If hell exists, I am certain its designer was a tasteless idiot. Or they were just cutting costs.
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I felt wasn't pain. It was the smell. A stench like someone had thrown rotten cabbage, rusted iron, and burnt rubber into a single pot and boiled it over a low flame for a week. The air entering my lungs forced me to cough immediately.
"Wonderful," I croaked, my voice sounding unfamiliar even to myself. "Just a wonderful morning. Where's breakfast?"
I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my back, as if my spine had been removed and replaced with rusted rebar. I planted my hand beneath me. Instead of a soft mattress, my hand sank into something sharp—fragments of cold metal.
Rubbing my eyes, I looked around.
I was in a junkyard. No, this wasn't just a junkyard. This was the king, the emperor of junkyards. Ruins stretched as far as the eye could see: concrete chunks of fallen skyscrapers, skeletons of strange machines, tangles of unrecognizable cables, and... what is that? An ancient horse cart?
Yes, truly, to my right lay an ancient wooden cart, half-buried in the ground, crushed under a fallen billboard with neon lettering. The writing on the billboard was barely legible: "Cyber-Cola – The Taste of the Future."
"Logic," I said aloud. "You are not here. You must have gone on vacation."
I looked down at myself. I was wearing a gray t-shirt and jeans that might have once been high quality but were now reduced to rags. On my feet... one sneaker. My left foot was bare.
"Great," I laughed nervously. "Even Cinderella was luckier than me. She found a prince; I just hope I don't find tetanus."
My head was buzzing. My memory felt like a mirror in the fog. My name... Liam. Yes, Liam. Surname... can't remember. Age... maybe twenty-five? Maybe twenty-four? What does it matter? In my current state, I feel like a hundred-year-old man.
Standing up, I tried to maintain my balance. The sky. The sky was the weirdest part. It wasn't blue. It wasn't gray. It looked like a broken LCD monitor. Indeed, there were massive, purple cracks in the sky, as if someone had thrown a rock at the universe and shattered it. Digital dust seemed to be raining down from those cracks.
"Alright, Liam," I said to myself, carefully stepping with my bare left foot to avoid glass shards. "Let's review the options. One: I died, and this is the VIP section of hell. Two: I drank too much and woke up in the worst district of some country. Three: Aliens abducted me and threw me away not as a lab rat, but just as trash. I like the third option better. I knew my worth."
I took a few steps. The surroundings were waterless, lifeless, and dead. Only the wind played an ugly tune by clanging pieces of iron together, and an incomprehensible howling could be heard in the distance.
Suddenly, a bright blue light appeared before my eyes. I instinctively jumped back (and banged my bare foot on some sharp plastic, damn it).
In mid-air, like a hologram, a blue window appeared. White letters were written on it.
[System Initializing...]
[Error... 404]
[Database corrupted.]
[Loading backup copy...]
I reached out to touch the window. My hand passed right through it.
"Hallucination," I said confidently. "I took a hard hit to the head. I'm lying in a hospital right now, waiting for a nurse to wake me up. Maybe the nurse's name is Jessica. Jessica, please, wake me up."
The window flickered, and the text changed.
[Hello, Survivor #8934-B!]
[You are in the world of "Mosaic."]
[Your Goal: Do not die. (Just kidding, simply survive until tonight).]
I frowned.
"What is this, an AI with dark humor? Are you joking with me?"
[Your status window has been formed.]
[Warning! Anomaly detected in your soul structure.]
[Impossible to load standard "Warrior" or "Mage" class.]
[Unique, hidden class activated...]
"Of course," I said, rolling my eyes skyward. "Of course I'm an 'anomaly.' Why can't I just be a 'Swordsman' or a 'Cook' like a normal person? I always get the hardest stuff. It was like this in school too; everyone else got the easy test, I got the Olympiad questions."
The window changed again, opening larger this time.
Name: Liam
Level: 1 (0/100 XP)
Class: THE RESTORER
Health: 65% (Minor injuries, hunger, dehydration)
Mana (Ether): 100/100
Main Abilities:
* [Eye of Analysis (Lv.1)]: Allows viewing the true history and structure of items, buildings, and areas.
* [Restoration (Lv.1)]: Returns damaged, broken, or worn items to their original condition (or better).
