Ray Moss awoke with a groan, his body sore from the hard ground of the wasteland alcove. The night's chill had seeped into his bones, the vines he'd pulled over himself offering little comfort against jagged rocks. He stretched, wincing as his joints popped, his skills honed but his body still young. HP: 95/1000, nearly recovered from the impundulu's talons. Mana: 100/1000, fully replenished overnight. The depot loomed ahead, its rusted tanks and artillery shrouded in dawn mist, the bandits' truck parked near the central building.
Ray focused, bringing up his HUD—a blue screen overlaying his vision, the Yomi Protocol's interface.
[Level: 5. EXP: 400/600]
[Stats: Strength 5/100, Endurance 5/100, Speed 5/100, Agility 5/100, HP 95/1000, Mana 100/1000.]
[Magic (Level 5): Fire (Flames: 10 mana), Water (Drip: 10 mana), Lightning (Spark: 10 mana), Ice (Frost Touch: 10 mana), Earth (Pebble Toss: 10 mana), Wind (Gust: 10 mana), Universal Healing (Minor Mend: 10 mana), Universal Spatial (Short Blink: 10 mana, high spatial users detect).]
[Skills: Hacking (Level 2, 1/4 uses toward Level 3), Engineering (Level 2, 1/3 uses), Swordplay (Level 4, 2/5 uses toward Level 5), Markmanship (Level 2, 1/4 uses), Forging (Level 1, 0/3 uses), Stealth (Level 3, 1/4 uses toward Level 4), Alchemy (Level 2, 2/3 uses).]
[Inventory (Dimension Pocket): Rat pelts (x30), rat blood (x30), boar tusk, boar hide, impundulu core, sonic essence, pipe (basic weapon), portable alchemy set, canisters (x5), meshes (x5).]
The impundulu core in his Dimension Pocket held bio-energy for forging into a weapon or armor, promising a boost when wielded. The sonic essence shimmered, perfect for a debuff potion. His low-tier short sword, goblin core embedded (0.05 attack boost when wielded), lay beside him, far superior to static guns in close-quarters fights. Ray was ready to activate mutagens from sentient kills—each a painful system activation causing rough body changes, limited to one per day, unlocking one specific magic type per species, stackable with perks like night vision. Smarts over strength.
[Yomi Protocol: Sore, fleshbag? Those bandits specialize—orc's a bruiser, dark elves are sneaky. Their guns won't match your blade in a close fight. Depot's there—scout or rush? Don't make me regret picking you, or I'll reprogram myself to babysit a smarter kid. Portal scars nearby could spit out trouble—stay sharp.]
Ray smirked, stretching again, easing the stiffness. He wasn't overpowered, just a kid with a plan. He moved to a ridge overlooking the depot, using Stealth to stay hidden (Stealth: 2/4 uses toward Level 4). The depot was a maze of rusted tanks, artillery, and vines, the truck—a scavenged military relic with faded camouflage—parked near a crumbling warehouse. Inspection revealed: Old Military Truck, Functional, Valuable Transportation, Mutant Blood on Tires, Recent Use. Nearby portal scars glowed faintly, their unpredictable Mana a wildcard that could draw mutants or worse at any moment.
Ray inspected the bandits from afar, the Yomi Protocol sharpening his vision. The orc leader, massive with green skin and tusks, barked orders by the truck (Orc Leader, Level 8, Armed with Core-Forged Warhammer (Troll Core, 0.2 Attack Boost), Enhancement Magic, High Strength 10). Three humans sorted stolen crates (Human Bandit, Level 6, Armed with Daggers, Pistols, Basic Elemental Magic, One with Spatial Proficiency, High Speed 8). Two lizardmen, scaly and clawed, guarded the entrance (Lizardman Bandit, Level 7, Armed with Spears, Bone Proficiency, High Endurance 9). Two dark elves, lithe and shadowy, patrolled the perimeter (Dark Elf Bandit, Level 7, Armed with Bows, Shuriken, Shadow Proficiency, High Agility 9).
