Stranger

The man looked tired. Not as a player who has just logged into the game, but as someone who has spent a lot of time here.

Atlas didn't move. He didn't know what to expect yet.When the stranger noticed him, he stopped too.

–...A rabbit? The voice was hoarse, as if the man hadn't spoken in a long time.

Atlas did not respond immediately. He could have said something sarcastic, but he restrained himself. The stranger blinked, tilted his head as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

–Are you... a gamer?

Atlas nodded.

The man exhaled and took his hand off the hilt of his sword, even though he had been unconsciously clutching it before.

He muttered, scratching his head: – I thought I was hallucinating.

Atlas relaxed a little. The stranger clearly wasn't going to attack.

–Who are you? – Atlas asked.

The man looked around, as if checking to see if anyone was nearby, and then looked back at him.

–Just a tramp.–He replied: – In this game, my name is Ren. I've been here for... hell, I don't even know how long.

–How long?

Ren grinned: – Enough to know that players like you are rare here.

Atlas squinted: –In what way?

Ren leaned against a nearby tree, as if he was too lazy to explain, but then he spoke anyway.:

–You've been in Flanard recently, haven't you? I don't think you can even imagine how deep this world is.

–Maybe.– Atlas admitted.

– Well, that's it.– Ren continued: –Most of the players here follow the standard path. They choose ordinary classes, ordinary races, and move from quest to quest. The game leads them by the hand. But people like you…

He waved his hand towards Atlas, hinting at his rabbit-like nature.

– People like you go beyond the boundaries of the system.

Atlas slowly tilted his head.

– What you mean?

Ren chuckled: –I do not know exactly how you ended up in this body, but you are no longer part of the main category of players.

The system perceives you differently.But maybe you should be more careful.

Atlas thought about it. That made sense. He had already realized that the game was not quite ordinary. Its mechanics didn't work like in other VR games, and it felt like there was something out of the ordinary here.

Ren suddenly shifted his gaze to his baby shark. Is this your Montaine beast?

–Interesting...– he drawled, slightly tilting his head: –This is the first time I've seen an aerial shark.

Atlas frowned: –Are they rare?

– They don't exist. – Ren replied calmly.

Atlas froze: –What?

Ren nodded: – I've seen hundreds of animals since I've been here. Wolves, dragons, giant bears, even fiery foxes. But not a single aerial shark.

Atlas glanced at his beast. The baby shark seemed to ignore them, continuing to move smoothly in the air.

– Maybe it's some kind of hidden content?

Atlas suggested.

Ren grinned: –Maybe.Or a bug. Or…

He didn't finish.Atlas felt a little uneasy. Did something go wrong with his character?

He thought about the bug he had caught at the very beginning and the strange profession of [Scavenger].

– And your profession? –Ren suddenly asked.

–..The scavenger.

Ren blinked: –Are you kidding?

A moment of silence.

And then Ren exhaled slowly and shook his head.

– He said, grinning: – It looks like you have a very interesting journey ahead of you.

Atlas looked at Ren, assessing his reaction.

"So my profession is a rarity? Or a mistake?"

He wasn't sure if this was good news. In games, strange mechanics could mean both hidden bonuses and complex restrictions. Ren seemed to relax a little. He didn't look hostile, but Atlas sensed that this man knew more than he was letting on.

– And what's it like to be a scavenger?

–I don't know yet.– Atlas answered honestly: – Mostly I just collect garbage.

Ren laughed again.

– Oh, yes, it's a great profession. Heroic. I'm sure everyone will be jealous.

Atlas crossed his paws over his chest: –Do you know anything about her?

Ren fell silent. He stared at Atlas a little longer than he should have, then shook his head. I've never met her before. But...

but?

Ren smiled a little.

– Since this profession exists, it means that it means something.

Atlas was silent.He looked at his inventory. There have already accumulated several items found among the garbage. A plastic bottle, a rusty spoon, several pieces of metal, a strange glass ball… It all seemed like useless junk.

But he couldn't help feeling that he just didn't understand something.

– Okay. – Ren said, raising his hands: –I'm not going to mind my own business. But if it turns out that you can turn trash into gold, be sure to tell me.

Atlas chuckled.

– Of course. If I find a way to make legendary weapons out of rusty spoons, you'll be the first to know.

Ren chuckled: –Agreed.

Atlas squatted down and stared at the status screen.

[ Class: Scavenger ]

No explanation.Zero stats.

And only one button

[ Activate the skill].

Ren, who was sitting next to him, gave him a skeptical look.

– Are you sure this is a useful class at all?

Atlas sighed: –We'll find out soon enough.

He pressed the button and the world shook. No, not all of it, just his perception.

Faint markers flashed at the edges of his vision.Grass, rocks, even a piece of a broken fence by the roadside—everything now had a status.

Atlas approached the ground and saw the first illuminated object.

[ Broken Wolf Claw ]

[ Rarity: Common ]

[ Can be used for crafting or selling ]

He bent down, picked it up... and immediately the system issued a new notification.

[The first item has been collected! ]

[ Task received: "Collect 10 random items" ]

Ren whistled: –Automatic quests?That's something.

Atlas smiled.This class is not garbage. He's something like that.Now it remained to find out how useful he was in battle. And of course... find more items.

The system flashed before my eyes again.

[ Collected items: 1/10 ]

Atlas nodded and continued to look around.It would seem that there is nothing unusual.But as soon as the ability was activated again, faint glowing lines ran across the ground, highlighting several more objects.

Atlas went to the nearest one—it was a dirty metal plate.

[ Rusty plate ]

[ Condition: Unsatisfactory ]

[Can be recycled or sold ]

He picked it up, and the system immediately updated the quest.

[ Collected items: 2/10 ]

Ren narrowed his eyes: –And what are you going to do about it?

Atlas thought about it.But, to his surprise, the game itself gave the answer.

[Item recycling is available ]

[Use a skill? ]

"Recycling?"

// To be continued, please like and save