The scrapyard was silent again, but Riven couldn't shake the words Echo had left behind. You'll see. When the countdown hits zero. His HUD pulsed faintly, reminding him that the clock was still ticking down. Every second mattered, and every second carried weight. He tightened his grip on the repaired booster, eyes scanning the map interface. Sector 7 was restored, but the other sectors remained dark, pulsing faintly like distant stars waiting to be reignited. Each one promised another fragment, another piece of himself. The grind wasn't just about survival anymore. It was about memory. About identity.
> [Personal Log Updated] > [Fragment #01 Stored] > [Unlocked Effect: +5% Crafting Speed] > [Next Fragment Location: Sector 9] > [Status: Offline]
Sector 9 glowed faintly on the map, but it was locked behind another requirement. He needed a stronger signal, something beyond the weak booster he had cobbled together. The system wasn't going to hand him answers easily. It wanted him to earn them. He crouched low, scanning the scrapyard for more salvage. The beast still circled the Node, its sensors sweeping like searchlights. He had to stay out of sight. He moved through the wreckage, pulling wires, scavenging chips, and pocketing scraps. Each item flickered into his inventory, tagged and categorized by the system.
> [Item Acquired: Rusted Circuit Board] > [Condition: Poor] > [Use: Crafting Material]
> [Item Acquired: Reinforced Cable] > [Condition: Stable] > [Use: Signal Transmission]
Piece by piece, he was building toward something. But the silence broke again. A flicker of static rippled across his HUD. Echo's voice returned, distorted but clear enough to send a chill down his spine. "You're patching fragments. But fragments don't make a whole. The grind consumes. The grind remembers." Riven froze. "Where are you?" he whispered. The shadows shifted. Echo appeared again, standing atop a pile of broken screens. His cloak shimmered with static, his face flickering between shapes. Sometimes human, sometimes machine, sometimes nothing at all. Riven stepped forward. "What are you?" Echo tilted his head. "Protocol. Error. Memory. I am what remains when the grind resets. I am what you will become if you fail." The words hit like a hammer. Fail? Reset? Was this system a cycle? Was he trapped in something that had happened before?
> [Dialogue Option Available: Ask About Reset] > [Dialogue Option Available: Ask About Memory] > [Dialogue Option Available: Ignore]
Riven selected the first. "What happens if I fail?" Echo's voice glitched, repeating fragments of itself. "Countdown. Collapse. Reboot. You lose the fragments. You lose yourself. You grind again. And again. And again." Riven's chest tightened. The countdown wasn't just a timer. It was a threat. If he didn't finish the quests before it hit zero, he wouldn't just die. He'd lose everything. His progress. His memories. His identity. He clenched his fists. "Then I won't fail." Echo's static face flickered into something resembling a smile. "We'll see."
The figure dissolved into static, leaving Riven alone again. His HUD updated.
> [New Quest: Prevent System Reset] > [Objective: Unlock 3 Memory Fragments Before Countdown Ends] > [Reward: Protocol Override Access] > [Time Remaining: 22:12:45]
Three fragments. He had one. He needed two more. And the clock was merciless. He moved quickly, scavenging deeper into the scrapyard. He found a collapsed tower of routers, their lights flickering faintly. He climbed the wreckage, pulling cables free, searching for anything usable. At the top, he found a cracked terminal. Its screen glowed faintly, showing a corrupted interface. He touched it. The system responded.
> [Access Point Detected] > [Signal Strength: Weak] > [Requirement: Signal Amplifier]
He sighed. Another piece to build. He checked his inventory. He had the reinforced cable, the rusted board, and scraps of metal. He needed a stabilizer. He scanned the area and spotted a broken generator half-buried in the dirt. He pried it open, pulling out a glowing coil.
> [Item Acquired: Stabilizer Coil] > [Condition: Functional] > [Use: Crafting Material]
Perfect. He opened the crafting menu again, slotting the pieces together. The blueprint shimmered, showing a crude amplifier. He worked quickly, connecting wires, tightening bolts, and slotting the coil into place. Sparks flew, but the system confirmed the build.
> [Crafting Complete: Signal Amplifier] > [Durability: 62%] > [Effect: Boosts Signal Strength by 1 Level]
He connected the amplifier to the terminal. The screen flickered, stabilizing. A new fragment unlocked.
> [Memory Fragment #02 Unlocked] > [Accessing…]
The world blurred again. He was in a workshop, older now, surrounded by machines. His hands moved fast, repairing a drone. A voice spoke behind him. "You never stop. Even when the world breaks, you keep building." The vision shattered. He gasped, back in the scrapyard.
> [Memory Fragment #02: Stored] > [Effect: +10% Repair Speed] > [Personal Log Updated]
Two fragments. One more to go. The countdown ticked lower.
> [Time Remaining: 21:58:03]
The beast roared again, shaking the ground. Its sensors locked onto him. Red lights flared. Riven's HUD screamed warnings.
> [Alert: Guardian Detected] > [Combat Imminent] > [Recommendation: Evade]
He ran, heart pounding, weaving through the wreckage. The beast's steps thundered behind him, crushing metal, sending sparks into the air. He ducked into a trench, sliding behind debris. The system pulsed.
> [New Sub-Quest: Evade Guardian for 5 Minutes] > [Reward: Access Point Coordinates] > [Status: In Progress]
Five minutes. He gritted his teeth. The grind wasn't letting up. He had to survive, unlock one more fragment, and beat the countdown. Echo's words echoed in his mind. Reset. Collapse. Reboot. He wouldn't let it happen. Not this time. Not ever. He tightened his grip on the amplifier, eyes locked on the pulsing Node. The grind was accelerating. And he was ready to fight back.