Eight enemies, all higher level with specialized stats—orc's Strength, lizardmen's Endurance, dark elves' Agility, one human's spatial proficiency detecting Short Blink. Their guns were static, less effective than Ray's scaling core-forged sword in close combat. Ray, at Level 5, faced an uphill battle. No bravado. Plan smart. The terrain offered advantages: a narrow choke point between tanks, a ridge for ambush, vines for cover. The bandits were spread out—orc and humans at the truck, lizardmen at the entrance, dark elves scouting. The truck was key—valuable transportation for his mercenary work, complementing the depot as a hideout with its remote location and structures. Portal scars nearby were unpredictable, potentially spawning threats randomly, so Ray had to move fast.
Ray's strategy: Stealth to the ridge, imbue rune traps by touching surfaces (fire rune for explosion, earth rune for spikes, healing rune for race-specific plague, 10 mana each, contact and manual triggers), craft a new smoke bomb with his portable alchemy set (rat blood, ash, canister, mesh), Pebble Toss for choke point, Short Blink cautiously (avoiding the spatial human), Spark/Frost Touch for control. Use Inspection to detect and avoid dark elf shadow runes, preserving Mana. Neutralize dark elves (stealthy, rune threats) first, then lizardmen (durable), humans (ranged, spatial threat), and orc last (strongest). Rely on his core-forged sword for close combat, leveraging its scaling advantage over their guns, and use looted shuriken for ranged attacks if Mana runs low. Claim the depot as a hideout and keep the truck for transportation. No senseless heroics—Ray would outsmart, then overpower.
[Yomi Protocol: No dumb charges, fleshbag. That spatial human will spot your blinks, and those dark elves' shadow runes are nasty—sidestep 'em to save Mana. Their guns? Less effective up close—your blade's the star. That orc's warhammer could flatten you, so hit him last. Got those shuriken? Use 'em if you're out of juice. Portal scars could dump a mutant party on you—move fast or regret it.]
Ray pulled out his portable alchemy set, mixing rat blood and ash in a canister, sealing it with a mesh for dispersal to craft a smoke bomb (Alchemy: 3/3 uses, Level 3, +10 EXP). He crept to the ridge, staying low (Stealth: 3/4 uses toward Level 4). Inspection revealed a faint glow near the perimeter—Shadow Rune, Dark Elf Trap, Contact Trigger, Frenzy Illusion. Ray sidestepped it, avoiding the trap to conserve Mana. He touched surfaces near the truck and entrance, imbuing them with 10 Mana each to create three runes—Fire Rune (explosive blast on contact) near the lizardmen, Earth Rune (spikes on manual trigger) near the truck, and Healing Rune (temporary plague, contagious to same race, manual trigger) near the entrance (Mana: 70/100) [EXP: 410/600].
The dark elves patrolled; Ray targeted one first, Short Blinking behind it cautiously to avoid the spatial human's detection (Mana: 60/100), slashing its throat with his core-forged sword (Swordplay: 1/5 uses). Auto-loot stored shuriken, bow, dark elf mutagen (Shadow Proficiency, Stealth Agility) [EXP Gained: 20]. The second dark elf drew its bow; Ray spotted another shadow rune with Inspection and dodged it, preserving Mana. He used Gust, slashing with wind blades under concentrated force (Mana: 50/100), then used Pebble Toss to trip it (Mana: 40/100, Markmanship: 2/4 uses), finishing with a sword thrust (Swordplay: 2/5 uses). Auto-loot stored shuriken, bow, dark elf mutagen (Shadow Proficiency, Stealth Agility) [EXP Gained: 20] [EXP: 450/600].
