Jax’s request to buy the land hung in the cool air of the tent.

The official sat there, stunned, blinking slowly as his brain rebooted. Finally, he shook his head. “Buying isn’t an option, kid. All land here belongs to Redrock Bastion. You can rent, but you can’t own.”

“Fair enough,” Jax said, leaning back. “I’m looking for a long-term lease, then. give me a number.”

The fat man narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Jax. Seeing the determination in Jax’s posture, a greedy glint sparked in the official’s gaze. This wasn’t a window shopper; this was a paying customer.

He pulled a ledger from his drawer and slammed it onto the desk, dust motes dancing in the shaft of light. He flipped through the pages until his sausage-like finger landed on an entry.

“Sector 33,” he grunted. “Standard rate is fifty thousand Credits a month. If you sign for a year, I can give you a discount. Five hundred thousand upfront.”

Jax sucked his teeth, a sharp hiss of disapproval.

The price was way above his budget. He had estimated three hundred thousand max for a year, but this guy was trying to gouge him for half a million.

“Sir, be reasonable,” Jax said, his tone flat. “That’s steep. For that price, I could buy a blueprint for a Sentry Tower.”

The official’s face fell. He made his living off commissions; he couldn’t let a big fish spit the hook now.

“Look,” the official said hurriedly, “The Guild Hub has a promotion running. Long-term rentals for registered guilds get special rates—”

“I don’t have that kind of capital on hand,” Jax cut him off, feigning embarrassment. “Can I pay in installments? Let me rent for just one month to start.”

The fat man’s friendly demeanor vanished instantly. He scowled, slamming the ledger shut. “What kind of game are you playing? One month? Payment is upfront, full sum! How do I know you won’t cut and run after thirty days?”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Jax assured him, pulling a metal tag from his pocket and sliding it across the desk. “Here. My guild registration.”

The official picked up the tag, squinting at the engraving. “The Dire Wolves? Never heard of ’em. When did you set this up?”

“Last month.”

“Last month?” The official let out a bark of laughter, tossing the tag back. “Kid, quit wasting my time. If you want a month, pay for a month. Come back when you have real money for the yearly package.”

Jax didn’t argue. He counted out the Cores for a single month’s rent. As he handed them over, he felt a physical pang of loss. His stash was cut in half in an instant.

After leaving the Guild Hub, Jax stopped at the market to buy provisions before trekking back to Sector 33.

When he arrived at the outpost, Barney spotted him from the platform and came thundering down, his face lit up with excitement.

“Jax! You’re back!”

“Did you eat?” Jax asked.

Barney shook his head vigorously. “No. Waiting for you.”

Jax knew the big guy wouldn’t lie. He felt a pang of guilt and handed over the heavy sack of food. “I bought flatbreads. Eat up. Next time we go to the city, I’m treating you to a real feast.”

Barney tore into the bread, humming with happiness.

After a quick dinner, the sun began to dip below the horizon. The temperature dropped, and the wasteland settled into an eerie silence.

Jax sat on the ramparts, waiting for the darkness. Bored, he pulled up his interface.

[User: Jax | Male | Age: 21] [Bio-Score: 71 (Average)] [Skills: None] [EXP: 132/1000] [Class: Novice Architect] [Defense Structures: Tier 1 Sentry Tower (x2)] [Current Task: None]

Jax frowned. “That’s odd. My Bio-Score was 70 last time I checked. How did it jump to 71?”

He tapped his chin, his eyes drifting to the sleeping mat inside the base.

“Does the fortress have a passive buff?” he mused. “Maybe staying inside accelerates stamina recovery or even slowly improves physical stats?”

It was a theory worth testing. Until now, the base had just been a glorified concrete tent. But if it passively buffed his stats, that changed everything.

He checked his inventory next, and his mood soured.

“Running on fumes,” he muttered. “Only three Tier 1 Energy Shards left. If this wave is heavy, we might run dry.”

He looked at his two lonely Sentry Towers, sitting silently in the gathering gloom. The pressure settled on his shoulders like a physical weight.

Night fell completely. The last sliver of the sun vanished, plunging the canyon into shadow.

Almost immediately, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his skull.

[System Alert: Detected a large wave of Winged Ravagers approaching. Please insert Energy Shards to activate Defense Towers.]

A second chime followed.

[Task: Hunt 200 Sandworms.] [Reward: Unlocks ‘The Vault’ (Mystery Store).] [Penalty for Failure: EXP Deduction.]

Jax’s eyes lit up. “Finally! The Vault is unlocking!”

Then, realization hit him, and he slapped his forehead. “Wait. Great, a shop. But what about currency? I haven’t seen a single credit drop from this System yet.”

The System was like a fog—vague, mysterious, and refusing to hold his hand. He’d have to figure out the currency later.

“First things first,” Jax muttered, racking his rifle. “Let’s kill some bugs.”

“Jax!” Barney shouted, pointing into the dark. “They’re here!”

“I see them,” Jax said calmly. “Get the torches ready.”

“Ready!”

Jax had prepared for the darkness. He had bought oil lamps from Outpost 15 and strung them along the canyon walls for a hundred meters. As the monsters entered the kill zone, the flickering light revealed the scale of the threat.

Jax’s blood ran cold.

It wasn’t a pack. It was a tide.

The canyon floor was a shifting carpet of chitin and mandibles. There were hundreds of them, a sea of black carapaces clicking and hissing as they surged toward the base.

“Barney, listen to me,” Jax ordered, his voice tight. “If they breach the wall, you run inside the base immediately. Do not try to be a hero. Understand?”

“Okay! What about you, Jax?”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

Thump. Thump.

The Sentry Towers roared to life, firing heavy bolts into the mass.

But the rate of fire was too slow. For every Sandworm that exploded into green ichor, three more scrambled over its corpse. They hit the base of the wall and began to pile up, climbing over each other like zombies in a horror movie, forming a living ramp of flesh.

Then came the buzzing. A low, vibrating drone that rattled Jax’s teeth.

The Winged Ravagers.

“Torches! Now!” Jax yelled.

Barney panicked. Instead of throwing them one by one, he grabbed the entire bundle of burning brands and heaved them over the wall in a single clump.

Jax watched the cluster of torches fall uselessly into one spot. “…”

“I threw them, Jax!”

Jax stared at him, speechless. “You… dammit! Who told you to dump them all at once?! Spread them out! How many can we kill with one fire pit?!”

Before he could scold the giant further, a rustling sound came from the edge of the platform.

“Already?”

Jax spun around. By the dim firelight, he saw winged nightmares hooking their claws over the parapet.

“Barney, go! Hide behind the wall!”

Barney didn’t argue. He turned and sprinted for cover.

Jax leveled his rifle.

Bang! Bang!

He dropped the first two, but the Sentry Towers were overwhelmed. The thump-thump-thump was constant, a rhythmic bass line to the chaos, but the horde was relentless.

Sandworms poured over the edge.

Jax gritted his teeth, slinging his rifle and grabbing a bundle of burning firewood he’d kept in reserve.

“You want fire? I’ll give you fire!”

He hurled the burning logs into the climbing mass. Whooshing flames erupted, and the smell of burning insect meat filled the air. High-pitched squeals echoed through the night.

But for every one that burned, two more crawled over the flames.

Jax felt a tightness in his chest as he looked at the endless wave.

“Is it Game Over already?”