Jaxon woke up to the familiar hum of the ship's engines vibrating through his cot. He rubbed the grogginess from his eyes, blinking away the thin layer of dust that always seemed to settle overnight. Ugh. Another day, another wrench to turn, he thought. Life as a mechanic on the orbital station Astra Nova wasn’t glamorous. It was mostly boredom interrupted by the occasional malfunction. But today felt different.
He sat up, the metal floor cold beneath his bare feet. His room—if it could be called that—was barely larger than a closet, with just enough space for a bed, a storage locker, and a sink. He checked his holo-watch, the tiny device projecting a dim orange light as it displayed the time. 0600. Right on schedule.
Except, there was a blinking notification. Jaxon frowned. He never got notifications. No one bothered sending him messages, and anything important was relayed through the ship's central AI, Echo. Curiosity piqued, he tapped the screen.
NEW MESSAGE
Sender: VR Mission Control
Subject: Mandatory System Access
Details: As per your assignment aboard Astra Nova, you must initiate the virtual simulation training sequence. Please report to the VR pod in Sector 7 immediately.
"Simulation training?" Jaxon muttered to himself. He hadn’t signed up for any of that. He was a mechanic, not one of the hot-shot space marines who trained in simulations to fight off potential alien threats. His job was to ensure the ship didn't fall apart while they orbited Zeta-4, not get involved in military exercises.
The pod buzzed open as he headed to Sector 7. Rows of VR pods gleamed under the fluorescent lights. The air here always smelled sterile, like it was cleaned five times too much. Jaxon approached one of the pods, the door sliding open with a hiss.
Enter Simulation?
He hesitated for a moment but shrugged. Orders were orders. Stepping inside, he lay down on the padded interior as the machine clicked shut, sealing him in darkness. A slight hiss as the interface clicked onto his head, and suddenly, the world around him vanished.
A new world faded into view—a vast, sprawling wasteland under a blood-red sky. Broken cities loomed in the distance, overrun by massive machines that stomped through the wreckage. He glanced around, expecting some sort of briefing.
Welcome, Jaxon, a voice echoed in his mind. You have been selected to participate in Project Ascendant, the last line of defense for the human race.
"Wait, what?" Jaxon shouted, looking around for the source of the voice. His vision suddenly swarmed with text.
HUD ACTIVATED
Level: 1
Class: Unassigned
XP to Next Level: 100
Health: 100/100
Stamina: 100/100
Skills: None
A blinking marker appeared in the distance, about fifty meters away, reading "Quest Start."
"What the hell is this? A game?" Jaxon muttered, but his instincts were already kicking in. He started walking toward the marker, glancing down at his hands as he moved. They felt heavier—clad in some sort of tactical gear. His reflection in a shattered piece of glass nearby showed a stranger looking back—taller, broader, and wearing a full combat suit. He barely recognized himself.
The world around him began to glitch as though it couldn't fully render in his presence. Then, without warning, a towering machine erupted from behind one of the buildings—a hulking, spider-like robot armed with plasma cannons that glowed ominously.
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NEW OBJECTIVE
Destroy the Mechanoid Sentry
Reward: 50 XP
Optional: Avoid Damage (Bonus 25 XP)
"Are you kidding me?" Jaxon shouted, looking around for any kind of weapon. The simulation wasn’t playing around, and the mech was already charging up its first shot. He sprinted behind a half-collapsed wall just as a pulse of plasma blasted the ground where he had been standing seconds earlier.
A new notification appeared in his HUD:
Skill Acquired: Sprint (Lv. 1)
Increases movement speed by 10% for 5 seconds.
Stamina cost: 10
"Okay, this might not be so bad," Jaxon muttered under his breath, adrenaline rushing through him. His heart pounded as he ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding another plasma blast. The heat of the explosion singed his armor, but his health bar barely moved—90/100. Not too bad.
In the corner of his HUD, an icon blinked—a small box marked Inventory. Desperate, he opened it, hoping to find anything that could help.
Inventory
1x Basic Energy Rifle (Lv. 1)
1x Small Med Kit
Jaxon grinned, grabbing the rifle out of thin air as it materialized in his hands. The cool, smooth metal felt right at home in his grip. He popped out from cover and took aim. His first shot missed, but the second struck the mech in one of its glowing red eyes. The machine staggered, its movements stuttering for a moment, and Jaxon’s HUD flashed with another notification.
Critical Hit!
Damage x2
Mecha Sentry Health: 75%
"Not so tough now, are you?" Jaxon said, leveling his rifle for another shot.
As the mech stumbled, Jaxon could feel something stirring within him—something beyond the game mechanics. The thrill of battle, the sense of growth, and an almost primal urge to conquer. The simulation felt more real than he had expected.
But this wasn’t just a game. Whatever this "Project Ascendant" was, Jaxon was starting to realize that his days as a mechanic might be over. Something big was happening—and he had a feeling he was at the center of it.
Jaxon narrowed his eyes, steadying his breath as he aimed down the sights of the rifle. The mechanoid stumbled, its plasma cannon slowly charging up for another attack. He had one chance. He wasn’t sure he’d be fast enough to dodge the next blast if he missed.
Just one more shot...
He aimed for the glowing red eye, the weak point he’d already damaged. His finger tightened around the trigger. The pulse rifle whined as it charged, the hum of energy building up in his ears. Time seemed to slow, the adrenaline coursing through him sharpening every sense.
Then, he fired.
The shot hit the mechanoid dead in the eye, shattering the glowing sensor in a spray of sparks. The mech let out a deep, mechanical groan as it staggered backward. For a split second, Jaxon thought it might recover. But then, the massive machine froze, its legs twitching as if short-circuiting.
Critical Hit!
Damage x3
Mecha Sentry Health: 0%
The mechanoid’s legs collapsed beneath it, and the towering machine crashed to the ground with a deafening thud, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris. Its plasma cannons fizzled, the once-glowing eyes dimming to lifeless black.
Jaxon’s HUD flashed with a flood of notifications.
Objective Complete: Destroy the Mechanoid Sentry
Reward: 50 XP
Bonus Objective Complete: Avoid Damage
Reward: 25 XP
He exhaled a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, his pulse racing. The world around him flickered as the simulation began to stabilize. The mech was down, and he had leveled up.
Level Up!
Level: 2
Skill Points Earned: 1
Health: +10
Stamina: +10
Jaxon leaned against the shattered wall, his rifle still clutched in his hands. The excitement of the fight was fading, but the realization of what had just happened hit him harder than the plasma blast ever could. This wasn’t just a game. The system, the combat, the notifications—it was all too real, too visceral.
What kind of training simulation is this? he thought, glancing back at the wreckage of the mechanoid. If this was just the beginning, then what came next? He wasn’t a soldier, but it looked like the simulation didn’t care.
As he scanned the horizon, his HUD blinked with a new notification.
New Quest: Locate the Ascendant Core
Objective: Search the fallen city for the Ascendant Core. Use it to upgrade your abilities.
Reward: 200 XP
Bonus: Complete within 30 minutes for an additional skill point.
"Ascendant Core? Great, more scavenger hunts," Jaxon muttered, though a part of him was already curious. He took a deep breath, shaking off the remnants of battle tension. There was no going back now.
He reloaded his rifle and set off toward the next blinking marker in the distance, a strange mix of excitement and dread growing in his chest.