[Component Ability: Slowly take control over the components of other beings]
[Fuel Usage: 0 per use]
[Component Location: Brain]
'What!?'
Orion shook his head in shock and disbelief.
'Isn't that component too good!? I know people get rewarded by a component good enough to get them through the Trials, but this sounds like something I'd get out of the Mark IV Trial... That doesn't seem right...'
He began to reread the Status panel to make sure he didn't miss anything.
'Let's see... Component name... Component version... wait how did I miss the version the first ti—'
"What the hell!?"
On his reread he noticed something that he skipped over before—the Component version.
[Component version: Mark 3.00]
'I get it now. I'm hallucinating!'
He was not.
He raised his hand and touched the back of his head. A small pulse that wasn't there before could be felt.
'Yeah no, that seems real enough. Hmm, but why did I get a Mark III Component when I'm in the first Trial? It really doesn't make any sense.'
Orion sighed.
'I'll deal with it later. I need to focus on this Trial first. Nobody can return home without completing the Trials, after all.'
As he was standing up, a rustling sound could be heard coming from nearby bushes. Orion instantly crouched.
'A creature?'
After a few torturous seconds, a small creature jumped out of the bushes.
A small white rabbit.
It hopped into the clearing with innocent eyes, sniffing the air as if completely unaware of Orion's presence.
'A rabbit?'
Orion blinked, baffled. For a moment, he wondered if the Trial had made a mistake. It looked harmless—adorable, even. Its white fur and cute charm made it very alluring, make one want to pet the little creature.
He slowly rose from his crouched position, heart still racing.
'I mean… I am starving. I haven't eaten since breakfast. Can't hurt to catch it, right?'
Quietly, he crept forward, trying to recall anything he might've learned about hunting. His dad wasn't exactly a survivalist, but he had taught him how to swing an axe. How hard could it be?
The rabbit twitched its ears and turned toward him.
Orion froze.
The rabbit stared for a few seconds, then went back to sniffing the ground.
'Stupid rabbit. Just a little closer…'
He tensed his legs, ready to pounce. But just as he moved—
The rabbit exploded into motion.
FWIP!
It vanished from his sight, only to reappear mid-air above him, fangs bared ready to bite him. They were of a grey metallic color, as if made of steel.
"What the—"
Orion sidestepped and barely dodged in time. The rabbit slammed into the ground with a thud where his head had just been. Dirt kicked up from the impact. As Orion rolled back, he caught a better look at it.
The rabbit's front teeth were sharp like daggers—clearly unnatural. Its hind legs were reinforced with sleek metallic plating, shining with a slight blue color that could be see between the hinges of the metal.
'A cyber-rabbit!? Are you kidding me!?'
Before he could regain his footing, the rabbit launched at him again—faster this time.
[Warning. External threat detected.]
[Would you like to activate Code Shatter?]
[Target: Crazed Rabbit, Component Version: Mark 1.00]
A panel appeared before his eyes. With no hesitation he replied clearly.
"Yes! Activate!"
A pulse surged through his brain—cold, electric, like ice water being dumped into his skull. He clutched his head as the world around him flickered.
[Attempting partial override of foreign component… Success.]
[Temporary control window: 4 seconds]
Orion's mind was a mess, but it was also surprisingly normal. He could feel himself, but also felt something foreign, yet familiar—a pair of little rabbit legs. It was as though the rabbit's cybernetic legs were an extension of himself.
With only four seconds, he acted on reflex.
He forced the rabbit's legs to lock mid-jump. The creature twitched midair, flailed awkwardly, and slammed into a tree with a wet crunch.
The connection severed.
Orion's mind was then assaulted by blinding pain. It felt as though he had both of his legs ripped apart in an instant. His real legs were totally fine, but he lost the connection he created with the rabbit's cybernetic legs.
The rabbit's body slid to the ground and began to crawl with it's front paws.
He stared at it, breath ragged, heart pounding so hard it echoed in his ears.
'What… the hell was that?'
[Code Shatter Component Leveling Progress: 3%]
[Note: Overuse may lead to cerebral strain]
He wiped the sweat from his face and after a few seconds to take in the situation, he acted and picked up a nearby rock. The rabbit was unable to use it's hind legs, but it was still slowly crawling towards him.
When he got close enough he smashed down the rock with all of his force into the skull of the rabbit.
Bam!
Blood splatted all over the ground and the rabbit's head turned into a puddle of blood and cerebral matter.
He gave a shaky laugh, but it faded quickly. The weight of the Trial was beginning to sink in. That was just a rabbit.
He was supposed to fight five Crazed Skulls, whatever the hell those were, to complete the Trial.
And they were probably a hell of a lot worse.
[You have slain Leap Hare]
[Would you like to harvest Components?]
He looked at the corpse of the rabbit that he had just killed and replied firmly.
"Yes."
A new panel bloomed into view, different from the Status one—sleeker, blue-tinted, and filled with information he could barely understand.
[Harvesting Component from: Leap Hare (Deceased)]
[Eligible Component: Hyperflex Actuator - Mark 1.00]
[Component Type: Mobility Enhancement]
[Location: Hind Legs]
[Warning: Integration without medical assistance may cause permanent damage. Proceed anyway?]
He hesitated.
'Hyperflex Actuator… So that's what made the thing move like a damn bullet.'
The rabbit—or rather, the Leap Hare—had nearly killed him. And now he had the chance to absorb part of it. This was how people survived the Trials, right? Kill, loot, survive. That's what the stories said.
"…Proceed."
[Commencing Component Extraction]
[Temporarily disabling pain receptors…]
Orion's body went stiff. A blue holographic ring came out from the back of his head and hovered over to the rabbit's hind legs. Beams of light extended from the holographic ring and began to delicately carve away the mechanical components. Once extracted, the actuator hovered into the air, then phased directly into Orion's legs like liquid metal seeping through skin.
There was no pain, but Orion felt something foreign enter his body.
He staggered backward, eyes wide, as the strange, foreign force began integrating with his muscles.
Then—
A sharp pop cracked through his knees.
"Agh—!"
He dropped to the ground, clutching his legs. It didn't feel like pain exactly, more like… stretching. Like something inside him was realigning, adjusting to a new standard of movement. His calves twitched uncontrollably for a moment before going still.
'What the hell happened to my pain receptors being turned off?!'
[Component Integrated Successfully]
[Mobility Upgrade: Hyperflex Actuator - Mark 1.00]
[Component Ability: Dash]
[Fuel Usage: 8 per use]
'Holy crap… I just got my first upgrade.'
Orion stood, slowly testing his legs. His balance felt sharper—heavier, but in a good way. He bent his knees and jumped slightly—much higher than he intended.
He landed awkwardly and stumbled forward.
"Whoa—!"
It would take time to adjust.
But if that was just one component from one creature… what else was out there?
He glanced down at the crushed remains of the Leap Hare. It was motionless now, blood soaking into the mossy forest floor.
'I won. Barely. But I won.'
He took a deep breath and looked around. The forest was still. No sounds. No movement.
Or maybe too still.
His nerves itched.
'Something's watching me...'
He couldn't explain it—there was no sound, no movement—but the air itself felt heavier. Like invisible eyes were locked on him from somewhere just beyond the trees.