First Steps

Even though my body felt sluggish from all the running and the heat, there was… something else there, too. A faint, pulsing energy deep within me. I couldn't quite explain it, but as I took a cautious step forward, I noticed the ache in my legs was fading. My heartbeat was still fast, but I could breathe more easily, and my muscles didn't feel like they were about to give out any second.

It hit me then: It's the stats. The points I'd added—they'd changed something. With each step, I felt a growing strength and control, like I'd suddenly shed invisible weights. My legs moved faster and more smoothly, my arms felt stronger, and the sand didn't sap my energy nearly as much as before. And I had stamina—actual, real stamina—coursing through me, like I could keep running for hours if I needed to.

I crouched low, scanning the desert. My senses seemed sharper, like I was able to pick up on every faint shift in the sand, every flicker of movement on the horizon. I clenched my fists, testing this new strength, and felt a surprising resistance in my grip. There was real power there now. Three times stronger? Maybe. But the stamina… it was more than I'd expected, almost overwhelming, like a deep well I could draw from.

The rumbling from earlier had faded, and the sand was still once more. The creatures—whether sandworms or those giant insects—seemed to have moved off in search of other targets. That gave me a little time, at least. I didn't know how long it would last, but I wasn't about to waste it.

All right, I thought, pulling myself together. I can do this.

The landscape was as brutal as ever, the sun beating down, the air thick and dry. But with this newfound stamina, the heat was just a little less suffocating, the sand a little less like quicksand. I kept moving, setting my sights on a distant dune that looked taller than the others. If I could get there, maybe I'd have a chance of seeing farther, spotting anything that looked like shelter or water.

With each step, my confidence grew. The System, whatever it was, had actually done something useful. I knew I wasn't invincible—I'd already seen how quickly people could get picked off out here. But I wasn't as helpless as I'd felt when I'd first woken up in this desert. Maybe, I thought, maybe I can make it through this place.

As I crested a smaller dune, I spotted something half-buried in the sand a few yards ahead. It looked like a ragged, tattered cloth, flapping faintly in the breeze. I kept my distance, watching it for movement. When it didn't shift, I approached cautiously. As I got closer, I realized it wasn't just cloth—it was someone's shirt, ripped and covered in sand. A few feet away lay a cracked pair of glasses, one lens shattered, the frame twisted beyond repair.

I forced myself to look away. This place was leaving traces of people—proof of those who hadn't made it. It was a brutal reminder that survival wasn't guaranteed. But that wasn't going to be me. I wasn't going to be just another abandoned scrap in the sand.

Focusing, I pushed forward, my gaze locked on the large dune up ahead. With every step, the changes to my body became more apparent. My legs powered through the sand, my strides longer and steadier. The extra strength made it easier to keep my balance, and my stamina felt bottomless. I could keep this pace up for hours if I had to, and the realization was exhilarating.

Halfway to the dune, though, a familiar buzzing sound broke the silence.

I stopped dead in my tracks, the hair on the back of my neck prickling. Slowly, I scanned the sky, searching for any sign of those insect creatures. The sound grew louder, a heavy, resonant hum echoing across the dunes. I crouched low, gripping the sand, and looked up. There it was—a faint black dot in the sky, circling slowly, almost lazily, as if it hadn't noticed me yet.

I held my breath, watching it hover and shift as it scouted the area. I wasn't sure what to do—staying still seemed to help before, but with my increased agility, maybe I could make a run for it, outrun it before it could spot me.

The buzzing grew louder as the creature dipped lower, its massive wings stirring up clouds of sand beneath it. I pressed myself as low to the ground as I could, practically sinking into the sand. I could see it more clearly now—a creature twice my height, with a sleek, dark body and serrated legs that looked ready to slice through anything in its path. It passed overhead, close enough that I could feel the vibration of its wings in my bones, a terrible, droning sound that seemed to reach straight into my core.

