The silence of Sector 7 was a heavy blanket, disturbed only by the whine of the wind threading through the skeletal remains of what was once the City Center Mall.
Axel Marble, age twenty, clung to the shadows like a memory. His movements were slow, methodical, the result of years spent navigating the post-invasion ruins.
Every sound, every flicker of light, was scrutinized, filtered through the hyper-vigilance necessary for survival in a world claimed by the Xylos.
Axel wasn't a soldier; he was a scavenger. His days were a monotonous cycle of searching for viable scrap metal, expired but unspoiled rations, or anything he could trade at the dilapidated black markets near the fortified resistance bunkers.
His stomach, currently protesting with a low, rumbling growl, was the loudest thing in the sector.
Today's objective was simple: the old City Hall archives. Rumor had it that the heavy-duty titanium filing cabinets might have survived the initial bombardment, offering a haul of valuable, pre-war metal.
He was deep in the structure's flooded sub-level, the air thick with the smell of mold and stagnant water. He used his flashlight sparingly, trusting his eyes to adjust to the perpetual gloom.
His right hand instinctively kept returning to the pocket of his worn, patched-up coat, his fingers closing around a small, perfectly smooth object: the obsidian Marble.
It was the only thing his grandfather had given him before dying—a final, cryptic inheritance.
"It's the key, Axel. The key to everything.
Hold it until you need it most."
Axel had held onto it for years. It had never done anything. It was just a smooth, cold stone. He often cursed it for being a useless trinket when practical survival tools were all that mattered.
As he worked on prying open a heavily rusted filing cabinet with his salvaged crowbar, the ground above him shuddered. It wasn't the distant boom of a Xylos mortar; it was a heavy, mechanical tremor, closer, much closer.
"Dammit," Axel hissed, dropping the crowbar. The sound was unmistakably the heavy tread of a Xylos Harvester Drone, massive automated units designed to clear rubble and, more importantly, track and incinerate survivors.
The drone's proximity meant a patrol was likely nearby. He had seconds.
He scrambled into a narrow utility closet, a space barely large enough to hold him, pulling the rusted metal door shut just as the shadow of the colossal drone swept over the flooded floor outside.
The rhythmic, grinding clank-clank-clank of its massive treads filled the sub-level, deafening and terrifying.
Pinned in the darkness, Axel felt the familiar squeeze of panic, cold and paralyzing. This was the moment, the moment where luck ran out, where the enemy finally tracked you down.
He pressed his back against the cold, damp concrete, squeezing his eyes shut. His fingers gripped the Marble in his pocket so hard his knuckles turned white.
"The key to everything," his grandfather's voice echoed in his memory, soft and gentle, a stark contrast to the mechanical terror outside.
I need it now, old man. I need anything, Axel thought, the sheer desperation fueling an irrational surge of focus. He pressed the Marble with all his might, wishing, praying, demanding it do something.
And then, it did.
A piercing, ice-cold sensation shot from his palm and up his arm, making his whole body lock up.
It wasn't pain, but a sudden, overwhelming chill that dissolved the terror, replacing it with shock. The Marble wasn't just cold; it felt like it was melting. He looked down, horrified, as the obsidian material seemed to flow, shimmering briefly like black water before sinking entirely into the skin of his right palm.
The grinding noise of the Harvester Drone faded into a distant hum as a new reality asserted itself.
A screen, a shimmering, translucent blue display, materialized directly in front of his eyes. It was overlaid onto his vision, perfectly clear, displaying stylized white text and symbols.
> [WELCOME, HOST. MARBLE SYSTEM INITIATED.]
> [INITIALIZING PROTOCOLS… COMPLETE.]
> [EVALUATING ENVIRONMENT: HOST UNDER THREAT.]
> [INITIAL QUEST: HIDE]
> Description: Remain undetected by the Xylos Harvester Drone until it passes.
> Time Limit: 3 Minutes.
> Reward: Tier 1 Basic Ability Scroll (Random).
> Failure: Detection/Death.
Axel stared, his breath catching in his throat. A blue screen? A system? Quest? Was he having a psychotic break? Was this what terminal starvation looked like?
He tried to rub his eyes, but the screen remained, crisp and persistent. Outside the closet door, the grinding clank of the Harvester paused, agonizingly close.
> [TIME REMAINING: 2:45]
> [SENSORY WARNING: HARVESTER DRONE SCANNING ZONE.]
>
The drone was using its thermal and seismic sensors. Axel froze, terrified of making a sound. He forced himself to regulate his frantic breathing.
He realized the system wasn't just text; it was a timer, a warning, and a focus. It was telling him how to survive.
He stood motionless for what felt like an eternity, the sound of his own thumping heart muffled by the stone walls.
The utility closet was an excellent hiding spot—it was small, probably registering a low heat signature, and the thick, rusted door absorbed most seismic vibrations.
Seconds dragged into minutes. The blue screen tracked his progress relentlessly.