The lizardmen roared, spotting the bodies. Ray tossed his smoke bomb, clouding the entrance. He lured one lizardman to the Fire Rune, which exploded on contact, staggering it. Ray used Pebble Toss to push it into the choke point (Mana: 30/100, Markmanship: 3/4 uses), froze its scales with Frost Touch (Mana: 20/100), and slashed with his scaling blade (Swordplay: 3/5 uses). Auto-loot stored spears, lizardman scales, lizardman mutagen (Bone Proficiency, Scaly Resilience) [EXP Gained: 20]. The second lizardman summoned bone spikes; Ray triggered the Healing Rune, a sickly mist erupting, infecting the lizardman (HP draining temporarily, contagious to other lizardmen). He used Drip to slice with water blades under pressure (Mana: 10/100), finishing with a sword thrust (Swordplay: 4/5 uses, Level 5, +10 EXP). The plague spread to the first lizardman nearby, weakening it further (HP draining). Auto-loot stored spears, lizardman scales, lizardman mutagen (Bone Proficiency, Scaly Resilience) [EXP Gained: 20] [EXP: 500/600].
The humans fired pistols, their static weapons less effective as Ray closed in. The spatial-proficient one sensed his position, grazing him with a shot (HP: 85/1000). Ray used the ridge for cover, casting Pebble Toss to disarm another (Mana: 0/100, Markmanship: 4/4 uses, Level 3, +10 EXP), then crept behind the non-spatial humans (Stealth: 4/4 uses, Level 4, +10 EXP), slitting throats stealthily with his core-forged sword. Auto-loot stored pistols, daggers [EXP Gained: 30 (3 humans)] [EXP: 550/600].
The orc leader roared, hefting his core-forged warhammer, its troll core pulsing with a 0.2 attack boost, muscles bulging with enhancement magic (Strength 10). Ray, Mana depleted and HP low, didn't rush in. He triggered the Earth Rune near the truck, spikes erupting to pierce the orc's legs, slowing him (HP: 70/1000 from warhammer swing). Using vines for cover, Ray waited for Mana to tick up (recovering, 10/100). He Short Blinked behind the orc (Mana: 0/100), striking a critical blow to his back with his core-forged sword (Swordplay: 1/6 uses toward Level 6). The orc staggered, his warhammer swinging wildly. Ray melted into the shadows with Stealth, pulling a looted dark elf shuriken from his Dimension Pocket. He hurled it with precision, the blade sinking into the orc's neck (Markmanship: 1/5 uses toward Level 4). The orc fell, thudding against the truck. Auto-loot stored: core-forged warhammer (troll core, 0.2 attack boost), orc tusk, orc mutagen (Enhancement Magic, Enhanced Muscle Density), truck keys, low-tier armaments (pistols, daggers, shuriken, tonfa, bow, crossbow), alien currencies (lumen from dark elves, durin from lizardmen/orc, 500 total), supplies (tools, food, tech parts from Grunthar's and other stores) [EXP Gained: 50] [EXP: 600/800].
[Yomi Protocol: Level 6 Unlocked! Stats: Strength 6, Endurance 6, Speed 6, Agility 6. Mana Pool: 110/1000. Brains over brawn, fleshbag. That healing rune plague was nastier than a lizardman's breath, and dodging those shadow runes saved your Mana. Outsmarted that spatial human and turned that orc into a pincushion with that shuriken—nice throw! Your blade and that sneaky play outdid their popguns. Nabbed a sweet hideout and a truck for getting around. EXP: 160 from bandits, 40 from skill level-ups. Total: 600/800. Portal scars didn't ruin your day, but don't count on luck—those things are chaos magnets. Don't let that warhammer go to your head, or you'll need a bigger helmet.]
Mana depleted, Ray slumped, wounds stinging (HP: 70/1000 from pistol grazes, warhammer swing). He touched his arm, using Minor Mend to heal the wounds (Mana: 0/110, recovering), restoring some HP (HP: 80/1000). The depot was his, won through smarts, his scaling core-forged sword, and a well-aimed shuriken, not the bandits' static guns. The depot's remote location and rusted structures made it an ideal hideout for future operations. The truck, vital transportation for his mercenary work, complemented the hideout, enabling mobility across the wasteland. Ray was ready to activate his looted mutagens—dark elf, lizardman, orc—each a painful system activation, one per day, to unlock Shadow, Bone, or Enhancement Magic. His guild dream burned brighter.
Ray clutched the truck keys, the depot now his hideout, the truck his transportation, guild life within reach.