The CommNet for Genesis Outpost #7 was a mess of scared chatter. The news about the Rage Boar Anomaly wiping out a team of four, including a Level 2 player, had hit everyone hard.
It was like a cold splash of water after Ryan's brief, exciting victory against the Distortion Hound. One minute they were cheering for him, the next they were reminded that this whole "god Verse" thing wasn't a game you could just quit if things got too tough. Death here was real.
And apparently, it could come in the form of a very angry, very large pig-monster.
BigTony77: A Rage Boar... man, that sounds terrifying. Those poor folks.
PrincessFluffybutt: Four of them… Oh, I hope they didn't have any cats waiting for them. This place is so scary!
ConfusedCarl: My elbows are officially retracting into my shoulders. I am not going anywhere near a 'Rage Boar.' I'd rather face a thousand slightly annoyed geese.
Ace_Striker_001: See! Told you Anomalies were no joke. That other guy, Stone, probably just got lucky with his shadow dog. A real Anomaly like a Rage Boar would flatten him.
Ryan, reading the CommNet from a relatively safe spot hidden behind a very large, very suspiciously purple tree, sighed.
Ace Striker was really starting to get on his nerves. It was easy to talk tough when you were safe in your pod, or hiding with a big group. But Ace Striker did have a point, even if he was being a jerk about it.
Anomalies were serious business. The Distortion Hound had been tough. A "Rage Boar" sounded like it would be even tougher. The name itself suggested it wasn't going to be interested in a polite chat.
He decided to check the Outpost #7 Leaderboard on his god Interface. It had activated when someone had reached Level 3. Now that he was Level 2, he was curious where he stood.
He scrolled through the names.
Genesis Outpost #7 – Leaderboard [Top 100]
Scarlett "Red" Viper – Level 3 [ Shadow Weave - A ]
Jennifer "Quake" Lee – Level 2 [ Tremor Sense - B ]
Emma "Sage" Thorne – Level 2 [ Tactical Insight - B ]
[ a few other Level 2s he didn't recognize ]
Ryan Stone – Level 2 [Aptitude: (Classified SSS-TIER ) – He'd made sure that part was hidden!]
[ many Level 1s ]
ConfusedCarl – Level 1 [ Toughened Skin - D ]
BigTony77 – Level 1 [ Minor Elemental Affinity - F ]
PrincessFluffybutt – Level 1 [ Enhanced Reflexes - D ]
Ace Striker, the guy who'd been so quick to dismiss Ryan's Anomaly kill, was nowhere to be seen in the Top 100. Ryan allowed himself a small, smug smile.
Maybe Ace was still Level 0, or a very low Level 1. It was always the loudest ones who had the least to show.
Being 10th wasn't bad, especially since he'd only just hit Level 2. Scarlett being Level 3 already was impressive. That A-Tier Aptitude of hers was clearly powerful.
The CommNet chat shifted slightly. People were starting to notice his rank.
SmartyPants2000: Hey, Ryan Stone is 10th on the Leaderboard! He is Level 2! Maybe his Anomaly kill wasn't just luck after all.
HopefulHelen: Wow, he climbed fast! Good for him!
Even Scarlett "Red" Viper herself posted a rare message in the main chat:
Scarlett_Red_Viper: Luck is a factor, but true skill and adaptability are what define survival out here. Congratulations on your progress, Ryan Stone. Stay sharp.
Ryan felt a little thrill reading that. Praise from the top-ranked player, an A-Tier powerhouse? That was pretty cool. It was definitely better than Ace Striker's whining.
Then, a new series of messages appeared, these ones shaky and filled with typos, clearly from someone deeply traumatized.
Survivor_ témoignage _013: It… it was horrible… the Rage Boar… so strong… stronger than any Level 2 should be… Its eyes were glowing... red... and it just... smashed through everything… It killed Markos in one hit… We tried to run...
More messages followed, painting a grim picture of the Rage Boar's attack. The survivor described its immense strength, its thick, almost impenetrable hide, and a strange, dark energy that seemed to radiate from it.
They also gave its last known location, a small, once-sacred looking grove that the Boar had apparently rampaged through, leaving it desecrated and ruined.
Ryan read the survivor's description carefully. Stronger than a typical Level 2? Glowing red eyes? Dark energy? That sounded a lot like the Distortion Hound, which was also an Anomaly and had that "chaotic energy" vibe.
Maybe all Anomalies were super-charged versions of regular creatures, infused with some kind of dark, powerful energy.
And if this Rage Boar was anything like the Distortion Hound, it probably had a chance to drop another Unstable Genesis Shard. And maybe even another one of those cool Cache boxes.
The sensible part of Ryan's brain, the part that had been enjoying a nice nap after the Thorn Crawler fight, woke up and started screaming again.
"Are you insane?! A thing that killed four people, including a Level 2, with one hit?! And you want to go look for it?! Have you considered taking up a nice, safe hobby like competitive napping?!"
But the other part of his brain, the SSS-Tier-powered, loot-hungry, adventure-curious part, was already buzzing with excitement. This was a challenge. A big challenge. But the potential rewards.
He thought about the permanent stat boosts, the new equipment, the feeling of power he'd gotten from defeating the Distortion Hound. If he could take down another Anomaly, especially one that had just wiped out a whole team.
"Okay, sensible brain, I hear you," Ryan muttered, "but adventure brain has a very compelling argument involving shiny things and getting stronger.
And besides," he added, a determined glint in his eye, "someone needs to stop that thing before it hurts anyone else. And if I happen to get some awesome loot while doing it, well, that's just a bonus, right?"
He made his decision. He was going to hunt the Rage Boar Anomaly.
This was either the bravest or the stupidest idea he'd ever had. Probably a healthy mix of both.
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the Shifting Wilds, a different kind of hunt was concluding.
Scarlett "Red" Viper, now Level 3 and glowing faintly with the energy of her recent advancement, wiped her knife clean on a handful of leaves.
Beside her, Jennifer "Quake" Lee [ the B-Tier with Tremor Sense, now also Level 2 ] and Emma "Sage" Thorne [ the B-Tier with Tactical Insight, also Level 2 ] were catching their breath.
At their feet lay the corpse of a particularly large and nasty looking Spine Whelp an Alpha Spine Whelp, probably a Level 3 creature itself.
"Good work, team," Scarlett said, her voice calm but carrying an edge of satisfaction. "That Alpha was tougher than expected."
Emma nodded, checking her god Interface. "Our coordination is improving. Jennifer, your Tremor Sense gave us the edge when it tried to tunnel."
Jennifer grinned. "Just doing my part. Hey, did you see the CommNet? That Ryan Stone guy is already Level 2 and 10th on the board. He took down a Distortion Hound solo."
Scarlett raised an eyebrow, a flicker of interest in her eyes. "Indeed. He's certainly making an impact. Keep an eye on him. Individuals who rise that quickly are either extraordinarily gifted or extraordinarily reckless. Or perhaps both."
They had no idea that the "extraordinarily gifted and reckless" individual in question was currently marching off to try and solo an even more dangerous Anomaly, armed with a cheap knife, a fancy gauntlet, and a possibly unhealthy obsession with extracting essence from dangerous things.
The Shifting Wilds were about to get a lot more interesting. Or, for Ryan, a lot more painful.