《Sleeper》


 chapter 1

    Brax sighed as he scrolled through his emails. Slowly, he closed his eyes and hoped this accursed workday would end. After a few seconds, he opened them again and started emailing people once more.


    His job mainly involved emailing people and getting them to email things back to him¡ªcatalogs, files, or updates¡ªa truly dull task.


    Achingly, the digital clock crept up to 5 PM, closing time. As it got closer, his body slowly relaxed. Any second now, he¡¯d be ho¡ª


    ¡°Did you hear about Jenna?¡± his coworker, Tim, asked, having crept up with the grace of a panther¡ªuncommonly close to Brax and irritatingly close to closing time. Truly devious.


    Brax did the mental gymnastics to figure out the best option. A glance at his screen told him it was 4:50. Ten minutes to go. Realizing there was no way he was going to get anything done now, he decided to see where this was going.


    ¡°Did something happen to her?¡± he asked nonchalantly as he started shutting down his laptop.


    ¡°I¡¯d say so. She¡¯s taking maternity leave! She¡¯s only been here a few months; HR must be fuming!¡± Tim said, eager to gossip.


    Brax thought about Jenna. She was responsible for managing the export paperwork at the company¡ªa vital job that few people had the skill to do, as the regulations made it incredibly tedious. The previous expert had left on bad terms, and her assistant, Mark, whom she was training, was unprepared for the responsibility.


    ¡°Oh dear, that sounds like trouble. Has management decided what to do yet?¡±


    ¡°Nothing yet, but I talked to Mark at lunch, and he said they¡¯re thinking of shifting all the employees who have worked on exporting into the problem. So, we might be doing something different for a change soon.¡±


    ¡°That sounds... drastic. I''m not sure throwing more bodies at the problem will help. Maybe they should bring in an external contractor, at least temporarily. That way, there wouldn¡¯t be any potential issues with exporting.¡±


    Brax glanced back at his screen: 4:53. Time to start packing up.


    ¡°It would cost a fortune to bring in outside help, and some people, like you, have worked on it before. They¡¯re willing to take the risk on this one,¡± Tim said, a pensive look on his face. ¡°You should be able to help.¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Brax took a second to think about it as he finished turning off his laptop. ¡°Maybe a change in work wouldn¡¯t be so bad.¡±


    He stood up and stretched. ¡°We¡¯ll see how it goes; the last time we didn¡¯t have a resident expert, it was a fiasco. They might just get external help anyway.¡±


    ¡°You can say that again. I¡¯m not looking to go through that again, but things are different now; it might work out, and Jenna said she¡¯s willing to remotely oversee the process as well. It was one of the reasons management hasn¡¯t freaked out yet; it might just be halted as they wait for her input,¡± Tim said as he pulled out his phone. ¡°4:55 already? Looks like I need to pack up. See you tomorrow, man. Take care.¡±


    ¡°Take care, Tim. Tell your dog I said hi,¡± Brax said as they parted and went their separate ways.


    ¡°Tam misses you, man; we should meet up this weekend. Cheers!¡± Tim said as he disappeared around a corridor.


    As Brax walked through the facility, he thought about how management was likely going to push him into the role, and he wasn¡¯t sure how to handle it. On one hand, a change would be nice; on the other hand, it would mean a big change in his day-to-day life. Ultimately, change was inevitable, and he might as well approach it with joy rather than sadness.


    Pulling out his phone to check the time, he read 4:58, and with that realization, he sped up, as there were few things he hated more than unpaid overtime.


    He reached the exit of the building and stepped into the staff access point; the sun was stiffly peeking out from the horizon dotted with low-rise buildings. The seasons were changing, and spring was fast approaching; all around him were small hints of change.


    He sped up to the final access point and began signing out of the facility. As the security officer was noting down his time, the man raised his head: ¡°5:00? How? You¡¯ve done it again. There should be a prize if you do that enough days in a row,¡± he joked as he took his signature and opened the security gate, letting him out¡ªfree into the world at last.


    Free at last, he looked around for his car, an old Subaru, and got started driving off. Entering the highway, the road was packed with other cars like sardines in a can. Achingly, he inched toward his apartment, and eventually, he was parked at the last intersection, staring at a red light.


