Chapter 2: Echoes of Survival
Chapter 2: Scavenger's Blade
He didn't expect the blood to vanish like that.
The monster had barely hit the ground before its body pixelated — breaking apart into scattered motes of crimson light, like a program collapsing in on itself. Nothing remained but fragments of bone, a few melted scraps of armor, and the stench of ozone.
Kael stood in the aftermath, chest heaving, breath ragged. His pulse still thundered from the fight.
> [Zone Cleared: Sector 9 Outskirts]
[EXP Gained: +230]
[Level Up: Lv. 2 → Lv. 3]
[Skill Acquired: Reflex Trace Lv. 1]
He blinked at the notification.
"Level three already?" he muttered.
The first time he reached this point — back when the world first turned — it had taken him days. And he'd barely survived, clinging to a party of half-prepared survivors who didn't live past Sector 11. Now he was here alone, and somehow... further.
The system interface flickered as he opened it. The menus still looked unfinished, like they were coded mid-crisis. Lines twitched. Icons lagged. But the stats were real.
> [Passive Skill: Reflex Trace]
+5% reaction speed.
+0.2s bonus evasion window after narrowly avoiding a lethal blow.
Not flashy. But in this world, milliseconds mattered.
He accepted it silently and closed the display.
---
Kael scanned the plaza for movement. Nothing. The wind carried dust through collapsed alleys and over melted road signs. Cars were fused together in grotesque metal sculptures. Windows sagged, bent from a heat that didn't come from any ordinary fire.
No animals. No birds. No hum of powerlines.
Just silence.
The world hadn't decayed slowly. It had shattered all at once. Now, it was a husk — empty, twisted, waiting to be explored or destroyed.
He moved toward the southern edge of the zone, boots crunching glass. A faint shimmer pulsed beneath a bent highway ramp — a sector boundary marker. He recognized it. Moving past it meant more danger.
> [Proceed to Zone 10?]
Warning: Monsters in next zone exceed your current combat level.
Kael stared at the glowing threshold… then turned away.
Not yet.
He ducked through a half-collapsed alley instead. A rusted fence leaned at an angle, as if trying to block the path. On the brick wall, someone had spray-painted in charcoal ink:
NOT SAFE – DO NOT ENTER
Perfect.
---
The alley twisted until it opened into an abandoned metro tunnel. The entrance had been split open like something had crawled out, not in. The air grew cold and damp.
Kael stepped into the dark, bent pipe still in hand. Its edge was warped, barely worthy of the term "blade." But it had saved his life. That was more than enough.
The darkness felt thicker here. He moved slowly, steps measured. A sharp, glass-like crunch echoed through the corridor — his own footfall. Nothing yet.
Then the system pinged.
> [Hidden Zone Discovered: Abandoned Subway Checkpoint]
[Beacon Detected — Activate?]
Kael exhaled and stepped toward the flickering flame at the center of the tunnel.
A broken terminal, buried in debris, pulsed faintly. When he touched it, the beacon flared blue and the warmth washed through him. Not healing. Just… grounding.
> [Checkpoint Claimed]
He sat beside it and leaned against the wall.
Not a safehouse, but the closest thing to one.
He ate a cold ration bar from his pack, chewed slowly.
Then—
Scratching.
Kael froze.
From behind a rusted vending machine, something crawled out on all fours. Pale skin. No eyes. Limbs thin as wire, ending in curled claws that clicked with each movement. Its nose twitched. It sniffed the air.
> [Feral Goblin – Lv. 2]
Caution: High sensory tracking. Weak to blunt trauma.
Kael stood silently.
Then, without warning, he dashed forward.
The goblin hissed and leapt — but Kael ducked beneath its swipe and drove the pipe into its side with brutal force. It shrieked. A second swing from Kael knocked it to the ground. One more strike pinned it to the floor.
The goblin spasmed. Then burst into light and fragments.
> [EXP +30]
[Loot Acquired: Clawed Bone (Uncommon), 3 Copper Shards]
Kael exhaled through clenched teeth.
His arms ached. But his grip didn't loosen.
He looked at the twisted pipe and the clawed bone on the floor. A soft prompt flashed in the corner of his vision.
> [Crafting Option Available]
Combine: Rusted Rod + Clawed Bone = Primitive Bone Saber
Proceed?
Kael hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
A quiet flash of light. His hands tingled.
The pipe reformed. The bone fused into the edge, curving with the steel, forming a makeshift hilt and sharp, jagged edge.
It wasn't beautiful.
But it was a weapon.
Kael gave a tired half-smile.
Progress.
---
Back at the checkpoint, the interface buzzed again.
> [Level Up: Lv. 4]
[New Title Unlocked: "First Kill Survivor"]
He ignored the title.
He didn't fight for recognition.
He fought because he wanted to see tomorrow.
Another roar echoed through the tunnel walls. Distant. Deeper. But approaching.
Kael stood slowly, blade resting against his shoulder.
He didn't need fanfare. Or hope.
He just needed a sharper weapon… and enough time to learn how to use it.
---
📊 Kael Draven – Status (End of Chapter 2)
> Name: Kael Draven
Level: 4
Class: [Unassigned]
EXP: 540 / 800
HP: 170 / 170
Stamina: 92 / 100
Checkpoint: Abandoned Subway – Sector 9
Weapon: Primitive Bone Saber
Armor: Tattered Cloak (No bonus)
Skills:
🌀 Reflex Trace Lv. 1
+5% reaction speed
+0.2s evasion buffer after narrowly avoiding lethal blow
Traits:
• None registered