The blue laser fired. It wasn't a bullet. It was a beam of blinding hot light.
Tom hurled his weight to one side. He belly-flopped into the thick, green slop of the sewer. The laser came within an inch of his head. It struck the rusty metal wall behind him. The wall instantly became bright orange and melted like butter on a hot stove.
"Whoa!" Tom shouted, getting up on his hind legs. "That is way too hot!"
The Corrupted Maintenance Droid did not reply. It just turned its metal head. The blue light in its gun started to hum
[ Corrupted Maintenance Droid. Level 6 ]
Tom wiped the sludge out of his eyes. The Corrupted Maintenance Droid was slow like a trash can on legs but that laser was deadly. If the Corrupted Maintenance Droid hit him his reinforced potato sack tunic would not save him. It would burn a hole through his chest.
"Okay, bucket-head," Tom muttered, drawing his black, Beetle-Bone daggers. "Let's dance."
The droid fired again.
Tom did not try to dodge this time. He could not move enough in the knee-deep sludge.
Instead, he used the environment.
He kicked a floating pile of garbage into the air right in front of the laser. The laser hit the garbage.
A huge cloud of awful smelly steam exploded in the tunnel. It was, like a smoke bomb made of eggs.
The droid beeped wildly.
It said "Vision impaired. Recalculating target."
"Recalculate this," Tom shouted.
He charged through the steam. His feet hit the bottom of the sewer hard. Because of his Density he did not slip in the mud. He moved like a tank.
Tom burst out of the steam cloud. Found himself right in front of the droid.
The robot tried to point its gun down at Tom. Tom was already too close. He swung his dagger at the droid.
Tom did not try to cut the metal body of the droid. He aimed for the wires that connected the gun to the head of the droid.
SLASH.
The black dagger cut through the wires in one swipe.
Sparks flew over Toms head.
The laser gun made a sound and then it stopped working.
"Weapon offline ", the droid said in a voice.
"Engaging physical combat."
The droid swung its metal arm at Tom. Tom smiled.
"Physical combat is my favorite ", Tom said.
Tom did not block the droids arm. Tom stepped forward. Punched the droid in the chest.
With Tom's Strength at 8 and Tom's body weight doubled by the Golem's density, the punch was very strong.
CRUNCH!
His fist made a dent in the metal casing of the droid. The droid was pushed back by the force of the punch.
It slipped on the sludge. Fell over on its back, splashing green water everywhere.
The droid waved its metal legs, in the air trying to get up. It looked like an angry robotic turtle.
"Time to finish this!", Tom said.
Tom jumped on top of the droid. He used both hands to drive his daggers into the glowing blue eye on the head of the droid. The glass shattered. The metal sparked.
The droid made one loud beep and then it stopped moving.
The droid gave one last, loud beep, and then it stopped moving.
[You have slain Corrupted Maintenance Droid (Level 6) ]
[ Exp +60 ]
Tom pulled his daggers out and sheathed them. He stood up and took a deep breath, which was a mistake because the sewer smelled worse than ever thanks to the boiled garbage.
"Yuck," Tom coughed. "I need a bath. In real life and in the game."
He looked down at the dead robot. The blue laser gun was still attached to its head.
Tom's eyes went wide. He felt a rush of excitement.
"Wait a minute," Tom said to himself. "If I can extract armor from a rat... and weight from a golem... can I extract a laser gun from a robot?"
He imagined himself walking into a fight and shooting blue lasers out of his fingertips. That would be amazing. He wouldn't even need daggers anymore. He would be unstoppable.
He wiped his dirty hands on his pants and placed his palm on the warm metal of the droid.
"System," Tom said, his voice full of hope. "Extract the laser ability. Give me the finger guns."
The glitchy gray box appeared in his vision. But it wasn't the usual success message. It flashed bright red.
[EXTRACTION INITIATED... ]
[ ANALYZING TARGET DATA... ]
[ WARNING: UNNATURAL ABILITY DETECTED. ]
Tom frowned. "What does unnatural mean? Just give me the laser."
The red box flashed again, making an annoying buzzer sound in his head.
[EXTRACTION FAILED ]
[Reason: Target Protected by System Encryption. ]
"Encryption?" Tom asked the empty tunnel. "What are you talking about? I killed it. It's mine."
