Wyatt threw up his arm in a vain attempt to ward off the incoming drop pod, but at the last second, its engines fired, and the craft slowed its descent. The thrusters blasted the hard packed ground of the camp and sent a storm of dust and debris swirling around him. In the blinding maelstrom, the pod touched down lightly only a few paces away.

Wyatt ignored the pod—realizing it was significantly smaller than the one that had carried him—and hurried over to the fire and kicked the burning logs back into the pit. He then turned his attention to stamping out all the embers that had been kicked up by the engines. When the threat of burning down the forest had vanished, he finally turned back to the pod.

Augie scratched his head. “Where in the nine hells did that thing come from?”

“I may have received some reward boxes,” Wyatt admitted. “But I didn’t think they would arrive like a meteor out of the sky.”

“It’s like you’re trying to get yourself killed,” Saeko said, rolling her eyes. “At least it’s not going to take long to repay my debt when you keep hurling yourself into danger.” After a moment, she sighed. “Well, are you going to open it, or what?”

He walked over to the pod and leaned forward to peer at it. On the translucent white surface, there was the outline of a hand. Did he have to place his palm on it?

He reached out tentatively, and when his skin touched the cool metal, a green light shot out. After a second, a hatch appeared on the side and a bronze and white box were deposited on the ground.

As he reached for it, a warning blared in his vision.

Stand back from the drop pod.

The others retreated, and he realized they must have received the same warning. He scooped up the boxes and dashed to the cave entrance where the others were clustered. A few short moments later, the engines whined as they powered back up, and in a gout of flame, the craft rocketed back into the sky.

“It’s like a shining beacon pointed directly at our camp.” Saeko placed her hands on her hips. “In the future, we should really open loot boxes somewhere far, far away from here.”

“That’s a good idea,” he replied. “I had no idea it would send a drop pod to our location. For a second, I thought it was going to pancake me.”

Augie guffawed and slapped Wyatt’s back. “I thought the same thing. My heart almost stopped before the thing put on its thrusters.”

Saeko glanced over at Wyatt. “Are you going to open it or not? I’m dying to see what you got.”

Wyatt stepped forward and lifted the bronze loot box. The container was a bit over a meter long, and close to thirty centimetres wide. Like the drop pod, there was an outline of a hand on the top. He placed his hand on it and waited while it scanned him. After a moment, it opened with a hiss to reveal a long, black object inside.

He reached inside and pulled out a sword crafted from obsidian. The handle was fashioned from intricately carved bone and leather wrappings wound around the hilt to keep it in place. When he test the edge with his finger, gasped as it easily sliced through his skin. The weapon was impossibly sharp. Next to it was a leather-bound sheath with a belt.

The moment he closed his hand around the weapon’s hilt, a new description appeared.

Sword of Dragon Glass

A weapon crafted from obsidian, the Sword of Dragon Glass, is often more dangerous to its wielder than their enemies. First appearing in the ill-fated Season 78 of the Dissident Trials, the blade has been an unpopular reward ever since a fan favourite accidentally impaled herself on during the final moments of the Dissident Trials.

Wyatt took a few experimental swings with the sword before carefully placing it aside. If he didn’t want to lose an arm to the weapon, he’d need to practice with it. But at least it beat using clubs and fists against the monsters roaming the world.

Next, he pressed his palm flat against the white loot box, and the second container opened to reveal his reward. From inside, he pulled out a leather chest piece. After receiving the sword, it was a bit of a let down, but maybe it had some special properties.

He removed the armour from the box to examine it. A detailed description of the chest piece appeared in the air in front of him.

Leather Cuirass of Durability

While it won’t do much to protect you against anything more than an angry beaver, the armour will at least repair itself to pristine condition after your gory death. All damage is repaired within five minutes of being received.

The armour was a bit of a let down after receiving such an impressive blade from the bronze loot box, but it was only a common rank after all. And at least it would help to protect his shirt underneath; the uniform he’d been issued for the trials was already covered in numerous cuts and tears. If his clothing kept taking this much abuse, he might end up wearing nothing but tattered rags with a rope belt by the time he left this zone.

