The Evolved Ravager died without ceremony.
One moment, it was patrolling the perimeter of an old apartment complex, unaware. Next, I emerged from Shadow Step directly behind it, Shadow Fang already moving toward the weak point Observer had highlighted.
Piercing Strike activated. The blade sank into the gap between skull plates.
The creature collapsed, dead before it hit the ground.
[EVOLVED RAVAGER DEFEATED]
[+250 EXP]
[LEVEL UP!]
You are now Level 4
[HP RESTORED: 100%]
[MANA RESTORED: 100%]
Power surged through me—stronger than before, more intense. My muscles felt denser, my reflexes sharper. Even my senses seemed heightened. The level-up hadn't just healed me; it had transformed me again.
I looted quickly:
LOOT ACQUIRED:
- Health Potion (Minor) x1
- Clawed Gauntlet (Common)
- 100 Credits
Credits. That was new. Some kind of currency system. I stored everything and checked my status:
NAME: Ren Raven
LEVEL: 4 (EXP: 150/1500)
TRAIT: Observer [UNIQUE]
ABILITIES:
- Piercing Strike [UNCOMMON]
- Shadow Step [UNCOMMON]
HP: 100/100
MANA: 100/100
EQUIPMENT:
- Shadow Fang (Uncommon) - Equipped
- Bracer of the Climber (Uncommon) - Equipped
Level 4. Two Uncommon abilities. Uncommon equipment. Three Evolved Ravagers killed solo.
The scenario timer showed nineteen minutes remaining. Time to secure survival.
"Observer, nearest Safe Zone with available capacity."
SAFE ZONE: EPSILON
- Distance: 340 meters SW
- Current Occupants: 3/5
- Estimated arrival: 6 minutes
- Ravager activity along route: LOW
- Optimal path: [Highlighted]
Two spots left. Plenty of space.
I started moving, taking the route Observer had mapped out. The urban wasteland felt different now—less threatening. I was faster, stronger, more aware. The ruins that had seemed like a death maze an hour ago now felt navigable.
I kept Shadow Fang ready anyway. Overconfidence killed faster than monsters.
I was three minutes into the journey when Observer flagged movement ahead.
HUMANS DETECTED: 3 individuals
- Distance: 80 meters
- Status: Moving toward Safe Zone Epsilon (same destination)
- Threat Assessment: VARIABLE
- Identity: [Scanning...]
I slowed, moving to cover behind a collapsed storefront. Through the broken windows, I could see them:
Three figures, moving cautiously through the rubble. Even at this distance, Observer was pulling information:
TARGET 1: Hana
TRAIT: Quick Reflexes [COMMON]
Status: Injured (minor lacerations), fatigued
Equipment: Makeshift spear (pipe with knife taped to end)
TARGET 2: Emma
TRAIT: Lucky Charm [RARE]
Status: Uninjured (remarkably clean despite circumstances)
Equipment: None visible
TARGET 3: Ryan
TRAIT: Coward's Instinct [UNCOMMON]
Status: Exhausted, heightened anxiety
Equipment: Baseball bat (held defensively)
My former group members. Three of the nine who'd been locked out when Marcus took the last Safe Zone spot.
They'd survived.
Emma was talking, her voice carrying across the wasteland: "—and then the thing just tripped over the rubble! I swear I didn't do anything, it just fell and broke its neck!"
"That's the third time something like that has happened," Hana said, suspicion and wonder mixing in her voice. "Your trait is insane."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Emma said, but she was smiling slightly. "I'm just naturally lucky."
Ryan was constantly scanning their surroundings, his movements jerky and paranoid. "We need to move faster. Something's watching us. I can feel it."
"That's just your trait making you paranoid," Hana said, but her grip on the makeshift spear tightened.
"My trait has kept us alive!" Ryan snapped. "When I said run left, what happened? That building collapsed right where we'd been standing. When I said hide, those things ran past us. So maybe listen when I say something's—"
He froze, head snapping in my direction.
"There. Someone's there."
Hana spun, spear raised. Emma ducked behind her.
I could stay hidden. Let them pass. Reach the Safe Zone first and take one of those two spots.
Or I could reveal myself.
