The hour of waiting in the pod felt like waiting for a dentist appointment you really, really didn't want to go to.
Ryan spent most of it fiddling with his Utility Knife, which still looked like a cheap knife, even with its fancy new "Potential Refinement Slot."
He tried to mentally extract the 'waiting' part of the hour, but his SSS-Tier system didn't seem to cover impatient time travel. Shame.
In the CommNet, Chris "Boulder" Magnus was living up to his new nickname.
Chris_Boulder_Magnus: Alright folks, barrier's coming down soon! No need to panic! Boulder's here, and I'm ready to scout ahead! My B-Tier 'Kinetic Surge' will make short work of whatever's out there! Who's with me in spirit?!
A chorus of digital cheers went up for Boulder.
BigTony77: YEAH, BOULDER! Show 'em what Outpost #7 is made of!
PrincessFluffybutt: Be careful, Mr. Boulder! But if you see any fluffy Persians, please let me know!
ConfusedCarl: I'm with you in spirit from the safety of my pod, Boulder! My tough elbows are cheering you on!
Ryan watched with a mix of admiration and nervousness. Boulder certainly had guts. Or maybe he just really wanted to use his new power.
Suddenly, the pod door which Ryan hadn't even realized was a door because it had been so seamless hissed open with a sigh of escaping air. It slid smoothly into the wall, revealing a brightly lit corridor.
Other pod doors were opening too. People were hesitantly poking their heads out.
The corridor led to a larger, dome-like area. This was the main part of Genesis Outpost #7.
It was spacious, clean, and filled with other confused-looking people slowly emerging from their own pods. In the center of the dome, there was a large, shimmering energy barrier, like a giant soap bubble that you definitely didn't want to pop.
This was presumably the edge of the "safe zone." Beyond it, through the slightly transparent barrier, Ryan could see well, it was hard to tell. It looked like a very overgrown, very misty garden that hadn't seen a lawnmower in centuries.
Boulder was one of the first out, already striking a heroic pose near a rather sad-looking training dummy that stood off to one side.
It was made of some kind of tough, rubbery material and was vaguely person-shaped, if the person had been made of lumpy pillows.
"Alright everyone, watch this!" Boulder announced, puffing his chest out. He faced the dummy. "Kinetic Surge!"
A faint shimmer of energy, like heat haze over a summer road, surrounded Boulder's arms. He let out a mighty yell "HNNNNG!" and punched the training dummy.
THWACK!
The dummy didn't exactly explode, but it wobbled violently and a decent-sized dent appeared where Boulder's fist had connected. He even stumbled a bit from the force of his own punch.
"See?" Boulder panted, grinning proudly. "Raw power! Whatever's out there won't stand a chance!"
A few people clapped uncertainly. Ryan thought the dummy looked more surprised than damaged. Still, it was better than he could do. His best punch would probably just make the dummy jiggle sympathetically.
The energy barrier at the edge of the dome began to flicker and fade, turning more and more transparent until it vanished completely with a soft fwoomp.
An open archway now led into the misty, overgrown world outside. The Shifting Wilds. The name itself sounded like it needed a spooky soundtrack.
"Time for Boulder to roll!" Chris declared, striking another pose. He gave a thumbs-up to the anxious crowd, then marched confidently towards the archway.
He stepped through.
For a glorious half-second, he stood there, a pioneer on the threshold of a new world.
Then, things went very, very wrong.
From the misty tangles of vegetation just beyond the archway, something moved.
It was too fast to see clearly a blur of greenish-brown, a flash of what looked like too many legs, or maybe tentacles. Before anyone could even gasp, these unseen things swarmed Boulder.
He let out a single, shocked yelp "Guh!" and then he was gone. Dragged off into the undergrowth with a horrible rustling, scuttling sound.
His triumphant marching had lasted all of three steps into the Wilds.
Silence. Absolute, stunned silence in the dome. Everyone stared at the empty archway where Boulder had been.
Then, on the CommNet, Boulder's signal, which had been broadcasting his confident "I'm scouting!" message, abruptly went dead. Just static.
Chris_Boulder_Magnus: SIGNAL LOST.
That's when the real panic started.
Screams echoed through the dome. People scrambled back towards their pods, as if the small plastic rooms could offer any real protection.
The brave pioneer spirit that Boulder had tried to ignite fizzled out like a damp firework.
BigTony77: BOULDER?! NOOOO! HE WAS OUR B-TIER HOPE!
PrincessFluffybutt: Oh, dear! Oh, goodness! This is much worse than lost cats!
ConfusedCarl: I'm staying in my pod. Forever. My elbows aren't nearly tough enough for… that!
The holographic God Warden reappeared, its expression still as cheerful as a tax audit.
"Further data on the immediate extra-Outpost environment is now available," it stated calmly, as if someone hadn't just been eaten by mystery monsters.
"The area surrounding Genesis Outpost #7 is designated as the 'Shifting Wilds.' It is characterized by unstable geography, unpredictable atmospheric conditions, and is populated by a high density of 'Unstable Fauna' and 'Anomalous Flora.'"
"Unstable Fauna? Anomalous Flora?" Ryan muttered. "So, angry animals that might change shape and plants that might try to give you a hug you won't survive. Got it." He looked at the archway.
The misty wilderness beyond suddenly seemed ten times more menacing.
The Warden continued, its voice a relentless flow of slightly terrifying information. "Novice protection within the designated Outpost perimeter is absolute. Outside this perimeter, such protections are nonexistent.