> [TIME REMAINING: 0:30]
>
He heard the heavy, churning sound of the drone's engine change pitch. The massive machine began to move again, its grinding treads growing steadily fainter as it moved away from the archive building.
> [TIME REMAINING: 0:01]
The grinding faded to silence. Axel let out a shuddering breath, feeling the tension drain out of him in a rush. He was safe.
The blue screen flared with confirmation:
> [QUEST COMPLETE: HIDE!]
> [REWARD ACQUIRED: TIER 1 BASIC ABILITY SCROLL (RANDOM)]
> [NEW ABILITY SCROLL ACQUIRED: ENHANCED ENDURANCE!]
> Description: Passive Skill. Slightly increases Stamina Regeneration and reduces the immediate effect of minor physical injury.
> [DO YOU WISH TO LEARN ENHANCED ENDURANCE? Y/N]
Axel cautiously pushed open the utility closet door. The sub-level was empty, the water settling back into stillness.
The Harvester Drone was gone. He was alive. And it was because of the Marble, because of the screen.
This System.
He stumbled out, his legs shaking, and sank down onto a pile of wet newspapers. He looked at the prompt, the "Y" glowing invitingly.
There was no logical reason to trust this impossible digital interface, but the alternative was a life-ending encounter with the Xylos. Survival instinct won.
He tentatively touched the "Y" on the translucent screen.
> [ENHANCED ENDURANCE ACQUIRED! NEW PASSIVE SKILL ADDED TO HOST'S ABILITY LIST.]
> [TUTORIAL QUEST INITIATED: DISCOVER YOUR STATUS!]
> Description: Access your personal information page.
> Reward: 50 EXP.
> Failure: None.
The screen now presented a more complex interface with several tabs: [STATUS], [ABILITIES], [INVENTORY], [QUESTS]. Axel focused on the [STATUS] tab.
The screen changed, displaying a list of metrics he'd only ever heard described in pre-war fiction.
> [STATUS: AXEL MARBLE]
> LEVEL: 1
> CLASS: (UNDEFINED)
> TITLE: (NONE)
> HP: 100/100 (Health Points)
> EP: 50/50 (Energy Points - Required for Active Abilities)
> STATS:
> STR (Strength): 7
> DEX (Dexterity): 9
> VIT (Vitality): 10
> INT (Intelligence): 8
> WIS (Wisdom): 7
> LUK (Luck): 5
> AVAILABLE STAT POINTS: 0
> SKILLS:
> Enhanced Endurance (Passive - Level 1)
> Scavenging (Passive - Level 1)
> Urban Survival (Passive - Level 1)
Axel stared at his VIT (Vitality) score of 10. He should be malnourished, struggling to move, not standing at a solid "10."
The System, by its mere arrival, had already fixed his baseline health. And his Dexterity, his natural ability to dodge and slip through tight spots—a crucial scavenger skill—was a respectable 9.
A single tear tracked through the grime on his cheek. This wasn't some cruel joke. This was real power. This was the "key" his grandfather had promised.
> [QUEST COMPLETE: DISCOVER YOUR STATUS!]
> [REWARD ACQUIRED: 50 EXP.]
> [LEVEL UP! AXEL MARBLE HAS REACHED LEVEL 2!]
> [STAT POINTS ACQUIRED: 5]
> [NEW QUEST AVAILABLE: A POINT OF POWER. Allocate your new Stat Points.]
Another level up? Just from checking his status? The logic was bewildering, yet exhilarating.
He had 5 Stat Points to distribute. This was his first choice, his first move on this terrifying new game board.
He thought of the Xylos. He thought of the war. He thought of his weakness.
Vitality would keep him alive. Dexterity would keep him out of trouble. Strength would let him fight back.
He closed his eyes, considering the gravity of the choice. He was a scavenger. He needed to escape and survive before he could fight.
I need to be faster. I need to be harder to catch.
He opened his eyes and touched the [DEX] line on the screen. He allocated three points there, feeling a strange, invigorating warmth spread through his limbs. He then put the remaining two points into [VIT] for a small health boost.
> [DEX +3. DEXTERITY: 12]
> [VIT +2. VITALITY: 12]
> [QUEST COMPLETE: A POINT OF POWER!]
> [REWARD: 100 EXP.]
> [LEVEL UP! AXEL MARBLE HAS REACHED LEVEL 3!]
> [STAT POINTS ACQUIRED: 5]
> [NEW QUEST AVAILABLE: FIRST STEPS. Successfully exit Sector 7 without detection.]
>
Axel stood up, feeling lighter, his senses sharper, the constant ache in his joints lessened. He wasn't immediately superhuman, but he was definitively better than he was ten minutes ago. He was Level 3, and he had a System.
He gripped his crowbar again, but this time, he didn't feel like a victim. He felt like a player in a game he was finally learning to play. He knew the way out of Sector 7. Now, with enhanced movement and endurance, he was confident he could evade any lingering patrols.
The war was still raging, and the Xylos were still hunting. But Axel Marble, the desperate scavenger, was now something more. He was Axel Marble, the Host of the Marble System. And his first true quest was waiting.