Observer analysed both options:
OPTION A: Remain Hidden
- Pros: Maintain information advantage, secure Safe Zone access
- Cons: Potential allies lost, no tactical benefit
OPTION B: Reveal Presence
- Pros: Potential alliance, Hana has combat ability, Emma's luck could be valuable
- Cons: Reveals your survival/strength, complicates Safe Zone access (2 spots, 4 people)
These three had survived against the odds. That meant something.
I stepped out from cover, hands visible, Shadow Fang sheathed.
"Don't Attack. It's me."
Three heads turned. Hana's spear stayed raised for another heartbeat before recognition hit.
"You!" Hana's eyes widened. "From the group. You're alive!"
"Keen Eye guy!" Emma brightened immediately. "Oh, thank god, another person! Do you know where the Safe Zone is? We've been wandering for—"
"Same direction you're heading," I said, walking closer but maintaining a non-threatening distance. "Three-forty meters southwest."
Ryan was staring at me with an intensity that made me uncomfortable. His Coward's Instinct was probably screaming something about me. Could it sense that I'd gotten stronger? That I'd killed?
"You look..." Hana trailed off, her eyes taking in my equipment. Shadow Fang at my belt. The bracer on my arm. The fact that I wasn't injured, wasn't exhausted, wasn't covered in dust and desperate fear. "You look like you've been doing more than running."
"I've been surviving," I said carefully. "Same as you."
"That's not a makeshift weapon," Ryan said, pointing at Shadow Fang. "That's real equipment. Where did you get that?"
Observer flagged the suspicion in his tone. The fear.
"Found it," I said, which was technically true. "Got lucky."
Emma perked up at that. "Lucky! See? Lucky things happen. Maybe we should stick together. Safety in numbers and all that."
Hana was still studying me, her Quick Reflexes probably picking up on micro-movements, tells, anything that would reveal more than I was saying.
"You killed one, didn't you?" she said quietly. "One of those evolved things."
The other two went silent.
I considered lying. But Observer showed me the tactical situation—Ryan's Coward's Instinct would detect the lie, make him more afraid, more unstable. Better to control the narrative.
"Yes," I said simply. "One attacked me. I got lucky with environmental damage. Ceiling collapse."
Partially true. Better than nothing.
"Jesus," Ryan breathed. "You killed one and you're just... walking around like it's nothing?"
"I'm walking around because I killed it," I corrected. "Otherwise I'd be dead."
Hana nodded slowly, a new respect in her eyes. Or maybe calculation. Hard to tell.
"The Safe Zone has five spots," Emma said, breaking the tension. "Three people are already there, according to what we saw earlier. That's two spots for four people."
And there it was. The math.
Silence stretched between us.
Ryan's hand tightened on his broken bottle. Hana shifted her weight, not quite combat-ready but close. Emma looked between us all, her smile faltering as she realised what she'd said.
"Unless..." Emma continued, trying to salvage it, "unless we find another Safe Zone? There are ten total, right?"
"Nineteen minutes left," I said, checking the timer. "Most Safe Zones are probably full by now. This one had three people last I checked. That was six minutes ago."
SAFE ZONE EPSILON - UPDATED SCAN:
Current Occupants: 4/5
Status: 1 spot remaining
My blood went cold.
"Four people now," I said. "Someone else just arrived. One spot left."
The dynamic shifted immediately.
Ryan stepped back, eyes darting between me and the others. His Coward's Instinct was probably screaming at him about the danger—not from monsters, but from us.
Hana's grip on her spear tightened.
Emma's smile disappeared entirely.
One spot. Four people. Nineteen minutes.
"We could look for another Safe Zone," Emma said, but her voice was uncertain.
"Nearest alternative is four hundred meters north," I said. Observer had already mapped it. "Through heavy Ravager territory. Estimated travel time: twelve minutes if nothing goes wrong. And that's assuming it has space."
"So what do we do?" Ryan asked, and for the first time, his fear seemed directed at something real rather than phantom threats.
I could run. Shadow Step would give me an advantage. I'd reach the Safe Zone first, take the last spot, and leave them behind.
Or...
"We move together," I said. "Reach the Safe Zone, assess the situation. Maybe the people inside will have information. Maybe there's another option we're not seeing."
"And if there's only one spot?" Hana asked directly.
"Then we make a decision when we get there," I said. "But splitting up now means some of us definitely don't make it. Together, we have better odds against anything that tries to stop us."
It was pragmatic logic. Not kind, but not cruel. The best I could offer, given the circumstances.