Exercise extreme caution. Survival is your primary directive." And with that cheery thought, the Warden vanished again.
The panic in the dome intensified. Most people quickly formed large, huddled groups, clinging to the idea of safety in numbers.
They looked like a flock of very scared sheep, eyeing the archway as if it were the entrance to a wolf's den. Which, Ryan supposed, it kind of was.
In the midst of the chaos, Ryan noticed a quiet woman standing near the edge of one of the larger groups. She was slender, with dark red hair tied back, and her expression was watchful, not panicked.
The CommNet had briefly buzzed about her earlier, Scarlett, nicknamed "Red" Viper, who had awakened an A-Tier Aptitude called "Shadow Weave." It apparently allowed her to create minor illusions and become stealthy.
Even now, she seemed to blend into the background slightly more than everyone else.
People were already starting to look towards her, whispering. An A-Tier, even for stealth, was a beacon of hope now that Boulder, the B-Tier Tank, had been so spectacularly un-tank-like.
Scarlett looked towards the archway, her gaze intense. She was probably a lot better equipped for scouting than poor Boulder had been.
Ryan thought about his own SSS-Tier power. "Ultimate Infinite Extraction System." It wasn't about punching things hard or making illusions. It was about taking things apart. Learning from them.
To do that, he needed things to extract from. And those things were probably not inside the nice, clean, boring Outpost.
They were out there. Where Boulder had met his untimely, unseen demise.
A shiver went down his spine, but it was mixed with a strange curiosity. Boulder's fate was a stark warning. But the "Unstable Fauna" and "Anomalous Flora" what essence might they hold? What could he learn? What could he become if he could extract from them? His system had said "limitless potential." That potential wasn't going to unlock itself if he just sat in the Outpost practicing on his rations packet.
He made a decision. It felt partly brave, partly very, very stupid. He was going out. Alone.
Large groups made noise. Large groups attracted attention. And if he was with a large group, how could he sneak off to discreetly 'extract essence' from a weird-looking mushroom or a freshly deceased monster without someone asking awkward questions like, "Hey, why are you poking that dead thing and glowing faintly?"
He checked his basic Utility Knife [still not very impressive] and his Pioneer's Rations [still looking like a brick]. He took a deep breath.
"Okay, Ryan," he told himself quietly. "Time to see if this SSS-Tier is all it's cracked up to be, or if you're about to become monster kibble number two."
He skirted the edge of the panicked crowds, trying to look like he knew where he was going, or at least like he wasn't about to wet his pants.
He reached the archway. The air that drifted in from the Shifting Wilds was damp, earthy, and smelled faintly of things he couldn't identify and probably didn't want to.
He stepped through.
The difference was immediate. The soft hum of the Outpost was gone, replaced by a cacophony of unseen insectile buzzings, distant rustles, and the drip-drip-drip of moisture from the towering, strange plants.
The light was dimmer here, filtered through a thick canopy of enormous leaves that looked like they belonged in a dinosaur movie.
He moved slowly, trying to be quiet, his eyes scanning everything. He half-expected to trip over Boulder's remains immediately, but there was no sign of him. Just a trail of broken twigs and disturbed earth leading deeper into the misty green.
After a few careful steps, he spotted something on the ground. A piece of torn, dark fabric that looked suspiciously like the material of Boulder's starting clothes.
Nearby, a discarded utility belt, its buckle bent. And a few feet further, one of Boulder's sturdy boots, lying on its side as if kicked off in a struggle.
Poor Boulder. He hadn't even gotten to use his Kinetic Surge in a real fight.
Ryan knelt by the boot. This was it. His first real test in the wild.
"Okay, System," he murmured, focusing on the discarded boot. "Boulder was a B-Tier. He used his Kinetic Surge just before he came out. Is there anything… left?"
He reached out, almost hesitantly, and placed his hand on the boot. He activated his Extraction.
That strange, gentle pulling sensation returned, stronger this time. The Interface lit up.
Target: Discarded Boot [ Imbued With Trace Energetic Residue ]
Initiating Extraction Protocol.
Extraction Complete!
Acquired: Kinetic Residue [ Minor ]
System Note: Faint remnants of a B-Tier strength enhancing ability. Useful!
Effect: +1 Strength [ Temporary – 10 Minutes ]
Ryan felt a tiny warmth flow into him, a subtle thrum of energy in his muscles. He clenched his fist.
Did he feel stronger? Maybe a tiny bit? Like he could now open a slightly more stubborn pickle jar. It wasn't a huge boost, but it was something. He'd pulled energy from a boot!
His eyes then fell on a patch of strange, faintly glowing moss that Boulder must have stepped on. It pulsed with a soft, greenish light.
"What about you, Mr. Glowy Moss?"
He focused his extraction on it.
Target: Lumina Moss [ Anomalous Flora, Tier F ]
Initiating Extraction Protocol
Extraction Complete!
Acquired: Bioluminescent Spores [ Small Cluster ]
System Note: These spores emit a gentle light. Could be handy for seeing in the dark, or for very subtle mood lighting at a goblin rave.
A tiny, shimmering cluster of what looked like golden dust appeared in his palm, then seemed to absorb into his skin, leaving no trace.
The Interface showed he now 'carried' them, ready to be used.
He grinned. Kinetic energy from a boot, light-up spores from moss. This SSS-Tier thing? It was definitely interesting. Now, if only he could avoid being dragged off by whatever got Boulder that was the next big challenge.