    Sighing at the hell that was traffic, he opened his phone. 5:10. He was making good time; it looked like he was going to have some good relaxation time today. He slowly smiled as he considered what he¡¯d do. He could watch a movie. That new game looked good; it had really cool gameplay. He could have a really good sess¡ª


    HONK HONK!


    He had no time to think and even less to react. In a fraction of a second and a flash of red, Brax was gone.


    [System Analysis Commencing...]


    [New Entity Detected, commencing bioanalysis]


    [Analysis Complete]


    [Access the new information at Updates]

 chapter 2

    [System Analysis Commencing...]


    [New Entity Detected, commencing bioanalysis]


    [Analysis Complete]


    [Access the new information at Updates.]


    Brax appeared in pitch dark, lying on his back, naked, with nothing but text blazing in his eyes. Panicking, he started reaching around, his heart racing as the situation slowly sank in. His hands found only cold stone. He frantically searched for something¡ªanything¡ªbut the darkness offered no hope.


    Gradually, he stilled, trying to make sense of what had happened. An earthquake, maybe? A sinkhole? He shivered as he stood, glancing upward, only to find more darkness. Stretching his hands forward, he felt nothing. He took a tentative step¡ªjust more uneven stone. He moved forward, step by step, his sensitive feet grinding against the ground, until his fingertips met a wall. Pressing his palms against it, he considered his choices: follow the wall, change direction, or focus on the glowing text.


    It was dawning on him, piece by piece, that his situation was highly unusual, and he needed to take it seriously. Exhaling, he crouched against the cold surface, his eyes drifting back to the luminescent words. He was alone with a strange heat in his bones. As he read them again, searching for meaning, one thought pressed into his mind: Where is Updates?


    [Soul Has Entered the Network]


    [Title Gained: Dimension Traveler]


    [Soul Has Entered The Galaxy: Vexloria]


    [Title Gained: Galaxy Traveler]


    [Soul Has Entered The Planet: Kynethor]


    [Title Gained: Planet Traveler]


    [See New Changes in Status]


    As the wall of text overwhelmed his eyes, he sat there, trying to understand the complex Status that had appeared before him. He had played several games, but none of them looked quite like this.


    His eyes hovered over his race, trying to understand why it would have labeled him anything other than a normal human. The last two times he focused on this screen, something happened. Maybe it would work again if he just focused.


    <hr>


    Name: Braxton Samuel Highpath


    Health: 99/100


    Arcane: 0/0


    Soul: 110/110


    Race: Extraplanar human


    Conditions: Mana Toxicity T1


    Class: None


    Titles: Dimension Traveler, Galaxy Traveler, Planet Traveler


    Statistics:


    Body:


    <ul>


    <li>Strength: 8</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Dexterity: 9 </li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Constitution: 9</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Vigor: 10</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Awareness: 8</li>


    </ul>


    Spirit:


    <ul>


    <li>Willpower: 10</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Clarity: 11</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Instinct: 10</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Perception: 11</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Spirit: 11</li>


    </ul>


    Arcane:


    <ul>


    <li>Weight: 0</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Resistance: 0</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Attunment: 0</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Recovery: 0</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Insight: 0</li>


    </ul>


    <h2>Skills (15)</h2>


    <ul>


    <li>none</li>


    </ul>


    <h2>Traits</h2>


    <ul>


    <li>Otherworldly Versatility </li>


    </ul>


    <h2>Spells & Abilities</h2>


    <ul>


    <li>None</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    As a wall of text before him overwhelmed his eyes, he sat there trying to understand the complex Status that had appeared right before him. He¡¯d played several games, but none of them looked quite like this.


    His eyes hovered over his race as he tried to understand why it would have labeled him anything other than a normal human. The last two times he focused on this screen, something happened; maybe it would work again.


    <hr>


    Race: Extraplanar Human


    Humans are a type of bipedal creature known for their adaptability and ability to thrive in a wide range of environments. They have been shaped by the unique conditions of their diverse homes, granting them exceptional versatility.


