Old Sector 4 was less of a facility and more of a graveyard. Located deep in the bowels of the Citadel's mountain foundation, it was a sprawling cavern filled with the rusted skeletons of decommissioned mechs, failed prototype vehicles, and mountains of industrial waste.
The air was thick with the taste of iron and oil. The only light came from flickering emergency strips that buzzed like angry hornets.
Leo stepped through the blast door, Rian's chip clutched in his hand. The heavy steel door groaned shut behind him, sealing him in the gloom.
[Location: Old Sector 4 (Restricted Area)] [Danger Level: Low to Moderate] [System Note: Ideal hunting ground for Class F scavengers.]
Leo adjusted his grip on the improvised weapon he had scavenged from a pile of debris near the entrance—a two-foot length of rebar with a jagged, rusted tip. It wasn't a beast weapon, but it was heavy and sharp.
"Okay," Leo exhaled, his breath misting in the cold air. "I need 70 Exp. That's fourteen roaches or... something bigger."
He checked his status.
[Level: 2] [Exp: 130/200] [BP: 35/55] [Predator's Window: 1 Charge Remaining.]
He had one free shift left. Just one. After this, shifting would cost 40 BP upfront. With his current max of 55, that meant he could shift once, fight for maybe three minutes, and then he'd be totally drained. He had to save that last free card for an emergency.
Skitter. Clank.
The sound echoed from a valley of crushed metal containers to his left.
Leo crouched, activating [Feral Senses].
[BP: 34/55]
The smell hit him immediately—ozone, rust, and the musky scent of rodent urine.
Three targets. Small. Fast.
Leo moved. He didn't use [Phantom Step]; he couldn't afford the BP cost for small fry. He relied on his passive stats. His Agility was higher than the average human now, and his senses gave him a preternatural reaction time.
A shadow darted out from behind a rusted tire. It was a Wire-Rat—similar to the Corpse-Rat, but its fur was matted with grease, and it had chewed on so much copper wire that its teeth sparked.
It lunged.
Leo sidestepped, swinging the rebar like a baseball bat.
CRACK.
The iron bar connected with the rat's skull. The creature squealed and flew into a pile of scrap.
[Target Eliminated.] [Exp +5]
Two more rushed him from opposite sides.
Leo spun, kicking the first one away with a heavy boot to the ribs. He stabbed the rebar down onto the second one, pinning it to the concrete floor. He stomped on the first one's head to finish it.
[Target Eliminated.] [Target Eliminated.] [Exp +10]
"145," Leo panted. "Too slow."
He needed bigger game. He ventured deeper into the scrapyard, climbing over a mound of twisted hydraulic pipes.
As he reached the top of the mound, he saw it.
In a clearing formed by three collapsed cargo haulers, a creature was gnawing on the casing of an old generator. It was massive—the size of a leopard—but bulky and misshapen. Its skin was grey and hairless, covered in calloused plating that looked like stone. It had a long, whip-like tail tipped with a bone spike.
[Analysis: Scrapland Stalker (Class F - Elite)] [Description: An apex scavenger. Adapted to eat metal and bone. Highly aggressive.] [Estimated Exp: 60]
Leo's eyes widened. 60 Exp. That would put him over the edge.
But this thing was an Elite. Even in Class F, an Elite meant it was stronger than a standard beast.
The Stalker stopped chewing. It turned its head, its milky white eyes locking onto Leo. It let out a hiss that sounded like escaping steam.
[Threat Detected.] [Rage: 25% -> 40%]
"System," Leo whispered. "Can I take it in human form?"
[Analysis: Target has armored hide. Improvising weapon effectiveness: Low. Chance of victory: 15%.]
"Great."
The Stalker charged. It didn't run; it bounded, clearing twenty feet in a single leap.
Leo didn't have a choice. He raised his hand.
"Phantom Step!"
[BP: 32/55]
Leo vanished. The Stalker landed where he had been standing a microsecond before, its claws gouging deep grooves into the metal plating of the trash pile.
Leo reappeared behind it, swinging the rebar with both hands, aiming for the creature's spine.
CLANG.
The metal bar bounced off the Stalker's rocky hide, sending a shockwave up Leo's arms that rattled his teeth.
"You're kidding," Leo gasped.
The Stalker whipped its tail around. The bone spike slashed across Leo's thigh.
"Argh!"
Leo stumbled back, blood welling up through his pants.
[Host Damaged. Rage: 55%]
The Stalker turned, saliva dripping from its jaws. It prepared to pounce again.
Leo scrambled backward, but his injured leg buckled. He was cornered against a wall of rusted steel.
"I can't pierce it," Leo realized. "Not as a human."
The Stalker roared and leaped.
Leo looked at the beast, the red haze of Rage clouding his vision. He didn't feel fear anymore. He felt the cold calculation of the predator.
Time to cash in the ticket.
"Shift!"
[Predator's Window Activated: 1/1 Charges Used.] [WARNING: This is your final free shift. Future transformations will require full BP cost.] [Timer: 60 Seconds.]
The world slowed. The pain in Leo's leg vanished as his bones shattered and reformed. Black fur erupted from his skin. His jaw elongated, filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth designed to crush bone.
The Stalker was mid-air when Leo transformed.
The Wolf didn't dodge. It met the charge head-on.
Leo slammed into the Stalker, the force of the collision knocking the elite beast out of the air. They rolled across the ground in a tangle of limbs and claws.
The Stalker slashed with its claws, but Leo's Wolf form was faster, stronger, and driven by pure instinct.
[00:52]
Leo clamped his jaws onto the Stalker's shoulder. The rocky hide cracked under the pressure of the Wolf's bite. The Stalker shrieked, thrashing its tail.