Ryan looked like he wanted to argue, but his Coward's Instinct was probably telling him his odds were worse alone.
Hana studied me for another moment, then nodded. "Together. But if you try anything—"
"I won't," I said. "I've had enough of watching people die today."
That, at least, was completely true.
Emma brightened slightly, her Lucky Charm probably telling her this was the right choice. "Okay! Together then. Lead the way, Keen Eye guy."
"Just call me Ren", I paused. I still hadn't given them a name. "I didn't get the chance to say it before."
Hana raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
We started moving together toward Safe Zone Epsilon. Observer tracked our formation, their positioning, and the surrounding threats.
GROUP DYNAMICS ANALYSIS:
- Hana: Cautious, capable, watching you
- Emma: Trusting, possibly too much, luck-based survival
- Ryan: Paranoid, unstable, but instincts are valuable
- Your role: De facto leader (highest threat rating)
Threat assessment: Ryan is most likely to panic
Tactical value: Hana's combat ability + Emma's luck factor = above average
"So," Emma said as we walked, trying to fill the uncomfortable silence, "what happened to everyone else? Marcus made it to a Safe Zone, right? We saw him get in before..."
"Before we got locked out," Hana finished. "Yeah. He made it. Don't know about the others."
"Daniel's dead," I said flatly. "Saw him get caught during the initial run."
Silence.
"Maria?" Emma asked quietly.
"Don't know," I admitted. "We scattered. Haven't seen her, Victor, or Sophie since."
Or Derek. But I didn't mention him.
"God," Ryan muttered. "This is insane. This whole thing is insane. We're in some kind of death game and we're just... we're just accepting it."
"What choice do we have?" Hana said.
"We survive," I said. "That's the only choice that matters right now."
The Safe Zone came into view—another parking structure, this one more intact than the first. The blue shimmer was clearly visible, and through it I could see four figures inside.
Observer immediately analysed them:
SAFE ZONE EPSILON OCCUPANTS (4/5):
- Unknown individuals (non-group members)
- Status: Nervous, watching approaches
- Equipment: Minimal (survivors, not fighters)
- Threat level: LOW
We approached slowly, carefully. The four people inside watched us come, their expressions wary.
One of them—a middle-aged man in a torn business suit—called out through the barrier: "It's full! Well, almost. One spot left."
"We know," Hana called back. "Any other Safe Zones nearby with space?"
"Don't think so," a woman answered. "We've seen groups running past. Heard screaming from the north. It's bad out there."
The timer showed sixteen minutes.
Four of us. One spot.
"So..." Emma started, looking at each of us. "What do we do?"
Ryan was breathing fast, panic building. Hana was watching me, waiting. Emma looked ready to cry.
And inside the Safe Zone, the four survivors watched our drama unfold, grateful it wasn't their problem.
I pulled back from the group slightly, focusing. Observer, scan for any alternative Safe Zones within reachable distance. Expand search parameters.
I thought the command silently, using Observer the way I had been all day—internally, invisibly.
SCANNING...
SAFE ZONE ZETA: 380 meters NE
- Current Occupants: 5/5 (FULL)
- Status: SEALED
SAFE ZONE THETA: 520 meters E
- Current Occupants: 4/5
- Status: 1 spot available
- Estimated travel time: 14 minutes (EXCEEDS REMAINING TIME)
SAFE ZONE—
ERROR: All remaining Safe Zones confirmed FULL or UNREACHABLE
Damn it. I was about to give up when—
ANOMALY DETECTED:
- Type: UNKNOWN structure
- Distance: 290 meters NW
- Energy signature: Similar to Safe Zone but weaker, irregular
- Assessment: Possible shelter with protective properties
- Confidence: 34%
Thirty-four percent. That number again.
"We need to find another Safe Zone," I said. "This one's full."
"Are you insane?" Ryan's voice cracked. "There's no time! We need to decide who—"
"I'm not deciding who dies," I cut him off. "My Keen Eye might spot something you missed. Let me check the area."
"There aren't any nearby!" Hana said. "We checked before we got here!"
"Let me look," I insisted, already turning northwest. Observer was highlighting the anomaly, feeding me data. Not a Safe Zone exactly, but something. "There's... something. This way. We need to move now."
Emma grabbed my arm. "But what if you're wrong? What if there's nothing?"
"Then we die together instead of choosing who lives," I said bluntly. "But I'm not wrong."