    Extraplanar humans are not native to the Known Dimensions and possess no innate magical talent. However, this lack of natural magic leaves them with increased soul space and heightened sensitivity to all soul-related affairs.


    Traits:


    <ul>


    <li>5 skill slots</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>50% Base Skill Growth Increase</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>10% Affinity for all skills</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Well, that would explain why his magic stats were zero, at least. It truly looked like he wasn¡¯t in Kansas anymore. The racial traits were relatively understandable¡ªor at least, they didn¡¯t raise too many questions.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Now that Brax had a better grasp of how to navigate the wall of text, he refocused. If there was one thing video games had taught him, it was that status conditions were never to be ignored. His eyes locked onto the Conditions section


    <hr>


    Condition: Mana Toxicity T1


    You are in a zone with very high ambient mana, and as your body is not built to handle it, it is slowly damaging your body.


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Damages Life by 1 per hour </li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Brax did not like the look of that one bit. The weight of the realization pressed against his chest. He wasn¡¯t just stranded and in the dark; he was actively being harmed by his surroundings and only had four days to survive. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to push the rising panic aside. There had to be a way to stop whatever Mana Toxicity was doing to him. He turned his focus onto his Titles, hoping they would shed some light on his lethal predicament.


    <hr>


    Title: Dimension Traveler


    You have traveled across dimensions, and your soul has grown in the face of this experience.


    affects:


    <ul>


    <li>3 additional skill slots</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Title: Galaxy Traveler


    You have traveled across galaxies, and your soul has grown in the face of this experience.


    affects:


    <ul>


    <li>2 additional skill slots</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Title: Planet Traveler


    You have traveled across dimensions, and your soul has grown in the face of this experience.


    affects:


    <ul>


    <li>1 additional skill slot</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    That told him nothing about how he was going to survive this, but it did cement the fact that he was far from home. He was truly alone. After a few seconds, as a sinking feeling set into his heart, he focused on skills, hoping for some better news.


    <hr>


    Skills ( 0/18 )


    <ul>


    <li>Skills are fundamental constructs of the soul, imprinting upon reality and altering the fabric. Unlike the Arcane, which adheres to strict rules and methodologies. They do not follow structured formulas like spells but instead emerge organically, shaped by experience, intent, and the subconscious desires of their wielder.</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    That sounded promising. Reality could do with some alterations in Brax¡¯s opinion. Hopefully, the skills could improve his situation. It also helped explain what Arcane was and made skills sound incredibly powerful. After carefully reading the text to make sure he didn¡¯t miss anything, he focused on his slots.


    <hr>


    Available skills:


    <ul>


    <li>Mana Tolerance (Least, Lv.1)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Adaptive Physiology (Least, Lv.1)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Hardy Constitution (Least, Lv.1)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Temperature Adaptation (Least, Lv.1)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Optimized Breathing (Least, Lv.1)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Efficient Digestion (Least, Lv.1)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Accelerated Recovery (Least, Lv.1)</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    As he read his available skills, Brax felt a small burst of hope and excitement. Focusing on the first skill, nothing happened. After a few more attempts, he concluded that trying to access more information wouldn¡¯t work. In the end, he focused on the first skill with the thought of choosing it.


    [Skill has Been Formed]


    <hr>


    Skill: Mana Tolerance (Least, Lv.1)


    <ul>


    <li>This skill increases your body¡¯s tolerance to mana</li>


    </ul>


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 1% resistance to T1 mana</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    And just like that, Brax lost most of the hope he had, as it only increased his resistance by a very small amount and only seemed to apply to the first tier of mana toxicity. Not giving up, he selected all the available skills; anything would be better than nothing


    [Skills has Been Formed]


    <hr>


    Skill: Adaptive Physiology (Least, Lv.1)


    <ul>


    <li>Your body can gradually adjust to environmental and internal changes.</li>


    </ul>


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 1% adaptation to T1 environmental stressors</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Hardy Constitution (Least, Lv.1)


    Your body possesses enhanced endurance and robustness.


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 1% resistance to T1 adverse physical affects</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Temperature Adaptation (Least, Lv.1)


    Your body adjusts to ambient temperature variations more effectively.


