Edge woke up late the next morning, catching up on the sleep that had been in chronically short supply since arriving on this world. He rose from his bed feeling remarkably refreshed, ready to face the day and the challenges it would bring.

As he looked out the window with a smile on his face, the realization broke over him that he had actually done it. He had survived the disaster and the ordeal that had followed in its wake. He was still breathing, despite the procession of predators that had done their best to claim his life.

Only a few days ago, he had been powerless and dead broke. Starving and lost in a deadly alien wilderness. In that short span of time, his existence had changed on a fundamental level, opening the door to a future that he could never have imagined. Possibilities far beyond his most ambitious fantasies.

Today, Edge had a core of his own. One more powerful than any he’d ever heard of. He had six solid skills, including two uncommons and a rare. A staggering rate of progression by any reckoning. He had credits in his account and had begun making a name for himself, laying the foundation for becoming a major player instead of an extra on the set.

He had arrived in Puppet Town at long last and made a few friends along the way. He had been too exhausted until this moment to truly appreciate the fact that he was standing behind the town’s warded walls, safe at last.

He had a lot that he still needed to process. But not just yet. No matter what troubles tomorrow might bring, Edge felt really fucking good right now, and he was going to enjoy it.

After using the bathroom, he took a long shower, basking in the sensation of warm water running over his skin. After being coated in blood and grime in every color of the rainbow, he had never expected to feel so fresh again.

After stepping out of the shower and toweling himself dry, Edge caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the mirror. When he saw how much his figure had improved since obtaining his core, his eyes went wide with surprise. He stopped dead in his tracks to take a long, lingering look.

His puppet body had been completely unremarkable when he first arrived on Ord. He wasn’t fat and he wasn’t thin. Neither short nor tall. His frame had flabby muscles and pale skin.

He hadn’t grown any taller since binding Skill-Eater, but everything else had changed.

Now, every inch of him looked lean and fit. His muscles were tight, tanned, and toned, granting him a physique like a professional athlete. More than his impressive stature, there was an aura of power that hadn’t been there before.

There was fire burning in his eyes. A sense of coiled energy waiting to burst free. He looked strong, wild, and dangerous. The surging vitality that a core bestowed.

While he was taking in the changes to his appearance, Edge raised his gaze to examine his face, the first time that he’d really taken a good look at his new features. He was only twenty years old by Earth standards. He had spiky black hair straight out of an anime. Light brown eyes peering out from above a short, sharp nose. High cheekbones and thick eyebrows set at an angle.

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Not quite what I was expecting, but it could be a lot worse. Although it was still weird as hell to see a stranger’s eyes staring back into his own from the other side of the mirror, Edge had to admit that he looked good.

With some nicer clothes and a professional haircut, he might even turn a few heads when he walked through the crowd. Or maybe Sasha’s head in particular. He grinned. She was awfully cute, and there seemed to be a spark between us.

When he was done admiring the view, he walked into the bedroom and opened the parcel he’d gotten from Ann’s, containing his new clothes and boots. It was just a simple shirt and pants woven from brown cloth, but they fit well and seemed decently durable.

The socks were comfortable, and the shoes fit him perfectly, which wasn’t a surprise at all. One weird thing about the puppet system was that all their feet were the same size. Any shoes he found would fit, unless they were made by a convict.

It was a major upgrade from what he’d been wearing before, and it would do until he could afford to buy something better. Now, where can I get that meal that was included with the room?

Edge opened his front door, only to find a mealbox already waiting for him. He brought it inside and broke the seal, stomach growling as the scent of fried eggs and beast bacon washed over him. It was still hot, courtesy of some skill that he wasn’t familiar with.

After thoroughly enjoying his breakfast, it was time to check out the rest of the notifications that he’d been too exhausted to deal with the day before. Starting with equipping his new trait.

Trait slots: 3. Equipped traits: 1. Available traits: 1.

Unequipped traits: Wanted.

Trait: Wanted.

You have found one of the 21 unique cores in existence and have broken the first seal. Your actions have not gone unnoticed, and someone just painted a target on your back. In fact, checking out the bounty board is probably something that you should do sooner rather than later.

There’s a good chance that this is going to end spectacularly badly for you, and I can’t wait to watch. This trait might help you live just a little longer, but I’m not holding my breath.

Effects: + 10% to endurance, durability, and disruption (minimum gain of 1).

Would you like to equip this trait now?

Warning, traits cannot be removed unless specific conditions are met.

While the text was worrying in both content and tone, Wanted was another fantastic trait. The bonuses were top tier, at least for a low-stage tourist. Since no one could see his profile without his permission, Edge had no reason not to accept, he confirmed his intentions and equipped the trait.

Just like before, it felt like a coat of energy had been wrapped around him. Although the power seemed different this time, in a way that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He had a sense of magic leeching out of the air to infuse his body, bolstering his attributes without altering his tissue on a deeper level.

After a few seconds, the strange sensation faded away, leaving him tougher than before. He nodded in satisfaction. More defense is always welcome.

Now that his new trait had been taken care of, the next item on his agenda was deciding where he wanted to spend the attribute points he’d obtained from scoring the kill on the stage-two reaver.

Although he had deviated from his plan due to extenuating circumstances, he was ready to get back to it and invest in his energetic attributes. After a moment of consideration, he put two points into generation and one into amplification.

He sat down while the System went to work, turning the transformative energy into permanent upgrades. He lost himself in the sensations that came with widening his mana pores and increasing the density of the energetic connections running between his reactor and his skills.

Part of the way though, it struck him just how bizarre it was to feel changes occurring to a part of his body that hadn’t existed a week ago. Edge shrugged and then laughed, savoring the strangeness of it all.

When he was done, he pulled up his profile, taking in the full extent of the gains that he had made over the last day and some change.