[DAY 1 — VERSE TIME: 00:00:03]
[LOCATION: Eastern Frontline – Siege of Volkov, Alt-WWII]
[OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE | EXTRACT | BONUS: ELIMINATE NECROMECH OFFICER]
---
Snow. Fire. Screaming metal.
The world exploded into Kai Morgan's senses like a waking nightmare. One moment, he was lying on a hospital bench in Earth's crumbling district clinic, holding Lily's little hand, drifting off from exhaustion. The next—
BOOM.
He was face-first in snow-turned-sludge, ears ringing, lungs burning from the acrid sting of burning gas, and heart hammering as tracer rounds screamed through the blackened sky. A siren howled in the distance—somewhere between a wolf's cry and a mechanical alarm.
[SYSTEM BOOTING…]
Welcome, Kai Morgan. You have entered the Verse.
Tutorial Mission: Operation Black Rain
Mission Timer: 9 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes
Mission Parameters: Survive | Extract | Optional Kill Objective
He gagged, coughing out black spit as the ground vibrated again. A shell struck somewhere nearby, tossing a broken tank tread end-over-end through the air. It landed ten meters from him with a crunch and a wet slap of something human.
Kai pushed himself upright, dazed.
He was wearing a woolen winter coat, tattered and bloodstained. A gas mask hung from his neck. In his gloved hands, a rusted bolt-action rifle—scratched but solid. His breath formed ghosts in the frigid air, the smoke from the trenches mixing with ash from burning trees.
The smell was unforgettable: rot, gunpowder, oil, and fear.
A soldier scrambled past him, his face pale under a cracked helmet.
"Move! MOVE! The Necros are breaking through the third trench!"
Kai blinked. "Necros?"
Then he saw them.
Through the veil of snow and smoke, lurching forms in black iron trenchcoats advanced steadily—Necromechs. Eight feet tall, humanoid machines stitched with organic muscle and steel, eyes glowing faintly red. One stopped and raised an arm—THUNK—a pneumatic launcher fired something hissing and green into the sky.
Kai didn't wait.
He dropped to his stomach just as the gas shell exploded overhead.
SHHHHHHHT
A green mist rolled in. Soldiers nearby started screaming as their skin bubbled and lungs collapsed. One man clawed at his mask as it melted into his face.
Kai yanked his mask over his mouth with trembling hands.
[SYSTEM TIP – TUTORIAL BONUS TRIGGERED]
You've equipped your gas mask within 5 seconds of toxic exposure.
🎖️ Tutorial Skill Gained: "Gas Protocol Lv. 1"
→ Reduces gas damage by 15%. Mask equip speed boosted.
⚠️ Tutorial skills are temporary and will vanish after Mission 1 unless upgraded with VP.
"Jesus Christ," he muttered.
There was no time to think. A nearby soldier screamed and collapsed as a burst of plasma tore through him, the Necromechs now firing in sync. A corporal was dragged into a trench, her body twitching as a psychic bolt crushed her skull from within.
He has just one thought in his head Survive
---
[DAY 1 — VERSE TIME: 00:02:47]
[Eastern Trenchline – Sector C]
Kai dropped into a half-collapsed trench, landing beside a dead teenager—barely older than Lily—clutching a rifle and missing half her head. He didn't flinch. Not this time. The shock had been beaten into numbness.
He took the girl's ammunition belt, wrenched it free, and jammed it into his coat.
Gunfire cracked overhead. A necromech's head exploded like a melon, but it didn't fall—they never did until you took out the spine. A trench sergeant barked orders ahead.
"We're holding this sector! All remaining infantry regroup! FIRE ON MY MARK!"
Kai saw an opportunity: fallen soldiers, scattered weapons, a mounted machine gun behind a shattered barricade.
Tactician. Not fighter. Use the field.
He moved, crouched low, stripping two grenades from a corpse and rolling under twisted barbed wire. The MG was functional. Kai jammed the belt into the feed, twisted the crank—
RAT-A-TAT-A-TAT-TAT!
Brass flew as he swept the snowbank where three Necromechs had begun flanking.
Ping! Ping! Clank!
One went down, the steel jaw splintering from his focus-fire.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Direct Kill – Necromech Unit: +15 VP
Bonus Objective Progress: 3%
Then the second raised a psychic disruptor. Kai saw it glow, felt the air stiffen—
THUMP!
A mortar landed ten feet from him.
The blast sent him flying into the trench wall.
---
[DAY 2 — VERSE TIME: 00:14:10]
He woke to flickering darkness. His left arm was numb. A medic leaned over him, wrapping gauze around his ribs.
"Hey. You're lucky. The impact cracked two ribs, but you're alive. What's your name?"
"Kai."
The medic glanced at the rank insignia on Kai's arm.
"Recruit, huh? Damn. You took out three mechs in your first firefight."
Kai nodded, barely hearing. He stared at the HUD flickering faintly in the corner of his vision.
[CURRENT VP: 58]
[TUTORIAL SKILLS ACQUIRED: 2]
→ Gas Protocol Lv. 1
→ Field Machine Gunner (Lv. 1) – Bonus to heavy weapon use, accuracy in suppression fire
⚠️ Tutorial skills will expire post-mission unless upgraded.
Kai sat up. "Where's command?"
"Dead. Psychic stormtroopers got them yesterday. Orders now come from anyone who can keep people alive."
The medic handed him a revolver. "So... maybe that's you."
---
[DAY 3 – MISSION TIME: 29%]
[Eastern Front, Rearline Bunker – Briefing Room]
A rough map was spread across a bloodied table.
"Kai Morgan," a tall scout said. "You've been leading three squads through this hell. That earns you a shot at something bigger."
"Go on."
"Intel says a Necromech Officer is directing this assault. You kill him, you get the extract codes early. You all go home."
"And if I don't?"
"We hold out nine more days. That's suicide. Your call."
Kai looked around. Emaciated soldiers stared at him—hope flickering behind fear.
He studied the map. Weak points. Ammo reserves. Tunnel entrances. He could do it. Probably. But the risks...
Then he noticed something else.
Another tunnel. Unmarked. Possibly an escape route... or maybe something worse.
Morality forked.
Choice A: Take a team and attempt the assassination. High risk, high reward.
Choice B: Escape using the tunnel. Abandon the others and guarantee survival.
He closed his eyes. Thought of Lily.
Then he picked up the map.
---
[SYSTEM UPDATE – MORALITY FLAG TRIGGERED]
You've chosen to lead a high-risk offensive to save other players.
🎖️ Rank Evaluation: Recruit ➜ Private
+55 VP
+Leadership Trait Unlocked: Iron Resolve
→ Allies near you resist fear effects. Command bonus unlocked.
[NEW MISSION OBJECTIVE ADDED]
ASSASSINATE NECROMECH OFFICER
→ VP Bonus: +300
→ Early Extraction Unlock
---
[DAY 4 – VERSE TIME: 00:46:33]
The strike team was ready. Twelve soldiers. Three grenadiers. One dying sniper. And Kai—rifle on his back, revolver loaded, one final grenade strapped to his chest.
"We go at midnight," he said.
A girl saluted. "You lead, we follow."
Thunder rolled above. Snow fell in waves.
He inhaled deep.
Time to make it count.