* Cost: Requires Ether depending on the complexity of the object.
Statistics:
* Strength: 4 (Weaker than average)
* Agility: 5 (Average)
* Intelligence: 8 (Not bad)
* Luck: -10 (Obviously)
I stared at the last line.
"Luck minus ten? Are you serious? I don't even know how that works mathematically. If I go outside, will a meteorite hit my head?"
But complaining was useless. I was starving, and my throat was parched. "Restorer," huh. What am I going to do, fix broken chairs and save the world? Glue my enemies together?
I sighed deeply and walked forward. My goal was singular: find water and find a second shoe. If possible, Nurse Jessica too.
I walked for about an hour. This place called "Mosaic" was truly insane. I saw two buildings standing side-by-side: one was half of a medieval stone castle, the other a chunk of a modern glass office building. They were merged together as if a child had mixed up Lego sets.
On the first floor of the office building (or rather, the 15th floor stuck in the ground), I saw something shiny.
I approached. It was a vending machine. A soda machine.
"There is a God," I said, smiling. "If there's a bottle of water inside, I'm ready to become religious."
The machine's glass was broken, and the inside was nearly empty. But on the bottom row, in the corner, lay a single rusted, crushed aluminum can. The writing on it had faded.
I reached in and took the can. It was warm. And it wasn't empty. I shook it. Liquid!
But the problem was, the can was so rusted and crushed that if I opened it, I was sure to drink tetanus along with whatever was inside. Or it might puncture and leak out.
Just then, that blue text appeared before my eyes again. But this time, it was floating over the can.
[Object: Unknown Beverage (Ancient Era)]
[Condition: 15% (Toxic, Unusable)]
[Restoration Cost: 5 Ether]
A strange thought crossed my mind.
"Let's try it," I said. "I have nothing to lose anyway, except my minus ten luck."
I stared at the can and gave the mental command, "Restore." Or I just willed it.
A strange sensation. It felt like warm water flowing through my veins. A tingling sensation appeared at my fingertips, and blue sparks covered the can.
Before my eyes, the laws of physics were insulted.
The rusted metal began to shine as if time were rewinding. The crushed parts smoothed themselves out. The faded colors on the can brightened: red background, white lettering. "Coca-Cola." Classic.
In less than a second, I held a new can, looking as if it had just come off the factory line, with cold condensation drops on it.
"Woah," I said, my mouth agape in shock. "I'm a wizard. I am the God of Coca-Cola!"
I opened the can immediately. The "Pshhh" sound was the most beautiful music in the world. As that fizzy, sugary liquid went down my throat, tears came to my eyes. It was the taste of life.
[Successful Restoration!]
[Ether: 95/100]
[Restoration Experience: +10 XP]
"Not bad," I said, finishing the can and burping. "So, I can turn trash into treasure. This junkyard means a gold mine for me. Maybe this place isn't so bad?"
At that moment, a growling sound came from behind me.
A low, dangerous, and very hungry sound.
I turned slowly.
About ten meters away, standing on a chunk of concrete, was a creature. It looked like a dog, but only if a dog were made of nightmares and scrap metal. It had no skin, just red flesh and metal plates stapled in places. Instead of teeth, it had long nails, and its eyes looked like glowing red lightbulbs.
"Doggy," I said, backing away slowly. "Good puppy. Do you want a cola? Sugar is bad for your teeth, you know?"
The dog (or whatever this thing was) opened its mouth wider in response. A sound like a revving motor came from its throat.
[Enemy Detected: Rusted Hound (Lv. 3)]
[Threat Level: High]
"Level 3?" I shouted. "I'm still Level 1! Where is the balance? What are the game designers looking at?!"
The creature leaped.
I have never run so fast in my life. I forgot that I was barefoot, forgot about the glass under my feet. Adrenaline is a wonderful thing.
I ran in a zigzag through the ruins. Behind me, I could hear iron claws striking concrete and a savage growling.
"Help!" I screamed, though I didn't believe anyone would hear. "Police! Animal control! Someone take this scrap metal away!"
A dead end appeared before me. A collapsed building blocked the path.
"Damn," I stopped and turned around.
The Rusted Hound stopped five meters away from me. It wasn't rushing. It knew it had cornered its prey. Black oil dripped from its mouth instead of saliva.
