'System, is the old man the one who brought me here?'
[Searching... No information found on the individual 'Old Man.']
'Of course.'
Everything in Vio's mind fell into place. The last person he spoke to was the old man, and even the nonsense the man had repeatedly spouted started to make some sense now.
[Please provide a name for the system to search again.]
'He's mocking me,' Vio muttered, a bitter smile on his face as he recalled the past.
He had met the old man eight years ago, right after his family collapsed. For nearly four years, the man had stuck by him. Then, Vio forged his own path and carved out a space for himself among the elite.
During that time, he gained influence and became able to gather information on anyone, no matter how powerful. Yet, he failed to learn anything about the old man—not even his name.
"Don't wear yourself out," the old man had said with a smug smile. "You'll only know what I want you to know. Focus on what matters and leave the rest for later."
The echo of the man's arrogant tone still lingered in Vio's mind.
'Alright, you want to play games? Let's play then.'
[Mission #1: 'The Hero Must Survive']
Type: Story Mission
Requirements: Activate story mode.
Restrictions: One week.
Description:
The hero awakens to find himself in a hostile place. Since the hero is still weak and pathetic, he must do what pathetic people do: run away.
Objective:
Save your skin boy—or should I say, save your metal.
Rewards for Mission Completion:
100 EXP
22 Plastic
20 Metal
5 Steel
Item: The Unseen Eye That Sees All.
Side Missions and Their Rewards:
1 point for every life taken by the hero.
Earn a special weapon if no alarm is triggered.
1 EXP for every 1% of battery recharged.
Penalty for Failure: Moderate punishment: The hero will see what he does not wish to see.
Vio read carefully. The mission was clear, and it even addressed some of his doubts.
'So, I really am in some kind of camp. But what's with the punishment and this battery recharge thing?'
Instead of the heart-stop punishment, which had been an outright threat, the penalty was now something far more ominous—being forced to see something he didn't want to. What unsettled him even more was how the punishment was categorized.
'What do they mean by 'moderate punishment'? Are they trying to say it's worse than death?'
In previous missions, a heart-stop punishment was a minor punishment.
[The hero must discover this himself.]
'And the battery recharge?'
[The hero must discover this himself.]
Realizing he wouldn't get answers, Vio shifted his focus to the ability, which he could tell was clearly written by the old man.
Passive Abilities:
Boy, Life is Tough in Alam:
A natural fiber sheath surrounds the hero's frame, adhering tightly and allowing color customization.
'Let's try this.'
With a thought, the orb near his heart began to glow. A slimy substance emerged from it, covering his chest. It didn't stop there; the material kept flowing out like a fountain, moving as if alive.
Finally, it stopped, ensuring that every part of his metallic body was covered.
Vio stared at the phenomenon as the material began to tighten around him, becoming thinner until it adhered to him like a skin. Lines appeared, forming the contours of muscles—chest, shoulders, abdomen, and more. In seconds, the metallic frame disappeared, replaced by the appearance of a naturally muscular human body.
'What the...?'
He moved his hands, watching the muscles flex. He tightened them further, making veins appear prominently. Whatever this was, anyone who saw him now would find it impossible to think he wasn't human. The only problem was the color—the material was a deep violet, making him look alien.
But, as the ability suggested, Vio thought of a color that matched the tone of his facial skin. The material shifted instantly, mimicking his complexion like a chameleon.
'This is amazing. Well, one problem solved, at least.'
Vio didn't know much about the world he was in, but from the reactions of the soldiers when they saw him, he guessed that something like a cyborg wasn't common here.
'Alright, I think it's time to get out of here.'
He crouched over one of the corpses, searching through the clothes while commanding the system to explain the purpose of the resources.
A window appeared next to him, accompanied by a cold voice in his mind.
[Resources are materials obtained from missions. They are used for immediate repairs, upgrades, and crafting.]
From the pockets of the deceased, he pulled out a few pouches filled with transparent, colorless stones.
'Is this the currency of this world?'