The bone spike struck Leo's side, but the thick fur and muscle absorbed the blow.
Leo shook his head violently, tearing a chunk of armored flesh away.
[Critical Hit.]
The Stalker tried to run. It realized, too late, that it was no longer the apex predator in this sector.
Leo pounced on its back. He didn't go for the spine this time; he went for the throat, where the armor was thinnest.
[00:35]
He bit down. Warm blood flooded his mouth, tasting of iron and power.
The Stalker convulsed once, twice, and then went still.
[Target Eliminated: Scrapland Stalker (Elite)] [Exp +60] [Bonus: Hunter's First Elite Kill +10 Exp]
Leo stood over the corpse, panting. The timer was still ticking.
[00:20]
He looked at the dead beast. His hunger flared.
[Consume?]
"Yes," the Wolf thought.
He tore into the Stalker, eating quickly, efficiently. He needed to top off his BP before the free window closed.
[Consuming Elite Biomass...] [BP Restored: +20] [Current BP: 52/55]
[00:00]
[Shift Deactivated.]
Leo collapsed onto the cold metal floor, back in his human form. He was naked, covered in alien blood, and shivering. The wound on his leg was still there, but it had stopped bleeding, sealed by the rapid regeneration of the shift.
Then, the golden notification he had been waiting for filled his vision.
[LEVEL UP!]
[Name: Leo Thorne] [Level: 2 -> 3] [Exp: 5/400]
[System Update Initiated...]
A wave of energy washed over him, warmer and more intense than the previous level up. It felt like his veins were being flushed with liquid fire.
[Stats Increased.] [Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +1] [Attribute Points Available: 1]
[Beast Point Capacity Increased.] [Max BP: 55 -> 60]
[New Feature Unlocked: System Market] [New Feature Unlocked: System Credits (SC)]
Leo wiped the blood from his face and sat up, grinning despite the exhaustion. "Market?"
He focused on the new tab in his interface.
[Welcome to the System Market.] [Here you can purchase skills, equipment, and consumables using System Credits (SC).] [SC is earned by completing Quests and hunting High-Tier Beasts.]
[Current SC: 0] [Checking for Retroactive Rewards...] [Quest 'The Payback' Complete: +50 SC] [Quest 'The Midnight Snack' Complete: +20 SC] [Quest 'The Pack Hierarchy' Complete: +100 SC] [Achievement 'First Elite Kill': +50 SC]
[Total Balance: 220 SC]
Leo whistled. 220 Credits. It sounded like a lot.
"Show me the goods," Leo muttered.
The Market interface opened. It wasn't a list of infinite items. It was a grid of five slots.
[Market Refresh: 23 Hours 59 Minutes] [Note: Items are randomized based on Host Level (Max Level +3).]
Slot 1: Basic Health Potion (Common) Instantly restores 20 HP and stops bleeding. Cost: 50 SC
Slot 2: Iron-Hide Vest (Level 3 Equipment) A light armor vest woven with beast fibers. Adds +2 Endurance. Cost: 150 SC
Slot 3: Skill Book - Razor Claws (Passive) Increases claw damage in Beast Form by 10%. Cost: 300 SC
Slot 4: Raw Beast Essence (Consumable) Restores 50 BP instantly. Cost: 100 SC
Slot 5: BP Amplifier (Tier 1) A rare system modification. Permanently doubles the Host's Beast Point Capacity. Current Capacity: 60 -> 120. Cost: 2,000 SC
Leo choked on air. "Two thousand?!"
He stared at the golden icon of the BP Amplifier. It was beautiful. It was necessary. With 120 BP, he could shift for real. He could fight prolonged battles. He could use his skills without counting seconds.
But he only had 220 SC.
"I need that Amplifier," Leo said, his voice hardening. "If I don't get that, I'm stuck fighting on a timer forever."
He looked at the other items. The Razor Claws skill was out of his price range. The Iron-Hide Vest was tempting, but he needed to save.
He bought nothing.
[System Advice: Saving is wise. However, survival is expensive. Do not hoard credits if you are dead.]
"I'm not dying," Leo said, standing up and grabbing his clothes from his rucksack. "I'm grinding."
He looked at the carcass of the Stalker.
[System Note: Beast Carcasses can be sold to the System for SC, or harvested for materials to sell in the human world.] [Sell Scrapland Stalker Corpse to System? Value: 15 SC.]
"15 SC?" Leo scoffed. "The core alone is worth 500 regular credits in the Citadel market. I can buy a lot of real food with that."
He decided to harvest the core. He used the rebar to pry open the Stalker's chest cavity. Inside, pulsating with a faint grey light, was a crystal the size of a walnut. A Beast Core.
He pocketed it.
As he dressed, a new Quest window popped up.
[Main Quest Updated: The Ascension] [Objective: Purchase the BP Amplifier (Tier 1).] [Progress: 220/2000 SC] [Time Limit: None.]
[Side Quest Available: The Bounty Board] [Description: Accept System-generated contracts to earn SC and Exp.]
Leo tapped the Side Quest tab.
[Contract 1: Cull the Swarm] Kill 50 Wire-Rats in Sector 4. Reward: 50 SC, 100 Exp.
[Contract 2: The Alpha] Locate and eliminate the hidden Class E Beast nesting in the Lower Ventilation Shafts. Reward: 150 SC, 200 Exp.
Leo smiled. It was a grind. A long, bloody grind. But for the first time in his life, the path forward was clear.
"Fifty rats," Leo said, gripping his rebar weapon. "Let's get to work."
He turned back to the dark corners of the scrapyard, the predator within him purring in anticipation. He wouldn't leave this sector until he had cleared it out—or until he had enough credits to buy that Amplifier.
The Wolf was hungry. And Leo was ready to feed it.