I had nothing in my hand but an empty cola can.
"Okay," I said, catching my breath. "Let's make a deal. I don't want to eat you, you don't eat me. I taste terrible. High cholesterol."
The creature prepared to pounce.
At that moment, my eyes fell on something on the ground. Right under the dog's feet was some sort of metal lid. Like a manhole cover, but larger. Its edges were rusted and fused with the concrete.
The system interface flickered.
[Object: Pressure Hatch]
[Condition: Seized (Unopenable)]
[Restoration Possibility: "Melt" or "Explode" the locking mechanism]
A crazy plan formed in my mind. Restoration doesn't just mean "improve." It means changing the state of a thing. If I return it to "new" condition, the mechanism should work.
"Hey, metal-head!" I shouted to get its attention.
The dog lunged at me.
At that exact moment, I pointed my hand at that hatch and screamed with all my might:
"RESTORE!"
All my Ether (or a large part of it) left my body. My head spun.
Blue light covered the hatch. The rust vanished in a second. The hinges were lubricated. The locking mechanism clicked open.
It hadn't even crossed my mind that there was high-pressure steam or gas under the hatch. Perhaps it was a pipe from an ancient factory.
The hatch cover shot up like a champagne cork.
BOOM!
The Rusted Hound was right on top of it. The cover and the powerful jet of steam launched it upwards, about ten meters high. The creature spun in the air, let out a loud "yelp" (more accurately, the sound of screeching metal), and slammed into the concrete wall on the other side.
Then silence.
I leaned against the wall and slowly sat on the ground. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.
"I... I launched it," I panted. "I'm a genius."
[Enemy Defeated (Indirectly)]
[Experience: +50 XP]
[New Title Acquired: "Demolition Engineer"]
"Shove your titles," I muttered. "Give me shoes."
I tried to stand up, but my legs were shaking. Using Ether apparently exhausts a person physically. I was hungry again. The cola had only whetted my appetite.
I approached where the dog's corpse (or scrap pile) lay. It wasn't moving. There was something strange and shiny on its neck.
I approached cautiously. It was a collar. It held a small crystal.
I reached out and took the crystal.
[Item: Memory Crystal (Broken)]
[Contents: Map of this area (Partial)]
[Restoration Cost: 20 Ether]
I only had about 5 or 6 Ether left right now. I'd have to leave this for later. I put the crystal in my pocket.
"Well, Liam," I said to myself. "Day one. You're alive. You had one cola, and you drank it. You turned a mutant dog into an astronaut. What now?"
I looked at the horizon. The sun (or whatever replaced it) was setting. I was afraid to even imagine what "Mosaic" would be like at night. I needed shelter.
To the right, on a hill, a small, strange building appeared. It looked like... a garage. But it had some sort of tower on it. Most importantly, it looked intact.
I limped towards it. With every step, the "System" reminded me "Health Low," "Ether Low."
"Shut up," I told it. "I know. I can feel it myself."
It was dark by the time I reached the garage. The door was iron, locked.
I placed my hand on it.
[Door. Lock broken. Restoration Cost: 2 Ether]
"That's all I have," I said and used my ability.
The lock clicked, and the door opened.
Inside was dark and dusty, but dry. The wind didn't get in. In the corner was an old sofa and... Oh, God, what is this? A generator!
A diesel generator. And next to it, several jerrycans.
If my luck is -10, then these cans must be empty.
I shook a can. Half full.
"Hah!" I laughed. "Screw you, mathematics! My luck is variable!"
Maybe this gasoline is old, maybe the generator doesn't work. But I have the power of the "Restorer." Tomorrow morning, after I gather my strength, I will turn this place into my personal palace. I'll turn on the electric lights. Maybe even take a hot shower.
I collapsed onto the sofa. It smelled of dust and mold, but to me, it felt like a royal throne.
"Welcome, Mr. Liam," I whispered to myself, closing my eyes. "Welcome to your new life. Tomorrow... tomorrow we take this world apart and put it back together."
Just then, outside, a terrible howling was heard in the distance. It wasn't the sound of a Rusted Hound. It was something much bigger, much more evil. And it seemed to be getting closer.
I smiled.
"Come on then," I whispered as sleep overtook me. "I have a 'Ctrl+Z' button, you idiots."