Fifteen minutes on the timer.
Hana looked at the Safe Zone, at me, at the others. Her Quick Reflexes were probably screaming at her to make a decision, any decision.
"How sure are you?" she asked.
"Sure enough to bet my life on it," I said. "Which I'm doing. Whether you come or not."
I started walking northwest. Observer mapped the route, avoiding Ravager patrols.
Behind me, I heard Emma say, "I'm going with him. My Lucky Charm says it's okay."
"Your Lucky Charm or your crush?" Hana muttered, but she was moving too. "Fine. Better than standing here."
Ryan hesitated, looking at the Safe Zone with longing, then cursed and followed. "This is insane. This is absolutely insane."
We ran.
Observer guided us through the wasteland, taking paths I wouldn't have seen otherwise—narrow gaps between buildings, routes that avoided the Ravager patrols by seconds.
"Where are we even going?" Hana panted as we ran.
"There's something northwest," I said. "Energy signature similar to a Safe Zone."
"Similar isn't the same!" Ryan shouted.
"It's what we've got!"
Twelve minutes remaining.
We burst into what looked like an old shopping district. Storefronts lined both sides of a pedestrian street, most collapsed or burned out.
But one—a corner shop with faded signage reading "Chen's Convenience"—looked almost intact.
And Observer was highlighting it intensely:
ANOMALY IDENTIFIED: Protected Shelter
- Type: Hidden Safe Room
- Energy signature: ACTIVE (Safe Zone-class protection)
- Capacity: 5 individuals
- Status: UNDISCOVERED
- Access: [Scanning entry method...]
- Note: Not an official Safe Zone - likely a scenario secret/bonus objective
"There!" I pointed at the shop. "That building!"
"That's just a store," Hana said, confused.
"Trust me!" I was already running toward it.
The front entrance was blocked by debris, but Observer highlighted a side door—partially hidden behind a dumpster, but intact.
ENTRY POINT DETECTED:
Side door accessible
Internal structure: Reinforced safe room in the basement
Protection level: EQUIVALENT to Safe Zone
Time remaining: 11 minutes, 23 seconds
I yanked the dumpster aside—my Level 4 strength making it easier than it should have been—and tried the door.
Locked.
"Seriously?!" Ryan was practically crying.
Observer analysed the lock:
LOCK TYPE: Electronic keypad
Code: [Analysing...]
Possible combinations based on wear patterns: [3 identified]
Recommendation: Try 7-2-5-4 (highest probability)
I punched in 7-2-5-4.
The lock clicked. Green light.
The door swung open.
"How did you—" Hana started.
"Lucky guess," I said quickly. "Inside, now!"
We piled through the door into a dark corridor. Emergency lighting flickered on automatically, revealing stairs leading down.
"Basement," I said, already descending. "Move!"
The stairs ended in a heavy metal door—the kind you'd see in a bank vault. But it was already open, as if waiting.
Beyond it: a safe room.
Not large—maybe twenty feet by twenty feet—but reinforced. Concrete walls, emergency supplies stacked along one side, and most importantly:
That same blue shimmer of protective energy coated everything.
HIDDEN SAFE ROOM: DISCOVERED
Capacity: 0/5
Protection Level: FULL (equivalent to standard Safe Zone)
Duration: Matches scenario timer
Status: SECURE
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Secret Found]
[Bonus rewards pending scenario completion]
We all stumbled inside. The moment Ryan—the last one through—crossed the threshold, the energy barrier solidified behind us with a sound like a closing airlock.
[HIDDEN SAFE ROOM: SEALED]
[4/5 OCCUPANTS]
[PROTECTION ACTIVE]
For a long moment, nobody spoke. We just stood there, breathing hard, processing that we'd made it.
"You found a secret Safe Zone," Emma finally said, eyes wide. "You just... found it. How?"
"I didn't know it was here," I admitted, which was true. "I just... saw something. Took a chance."
Hana was looking at me with that expression again. "Your trait. 'Keen Eye.' That's not just seeing far, is it?"
I said nothing.
"Doesn't matter," Ryan said, sliding down the wall to sit. "We're alive. That's all that matters."
Emma was already exploring the emergency supplies—canned food, water bottles, blankets, and medical supplies. "There's stuff here! Real supplies!"
The timer showed ten minutes, thirty-seven seconds remaining.
