Gray dust obscured the sky, and the hazy sun only cast a few dappled rays of light.
Beside a desolate roadside, a figure lay quietly, his face obscured by the shadows of scattered rocks, leaving only a slender silhouette serene amidst the decay.
Before long, the figure awoke with a start, slowly opening his eyes while rubbing his somewhat swollen head. The howling wind and the strange, apocalyptic scene before him brought immense shock to Vikram's recently awakened mind.
"...Where is this?"
Before Vikram could fully recover, a voice sounded in his ear.
"Survivors, welcome to the Wasteland World!"
"Attention! This is not a game!"
"This is a world full of cataclysms and dangers!"
"This is a trial initiated for all Survivors! You will face challenges from various disasters such as acid rain, poisonous fog, extreme cold, extreme heat, earthquakes, tsunamis, mutated creatures, and more. As Survivors, all you can do is survive by any means possible!"
"The totem on your wrist is your greatest aid for survival; please use it wisely."
"The first natural disaster: Acid Rain will arrive in three days and last for a week. Good luck, Survivors!"
Wasteland World?
Survival trial?
Countless questions filled his mind, but before he could ask, the mysterious voice had already fallen silent.
He surveyed his surroundings; the area was barren and lifeless.
He had nothing on him except the clothes he wore before being brought to this world from Earth; not even a lighter. Vikram felt his chances of survival drop instantly.
He immediately looked at his left hand, where a complex and exquisite totem, composed of winding lines and abstract symbols, exuded an ancient and mysterious aura.
At this moment, it lay quietly on his wrist, emitting a faint blue light.
"The voice just now came from this," Vikram tried poking the totem, and a blue holographic projection instantly appeared before his eyes.
It was similar to the system of a video game.
Wasteland Survival Platform: Backpack, Crafting, Chat Channel and Trading Market.
Four options appeared on the screen. He clicked on the Backpack, which contained only a few simple survival supplies. Vikram touched each item with his finger.
Wasteland Survival Encyclopedia X1 (White, records knowledge to help Survivors survive in the Wasteland World)
Bread X3 (White, ordinary bread made from low-quality flour, restores a small amount of hunger)
A Bottle of Water X3 (White, ordinary mineral water, restores a small amount of thirst)
Thatch Clothes X1 (White, clothes made from low-quality thatch, provides a small amount of warmth)
Stone Axe X1 (White, an ordinary axe, can chop ordinary quality trees)
Stone Pickaxe X1 (White, an ordinary pickaxe, can mine ordinary quality minerals)
"White should be the lowest grade of items... This beginner's welfare is truly stingy."
"According to the encyclopedia, item grades are divided into White, Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, Red, and Rainbow, corresponding to Common, Rare, Exquisite, Epic, Legendary, Mythical, and Unique, respectively."
Before Vikram could continue to complain about the Survival Platform's stinginess, an item emitting a golden light appeared before his eyes.
His breathing quickened. The golden light reflected in his widened eyes as he slowly reached out to touch the item.
Territory Core (Gold - Upgradeable)
When placed on the ground, it generates a 3×3×3 wooden shelter and establishes a territory of equal size. Within the territory, construction, upgrading, and repair of the Shelter can be performed with the help of the Core. All buildings and Survivors inside receive enhancement buffs.
(Upgrade requirement: Wood X50.)
"Note: Each Survivor only has one Territory Core; please keep it safe."
"Territory Core... This should be the most powerful tool for building a shelter to resist disasters. But according to the description, if every survivor has one, can the Core be stolen?" Vikram muttered.
Vikram, who initially thought he had received a golden finger, was immediately somewhat disappointed.
Just as he exited the interface, a mysterious voice sounded directly in Vikram's mind. It was colder and more mechanical than the voice from the totem.
Immediately after, a screen that looked identical to the Survival System appeared in his line of sight.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining the Plant Life System. This system is dedicated to creating a perfect life for the host, with sea-view villas, luxury cars, and beautiful women all available. Do you wish to bind it?"
"What the hell??"
"System, do you even know what you're saying? I'm trying to survive in this apocalypse. What are you giving me? Sea-view villas, luxury cars, and beautiful women? Are you telling me to take them to the afterlife?"
"Ding, detecting a change in the host's living environment. System upgrading, please wait..."
After a long while,
"Upgrade successful. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Wasteland Plant Life System. This upgrade will help the host better survive in the apocalyptic environment and live a wealthy and happy life. Do you wish to bind it?"