He tapped the screen to read more details.
[ EXPLANATION: Artificial, magical, or complex mechanical abilities are locked by the game's core code. To extract highly encrypted data (like lasers, advanced magic, or AI cores), the User requires Tier 4 Extraction Authority or higher. ]
[ Current Authority: Tier 1 ]
Tom sighed. He dropped his hand from the robot.
"So, I can't shoot lasers," Tom complained. "Because the game locked it behind a password. That is so cheap."
It made sense, though. If he could just touch a robot and instantly learn how to shoot plasma, he would break the game entirely in his first day. The system was glitchy, but it still had some rules. He could steal natural things—like hard skin, muscle memory, or weight. But he couldn't steal complex machines or magic spells yet. Not until he leveled up his strange power.
"Fine," Tom said. "Keep your stupid laser."
He still checked the droid for normal loot. When a monster died, it sometimes dropped items anyone could pick up.
He found a small, glowing blue square inside the broken chest panel.
[Small Plasma Battery (Uncommon) ]
[ Description: A power source for basic machines. Can be sold for a good price to engineers.]
Tom put the battery in his pocket. "At least I get paid."
He left the broken droid behind and continued walking down the sewer pipe. The green sludge was thick and disgusting, but Tom didn't care. He was thinking about his power.
He needed to increase his Extraction Authority. The system said he was only Tier 1. If he wanted the really good stuff—like magic or lasers—he needed Tier 4. He didn't know how to level up his Tier, but he guessed it meant killing bigger, stronger things and testing his brain's limits.
After walking for another twenty minutes, the glowing mushrooms on the walls faded. Ahead of him, he saw a beam of normal, yellow light shining down from the ceiling.
He walked toward it. It was a metal ladder leading up to a round iron grate. The exit.
"Finally," Tom said.
He climbed the slippery ladder. When he reached the top, he pushed against the iron grate. It didn't move. It was locked from the outside.
"Oh, come on!," Tom groaned.
He looked closely at the lock. It was a heavy steel padlock.
Normally, a player would need to find a key hidden somewhere in the sewer, or use a Rogue skill to pick the lock.
Tom didn't have a key. He didn't have Rogue skills. But he had a Strength stat of 8, and the weight of a Scrap Golem.
"I don't need a key," Tom smiled.
He placed both hands flat against the iron grate. He bent his knees. He took a deep breath, ignoring the smell of the sewer, and pushed up with all his might.
His dense muscles popped. The metal ladder groaned under his heavy weight.
CREAAAK.
The thick iron grate started to bend. The steel padlock snapped with a loud PING that echoed down the tunnel.
Tom pushed the heavy grate aside like it was made of plastic. He climbed out of the hole and stood up.
He was out of the Rustlands. He was out of the sewer.
Tom looked around. He was standing in a narrow, dark alleyway. The ground was paved with smooth stone blocks. But when he looked up, his breath caught in his throat.
Above the alley, the sky was filled with light. There were massive buildings made of dark iron, but they were covered in bright neon signs. Floating blue screens advertised weapons, armor, and potions.
He heard the sound of a thousand voices talking, shouting, and laughing. He heard the clinking of metal, the roar of magic spells being tested, and the music of a nearby tavern.
It was the Iron Citadel. The player city.
Players walked past the end of his alley. They looked like gods. Some wore shining silver armor with capes that moved on their own. Some wore robes made of floating fire. Some rode on the backs of giant, armored tigers.
Nobody looked like they lived in a trash heap.
Tom looked down at himself. He was wearing a potato sack that was stained with green slime, black oil, and dirt. He was barefoot. He smelled like a toilet.
He looked completely out of place. He looked like a glitch.
But then Tom reached into his pocket.
He felt the heavy leather pouch that Scarlett had given him. He felt the cold metal of the plasma battery he had looted.
He had five hundred gold coins. In this game, five hundred gold was a fortune for a beginner.
Tom grinned. The bad smell didn't bother him anymore. The dirty clothes didn't bother him. For the first time in his entire life, he was walking into a city with money in his pocket.
"Alright, Aetheria," Tom said, stepping out of the shadows of the alley and into the bright lights of the street. "Let's go shopping."