Episode 2 — "The Desert Trial"
The heat clawed at Kujo's lungs. Two suns beat down from a sky the color of molten brass, and the sand underfoot shimmered like ripples in boiling water.
Crathis-4.
The name echoed in his head, courtesy of the voice that had been there since last night.
[Current World: Crathis-4]
[Climate: Desert Class]
[Gravity: 1.2x Earth]
[Opponent Assigned: Rank 40 Desert Warlord — Garrusk]
Kujo swallowed against the dryness already forming in his throat. Forty ranks above him. Even if he'd just leveled from nothing to ten, that was still a canyon-sized gap.
The figure from the rocks loomed closer now. A monster of a man, his shoulders draped in strips of faded red cloth. His arms were like living stone, muscle piled atop muscle. A mask of bone concealed his face except for two glowing slits for eyes.
"You're soft," Garrusk said, voice like grinding boulders. "This will be quick."
Kujo's fingers flexed. Instinct Combat — his only ability. It wasn't flashy. It didn't shoot fire or bend metal. But it had kept him alive once. It could again.
"Guess we'll find out," Kujo muttered.
The warlord moved like a collapsing wall — fast for his size, every step a quake in the sand. Kujo sidestepped, barely avoiding the swing of a fist that would've shattered bone. Instinct flared in his nerves, urging him to duck low, and he did, feeling the heat of another strike cut the air above his head.
Sand exploded under Garrusk's feet as he pivoted. Kujo went for the ribs, driving a punch into the cloth-wrapped side. It was like hitting solid rock. Pain shot up his arm.
Garrusk didn't even grunt. "Weak."
The giant's elbow caught Kujo in the chest. The air left his lungs in a rush. He hit the sand hard, the sky spinning.
[Vitality: 72%]
The voice in his head was calm, clinical, unbothered by the fact that he could barely breathe.
Kujo rolled aside just in time as Garrusk's foot slammed down, sending a burst of sand into the air. He couldn't win by matching strength. That much was clear.
So he'd have to fight like he had in the alley — ugly, desperate, relentless.
Garrusk's fist came down. Kujo caught the forearm with both hands, twisting with every ounce of leverage he could find. The warlord shifted, overbalanced, and Kujo surged forward, smashing his head into the bone mask. The impact rattled his skull, but a crack split across the mask's surface.
The warlord roared, stumbling back. His voice was louder now, angrier. "You dare—"
Kujo didn't let him finish. He was already moving, sprinting in a wide arc, sand spraying under his boots. Instinct guided him to the left, then forward, ducking under a wild swing, coming up close enough to slam a fist into the cracked mask again. The bone splintered, revealing part of Garrusk's jaw — scarred and covered in deep red markings.
The warlord's other hand lashed out, grabbing Kujo by the throat. He lifted him off the ground with terrifying ease.
[Vitality: 49%]
The air thinned in Kujo's lungs. His vision darkened at the edges.
But the grip loosened — not because of mercy, but because Kujo's knee had driven into Garrusk's unarmored ribs with every bit of force he could muster. Once. Twice. A third time. Something gave way with a sharp, wet sound.
The warlord dropped him, clutching his side.
Kujo hit the sand, sucking in air, his body screaming to stay down. He didn't listen. He pushed to his feet and charged, swinging a fist that connected square with the exposed jaw. Garrusk staggered.
Instinct screamed at him: Finish it now.
Kujo planted his foot, twisted, and let his whole body follow through with a punch that cracked against Garrusk's temple. The warlord swayed, eyes flickering. One more hit.
Kujo leapt, driving his fist down like a hammer. Garrusk crashed into the sand and didn't move.
For a moment, there was only the sound of Kujo's breathing and the hiss of wind across the dunes.
[Battle Complete]
[Victory Achieved]
[Level Increased: 10 → 20]
[New Ability Unlocked: Sand Resistance]
[Description: Reduces fatigue and disorientation caused by desert environments.]
Kujo wiped blood from his mouth, staring down at the fallen warlord. His chest still burned with pain, but there was something else now — that same thrumming power from before, deeper, heavier. His arms felt stronger. His vision sharper.
⸻
"Impressive."
The voice wasn't in his head this time. Kujo turned to see a figure approaching from a dune's crest. A woman, tall and lean, her armor gleaming silver in the sunslight. Her skin shimmered faintly, like heat mirage.
"You're not from here," she said. It wasn't a question. "Earth, I'm guessing?"
Kujo didn't answer.
She smirked. "Don't bother denying it. Only outworlders fight that messy. I'm Ressa. Rank one hundred."
Kujo's gut tightened. She didn't move like Garrusk. She moved like the fight would be over before he even saw it coming.
"I came to watch Garrusk crush the new arrival," Ressa said. "Instead, I saw a street brawler break his mask and drop him in the sand. Maybe you're worth my time."
"I'm not here to entertain anyone," Kujo said flatly.
Her smirk widened. "You're in the ranking system now. You exist to entertain — the crowds, the gods, the Celestials. Every battle you fight will be watched, recorded, and judged. You win, you climb. You lose…"
She drew her thumb across her throat.
The desert wind howled between them.
Ressa tossed something into the sand at his feet — a thin metal band shaped to fit around the wrist.
[Item Acquired: Combat Tracker]
[Function: Records victories and ranks in official ladder. Required for tournament access.]
Kujo picked it up. The band was warm in his hand.
"You've got potential," Ressa said, turning away. "But potential gets eaten alive out here. Get stronger. Fast. Or someone like me will take your head before you see the strike."
She vanished into the dunes, leaving only her footprints and the soft hiss of shifting sand.
⸻
Kujo glanced at the fallen warlord one last time. The fight had taken everything he had — and still, somewhere deep inside, he knew this was nothing compared to what was coming.
[Next Battle: Scheduled]
[Opponent: Rank 65 — Two Days Until Engagement]
Two days. No money. No allies. No idea where to get either.
He tightened the combat tracker around his wrist. The metal clicked into place.
The suns were already dropping toward the horizon, painting the sand blood-red.
Kujo started walking.
This wasn't the alley anymore. And if he was going to survive, he'd have to turn himself into something the universe couldn't ignore.