"POWER!"
Even as the world turned dark and darkness crept upon him, the word rang out continuously like a haunting melody.
It would be a lie if he said he didn't know that truth.
Nvidia had always been ruled by power.
Ever since the descent of the Nakros Race—humanity's greatest adversary—only the powerful, those capable of fusing with Mecha Cores, the Corers, had risen to the status of gods.
With the aid of Mecha Cores, objects born from the fusion of Nakros energy and humanity's advanced technology, the Corers had gained power far beyond ordinary human capability.
And for a rare few, power beyond even Humanity's imagination.
The strongest of them ruled Nvidia and made its laws; this he was well aware of, but sometimes, fate...always has its own plans.
Not everyone could be a Corer, and unfortunately, Everlearn was one of those.
His Corer affinity wasn't just low, it was negative. An FFF-grade Talent!
His future was already doomed.
But he never accepted that reality.
While Corers were respected, there was a group who were equally important: Mech Designers.
They were the ones who designed the mechs that the Corers fused with to unleash power.
Everkearn had seen that as his only chance at greatness, if he ever wished to fulfill the promise he once made:
Ahh, that naive promise of his, that once felt so real.
He could still hear it ringing even now as his consciousness was slowly eroding.
___________
"I promise you, Mama, one day… I'll be Great!"
___________
'I'm sorry, Mama. I… I failed.'
The biting pain came crashing down, the pain of failing the only one he had ever cared about.
'I… I don't want it to end like this…'
A burning will to live burst forth through the darkness that was enclosing him.
One greater than he had ever possessed, but unfortunately, his end has already been set in stone.
He lacked it...power.
Or so he thought.
As the darkness completely crept upon him, a faint halo of golden light pierced through at the last moment.
Silence fell, as if time itself had frozen. Then the light aligned, shaping into runic letters that flared brighter until their forms became clear.
║Full System Integration Status: 99%...100%║
║System Is Now Fully Integrated With the Host!║
║Congratulations, Host on Awakening the Mech Devourer System!║
Gradually, his consciousness returned, followed by sight.
The world around him was pitch black, but right in front of him floated a golden panel with successive words.
It was like a ray of hope in the dark, making Everlearn blink twice.
His lips moved next.
"…Mech Devourer System?"
The control of his body returned.
His fingers twitched, then dug into the surface beneath as he pushed himself upright.
A throbbing ring echoed in his skull, forcing him to clutch his head.
It was a soul-splitting headache, his memories surging back at once.
He froze in silence after it stopped.
'A second chance?' He thought beyond perplexed.
The panel blinked.
║That Is Correct, Host. A Single Special Package Exists For Fusion With The System: A Life Rebirth Card!║
║Be Warned: Only A Single Life Rebirth Card Exists In The System. Revival From Death Will No Longer Be Possible In The Future.║
"You… you saved my life," Everlearn muttered.
║Well, uh—║
"Thank you."
He voiced out, only to choke and clutch his throat in pain.
It felt like the words had been forcefully torn out of his throat.
'Just where am I?' he thought as he struggled to his feet.
The floor beneath wasn't solid ground, but gluey sludge, yet it held firm under him.
He bent lower, straining his eyes to see exactly what it was.
What he saw made his heart lurch into his throat, and he unconsciously scrambled back, trying to find the ground, but was forced to stop by the notification.
║It's Useless. The Host Currently Sits Atop A Corpse Pit, Approximately 10 Meters Deep.║
'A corpse pit!?'
Now he could piece things together.
After being killed by Mecha Eva, her next step would naturally be having him disposed of.
The scene around him was hellish.
There were bodies everywhere, mangled pieces, with most of them having rotted.
For some reason, his sense of smell wasn't working. And in a way, that was an advantage.
'I have to get out of here.'
The system had mentioned a pit, and now that he knew, the image was becoming clearer.
Stepping over corpse after corpse, and wallowing blindly in the darkness, his hand eventually found a wall, and in it a hole.
Then another, just within reach.
Everlearn latched on and began to climb.
The climb was rough, his nails bruising badly, but for Everlearn, it had always been rough.
With teeth gritted, body scraping against the bare wall, and drawing blood, he pulled himself higher and higher.
At last, he spotted light above.
It invigorated him, giving him that last bit of energy that was just enough to drag himself up and finally climb out of the pit.
The second he was free, he collapsed to his knees. His hand gripped his throat as he coughed wretchedly.
The smell caught up, making his stomach twist violently.
His blurred eyes burned with the images of corpses.
The forced-down disgust was finally catching up with him.
He remained like this for a minute before finally regaining control of himself.
The world around him was vast.
A dark land stretched out before him, tall trees with thick leaves wherever his eyes turned.
He could see the setting sun in the distance.
Without wasting time, Everlearn quickly left the area.
If this place were used as a corpse dump, then being caught nearby would make his death certain.
There wasn't anywhere to run to, and the night was setting in fast.
In the end, he could only climb up to a natural shelter: a tree.
Finding shelter among its branches, he was protected from above and below by the large leaves.
"I survived…"
But he had yet to really steady his heart when a shocking notification appeared.
"I survived…"
Only now, with his breath steadying, did Everlearn recognize that he had escaped certain death.
But before his heart could calm, the panel flickered once more.
|| Scanning New Surroundings Complete. ||
|| WARNING: Host may not survive the night! ||