Wyatt slid the armour over his head. He swung his arms around a few times to get used to the fit. The material felt surprisingly durable for leather, and regardless of what the description said, he believed it should take a fair bit of punishment before failing. Plus, anything was better than what he was currently wearing.

“Isn’t this just wonderful?” Saeko said. “Not only did you all get credit for the kill, but you also get a bunch of loot boxes. Maybe I should charge headlong into the next giant monster I see. It seems to work out well for you.”

“One of these is actually from being the first to craft a stone weapon,” he said. “Apparently, there are rewards and titles for all sorts of things in this game.”

“That is interesting,” Saeko said, some of her annoyance fading. “Now I just need a skill I can use in this barbaric world. Do you think it would count if I built some power armour out of vines and twigs?”

Wyatt laughed. “I bet if you could make it work, you’d get a pretty impressive title.”

“Just watch me. I’ll do it,” she said, with a slight smile. “Those orcs wouldn’t stand a chance against my steam powered mech.”

It seemed that the loot boxes had lifted her mood slightly, even if the pod had thrown their camp into disarray. Still, there was the lingering worry someone had seen the location of the landing spot.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“Do you think monsters would follow the pod?” Wyatt asked as they returned to the fire. “And what if the other contestants saw it? They might figure out it was bringing loot and decide they’d like to take it from us.”

Augie rubbed his chin. “To be honest, it looked like a normal drop pod. In the future, they’ll probably realize that they carry some pretty sweet loot. But I bet it looked like nothing more than another poor sap being thrown into the trials. And with all the trees, it would be impossible to see where it landed unless there was someone up on the ridge.

Wyatt gazed up at the towering cliff. He doubted many of the other survivors had headed in this direction, and most likely, they had set a course towards the river or lake. That’s what he would have done if his Survival Skill hadn’t told him otherwise.

How many of my decision are actually mine? The thought troubled him, and he wondered how much of his free will remained with the nanites. While he’d worked with the little robots extensively, he’d never been privy to the ones used in the brain.

“I think we’re fine here,” he said. “Before it starts to get dark, I’m going to try to hunt some game. All of us could use something more substantial in our bellies. Especially if we have to face another monster.”

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Saeko asked, looking worried. “I mean, based on what we’ve seen so far, most animals probably have tentacles coming out of their butts. What if there are man-eating rabbits out there?”

“If we’re going to stay strong enough to survive, we’re going to need more than just a few leaves and tubers. Also, I’m the only one with the skills to hunt currently.” He buckled the sword belt around his waist, wondering how useful it would be in an actual battle. He then picked up the bow and the six arrows he’d managed to craft. “I’ll stay close to the camp and be back before nightfall.”

“I’m coming with you.” Saeko stood up and brushed some dust off her shirt. “Knowing you, you’re going to pick a fight with a dragon to save a kitten or something. You need me to keep you alive.”

“I’ll be fine,” he replied, smiling at her words. It had been a long time since he’d been around any who cared about him. “I think it’s best if I go alone. My class gives me the ability to move quietly while hunting.”

Saeko crossed her arms and glared at him. “I don’t like that you’re going on your own.”

“What’s the worst that can happen?” he said, hoping he hadn’t jinxed himself. “If I see anything I don’t think I can handle, I’ll retreat back to the camp.” He pointed over at a patch of trees. “I’m just going to test the bow first before I set out.”

Saeko nodded tersely, but she still looked troubled. However, she didn’t push the point and instead returned to the fire. She sat down heavily before grabbing a stick and poking angrily at the glowing embers.

Wyatt headed over to the forest while lifting his bow. He picked a clear patch of ground to use as target practice. With a fluid motion, he nocked an arrow. The moment he did, several options appeared in his vision:

Choose Type of Elemental Arrow:

* Fire

* Earth

* Air

* Water

He briefly paused on the Air and Water options, wondering what they did. Then he focused on Earth and his confusion grew. Why would you want to imbue an arrow with earth? Did it shoot dirt at an opponent?

