Planet with no name.
After the Kratos tattoo incident, I decided to run an experiment. A real one. With method and rigor. A Primarch's intelligence wasn't just for smacking blue tigers around; it also allowed me to understand the rules of the game imposed by this absurd system.
I wanted to test my theory about surprise box accumulation. How many days could I skip? What kind of reward could I expect? Was I doomed to collect toothbrushes and toothpicks, or was there an actual progression logic?
Thanks to my superhuman memory, I carved a primitive calendar into the bark of a tree near my camp. One mark per day. Simple. Effective. Every morning, I added a notch. My journey to the volcano would also be a scientific study. The science of random loot.
Here is the log of my journey.
---
Days 1 to 3 — The Dense Forest
The first days were dedicated to walking and survival. I pushed through the jungle, my blue tiger leather bag full of dried meat slung over my shoulder. My new red tattoo gleamed under the twin suns, giving me the look of a cosmic tribal warrior.
The local fauna watched me warily. Strange creatures, half-reptile half-bird, fled at my approach. They could probably sense that I was no longer prey, but a predator at the top of the food chain.
On the evening of the third day, I stopped near a phosphorescent waterfall. The sound of the water was soothing. The glow of floating spores lit up the night like stars fallen from the sky. I sat on a rock and decided it was time to open my first accumulated box.
Vulkan: "System, open the box."
Ding!
[Accumulation ×3. Three days without opening. Would you like to open your bonus surprise box?]
Vulkan: "Yes. Go ahead. Impress me."
Ding!
[Opening! You won: a box of lasagna.]
A cardboard box appeared before me. It floated in the air for a few seconds before dropping gently onto my lap. I opened it. Lasagna. Real lasagna. Still hot. With melted cheese and everything.
Vulkan: "Crap... Well, whatever. Let's eat."
I devoured the dish in a few bites. It was delicious. Not exactly the legendary weapon I was hoping for, but after three days of grilled tiger meat, this Italian meal was a blessing. The system was mocking, but it had good taste.
---
Days 4 to 6 — Crossing the Silver River
I continued my path toward the volcano. The terrain was changing. The dense forest gave way to plains of giant ferns, then to an immense silver river winding lazily toward the horizon. Its waters shone like liquid mercury under the light of the twin suns.
Having no desire to swim in an unknown liquid potentially acidic or filled with hungry creatures, I built a rudimentary raft from tree trunks and vines. My Primarch smith hands chopped down trees like twigs.
The crossing took an entire day. Sitting on my raft, I watched the banks go by, populated by strange creatures. Some stared at me, but none dared approach.
On the evening of the sixth day, I set up camp on the opposite bank. Six days of accumulation. Three more since the lasagna. Curiosity was eating me alive.
Vulkan: "System, open."
Ding!
[Accumulation ×6. Six days without opening. Would you like to open your bonus surprise box?]
Vulkan: "Come on, surprise me."
Ding!
[Opening! You won: a box of toothpicks.]
A small plastic box fell into my hand. I stared at it. For a long time. A very long time. The silence of the alien night was broken only by the distant cry of an unknown creature.
Vulkan: "Aaaagh! Please..."
I sighed, opened the box, and took a toothpick which I slipped between my teeth. Tiger meat tended to get stuck in the molars. It was frustrating, ridiculous, but at least it was useful. In its own way.
I picked my teeth under the unknown stars, my red mark glowing softly in the darkness. Pathetic and majestic at the same time.
---
Days 7 to 12 — Approaching the Volcano
The second week of travel was harder. The jungle was giving way to a rocky landscape. The ground trembled regularly. The volcano was getting closer, and with it, a crushing heat that would have killed any normal human.
My Primarch body, however, thrived in this furnace. Every step toward the volcano reinforced my conviction: this place was made for me.
I climbed black cliffs, crossed fields of cooled lava, skirted geysers of burning steam. The sky was constantly veiled with ash. The air smelled of sulfur and metal. A smell of a primal forge. A smell of creation.
On the twelfth day, I finally reached the foothills of the volcano. Before me stood the mountain of fire, majestic and terrible. Orange lava flows cascaded down its slopes like luminous serpents. The deep rumble of magma resonated in my chest like a heartbeat.
Twelve days. Twelve days without opening a box. My longest accumulation. I sat on a rock overlooking a river of lava, my face lit by the orange glow, and gave the command.
Vulkan: "System. This is the moment. Show me what twelve days of waiting are worth."
Ding!
[Accumulation ×12. Twelve days without opening. Would you like to open your bonus surprise box?]
I held my breath. My Primarch heart, capable of withstanding the worst trauma, suddenly pounded like a child's in front of a birthday present.
Vulkan: "Open."
Ding!
[Opening! You won: a magical storage bag. Capacity: 2 cubic meters for storing various items. Weight not felt by the bearer. Perfect preservation of stored objects.]
A bag appeared before me. It was simple, brown leather, with a sturdy shoulder strap. Ordinary in appearance. But when I slipped my hand inside, I felt a space far larger than the exterior suggested. Two cubic meters of storage. Not huge, but infinitely precious.
Vulkan: "Whoa! Now you're talking!"
A wide grin split my red-marked face. I slung the bag over my shoulder and immediately stuffed in my dried meat, my claw-knife, my water reserves, and various artifacts collected during the journey. Everything disappeared into the magical space without adding a single gram to my load.
Vulkan: "Twelve days for a magic bag. Following this logic, the longer I wait, the better the reward."
I looked at the volcano spewing its flames toward the purple sky. The forge awaited me up there. Once settled in, I could begin the real work: figuring out where I was, finding a way back to Earth, and incidentally, accumulating as many days as possible to hit the ultimate jackpot.
Vulkan: "I'm going to stack surprise boxes until I reach the top of the volcano. To score a mega bonus."
A month of accumulation. Thirty days. What would such a wait produce? A weapon capable of slicing through dimensions? A spaceship? Or a family-size box of tissues?
I didn't know yet. But one thing was certain: this system loved messing with my nerves. And I was liking this absurd game more and more.
The tattooed Primarch, dressed in blue leather, resumed his march toward the mountain of fire. The magic bag bounced gently against his hip. The toothpick still dangled from the corner of his lips, an ironic relic of his sixth day of testing.
The adventure continued. And this time, it smelled of forge, hot metal, and infinite possibilities.