RARE UNKNOWN ITEM

The Electronic Scrap Cemetery was not just a landfill; it was a monument to the decay of technology and the oblivion of humanity. An endless field of corroded metal, burnt circuits, and broken screens that reflected the dim light of holographic ads in the sky.

This was where the elite's waste ended up, relics of progress that no longer served them. For the Outcasts, however, it was a paradise of hidden opportunities.

Kael moved through the technological ruins, his boots sinking into the oily mud that covered the ground. The air smelled of rusted metal and scorched cables, and the sound of sparks and broken gears filled the atmosphere. Around him, other Outcasts searched for useful parts among the mountains of waste, hoping to find something sellable, something that would give them one more day of food, one more day of life.

He wasn't looking for anything in particular. The spare part he needed for his PC was just an excuse to go. He liked being there, wandering and rummaging through those scraps, many of which remembered a previous time. It gave him a break from his reality, a moment of distraction in a world where every day was a struggle for survival. He moved like a ghost among the debris, without direction, without purpose. Until he saw it.

Amid a sea of shattered motherboards and dismantled robot shells, a different object caught his attention.

It was a small black device, smooth and unmarked. But what really made it stand out was the faint light pulsing on its surface, like a heart still clinging to life. Kael frowned and crouched slowly, reaching out cautiously. He had never seen anything like it.

When his fingers touched the device's surface, a shiver ran through his body. An electric impulse shot up his arm, straight to his neck, and in an instant, his vision went dark. Then, a metallic sound echoed in his head, like the reverberation of an ancient machine coming back to life.

A holographic window appeared before his eyes.

RARE UNKNOWN ITEM

Do you wish to activate it?

Kael felt his heart race. Rare Items were legend. It was said that only Heroes found them on epic quests, in hidden dungeons, or as rewards for acts of glory. They had no place in the hands of an Outcast scavenging in a dump.

And yet, there it was.

He hesitated.

Activating it could be dangerous. It could be a trap. But something in that object called to him, as if it had been waiting for him all this time. As if it were meant for him.

He took a breath and, with a trembling gesture, selected "Yes."

The world stopped.

The noise of the landfill faded. The voices of the other Outcasts dissolved into an unfathomable void. The air, which had smelled of burnt metal before, was now dense and icy. Every particle of his being felt the change.

Then, a voice echoed in his mind.

It was deep, grave, but not human. It was not a voice from The System.

—Welcome, Kael.

Kael tensed. How did it know his name?

—You have been chosen to assume a second role in The System. A role few know... and many fear.

A second role. That was not possible. No one could have more than one role in the game. The rules were absolute.

—The role of Anti-Hero.

The word thundered in his head like lightning in a storm.

Kael didn't fully understand what that meant, but his instincts screamed that it was important. It was as if, for the first time in his life, someone had offered him a real opportunity. Not to be a Hero, not to follow the path set by The System.

But to be something else. Something different.

Something dangerous.

—Do you accept?

The question hung in the icy air of that unknown dimension.

Kael swallowed hard. Something inside him told him this decision would change him forever. But he couldn't turn back. He had never had a choice in his life... until now.

"Yes."

The shadows around him vanished abruptly.

The world returned to normal. The cold disappeared. The noise of the landfill rushed back in, as if it had never left.

But something within him had changed.

His vision refocused on the mountains of waste and the Outcasts rummaging through them. Nothing seemed different.

Except now, in the corner of his vision, a second window floated in a dark hue, hidden from the others.

SECONDARY ROLE: ANTI-HERO

Objective: Sow chaos.

Rewards: Unlimited power.

Risks: The loss of your humanity.

Kael felt a chill run down his spine.

Something had awakened within him. Something dark. Something forbidden.

Kael was still processing what had just happened when a familiar sound interrupted his thoughts.