Ryan sat on a mossy log, laying out the Anomaly Cores he had just gotten from Emma and Chris.
They pulsed with faint energies: Emma's Geomancer Core had an earthy brown glow, her Pyre Hound Core a fiery orange, and Chris's Bruiser Beetle Cores had a dull, chitinous sheen but felt surprisingly dense.
"Alright, my little power-nuggets," Ryan said to the cores, "let's see what you've got for Papa Ryan."
He started with the Geomancer Core. His Ultimate Infinite Extraction System went to work, invisible tendrils of energy gently probing and deconstructing its essence. A warm, grounding feeling spread through him.
The god Interface chimed: "+1 Strength, +1 Vitality." "Not bad for a glowing rock," Ryan commented.
Next was the Pyre Hound Core. This one felt hot to the touch even before he started extracting.
As his system worked, he felt a surge of inner fire, not uncomfortable, but invigorating. "+1 Strength, +1 Spirit." Strength seemed to be a common theme with these Level 4 cores.
His Spirit also got a little boost, which he figured might help him resist any more attempts by shadowy figures to give him a headache.
Then came the two Bruiser Beetle Cores from Chris. These were tough little things. His system had to work a bit harder, like trying to crack a particularly stubborn nut.
From the first one, he pulled "+1 Strength, +1 Vitality." And from the second, another "+1 Strength, +1 Vitality." That was a lot of Strength and Vitality! He flexed his arm. He wasn't going to win any "Mr. god Verse" competitions anytime soon, but he definitely felt more solid.
In total, that was a satisfying 8 new attribute points. His system also gave him a little notification: "Basic Essences from common Level 4 Anomalies [Geomancer, Pyre Hound, Bruiser Beetle types] are now mostly extracted.
Further gains will be minimal." It was like his internal "essence well" for these specific creature types was full. He'd have to find new, more exotic creatures if he wanted more of those easy, basic gains.
"Always gotta keep moving up the food chain, I guess," he mused. "Or, in my case, the 'extraction chain'."
While he was absorbing his new power, the Outpost #7 CommNet was still buzzing about that strange Chronometer Shard Elias had traded him.
"A shard that hums with time energy? What does that even mean?" one player typed.
"Maybe it lets you fast-forward through the boring bits, like waiting for rations to cook!" another joked.
"I bet it's super valuable! Ryan, what are you gonna do with it?" a third asked directly.
Ryan saw the messages. He wasn't about to spill all the beans about "Sealed Time Vaults" just yet. Keep 'em guessing, that was his motto.
Well, one of his mottos. He typed a quick reply: "It's an interesting piece of Precursor tech. My Neural Map shows a 'god Confluence Point' a ways from here.
Feels like the right kind of place to investigate something that hums with 'temporal echoes.' I'll check it out when I get there." That sounded mysterious and important enough, he thought.
With his stash of common Level 4 cores mostly "tapped out" for basic essences, Ryan decided it was time to raise his trading standards again. He was aiming for bigger and better things now. He sent another message to the CommNet:
"Ryan Stone: Further trading update. My needs have evolved, I will now ONLY be acquiring the following for my premium extracts, rations, or services:
Level 5+ Anomaly Cores
Alpha Beast Essences
Unique Precursor Artifacts.
No more common Level 4 cores, please. My storage is getting full of 'slightly-better-than-average' glowing rocks."
The CommNet exploded again.
"Level 5+ Cores?! Is he serious?"
"Alpha Beast Essences? Those things fight like demons!"
"He called my carefully collected Level 4 Sparkle Core a 'slightly-better-than-average glowing rock'! The nerve!"
"Well, he is Ryan Stone. If anyone can use that stuff, it's him."
"Guess I'll keep my collection of bent Precursor paperclips to myself then," someone quipped, adding a sad-face emoji.
Ryan chuckled. He knew he was pushing it, but high risk, high reward. He needed top-tier materials to keep progressing at his current pace.
A little while later, as he was packing up, a very quiet message appeared in his private inbox. It was from a player named Olivia "Gardener" Bloom.
Ryan didn't know her, but her profile picture showed a young woman gently tending to a small, glowing plant. She seemed… calm, which was a rare trait in this chaotic new world.
"Mr. Stone," her message read, "I don't have any Anomaly Cores or Artifacts. But I have some Sunpetal Leaves. They smell nice. Would you trade a small serving of your roasted rations for a pouch of them? I'm not a very good fighter, and your rations help me explore for my plants."
Ryan paused. Sunpetal Leaves? Tier 0 Herb, the system usually called things like that. Basically, a weed. But Olivia sounded sincere, and a pouch of leaves for a tiny bit of rations was hardly a loss for him.
Plus, his "Ultimate Infinite Extraction System" could sometimes find surprising value in the most ordinary things. "Kindness costs nothing," he thought, "and who knows, maybe these leaves make a great garnish."
"Okay, Olivia," he replied. "Meet me by the big, weeping willow tree near the Genesis Outpost energy barrier. And it's just Ryan."
Olivia was even quieter in person. She was small, with dirt smudges on her cheeks, and carried a large woven basket filled with various plants. She shyly handed him a small, silk pouch filled with delicate, golden-yellow leaves.
They did smell nice, like warm sunshine and honey. Ryan gave her a generous portion of his roasted rations, more than he usually traded for such a simple item.