Setting them aside, he began removing the soldier's clothes. It was a frustrating task since he didn't understand their design.
'Man, how do they even wear these things?'
After struggling, he finally stripped one of them and moved on to an even harder task—wearing the clothes himself.
'System, do you know how to...'
[The system cannot assist the hero.]
'Of course you can't. Anyway, repeat; I didn't catch it.'
[Resources are materials obtained through missions. Their purpose is immediate repair, upgrades, and crafting.]
'I see, I see. Wait—repair I already know, upgrades, and crafting?'
[upgrades: The hero can upgrade his mechanical parts using the required resources.]
[Crafting: The hero can create items by spending the required resources on engineering blueprints.]
Vio exhaled heavily as he finally finished the battle of putting on the clothes.
'Show me what I can upgrade.'
[Upgrades]
CyborgHeart Level 1
Maximum Capacity: 100 Energy Units.
CyborgHeart Level 2
Maximum Capacity: 200 Energy Units.
Required Resources:
30 Plastic
55 Metal
22 Steel
1 Battery Cell
Frowned as Vio glanced again at the resources he had collected so far.
[Resources]
15 Plastic, 35 Metal, 10 Steel
It seemed unlikely he'd be able to upgrade anytime soon, especially considering the new item, Battery Cell, which appeared to be rare given the quantity required.
'Let me guess—even after upgrading, recharging won't be automatic, right?'
[Charging and upgrading are two separate things.]
'Of course, of course,' Vio muttered, cursing whoever had designed the system.
The clothes were uncomfortable due to their poor fit, but it was all he had for now.
'What about the blueprints you mentioned?' he asked while rummaging through the desk drawers.
[The hero can purchase them from the store.]
He froze mid-movement.
'There's a store in the system?'
[Yes.]
'What are you waiting for, then? Show me.'
[The store is locked. The hero must reach Level 5 to unlock it.]
He stood still, staring at the words as if glaring directly at the system itself.
'Let's cut the shit. Are there other things?'
[The system cannot comprehend the question. Please rephrase.]
He took a deep breath.
'I mean, are there any other windows I haven't seen yet?'
[There is the Inventory Window.]
'Inventory?'
He was about to command the system to open it but stopped himself, calming down first.
'What do you mean by inventory?'
Tired of his enthusiasm always getting crushed, he decided to clarify things before diving in.
[The hero cannot understand. Simplification in progress...]
'I'm the one who can't understand, you rotten thing.'
[The inventory is a space outside the hero's physical location, where items can be stored and retrieved at will. Anything else?]
It seemed that Vio wasn't the only one losing patience. The system, oddly enough, appeared to have feelings as well.
A smile crept onto his face as his excitement began to rise again.
'Alright, show it to me.'
Things would be much easier if he didn't have to carry everything on his back.
[The inventory is locked. The hero must reach Level 5 to unlock it.]
'One day, I'll reach you. Remember that.'
[Does the hero wish to save to external data?]
'Forget it. Ignore that.'
Anyone who had known Vio and saw his annoyed expression now would be shocked, as he was famous for his icy demeanor. The system seemed to know exactly how to get on his nerves.
Returning to the wooden drawers, Vio found a piece of cloth that seemed to be made from the hide of some animal. Unfolding it, he saw scribbles that at first glance resembled a map, thought of what, no idea.
'You said external data can be stored. Can you save this map?'
[The system cannot.]
'Why, you worthless piece of—why?'
[A medium is required to scan the object.]
'Whatever.'
He stuffed the map into the folds of his poorly fitting clothes and noticed something else in the drawer.
"What's this thing?" Picking it up, he examined it.
It appeared to be an emblem. He took it as well, ready to leave—it might come in handy, after all.
But just before stepping out, a thought struck him.
'Am I crazy? I almost forgot the swords!'
Because of his skill that enhanced the power of his punches, he had nearly overlooked the fact that swords were still the better option.
Looking down at the ground, he discovered that, aside from the corpses and the blood pooling around them as though forming a small pond, there was no trace of any swords.