~----~
[ChronoSystem Rebooting…]
[Synchronization with Neural Core: Success]
[Welcome, Engineer Leon Ardent – Temporal Signature Verified]
[You have received your first Mission: Survive the First Cycle]
>Endure one full Neo-Tokaran day while maintaining neural-temporal stability, proving you belong to this era.
(NOTE: A "Cycle" is a full environmental rotation of Neo-Tokara's ADE flux field- roughly 24 hours of unstable Aetheric weather.)
…
[You have received a sub Objective: Construct a Power Source]
>Your System can't keep you alive if it can't stay online. Build its heart.
…
[Both Missions are synchronized and rewards for both will be given in synchrony with each other after completing both missions.]
[Mission Reward: +20 Data Points, Ascendant Awakening – F Rank, Class Awakening, Full System Awakening, Additional Random Rewards]
~----~
"Well, I'll be damned".
Staring at the HUD screen that was in front of him, Leon remained frozen as countless thoughts went through his head at the same time.
'A System? Neo-Tokara? What is that?'
In the end, filtering his thoughts, he settled on just two. 'Survive a Full Cycle huh?' He looked into the distance, at the neon storms in the horizon. 'That means I should survive my first day in this world right, wherever this is?'
'And a Power Source…'
Leon had a lot of questions that he wanted answers to, but he knew that he could not rush it. His fragmented memories meant that he was in the dark.
This ChronoSystem, whatever it is was his only source of answers at this moment if it is what he thought it is. And so, he knew that he had to be patient and complete all its missions.
Talking of constructing a Power Source, the first thing that his mind went to was the Rabbit, that weird half-organic and half-drone beast.
Thinking of its unique state of existence, he could not help the engineer curiosity in him flaring as his eyes glimmered brightly. "A unique organism like that. It's clear that it's not just organic, it's powered by a reactor or something similar".
"If I can harvest its organs, maybe I can use them as a base for my Power Source".
"Also, food". He salivated.
He didn't know if that Rabbit was edible, but at this moment, he was starving, and since this System didn't warn him of it being poisonous, he was inclined to go ahead with his plan and solve his food problem.
With the water still, his clean water problem was already solved.
And so, with a set plan in his head, Leon moved, dragging his tired limbs across the ruined expanse of this wasteland.
Tracking the Rabbit was not hard.
The last time, it radiated with a blue light and after injuring it with that flash, when it scurried away, it left a few radiant blue dust in its wake like blood.
"Wow, is this it's version of blood?"
"What a fantastical creature!"
All Leon had to do was follow the trail left by the blue crystalline dust. Along the way, he armed himself with a wrench that he scavenged.
When he found the Rabbit again, it was resting by a rock, its metallic ribs heaving up and down with a steady rhythm as its eyes were almost half-closed. It was still bleeding the blue crystalline dust.
It was clear that it won't survive past today.
Leon felt a little bad killing such a wondrous beast, but he had a mission, and so he had to complete it.
WANK!
One violent hit to the head and the Rabbit jerked before going still. It was dead.
"Sorry buddy, but you're needed for scientific purposes".
Quickly approaching it, he scavenged parts from it and like he expected, it had cybernetic organs with intricate wiring.
"Wow!" He exclaimed in wonder as he dissected the beast. A few minutes later, he harvested it's most important organ, a biomechanical heart- it was literally a living energy coil!
And that was when the HUD screen lit up again.
DING!
~----~
[You have killed your first Neon Beast!]
[You have harvested its Bio-aether Heart!]
…
The System overlaid a translucent schematic mid-air, highlighting compatible parts to the Power Source design that he had in mind.
…
[Blueprint Alignment: 72%]
~----~
Leon stared at the HUD screen. "Neon Beast huh?" He looked at the dead Rabbit. "Buddy, is that what you're called?"
He didn't hesitate after that as taking what he harvested from the Rabbit with him, he returned back to the underground facility where he woke up.
By now, an hour already passed since he woke up.
The reason why he came back here was simple; the moment that the System gave him the Power Source mission, he created a blueprint in his mind, and part of the resources he had in mind were components of the stasis capsule where he woke up from.
He recognized what it was after finally getting his bearings. 'I wonder how I ended up in a stasis capsule… my memory is still hazy'.
Leon took a deep breath before descending back into the facility.
He coughed, trying to deal with the stale air and low oxygen. But once he got used to it a bit, he quickly went to work as he scavenged parts of the capsule.
Once he was done with scavenging, he sat down, went over his blueprint and the resources at hand again before he began construction.
