> [Active Quest: Survive 24 Hours]
> [Time Remaining: 22:58:12]
> [Main Objective: Reach the Power Node]
> [Sub-Quest: Unlock System Interface]
> [Status: In Progress]
He turned back to the interface. A new quest appeared.
> [New Quest: Restore Signal to Sector 7]
> [Reward: Access to Memory Fragment #01]
> [Status: Locked — Requires Signal Booster]
Riven's eyes narrowed. He needed to find a booster. Maybe the scrapyard had one buried somewhere. Or maybe he'd have to build it himself.
He climbed out of the trench, keeping low. The metal beast was still circling the Node — its legs hissing, its eyes scanning. Riven didn't know what it was guarding, but he knew one thing: he wasn't ready to fight it. Not yet.
The scrapyard stretched around him like a graveyard of forgotten machines. Towers of broken screens leaned against each other, cables hung like vines, and sparks flickered in the shadows. Every step felt like trespassing in a place that remembered its own death.
[Stealth Mode: Passive]
[Noise Level: 12%]
[Detection Risk: Low]
He moved carefully, ducking behind a collapsed antenna. That's when he spotted it — a half-buried crate beneath twisted metal. The casing was cracked, but faint lights pulsed along its edge. He pried it open.
[Item Found: Signal Booster Shell]
[Condition: Damaged]
[Crafting Possible]
Riven's pulse quickened. One piece down. He scanned the area for more. A broken drone lay nearby, its chest cavity split open. Inside, a faintly glowing cell pulsed like a dying heartbeat.
[Item Found: Weak Power Cell]
[Stability: 38%]
[Risk of Overload: Moderate]
He hesitated. If it failed, he'd lose everything. But if it worked… he grabbed it.
Back at the crate, he laid out the parts. Wires scavenged from the trench, the cracked shell, the unstable cell. It wasn't much, but it might be enough. He opened the system interface. A blueprint hovered in front of him — simple, fragile, but possible.
He connected the wires, slotted the cell, tightened the casing. His hands shook, but his focus sharpened.
[Crafting: 82%]
[Warning: Cell Instability Rising]
"Hold together," he muttered.
The booster clicked. A soft hum filled the air.
[Sub-Quest Completed: Signal Booster Repaired]
[New Quest Unlocked: Restore Signal to Sector 7]
[Time Remaining: 22:41:03]
He placed the booster on a nearby panel and activated it. A beam of light shot upward, flickering as it stabilized. The system interface pulsed.
[Signal Restored: Sector 7]
[Memory Fragment #01 Unlocked]
[Accessing…]
The world blurred.
Suddenly, he was standing in a classroom — clean, bright, filled with humming machines. A younger version of himself sat at a desk, soldering a small robot arm. His hands moved with precision, his eyes focused. A voice echoed.
"You always fix things, Riven. Even when they're broken beyond repair."
Then the vision shattered.
He was back in the scrapyard, heart pounding.
[Memory Fragment #01: Stored]
[Effect: +5% Crafting Speed]
[New Menu Unlocked: Personal Log]
He opened the log. The fragment was there — a snapshot of his past, locked behind quests. Dozens more fragments waited, each holding a piece of who he was.
He stood, breathing hard. The Node pulsed nearby, still guarded. But now he had access. The system was opening. And he was changing.
Then he heard it — a voice, faint and glitchy.
"You're not the only one grinding."
He turned.
A figure stood at the edge of the trench — tall, wrapped in a cloak of broken screens and wires. Its face flickered, shifting between static and shadow.
[Entity Detected: Echo]
[Status: Glitched NPC]
[Dialogue Available]
Riven stepped closer. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted its head.
"I remember the first grind. The first failure. The first reboot. You're early, Riven. But the system is watching."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see. When the countdown hits zero."
Riven's HUD pulsed.
[Time Remaining: 22:33:17]
Echo turned and vanished into the shadows. Riven stared after him. Questions swirled — who built this place? Why was he here? What happened when the timer ran out? He clenched his fists. The grind wasn't just survival. It was discovery. And he was just getting started. He checked the interface again. The booster was humming, but the signal was weak. Sector 7 was restored, but other sectors remained dark. Each one pulsed faintly on the map, waiting to be unlocked. Each one promised another fragment, another piece of his past. He realized the system wasn't just giving him power. It was testing him, forcing him to rebuild himself piece by piece. The thought chilled him, but also lit a spark. If he could restore them all, maybe he'd understand why he was here. Maybe he'd know what the grind was truly for. The beast's roar echoed across the scrapyard, shaking the ground. Riven ducked behind the crate, heart racing. The Node's guardian was restless, its sensors sweeping the area. He wasn't ready to face it, but he knew the confrontation was inevitable. The countdown ticked lower. The grind was accelerating. He tightened his grip on the booster, eyes locked on the pulsing Node. "Fine," he whispered. "Let's play your game."