The morning light filtered through the broken windows of the abandoned building Kael and Lumi were using as a hideout. Kael stretched, rolling his shoulders and flexing his fingers. The previous day's battles had left him sore, but now his mind buzzed with possibilities.
[Daily Mission Available: Survive 24 hours using only merged materials. Reward: Resource Pack x5]
Kael scowled. He'd already survived a couple of battles, merged weapons and pills, and fought a rival system user. What else did the system want from him?
"Come on, sleepyhead!" Lumi's voice echoed from across the room. She was already perched on a broken beam, juggling shards of glass with exaggerated flair. "We've got materials to merge! Weapons to make! Chaos to cause!"
Kael groaned. "Fine, fine. But today we do it smart. No crazy illusions, no rushing, and no almost-dying."
Lumi gasped in mock offense. "Almost-dying? I'm offended on your behalf. And me, of course." She hopped down gracefully, landing in a puff of dust.
Kael shook his head, half amused, half exasperated. "Right. Let's… gather materials."
---
Experimentation Begins
Kael stepped into the ruins near the hideout, scanning the area for scrap. Broken metal, shattered glass, rotting wood, and piles of concrete rubble littered the streets. He began picking up materials, tapping the system interface.
[Select Materials]
He chose a bent metal pipe, shards of glass, and a rusted canister. Streams of blue light wrapped around the components, fusing them into a compact throwing cannon that could shoot metal projectiles at high speed.
"Whoa," Lumi said, eyes wide. "That's… actually impressive."
Kael grinned. "I'm not just swinging a sword anymore. I can… make stuff that's actually useful."
He experimented further:
Merging a broken skateboard and metal scraps produced a rapid-movement hoverboard for short distances.
Combining shards of glass, scraps of chemical residue, and scraps of metal produced blinding flash grenades.
Mixing bent pipes and concrete chunks formed a reinforced polearm.
Lumi clapped enthusiastically. "Look at you! Scrap Demon strikes again!"
Kael laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Let's see if we can test these."
---
The Minor Gang Encounter
Kael and Lumi were scavenging when they heard shouting from a nearby street. A small gang of rogue ability users—no more than five—was attempting to loot a pile of supplies left from before the apocalypse.
Kael peered around the corner. The gang leader was a scrawny boy with a neon-green aura, waving a jagged metal blade.
Lumi grinned. "Oh, look! A bunch of idiots picking on supplies. This is our chance to test merges in real combat."
Kael's fingers hovered over the system interface. He selected nearby materials: twisted pipes, shards of glass, and rusted barrels. Streams of light wrapped around the components, merging them into:
Explosive metal bolas – perfect for immobilizing multiple targets.
Shielded throwing knives – small but deadly.
A collapsible barricade – to block escape routes.
Kael signaled Lumi, who immediately conjured illusions of massive, clawed beasts charging at the gang. The gang panicked, swinging wildly at phantom monsters.
Kael hurled the explosive bolas. Two gang members went flying, crashing into a pile of rubble. The third tried to charge him, but Kael's reinforced polearm intercepted the attack with a satisfying clang.
Lumi's illusions added chaos: a giant ghostly hand grabbed the gang leader, who stumbled back and fell onto Kael's barricade, effectively trapping him.
Within minutes, the gang was either unconscious or fleeing, their loot scattered. Kael and Lumi looted the area carefully, merging the materials into a reusable supply cache—a combination of metal crate, reinforced glass lid, and chemical stabilization shards.
Lumi whistled. "See? Scrap Demon strikes again. And now we've got… well… actual stuff we can use."
Kael nodded, a grin spreading across his face. "I'm starting to see how far this system can go. It's not flashy… but it's powerful."
---
Testing the System
Back at the hideout, Kael began experimenting further. The system responded to his creativity in ways he hadn't expected.
Merging multiple materials at once:
Three broken pipes, metal scraps, and shards of glass formed a dual-barrel energy blaster.
Rotten wood, metal sheets, and chemical residue became a temporary camouflage armor, blending him into ruins.
A pile of metal, glass, and leftover wires formed a makeshift drone capable of scouting the surrounding area.
Kael marveled at his own creations. "I can… really turn trash into treasure."
Lumi leaned on the wall, watching. "I like this. You're like a walking… apocalyptic Swiss army knife."
Kael chuckled. "Scrap Demon. Remember?"
"Yes, yes. You're humble, too." Lumi grinned. "Let's see how these creations work in… a trial run!"
---
Trial Run: Obstacle Course
Kael set up a small obstacle course in the hideout: rubble piles, broken walls, and narrow pathways. He tested each merge:
The hoverboard zipped him across broken floors in seconds.
Throwing knives accurately struck suspended targets.
The energy blaster shredded metal doors with ease.
"Not bad," he muttered. "Not bad at all."
Lumi clapped. "I knew you had it in you. And tomorrow… we can try combining multiple merges at once. Now that will be chaos."
Kael smiled, feeling the thrill of creation. For the first time, survival felt like a game he could win, not a constant struggle against despair.
---
Evening Reflection
As night fell, Kael and Lumi sat atop the hideout's roof, overlooking the ruins. The city was quiet, the occasional howl of beasts or distant shouts of rogue users breaking the silence.
Kael reflected on the day. He had merged, fought, scavenged, and survived. The system had already changed his life. He thought about Zephyr, the rival system user from yesterday, and the Unknown Signal event that still pulsed faintly in the system interface.
He wondered what lay ahead. More rivals? Larger gangs? Maybe even hints about the true origin of abilities—or the apocalypse itself.
Kael sighed, but for the first time, it wasn't a sigh of defeat. It was a sigh of anticipation.
Lumi leaned on his shoulder, yawning. "You're going to be a legend someday, you know that?"
Kael smiled faintly. "Yeah… maybe."
The ruins below them seemed less threatening tonight. For the first time, Kael felt like he belonged—not because of a flashy ability, but because of the power of his own hands, his own creativity, and the strange, glowing system that had given him a second chance.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: New Event "Unknown Signal" unlocked. Level 2 Merge Mastery achieved.]
Kael's heart skipped a beat. The signal. The system. Something beyond survival was calling him.
He looked at Lumi. "Tomorrow… we go looking for answers."
Lumi grinned. "Adventure time! Scrap Demon style."
And with that, Kael finally allowed himself to sleep, dreams filled with glowing blue light, merging scraps, and possibilities beyond the ruins of Ashvale City.