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 1% resistance to T1 temperature variations</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Optimized Breathing (Least, Lv.1)


    <ul>


    <li>Your respiratory efficiency improves, enabling better oxygen intake. </li>


    </ul>


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 1% resistance to T1 temperature variations</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Nutrient Optimization (Least, Lv.1)


    <ul>


    <li>Your digestive system processes food more effectively, maximizing energy absorption. </li>


    </ul>


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 1% improvement to T1 dietary deficiencies.</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Accelerated Recovery (Least, Lv.1)


    <ul>


    <li>Your body recovers from minor injuries and fatigues slightly faster. </li>


    </ul>


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 1% improvement to T1 healing speed.</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Metabolic Efficiency (Least, Lv.1)


    <ul>


    <li>Your body optimizes its energy usage and waste management. </li>


    </ul>


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 1% efficiency to T1 resource usage and waste management.</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Brax sighed. The enhancements were small, barely noticeable, but at least they would help him survive, if only by a little. It wasn¡¯t much, but in his current state, every advantage mattered. Finally, his eyes turned to Traits, hoping for something more substantial.


    <hr>


    Traits:


    <ul>


    <li>Traits are acquireable features that can be gained through experiences, actions, or innate properties; they can have a variety of effects and are permanently etched into your soul; they do not change and will be a fixed facet of your existence.</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Talent: Otherworldly Versatility


    <ul>


    <li>Since before your birth, you were not exposed to Arcane Energy, Soul Energy, Soul Constructs, or the Network. As a result, your soul developed independently, following an unrestricted growth process. This lack of external influence allowed for a highly flexible structure, enabling the efficient assimilation of skills, concepts, and energies.</li>


    </ul>


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>5 skill slots</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>100% Base Skill Growth Increase</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Skill mutation Rate Increase</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>10% Base Affinity for all skills</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    That sounded useful to Brax; unfortunately, it also didn¡¯t help his current situation in the least, as far as he could see. He was still lost, and no closer to finding a way out of this mess.


    Every second counted¡ªhe was actively dying. After weighing the benefits and taking a moment to mentally prepare himself, he stood up against the rock wall, pressed his fingers to it, and decided to follow its path.


    Step after step he went; his feet found nothing but cold stone, and his fingers more cold wall. And then-


    [ Skill level up: Mana Tolerance ]


    [ Skill level up: Adaptive Physiology ]


    [ Skill level up: Mana Tolerance ]


    [ Skill level up: Adaptive Physiology ]


    [ Skill level up: Hardy Constitution ]


    [ Skill level up: Temperature Adaptation ]


    [ Skill level up: Optimized Breathing ]


    [ Skill level up: Efficient Digestion ]


    [ Skill level up: Accelerated Recovery ]

 interlude 1

    ¡°The Automata are an enigma, as non biological organisms they are both aware of emotions, And incapable of feeling them, they are aware of the irony and seems to derive a lot of joy from it. Especially the older ones, as their souls fight their inbuilt procedures¡±¡ªUnknown Scholar


    X-13 was a simple machine with a simple purpose: to scout the galaxy. In his estimation, he had lucked out¡ªevery planet was a fresh trove of data points, and he was determined to catalog them all. First the known universe, then the unknown.


    This pursuit kept him far from the Automata for long stretches of time. Lately, it had led him to a newly charted galaxy, one that had just emitted a particularly intriguing signal. If he were capable of excitement, he¡¯d be vibrating with it. Unfortunately, he could neither vibrate nor feel excitement.


    As he approached the system¡¯s sun, a healthy little red dwarf, things began to unravel. A signal arrived from a nearby outpost, reporting a surge in mana levels within an adjacent galaxy. He marked it as a future destination, only for another outpost¡ªfarther out¡ªto report the same anomaly. Then another. And another. One by one, the messages poured in, all with the same urgent warning.


    X-13 mentally projected the effects and came to the conclusion that his best option was to start sprinting to the closest safe zone and pray he made it. Unfortunately, sprinting is pretty hard to do in space, and praying is even less of an option for him, but a robot can dream.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    At the current rate the mana levels were increasing; he would not make it in time to outpace the danger. The next-best course of action was to land on the closest viable planet, establish defensive measures, and enter locked stasis. With any luck, by the time his cold, lifeless processing unit reactivated, the worst would have passed. After all, how long could an unpredictable, highly lethal mana storm really last?


