When Katie reached the Vault, the scene was orderly. Warriors were lined up, placing their palms on scanners glowing with eerie blue light.
The first to finish was Phyllis, the high school girl.
She took a strange-looking item from the manager, scratching her head awkwardly while her other hand nervously brushed against her thigh.
"Is this... some kind of new bulletproof vest?"
"Miss Phyllis, this is your Backpack," the manager explained in a polite, robotic voice.
"This device is deeply integrated with your phone. It now exists as an icon on your interface, supporting one-tap summoning and retraction. Its interior is linked to the base Vault, allowing for zero-burden, infinite storage. In other words, your phone is now an 'Infinite Dimensional Pocket'."
"So it's like a standard 'Inventory' slot in a game, but with a direct link to the Vault. Convenient," Phyllis muttered, checking her phone.
The surrounding warriors gasped in awe. With the storage issue solved, their final worries vanished.
Previously, they had to painfully discard rare materials to make room in their pockets. Now, they could truly become "Wilderness Harvesters."
As Katie finished her registration, she was suddenly surrounded.
"Big Sister!" Emma rushed over, grabbing Katie's hand with fiery eyes.
"Next time you raid a stronghold; you HAVE to take me! I'm going to save every cent to build armor exactly like yours!"
"Goddess Katie, please carry me!" Victor joined in, looking desperate.
" I'm so broke that I might have to pawn my underwear. I can't even afford a single enhancement!"
Valerie watched Katie with a look of pure worship.
"I don't care about the money. I just think the way you fight... it's so cool and powerful. I want to be like you."
"Shh! Keep it down, everyone!" Katie blushed, making a silencing gesture. "If Ester hears us exploiting system loopholes, it'll be trouble..."
"Hahaha! It seems my Junior Katie has become the Goddess of War in everyone's hearts!" Dodge strode over with a hearty laugh.
"Stop teasing, I just want everyone to survive!" Katie rolled her eyes.
"Golden-haired MASTER! Please take me as your disciple!" Suddenly, with a dull thud, the green-haired guy dropped to his knees before Dodge, performing a kowtow so hard it rang.
"Dodge, not bad. You've already got a die-hard fan?" Katie teased.
"Whoa, hey! Get up!" Dodge recoiled, reaching out to pull him up.
"We're all teammates, no need for the grand ceremony!"
"No! I'm serious!" The man pressed his forehead to the ground.
"In that battle, your fighting style looked exactly like the legendary martial art, 'Tiger Punch'!"
In this world of the strong devouring the weak, please teach me the techniques of combat!"
The man's "I won't get up until you say yes" attitude put pressure even on a thick-skinned guy like Dodge.
"Alright, alright! But you gotta tell me your name first!"
"My name is Luther Paul Lee! Master!"
"Fine, Luther, get up." Dodge extended his hand, his expression turning solemn.
"I'll introduce myself properly. Dodge Rickman. Just call me Dodge."
"Understood! Master Dodge!"
Luther stood up excitedly, his stiff formality drawing kind laughter from the crowd.
The base didn't just have the beginnings of a squad; it now had the seeds of mentorship.
Amidst the noise, only Phyllis and George stood apart like ghosts.
When their eyes met, Phyllis studied George for a moment, bit her lip, scratched her thigh, and suddenly ran away.
No one knew if it was fear or shyness—only she knew.
George didn't care. He was used to it. His face was like a masterpiece of divine favoritism.
Suddenly, a sharp notification pinged from his phone's armor interface.
"Looks like the armor is ready."
Having received the completion notice and registered his Backpack, George turned and walked slowly back toward the Forge.
Phyllis had arrived early. She was currently in the waiting area, performing stress tests on her newly enhanced armor.
Her movements were swift and agile; one moment she was throwing a heavy punch that whistled through the air, the next she was executing a crisp side kick.
The faint, metallic whine of the armor's joints locking and unlocking echoed in the room.
"Miss Phyllis, how does it feel?" Lawson stood nearby, holding a calibrator.
"If any part feels stiff or the feedback lags, tell me now. I can perform micro-adjustments immediately."
"It's perfect!" Phyllis came to a halt and exhaled deeply.
"It feels much lighter than before, and the power output is incredibly stable. That sluggish resistance I felt when punching is completely gone."
"Good to hear. May you be invincible on the battlefield," Lawson offered a professional smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Armor Smith." Phyllis glanced at the newly lit tech tree on her phone and asked hesitantly, "Since I've unlocked the subsequent branches, which direction do you think I should develop in? After all, you're a veteran with ten years of experience."
"In my early years..." Lawson tilted his head back, seemingly reminiscing about his greener days.
"Back then, I only cared about stats. Attack power, defense, armor thickness... I went for whatever was highest, thinking that stacking numbers was the path to invincibility. Until I hit a wall."
Lawson shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh.
"I realized then that stats aren't everything. What truly allows you to clear the 'game' is your control over the combat rhythm and your precision in judging attribute counters. Did you know? The armor I used to finally beat the game had base stats that were barely two-thirds of the strongest set in my Vault."
"Do enemies have attribute weaknesses too?" Phyllis was stunned.
"It seems you haven't touched the core logic yet," Lawson's expression turned serious, as if he were imparting an ancient secret, Lawson pulled out his tactical tablet and showed Phyllis 'The Rule':
[Armor Link: The Elemental Mechanism]
— Water Douses Fire:Use against Flame-type Shifters to suppress their explosive output.
— Fire Burns Wood:Ideal for clearing swarm-type Wood monsters; turn their regeneration into ash.
— Wood Pierces Earth:Use to bypass the high-defense plating of Earth-type tanks.
— Earth Grounds Thunder:The ultimate insulation; renders high-voltage Thunder strikes useless.
— Thunder Conducts through Water:Amplifies damage against Water-type enemies; turns their mobility into a death trap.
Lawson switched off the display, his expression turning grim.
"If you wear Fire-type armor against a Wood-type enemy, you aren't just fighting—you're a walking furnace. But reverse that logic, and you're nothing but fuel. Math doesn't lie, and neither does the System."
"In this world, survival isn't just about rank—it's about the Elemental Framework. Every Shadow Shifter and every suit of armor is bound by the Five Foundations. Mastery of the cycle is the difference between a Hero and a corpse,"He leaned in closer.
"The hardcore part of this 'game' is that the System will never reveal a monster's attribute until you've defeated it personally."
Phyllis felt a chill run down her spine.
"But this isn't a game," she whispered. "In reality, failure means death. We don't get the chance to test attributes through 'dying'."
"Indeed. Real life has no save files or restarts." Lawson's voice grew heavy, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes. "That's why I have to..."