"[First Task: Kill five Martian monsters]"
Tatehan stared forward in shock.
Kill five Martian creatures?
He didn't even know what types of creatures lived on this planet. Shouldn't he be learning about them instead of fighting so soon?
In fact, he ought to be training first.
His system didn't give him time to ask questions:
[With your enhanced body, mind, and abilities, killing five Martian creatures should be manageable.]
Tatehan furrowed his brow.
Manageable?
Easy for an AI to say.
"Then how do I breathe on Mars?"
"[Mars has been terraformed by humans to meet living conditions]"
Tatehan inhaled and exhaled briefly. His first task was to kill five martian monsters. Apart from the fact that he had no idea what monsters lived here, he wasn't really a great fighter. The thought of hunting alien creatures made his chest tighten.
"What about weapons?"
"[You'll find what you need as you explore.]" the AI replied.
He wanted to ask what type of creatures he was to be facing and how to fight them, but then he stopped. The AI had given him enhanced abilities for a reason. Complaining wouldn't change the task.
Now, he approached what he assumed was the ship's exit - a section of the curved wall that looked no different from the rest, except for a faint outline barely visible in the dim light.
"How do I get out?" he asked aloud.
"[Place your hand on the exit panel]" the AI responded. "[The ship will recognize your biometric signature.]"
He pressed his palm against the outlined section. The metal felt warm under his touch and with a soft hum, the wall began to iris open with a mechanical whisper, revealing the Martian landscape beyond.
The opening widened into a circular doorway about six feet in diameter. A ramp extended automatically, its surface textured for grip, leading down to the rust-colored ground below.
Tatehan stared in amazement. Never in his life had he imagined he would stand on Mars, much less walk on its surface.
He hesitated at the exit. The air outside carried a different quality - thinner than Earth's, with a metallic tang that made his enhanced lungs work slightly harder.
Through the opening, he could see rocky outcroppings and distant hills under the alien orange sky.
"[Atmospheric readings indicate breathable air quality]" the AI informed him. "[Your enhanced physiology should adapt within moments. However, be advised: multiple life forms detected within a two-kilometer radius. Those are likely the Martian monsters. Good luck.]"
Taking a deep breath of the recycled ship air, Tatehan stepped onto the ramp. The metal was solid under his feet, though it swayed slightly as it supported his weight.
He was about to set foot on an alien world to hunt alien monsters with powers he barely understood.
The thought struck him that all humans on Mars must have enhanced bodies like his. Even with terraforming, the planet probably wasn't perfectly suited to normal human physiology.
He wondered how long it would be before he encountered other humans or found a settlement.
With that thought, Tatehan began walking forward. As soon as he left the spaceship, the entrance sealed shut behind him.
He paused and looked back at the vessel. From outside, it appeared broken and battered - like a derelict wreck. No one would guess it was still functioning, much less that it had once belonged to one of the most powerful Space Dragons ever to exist.
He turned forward, scanning the horizon for movement.
The sky above cast everything in an orange hue that created unusual lighting. His shadow fell at a strange angle, so different from Earth that for a moment he mistook it for some lurking creature.
The wind was gentle but persistent, carrying fine red dust that settled on everything - the rocks, the sparse vegetation, even his skin. It had an acrid scent, like burnt metal mixed with something organic he couldn't identify.
Ahead, rocky outcroppings jutted from the ground, worn smooth by centuries of wind. Patches of hardy vegetation clung to crevices in the stone, their leaves an odd purple-green that seemed wrong to his Earth-trained eyes.
The landscape seemed empty of life, making him doubt he would find any monsters here. But he kept moving, and when he glanced back, he was surprised to see how far he'd traveled from the spaceship.
How would he get back?
He continued walking, noting that his steps felt lighter than they had on Earth. Each stride carried him farther with less effort. He tested it, pushing off harder, his body launched forward three meters easily. The enhanced muscles combined with lower gravity made him feel almost weightless.
Tatehan halted when he saw strange markings on the rocks ahead. Examining them closer, he found deep scratch marks - as if Martian creatures had sharpened their claws here.
He could see dried stains that might be blood, alien or otherwise. Whatever made these marks had claws that could gouge solid stone.
Tatehan hesitated before moving forward because now he could hear sounds carried on the wind - scraping, clicking, low growls.
Sounds his normal human ears would have missed, but his enhanced hearing picked up clearly. Each noise painted a picture: something with multiple legs, something with chitinous armor scraping rock, something big enough to produce that bass rumble.
He paused, waiting for whatever was making those sounds to come closer. If he were still Gavin, he would have been spinning in circles, paranoid about being ambushed from any direction.
But with this enhanced body, such fears seemed unnecessary. His hearing extended in all directions. He could track three separate sound sources, none directly behind him.
Still, Tatehan waited...
Patiently...
He flexed his fingers experimentally. The enhanced muscles responded with startling precision. Even without weapons, his body felt like it could do damage.
The sounds drew nearer, and all of Tatehan's enhanced senses went on high alert.
He squinted his eyes, adopting a runner's stance. His heart rate slowed instead of spiking, another effect of the enhancement, keeping him calm when he should be terrified.
Suddenly, he heard thunderous footsteps approaching at incredible speed.
A crazy vigorous roar echoed across the landscape.
Then came a wild, ferocious leap from the rocks above.