    He sent a final message to the Automata outlining his plan, then adjusted course toward the nearest planet. A small world, lightly populated¡ªone that would, regrettably, be irrevocably altered by the coming mana surge. He struck the surface and began tunneling downward, the soft surface leading to a supprusinly dense mantle laced with tunnels. The hard rocks created vibrations in the planet¡¯s core as his drills pushed downward. It wouldn¡¯t make a difference, but he might as well be comfortable while he waited.


    As he prepared for stasis, his thoughts returned to the signal he¡¯d detected. Dimensional ripples were rare; ones of this magnitude were rarer still. Who knew what had caused it¡ªor what it would bring? Uncharted minerals, unknown species¡ªanything could emerge from the rift.


    If X-13 had lungs, he would have sighed at the lost opportunity. If he had emotions, he might have felt regret. But he had neither.


    With no other options, he initiated locked stasis. His core temperature dropped, subsystems deactivated one by one until only the main unit had any power at all, and his awareness dimmed like a star fading into the abyss. The last thing he registered was the distant rumble of the planet shifting around him¡ªthen, silence

 chapter 3

    [ Skill level up: Mana Tolerance ]


    [ Skill level up: Adaptive Physiology ]


    [ Skill level up: Hardy Constitution ]


    [ Skill level up: Temperature Adaptation ]


    [ Skill level up: Optimized Breathing ]


    [ Skill level up: Efficient Digestion ]


    [ Skill level up: Accelerated Recovery ]


    Shocked by the sudden change, Brax looked at the notifications, his heart beating faster. Hope grew inside him as he focused on the skills again.


    <hr>


    Skill: Adaptive Physiology (Least, Lv.2)


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 2% adaptation to T1 environmental stressors</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Hardy Constitution (Least, Lv.2)


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 2% resistance to T1 adverse physical effects</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Temperature Adaptation (Least, Lv.2)


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 2% resistance to T1 temperature variations</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Optimized Breathing (Least, Lv.2)


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 2% improvement to T1 breathing efficiency.</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Nutrient Optimization (Least, Lv.2)


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 2% improvement to T1 dietary deficiencies.</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Accelerated Recovery (Least, Lv.2)


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 2% improvement to T1 healing speed.</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Metabolic Efficiency (Least, Lv.2)


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 2% efficiency to T1 resource usage and waste management.</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Just like that, he felt some hope once again, because if these skills improved quickly, then there was a chance that these could help him survive this dark situation. At the same time, he was confused as to why the skills leveled up so quickly; maybe it had something to do with why the skills were classified as Least?


    <hr>


    Classification: Least


    <ul>


    <li>All skills are ranked by their level of effective influence, with "least" being the lowest possible rank. At this level, they can only affect T1 systems and have a restricted total output, limiting their overall impact. They also have the highest growth rate of all skills and are the most likely to mutate.</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Weak skills improved the fastest, which made sense to Brax. But their tendency to mutate? That part was less clear. For now, he set that question aside and focused on tiers first.


    <hr>


    Classification: Tiers


    <ul>


    <li>Tiers are a standardized ranking of energy and complexity. As the tier increases, both factors scale in a non-linear manner, leading to exponentially greater power and intricacy at higher levels.</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Tier: 1


    <ul>


    <li>The first and lowest tier, Tier 1, represents the most basic level of energy and complexity. Skills, abilities, and systems at this tier operate on a small scale, affecting only localized environments, simple mechanisms, or individual entities.</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    T1 temperature resistance is clearly not very effective, as it only provides minor protection against small temperature fluctuations. On the other hand, the increased growth rate, combined with Brax¡¯s additional bonuses, must be interacting synergistically, accelerating his improvement at an impressive pace. After finally grasping the cause of the change, he took a deep breath, steadied himself, and resumed walking.


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    Step after step he went until he heard the first sound aside from the sounds he¡¯s made since he got here, a deep rumbling in the earth. He stilled his movement and listened. His feet felt vibrations in the ground, and his hand felt them in the wall. With nothing he could do but wait, he crouched down, stayed still, and hoped it would end.