The process is tactile and deliberate as with a scavenged hammer he found in the ruin outside, he started hammering, melting and fusing. There was a still active furnace in the facility that he used to melt metal.
The Assembly part was half instinct and half driven by divine guidance from the System who kept on updating his progress and directing him.
Hours later, sparks hissed, then a soft thrummm echoed as with it, warmth flooded the chamber.
The construct was complete.
What presented itself before him was a square-shaped power reactor.
The Bio-aether Heart of the Rabbit was the core of the reactor, and it glowed blueish white at the center. Its perimeter was covered and protected with the metal alloys that Leon scavenged for the construction.
Sighing in relief and wiping his sweat, Leon connected it to the Power House of the derelict and dilapidated facility after removing the previous Power Source as he waited in anticipation. He was excited.
A second passed, two seconds, three, and just as he was about to sigh in disappointment, it happened…
Click!
Light refracted through the dust- the first human-made illumination in centuries.
"Yes!" Leon grinned with pride and satisfaction.
The HUD screen appeared again.
DING!
~----~
[Construct Complete: Basic ADE Converter v0.1]
[Power flow stable. Core calibration: 43% efficiency.]
[Mission Complete: Construct a Power Source.]
[You have been rewarded with 10 Data Points.]
~----~
"Data Points huh?" Leon smiled. "I don't know what it means yet, but I'll keep it. I'll get the other 10 after a full day has passed, right?"
"I wonder how many hours it's been since I woke up".
As he thought of that, the HUD screen lit up again.
~----~
[Cycle 06/24 Hours – Survival Synchronization in Progress]
~----~
"6 hours? Damn, I still have a long way to go". He groaned.
Of course, Leon didn't just work for the past hours.
Apart from harvesting the Rabbit's biomechanical organs, he also harvested its meat and by roasting it through the furnace though he ended up burning it a bit, he managed to solve his hunger problem.
Leon didn't leave the underground facility again. He may not have met any danger yet apart from the Rabbit, but he was not dumb. Though he didn't understand why yet, he knew that the world was not normal.
To be on the safe side, he stayed holed up inside the facility waiting it out.
During this time, to keep himself busy, he tried to interact with the System and get to understand it but it barely responded, simply pointing that he wait out the First Cycle.
Leon was so pissed at some point that he resorted to cursing the System, and of course, it didn't answer.
"Motherf*cker!" He grumbled.
Other times, idle and with nothing to do, he speculated the System's origins, why it choose him, what his fragmented memories actually were but like expected, he came back with nothing.
He slept. And when he woke up, he decided to explore the underground facility. It had multiple rooms and halls, but everything was already lost to the merciless ravaging of time.
The HUD screen lit up again.
~----~
[Cycle synchronization – Phase 1 complete (12/24 hrs)]
[Initiating Core Calibration Protocol…]
~----~
"This Core Calibration Protocol, what does it even mean?"
He barely uttered it when suddenly, light flickered in his vision as he experienced a mild temporal lag.
"…!" Leon was alarmed but he was no longer in control of his body.
Objects began to jitter in his mind as voices of past engineers echoed faintly in the background. He didn't know why, but the hidden meaning in these voices came to him naturally; they were audio ghosts from Project Genesis.
A hidden message fragment also played. "…If anyone wakes up in the future, remember, creation is continuity…"
"…You now carry the torch of humanity".
When it stopped, Leon was left breathing heavily, his heart pounding against his chest as he leaned against the wall. He was horrified. "W-what was that?"
"Am I… from the past?"
Of course, the bastard System wouldn't answer, and so he waited, curiosity biting at him even harder now but he knew he had to be patient.
Hours later, too bored to stay idle, strolling around the underground facility, he noticed something else; he noticed chunks of crystals embedded on the melted ground and the HUD screen lit up again.
~----~
[Material Identified: Flux Crystal – Tier F Energy Catalyst]
[Blueprint Unlocked: Portable Energy Cell (Primitive).]
~----~
"Blueprint?" Leon's eyes sparkled.
For once, the System did more. Was it only him, or was it evolving?
He quickly pocketed several of the crystals, feeling a sense of achievement again before trudging away like a man who just found gold.
Time ticked forward hour by hour and Leon kept himself busy.
And before he knew it, the HUD screen interrupted him again.
DING!
~----~
[Cycle 01 Complete – Neural Stabilization achieved!]
[Mission Complete: Survive the First Cycle]
[Reward: …]
~----~
"YES! Finally!" Leon quickly sat up.