Her eyes lit up. "Thank you, Ryan," she whispered, then quickly scurried off, probably to find a safe spot to enjoy her meal.
Ryan looked at the Sunpetal Leaves. He pulled up his Lore Scanner
.
[Sunpetal Leaves]
Tier: 0 [Herb]
Description: Delicate leaves from the Sunpetal flower. Possess a calming aroma.
Properties: Mildly restorative when brewed in hot water. May have other subtle effects.
"Brewed in hot water, eh?" Ryan thought. He still had some purified water from the stream and his ever-warm volcanic stone.
Curiosity piqued, he decided to try it. He heated some water in a small, metallic cup he'd also extracted from somewhere, then dropped a few Sunpetal Leaves in.
The water slowly turned a beautiful golden color, and the calming, honey-like aroma intensified. It smelled wonderful.
He took a careful sip. The tea was warm, slightly sweet, and incredibly soothing.
As he drank, he felt a wave of mental clarity wash over him, different from the Intellect boost. It was like his mind, which was always busy processing information from his system, the CommNet, and the dangerous world around him, had suddenly become… uncluttered.
Thoughts flowed more easily, and complex ideas seemed less daunting.
The god Interface chimed with a new notification:
"Focus resource partially restored. Focus is utilized for complex mental tasks, such as advanced extraction processes, interfacing with intricate Precursor technology, and maintaining concentration during high-stakes crafting or prolonged mental exertion."
Then, another, bigger announcement followed, this one god-wide, or at least Outpost-wide:
"GOD WARDEN ANNOUNCEMENT: Ryan Stone has successfully discovered and utilized 'Infused Beverages' to restore 'Focus,' a vital secondary resource for advanced cognitive functions.
This discovery will benefit all Arrivals. Ryan Stone is rewarded with +1 Influence for this significant contribution to survival knowledge."
Ryan blinked. "Well, how about that?" he said to the empty forest. "All that from a simple cup of tea made from a Tier 0 weed. Go figure." He felt pretty good about that. Helping others, even accidentally, felt nice.
But the god Warden wasn't finished. Another announcement, this one seemingly directed more personally, flashed on his Interface:
"GOD WARDEN COMMENDATION: Ryan Stone, due to consistent positive contributions, strategic victories, and significant discoveries benefiting Genesis Outpost #7, has achieved an Influence score of 10.
Title Bestowed: 'Outpost Pioneer.'
As a mark of this status, Ryan Stone receives a 'god Blessing': +3 to all five primary attributes [Strength, Agility, Vitality, Intellect, Spirit] permanently."
Ryan's jaw nearly dropped. Ten Influence! Outpost Pioneer! And a +3 boost to all his stats! That was huge! He felt a warm, invigorating energy flow through him, strengthening his muscles, quickening his thoughts.
The CommNet, predictably, went absolutely bonkers.
"OUTPOST PIONEER?!! WHAT?!"
"+3 TO ALL STATS?! NO FAIR!"
"Ryan Stone is basically a god himself now!"
"I'm gonna start brewing every leaf I find! Maybe I'll discover 'Super Awesome Leaf Juice' and get a blessing too!"
"All hail Ryan Stone, King of Tea and Kicker of Butts!"
Ryan just grinned, feeling a mix of amusement and genuine gratitude. "Outpost Pioneer," he repeated to himself. It had a nice ring to it. This "god" verse was certainly full of surprises.
With his newfound energy and Focus, Ryan decided to do a bit of tinkering. He had acquired a few more basic Utility Knives from trades or as loot.
He pulled out three of them. Using his Ultimate Infinite Extraction System, he carefully extracted the "Residual Forging Impurities" from each one, just like he'd done with his first knife.
Then, using some of the "Reinforced Chitin" he'd gathered from those Bruiser Beetles, he skillfully applied it to the blades and handles, reinforcing them.
They weren't master-crafted weapons, but they were now a definite step up from the standard-issue junk everyone started with. He could trade these for more useful materials later. "Sharp and pointy is always in demand," he figured.
He was just admiring his handiwork, the afternoon sun dappling through the leaves, when his Hyper-Awareness talent screamed a warning.
Simultaneously, his Neural Symbiote Map highlighted a new, very fast-moving red blip appearing nearby. The faint, almost imperceptible hum of the Chronometer Shard in his pocket seemed to intensify for a split second.
Before Ryan could even fully turn, a blur of silver and black erupted from the dense undergrowth. It was a feline creature, sleek and powerful, about the size of a large leopard, but its movements were… off.
It seemed to shimmer and phase slightly as it moved, making it incredibly hard to track. Its eyes glowed with an eerie blue light.
The god Interface flashed a warning: "Phase Lynx [Level 5 Anomaly].
Attributes: Extremely High Agility, Moderate Strength.
Abilities: Short-Range Phasing, Razor Claws, Temporal Sensitivity."
The Phase Lynx let out a low, guttural snarl, its gaze fixed not on Ryan, but on his pocket, right where the Chronometer Shard rested.
It seemed the shard's temporal aura, faint as it was to Ryan, was like a dinner bell to this particular Anomaly.
The Lynx tensed, ready to pounce, its phasing body making it a very, very tricky target. Ryan gripped his newly reinforced knife, his "Outpost Pioneer" blessing already making him feel more prepared for the fight to come.