer, cleaner, and marked with a painted crest: a stylized, three-pronged flame.
This must be the mark of the Organization that controls the Village and the patrols, Lorn realized.
Clork addressed the workers with a tone of cold efficiency. "The Wraiths pushed the perimeter yesterday. That means resources are scattered farther out. We need metal, wire, and, most importantly, any scrap Aetherite you can find. The Village protection is running thin, thanks to the patrol's failure."
The supervisor stepped forward, her eyes sharp. "Any attempts to hoard materials, and you will be left outside the barrier at sunset. You have six hours. Move out."
The gate ground open, and the scavenging group filed out into the sulfurous haze of the abandoned zone. The ground felt alien and dangerous. Clork didn't go far, only maintaining a perimeter fifty feet from the gate, watching the workers with predatory patience.
Lorn was handed a thick, canvas sack and a rusty length of pipe—his only tool and weapon. He was paired with an old man named Gris, whose back was permanently bowed and whose movements were slow.
"Keep up, kid," Gris wheezed, without looking at Lorn. "The farther you go, the better the scrap, the worse the chances. We stay close."
As they began picking through rubble, Lorn felt the full weight of the Tier Zero reality. The labor was taxing, forcing him to channel the Eternal Core just to lift the rusted sheets of metal.
Gris moved with a slow, meticulous rhythm, his eyes darting constantly. Lorn watched him, not out of interest, but out of necessity.
The Omni-Mimicry was instantly intrigued by the veteran's efficiency:
[SKILL ACQUIRED: SCRAP RECOGNITION (F-RANK)]
Source: Observed systematic method of valuable material assessment by Gris.
Description: A cognitive technique that allows the user to quickly identify high-value scrap materials (Aetherite, Tiered metal alloys) amidst debris.
Mastery Level: 10%
Suddenly, the monotonous task became a puzzle. Where Lorn saw only rusted rubble, the Scrap Recognition skill highlighted flashes of slightly denser, less corroded materials—potential alloys, or even faint veins of dull, grey rock that might contain Aetherite.
As Lorn began moving with new, calculated focus, he noticed Eiara near the edge of the scavenging zone, working alone. She was not scavenging, but rather patrolling the edges, her crude rifle held loosely but ready. Her movements were fluid and constant, weaving between the ruined vehicles and keeping an eye on the distant haze. She was running her own perimeter security, likely earning extra Aether-Flow dust from the Organization.
Lorn watched her for a full minute, focusing on the way she handled her weapon and moved her body across uneven ground.
[SKILL ACQUIRED: RIFLE BRACE (F-RANK)]
Source: Observed ready stance and weight distribution while carrying a heavy rifle by Eiara.
Description: A stability skill that mitigates weapon sway and improves ready-time during movement.
Mastery Level: 10%
[SKILL ACQUIRED: RUIN TREAD (E-RANK)]
Source: Observed efficient traversal technique over uneven urban rubble by Eiara.
Description: A mobility technique that ensures silent footing and maximizes speed across ruined or broken ground.
Mastery Level: 10%
Lorn closed his eyes briefly, channeling a small surge of Aether-Flow into his legs and feet, practicing the Ruin Tread. He immediately felt the difference: his footing, which had been clumsy and loud, became light and stable. He was absorbing the rules of this world at a terrifying speed.
He had learned more in five minutes of observation than most people learned in weeks of dedicated practice.
"Hey! Trench-Rat!" Gris hissed, nudging Lorn's ankle with his own foot. "Stop staring at the sniper and start pulling that metal. Clork's watching."
Lorn quickly bent down, pulling a heavy, rusted plate, using the new Ruin Tread to maintain his balance on the shifting pile. He was the newest, weakest scavenger, but in his mind, he was already miles ahead of them all. His work wasn't collecting scrap; it was copying survival.
The Village and the wider Organization that controlled it needed him to survive just long enough to collect resources. Lorn, planned to fulfill that need just long enough to master their entire system.