Trial World Theta-9
03:47 AM (Earth Sync)
James crouched behind a twisted root, heart thundering in his chest.
Somewhere in the corrupted forest, something snarled.
He pressed a hand against the bark of a dead tree, trying to steady his breathing. The knife in his grip trembled. Not from cold. From sheer, animal fear.
He wasn't built for this.
He wasn't a soldier. He wasn't a hunter.
He was a kid from New Manhattan who barely survived vending machines.
And yet—he was still breathing. Unlike Candidate 004.
[Candidate 004 – Eliminated]
[Kill Leaderboard: Updated]
[Beast-Type Entity: "Stalker Hound" - 2 kills]
His hands clenched tighter.
He needed to move. He needed cover. He needed something—anything—that resembled a plan.
---
System Alert
[New Quest Unlocked: Into the Thorns]
> Objective: Reach Base Camp Blackthorn
Time Remaining: 03:13:00
Reward: Basic Equipment Cache, Minor EXP, Temporary Safe Zone
---
"Base camp," James whispered.
It was something. A direction. Maybe even a lifeline.
He moved.
Cautiously. Slowly. Knife low, knees bent. Like he'd seen in old war vids.
The forest was alive with noise—not the peaceful kind. Things slithered just out of sight. Trees creaked unnaturally, like they resented being stepped near. Strange spores hung in the air like ash.
But there were paths, barely noticeable. Trodden earth. Broken branches. Someone had come this way before.
He followed them.
Minutes passed.
Maybe hours.
James had no watch. Only the blinking quest timer in the corner of his vision.
03:02:41.
02:57:12.
---
He came across a corpse.
A girl. Seventeen maybe. Her throat torn open. Eyes wide. Knife still in her hand.
[Candidate 006 – Eliminated]
James crouched beside her, stomach knotting.
She had a pouch. He took it.
Inside: 2 rations (Field Synth), a compact flashlight, and a strip of adhesive nano-bandage.
He took all of it.
Then paused.
He closed her eyes.
He didn't know why. It felt right.
Then he moved on.
---
02:30:04 Remaining
The trees began to change.
Thorns grew thicker. The air grew still. James could smell smoke.
Then—a voice.
"You move like a dead man," someone muttered behind him.
James spun, knife raised.
A boy leaned against a tree behind him, watching calmly.
Tall. Black hair. Pale eyes. Wearing a shredded school blazer under what looked like riot gear taken off a corpse.
"Who the hell are you?" James demanded.
The boy tilted his head. "Name's Mercer. You headed to Camp Blackthorn?"
"That's the plan."
Mercer tossed him something. A piece of torn cloth—red, marked with a crude sigil.
"Put it on. Identifies you as not-kill-on-sight."
James caught it, frowning. "That a common thing here?"
"Only for the smart ones."
Mercer turned and walked off. James hesitated, then followed.
---
Camp Blackthorn – Perimeter Zone
Two hours later, they arrived.
Not a fortress. Not even a base, really. Just a ring of metal spikes around a clearing with a few half-collapsed prefab modules and a central bonfire.
Still, compared to the rest of Theta-9, it might as well have been heaven.
A girl stood at the gate.
Blonde. Sharp-eyed. Wearing a bloodied combat vest and holding a rifle that looked older than time.
She raised it. "Code?"
Mercer held up his cloth. "Blackthorn 13."
She lowered the rifle.
James did the same.
"New meat," the girl muttered, looking him over. "Let him in."
Inside, there were maybe thirty people. Teens. All of them armed. Most looked exhausted. A few looked feral.
A woman approached.
Older than the others. Maybe twenty.
She wore dark military fatigues, a long coat, and a broken rank insignia that James didn't recognize.
"You're Aston," she said flatly.
He blinked. "How do you—?"
"Your file pinged as soon as you entered Theta-9. Hilton marked you."
James stiffened.
"I'm Captain Lin," the woman said. "I run Camp Blackthorn. You want to live, you follow my rules."
"Yeah? What's the first one?"
"Don't die."
---
System Update
[You have entered SAFE ZONE: Camp Blackthorn]
[Basic Equipment Cache Received]
> Knife (Standard)
Vest: Light Tactical (Damaged)
Map Fragment: Theta-9 (Sector E)
[Temporary Buff: Rested +10% Stamina Recovery for 1 Hour]
---
They gave him a tent.
A meal.
Even a water tablet.
It felt surreal.
He sat at the fire, watching as other survivors sharpened blades, stitched wounds, bartered rations.
This wasn't a camp. It was a war orphanage.
And he was now part of it.
Mercer sat next to him. Tossed him a piece of dried meat.
"You did good," he said. "Most don't make it past the first hour."
James chewed slowly. "How long you been here?"
"Three days."
"How many drops?"
"Four."
"How many made it back?"
Mercer looked into the fire.
"Me."
---
System Notification
[New Passive Skill Gained: Hardened]
> You've survived your first field mission. Panic response reduced. Focus threshold increased.
[+1 Constitution | +1 Perception]
---
Later that night, Captain Lin addressed the camp.
"New drop incoming in six hours. Everyone who wants promotion to Tier One, report to briefing room at dawn."
James stood.
Mercer caught his arm.
"Don't."
"Why?"
"You're not ready."
James looked around at the others.
"No one here is. That's the point."
He walked toward the briefing room.