Just when I thought it might leave, it paused, hovering over the area where I was hiding. My pulse thundered in my ears as I lay perfectly still, praying it hadn't seen me. Seconds ticked by, and I could feel the weight of its gaze, the shadow of those horrible talons casting a dark shape across the sand.

Then, in a sudden blur, it shot off, disappearing over the horizon. I didn't dare move until the buzzing faded completely, the only sound left the soft whisper of the wind across the dunes.

I exhaled shakily, relief washing over me. Close. Way too close. But I wasn't dead, and that was all that mattered.

I pushed myself back to my feet and kept moving, my pace quickening as I neared the larger dune. From the top, I'd have a view of whatever was around me. With any luck, I could find some place to hide, maybe even some sign of water or food. Anything to give me an edge.

Reaching the base of the dune, I started my climb, the sand shifting beneath my feet but not nearly as exhausting as before. The increased strength in my legs kept me steady, and the seemingly endless stamina made it easy to press on. Finally, I reached the top, breathing hard but not exhausted.

From up here, the desert stretched on and on, an endless expanse of rolling dunes and shimmering heat waves. But in the far distance, I caught sight of something different. A faint outline, jagged and dark, barely visible against the horizon. Mountains? Or maybe some kind of structure?

Whatever it was, it was the only landmark I'd seen so far. If there was anything resembling shelter in this wasteland, it had to be there.

I had a destination. The thought was grounding, a flicker of purpose in the chaos.

With one last look at the sky to check for any more of those creatures, I started down the other side of the dune, making my way toward the distant shape. Every step took me further from the place I'd woken up, from the scattered screams and sand-worm attacks. It was just me, the desert, and this strange strength that the System had given me.

The journey ahead looked long and unforgiving, but I had no other choice. I wasn't going to just sit here and wait for the desert to swallow me up.

And if I was stuck in this place, I was going to find a way to survive.

The dark outline on the horizon grew sharper as I made my way across the dunes. It was still miles away, barely more than a silhouette against the haze of heat waves. But it was something—an anchor to aim for, a flicker of direction in this brutal, directionless wasteland.

Each step felt solid, the sand barely slowing me down. My stamina held strong, steady as a drumbeat, my legs moving in a steady rhythm that I'd never thought I'd be capable of. I kept scanning my surroundings, my senses sharper, more alert than they'd ever been back home. Every gust of wind, every faint shift of sand felt amplified, almost like the desert itself was a living, breathing thing around me.

And as strange as it felt, I was getting used to it.

With each mile, I could feel the power of those stat points in a way I'd never expected. My legs moved faster, like my muscles had been rewired for this new world. My lungs were stronger, less frantic, holding air with a depth that felt… right. My senses stayed sharp, a steady hum of awareness that kept me on edge but calm. It was like I'd been built to navigate this desert, like my body and mind had been fine-tuned to survive.

But even with the System's boost, I wasn't invincible. That was clear from the moment I glanced over my shoulder and spotted a distant shadow cresting a dune behind me.

I froze, my breath catching as I watched it. At first, I thought it was another person. The shape was human-like, slumped and small, staggering forward through the sand. But something was off. As it drew closer, I saw that it moved with an unnatural, jerky motion, its limbs twisting in a way that didn't quite make sense.

Instinctively, I crouched down, hoping to keep out of sight. The figure kept coming, oblivious to my presence. The closer it got, the stranger it looked, like its joints weren't aligned properly, or maybe it was… broken somehow. Its skin had a grayish hue, and as it drew closer, I could see that its eyes were empty, dull, reflecting nothing but the sun's brutal glare.

Not human, I realized, feeling a cold dread settle in my stomach. Not anymore.

It stumbled forward, paying no mind to its surroundings, its legs scraping through the sand. It looked starved, dehydrated, and yet it moved with a terrible, relentless drive, like some invisible force was pulling it forward.

I held my breath, waiting for it to pass. For a split second, I considered running—pushing my legs to their limit and putting as much distance as I could between myself and whatever that thing was. But I didn't move, didn't dare to make a sound. If it hadn't noticed me yet, I wasn't about to change that.