    As he crouched there, the stone rough against his skin, the unnatural warmth within his bones gradually intensified; a contrasting sensation of cold remained, creating a bizarre mix of hot and cold that left him feeling sick.


    [ Skill level up: Mana Tolerance ]


    His breath hitched. A sinking feeling settled in his chest. The heat in his bones wasn¡¯t just discomfort¡ªit was the physical manifestation of mana toxicity. And for some reason the earth rumbling came with an increase in the mana levels. Opening up conditions revealed the truth.


    <hr>


    Condition: Mana Toxicity T1


    You are in an area with extremely high ambient mana. Since your body is not adapted to withstand such intense energy, it is gradually sustaining damage.


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Damages health by 1.1 per hour </li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    And just like that, he lost hours of his life; as dread and hopelessness set in, he crouched down and waited. Hoping the rumbling would end.


    [ Skill level up: Mana Tolerance ]


    After an unknown amount of time, they finally stopped, and with a small amount of relief in his otherwise weary heart, he slowly stood up once again and began walking.


    By now he had started to feel thirsty and a little hungry. But with nothing to have and nothing behind him, his only option was to continue his search for something¡ªanything.


    Step after step he took, and few things changed; the earth did not rumble, and he found no water or food. Every step was like the last; time had no meaning where there was no light or other ways to keep track of the time other than the occasional skill level up or decrease in his health, but eventually he slowed. He was exhausted and needed to lie down and recover.


    He felt around until he found a place against the wall that wasn¡¯t too uncomfortable and decided to take a short nap before continuing his journey through the dark.


    As he lay there, he turned his eyes to the available skills once again.


    <hr>


    Available skills:


    <ul>


    <li>Water Conservation</li>


    <li>Nutrient Conservation</li>


    <li>Energy Conservation</li>


    <li>Enhanced Awareness</li>


    <li>Survival Instinct</li>


    <li>Metabolic Control</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    He selected all the skills, not expecting them to make a significant difference but knowing that each one might buy him a little more time. He had no illusions about his chances, but anything that could give him even a few more hours was worth taking.


    <hr>


    Skill: Water Conservation (Least, Lv.1)


    <ul>


    <li>Reduces water loss and usage.</li>


    </ul>


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 1% reduction to T1 water deficiency</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Nutrient Conservation (Least, Lv.1)


    <ul>


    <li>Reduces nutrient loss and usage.</li>


    </ul>


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 1% reduction to T1 nutrient deficiency</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Energy Conservation (Least, Lv. 1)


    <ul>


    <li>Reduces energy loss and usage.</li>


    </ul>


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 1% reduction to T1 energy deficiency</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Enhanced Awareness (Least, Lv.1)


    <ul>


    <li>Heightened perception of the environment </li>


    </ul>


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 1% improvement to T1 environmental awareness </li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Survival Instinct (Least, Lv. 1)


    <ul>


    <li>Instinctively access the network for survival information.</li>


    </ul>


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 1% improvement to T1 survival instinct</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    Skill: Metabolic Control (Least, Lv.1)


    <ul>


    <li>Allows minor control over metabolism to conserve energy during starvation.</li>


    </ul>


    Affects:


    <ul>


    <li>Grants a 1% increase to T1 metabolic energy consumption</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    After carefully reading through the list of skills, he let out a slow breath, closed his eyes, and rested his head against the rough stone wall of the cave. The air was still and dry, heavy with the scent of dust and ancient rock. Darkness stretched out in every direction, pressing in around him like a silent observer.


    As the last few hours played through his mind, his thoughts drifted toward the future. How much farther would he have to go? Would he find a way out? Would he have the strength to keep moving when the time came?


    Eventually, he started to think of his apartment, and he wondered what was happening back home; were people looking for him? Was his body lying in a broken Subaru on the side of the road?


    The silence of the cave gave no comfort, no reassurance, only an empty stillness that made his worries feel heavier.


    Eventually, exhaustion overtook him. He slipped into a fitful, dreamless sleep, the cold rock at his back and the endless dark stretching on around him.