The best option would be to stick with something easy to understand, like Fire. He selected the option as he drew the arrow back. As he released, the arrow ignited into a blazing conflagration and slammed into the ground about thirty paces away. Once it hit, it burned even more fiercely, almost like a gas line rupture back on Titan.

When the arrow finally sputtered out, he approached it and cursed. All that remained of his carefully constructed arrow was a charred stick. While it may do extra damage, it also consumed the missile. Until he could craft a lot more arrows, he wasn’t going to use the Elemental Arrow options sparingly on the Bow of Ages.

He grasped the five remaining arrows in his hand and waved back at his companions still in the camp. To be honest, he felt pretty happy with the group he’d ended up with. They all showed potential, but most importantly, he had a gut feeling he could trust them—especially Saeko. And once they were able to purchase new skills, things should start to go more smoothly in the trials.

With one glance back at the dark-haired woman—who was still poking the fire like it owed her money—he slipped into the forest and activated his tracking skill. Almost immediately, he spotted a deer’s trail and began to stalk the beast. After a short distance, he came across rabbit paw prints crossing the deer’s.

Would it be better to stalk smaller game?

After a brief consideration, he shook his head. A deer would feed them for days, and he didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to get so many calories. The prison food prior to the Dissident Trials had barely been enough to keep him alive, and after an entire day with almost nothing to eat, he could feel himself growing weaker.

As he walked, he pulled up his character sheet to examine it.

Wyatt Ashford

Survivalist, Level 1

Strength

3

Dexterity

4

Stamina

1

Intelligence

1

Durability

3

Resistance

1

Special Bonuses

None

Titles

None

Skills

Outdoors Survival

Rank 1

Hand-to-Hand Combat

Rank 1

Melee Weapons

Rank 1

Missile Weapons

Rank 1

Gun Powder Weapons

Rank 1

Ancient Crafting

Rank 2

Medieval Crafting

Rank 1

Pre-Modern Crafting

Rank 1

With the titles he’d earned, he’d gained a significant amount of dexterity, strength, and durability. Based on how nanites work, they should be improving his body. If they still functioned the same way as they had in previous games, each point he earned resulted in an approximately 1% increase to that stat. So, he should be 3% stronger than normal and almost 4% more dexterous. He wasn’t quite sure how durability worked, as that was a new one. Maybe he’d eventually end up with skin like an elephant? That wasn’t a pleasant thought, and he hoped it would only harden the skin when struck instead of transforming him into some grey-skinned monster.

The sound of a breaking twig up ahead made him slow. He ducked into the thick underbrush and prepared an arrow; the moment it was nocked, he tugged back slightly on the bowstring, ready to draw and loose. If a deer was coming in his direction, he wanted to fell it with one shot.

The moment he saw the source of the noise, his breath froze in his throat. Not twenty meters away was a war party of orcs from the village. There had to be at least a dozen of them creeping stealthily through the forest. Were they searching for any survivors of the massacre?

Wyatt crouched lower and prayed that the bushes would hide him from the orcs. Even with his new weapons and titles, he didn’t stand a chance against so many of the creatures. Hopefully, they would pass him by without seeing him.

I must inform you, Lars said. Based on the shape of their skulls and oversized nasal cavity, I suspect the orcs hunt through a keen sense of smell.

“Oh shit,” Wyatt whispered to himself as the lead orc stopped directly in front of him. There was no way he could retreat without exposing his position. He’d just have to hope the wind wouldn’t carry his scent to the orcs.

The lead creature lifted its snout as though to test the air. The creature then threw its head back and let out a terrible squeal. The cry was taken up by the other orcs as they all turned in his direction.

For a second, no one moved, and the orcs simply stared at his hiding spot. Then, with another squeal, the creatures charged towards him en masse.

Wyatt knew escape was out of the question. They moved surprisingly fast for their size and would run him down before he got ten paces. He had to stand and fight. But based on what he’d experienced in the village, he didn’t like his odds.