The creature kept moving, oblivious, staggering off in another direction until it finally disappeared over the next dune. I waited, listening to the soft shuffle of sand as it faded into the distance. Only when silence returned did I let out the breath I'd been holding.

Another thing to worry about, I thought grimly, shifting my focus back to the distant outline on the horizon. Whatever that creature had been, it was yet another reminder that Turgan was filled with threats I couldn't predict. A place like this wasn't going to give me a break.

I pushed forward, forcing myself to stay focused. The sun had begun its slow descent, casting long shadows across the desert, and I didn't want to be caught out here after dark.

As I continued, I couldn't help but glance at my hands. They felt different—stronger, more capable. With each step, the effects of the System's boost became clearer, more real. My mind buzzed with a strange excitement, a thrill that I couldn't shake. I was three times faster, three times stronger… and the stamina? It felt limitless, like I could keep moving for hours without breaking a sweat. But even as the power surged through me, I kept my guard up. The desert had already shown me that strength was no guarantee of survival.

At the crest of another dune, I paused, catching sight of something on the ground just ahead. It looked like another fragment of cloth, but this time, there was something more. Scattered around it were shards of what seemed like… bone. Small, white fragments, half-buried in the sand, some of them sharp and splintered. I swallowed hard, my skin prickling as I looked away, refusing to linger on the grim remains.

The sun dipped lower, painting the dunes in deep reds and oranges, casting everything in an eerie glow. With the fading light came a chill, and I shivered as the heat of the day vanished, replaced by a biting cold that cut through even my boosted stamina.

I quickened my pace, focusing on the dark shape ahead. As I drew closer, the outline became clearer—a series of jagged rocks, jutting out of the sand like the broken bones of some long-dead creature. They were massive, dark stone pillars, worn by time and wind, and they looked strangely unnatural against the endless stretch of sand.

When I finally reached them, I slowed, looking up at the towering stones with a mix of awe and caution. The rocks formed a kind of natural shelter, casting deep shadows across the ground. I scanned the area, checking for any sign of movement, but it was quiet, almost eerily so.

With a sigh, I leaned back against one of the stones, letting myself relax for a moment. The cool surface felt comforting, a sharp contrast to the burning sand. My muscles were tense, my mind racing, but I forced myself to breathe slowly, grounding myself.

For the first time since I'd woken up in this desert, I felt a strange, fleeting sense of peace. The stones provided a barrier, a small slice of security against whatever lurked in the open desert. Here, I could catch my breath, maybe even close my eyes for a minute.

But then, just as I was starting to let my guard down, I heard it—a faint rustling sound, like something moving through the sand nearby.

I tensed, peering out from behind the stone. My gaze swept over the dunes, searching for the source of the noise. At first, I saw nothing. But then, to my horror, I spotted it: a long, sinuous shape slithering through the sand, weaving its way toward me with chilling precision.

It was a sandworm—smaller than the one I'd seen earlier, but no less terrifying. Its scales glinted in the fading light, and its jaws opened and closed rhythmically, revealing rows of sharp, serrated teeth.

I forced myself to stay calm, my mind racing. Okay, think, Josh. I couldn't run—any movement would draw its attention. But I couldn't stay hidden forever, either. The creature was getting closer, its movements slow but deliberate, like it knew I was there.

In a desperate move, I reached down, grabbing a small stone from the ground and hurling it as hard as I could in the opposite direction. The stone struck the sand with a soft thud, and the creature's head snapped toward the sound, its jaws snapping open.

For a tense moment, I held my breath, watching as the sandworm turned, its massive body shifting as it slithered away in pursuit of the noise. I waited, listening as its hissing faded into the distance.

When I was sure it was gone, I exhaled, my heart racing. I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep this up. Every encounter felt like a test, a trial of survival that pushed me to my limits.

But even as the fear gnawed at me, I felt something else—a fierce, unyielding determination. The System had given me strength, speed, stamina… but it hadn't given me my will to survive. That was all me. And as long as I held onto that, I knew I could keep going.