We'd made it. All five of us—wait.
I did a headcount. Me, Hana, Emma, Ryan.
Four people.
[HIDDEN SAFE ROOM: 4/5 OCCUPANTS]
[1 SPOT REMAINING]
There was space for one more.
"There's still room," Emma said, noticing the same thing. "Should we... I don't know, go back and tell someone?"
"No time," Hana said. "And we'd never make it back before the timer runs out."
"So someone else just gets lucky if they find this place," Ryan said.
We settled in, each finding a spot along the walls. The tension from before—the question of who would get the Safe Zone spot—had evaporated. We'd all made it. Together.
I pulled up my status while we waited:
NAME: Ren Raven
LEVEL: 4 (EXP: 150/1500)
TRAIT: Observer [UNIQUE]
ABILITIES:
- Piercing Strike [UNCOMMON]
- Shadow Step [UNCOMMON]
HP: 100/100
MANA: 100/100
EQUIPMENT:
- Shadow Fang (Uncommon) - Equipped
- Bracer of the Climber (Uncommon) - Equipped
INVENTORY:
- Health Potion (Minor) x6
- Emergency Rations x3
- Smoke Bomb x2
- Mana Crystal (Minor) x1
- Clawed Gauntlet (Common)
- 300 Credits
"So," Hana said after a while, breaking the silence. "Want to tell us what really happened out there? Because you're Level 4, you've got actual equipment, and you're way too calm for someone who's been 'just surviving.'"
The others looked at me. Waiting.
I could lie. Keep my secrets.
Or I could build trust. These people had followed me on a thirty-four percent chance. That meant something.
"I fought," I said simply. "When I got separated, I ran into one of those evolved things. Killed it. Then another. Got lucky with loot."
"You killed multiple Evolved Ravagers," Hana said flatly. "Alone."
"I had good positioning. Environmental advantages." I paused. "And my 'Keen Eye' helped me spot weak points. Cracks in their armour, vulnerable joints. Made it easier to land killing blows."
It was close enough to the truth to be believable. Keen Eye could reasonably explain spotting physical weaknesses. No need to mention Observer's full capabilities—the predictive analysis, the detailed information overlays, the threat assessments.
"That's amazing," Emma breathed. "We just ran. Hid. I got lucky a bunch of times—things would just work out. But you actually fought them."
"Fighting was the only choice I had," I said. "You all survived too. That's what matters."
Ryan was looking at me with something between awe and fear. "Level 4. How many people do you think are even Level 2?"
"Not many," I admitted.
The timer hit five minutes.
Outside, somewhere in the wasteland, the remaining survivors were making their final desperate runs for safety, or dying trying.
"Do you think we'll have to go through more of these?" Emma asked quietly. "More scenarios?"
"Yes," I said. "This was called 'Tutorial Scenario One.' There will be more."
"Then what do we do?" Ryan asked. "Just keep running? Keep hiding?"
"We get stronger," I said. "We learn. We adapt."
Hana nodded slowly. "And we stick together. Four people survived better than one."
"Agreed," I said. Though I didn't mention Derek. Didn't mention that alliances in the Tower might not last when things got truly desperate.
But for now, we were alive.
The timer counted down.
Three minutes.
Two minutes.
One minute.
We waited in silence as Phase 1 drew to its close.
Outside, the final screams echoed through the wasteland. The last of those who hadn't found shelter met their end.
Inside our hidden safe room, five survivors prepared for whatever came next.
And Observer quietly noted:
OBSERVATION: Hidden objectives exist
Secrets provide advantages
Value of exploration: HIGH
Recommendation: Always search for alternatives
Group dynamics: Stable but untested
Trust level: Moderate
Tactical value: Confirmed
Thirty seconds.
Ten seconds.
Five.
[SCENARIO TIMER: 00:00]
[PHASE 1: COMPLETE]
[CALCULATING RESULTS...]
[EVALUATING SURVIVORS...]
[DETERMINING REWARDS...]
[PLEASE STAND BY...]
The blue text hung in the air.
We'd made it.
Now came the reckoning.
[END CHAPTER 4]
[CURRENT STATUS]
NAME: Ren Raven
LEVEL: 4 (EXP: 150/1500)
SURVIVORS: 49/100
LOCATION: Hidden Safe Room (Secret Discovery)
Phase 1 COMPLETE
Evaluation pending...