"Bind." Vikram said, half-believing, as the system upgrade seemed no difference except for the addition of the words 'Wasteland', which made it feel slightly unreliable.
"Ding, system successfully bound. Obtained Newbie Gift Pack X1. Do you wish to claim it?"
"Claim!"
Plant Essence X30 (An important energy used to accelerate growth, evolve species, and unlock plant abilities. Plants Essence are issued based on the number, quality, and health of plants cultivated within the host's territory.)
Winter Pure Cotton Overcoat X1 (Blue, a warm overcoat filled with pure cotton, can resist some cold)
Thornvine Seed X1 (Blue, a defensive vine capable of restraining small mutated creatures once matured.)
Guardian Sprout X1 (Blue, a rare seed that grows into a small mobile plant guardian. Once matured, it can protect the host against minor threats within a limited radius.)
Basic Growth Acceleration X3 (Instantly reduces plant growth time by 24 hours.)
"Yes, the golden finger's gifts are much better than those from that scamming Survival Platform."
Suppressing his excitement, Vikram slowly fell into contemplation.
'Plant Essences are most likely the most practical and important thing this system can give me, and the amount of Plant Essence depends on my territory plants value. This means I must survive in this apocalyptic world and live better than anyone else to maximize the system's effectiveness.'
"Now, the most important thing is to find a suitable place to put my Territory Core."
He hadn't forgotten the mysterious voice's words: the disaster would arrive in three days. If he didn't build a decent Shelter before then, he would be finished.
Looking at the desolate scene before him, Vikram decided to walk into the distance... After walking for some time, sparse vegetation began to appear by the roadside. Vikram knew he had miraculously chosen the right direction.
Continuing forward, he finally saw the first tree in this Wasteland World about two hundred meters ahead.
As he pressed on, the vegetation nearby became denser, as if the place he had first arrived in was some kind of restricted zone.
The vegetation was denser here, and even the dust in the air seemed thinner.
Continuing onward, Vikram finally found the most satisfactory Shelter placement he had seen so far.
What greeted his eyes were a series of connected hills, and as the afterglow of the setting sun fell, the mountains were dyed with a golden halo, giving Vikram a strong sense of dissonance in the Wasteland World.
Just a few kilometers away, it was a scene of apocalypse, yet here, a feeling of tranquility and peace emanated.
However, Vikram didn't have extra time to lament; judging by the sun's current position, it should be around 6 PM, and he didn't know what dangers might arise when it truly got dark, after all, this was merely a planet that resembled Earth, not Earth itself.
Walking towards the foot of the mountains, he carefully inspected the surroundings and finally decided to place the Shelter's Territory Core at the foot of the mountains where two hills converged.
"Do you want to place it?" the Survival System screen displayed.
"Yes, place it—"
Just as Vikram was about to confirm, he was interrupted by the Plant Life System.
"Do you want to upgrade the Territory Core into a Treehouse Core?"
Seeing the new prompt, Vikram frowned in confusion. How could the Territory Core be upgraded?
After a brief hesitation, he chose yes.
He trusted the Plant Life System more than the Survival System.
The moment he confirmed, the 30 Plant Essence vanished instantly. The Territory Core in his hand transformed into a seed-like core, its surface covered in faint green patterns.
The seed floated from his palm and shot toward the center of the hills, as if drawn to the most suitable location. It burrowed into the ground silently.
A new notification echoed in his mind.
[Treehouse Core planted successfully. Remaining Growth Time: 2 hours.]
[Wild plants within the designated area have been automatically cleared.]
A faint blue light—visible only to Vikram—spread outward in a circular pattern before gradually fading.
As a man of action, Vikram did not sit idly and wait for the Treehouse to grow. Instead, he began checking the other rewards he had obtained earlier.
Winter Pure Cotton Overcoat (Blue). Looking at the coat, Vikram felt relieved. At least the coming nights would not freeze him to death.
Thornvine Seed (Blue). He had already decided to plant it near the only open entrance between the hills.
The location he had chosen was surrounded by hills on three sides, leaving only one exposed direction. It was an excellent defensive position.
However, after observing the width of the open side, Vikram estimated that at least thirty Thornvine Seeds would be required to fully seal the area.
Guardian Sprout (Blue). He still didn't know the exact capabilities of this plant, but since it was Blue-grade, it had to be useful.
Basic Growth Acceleration (Blue). This was also a valuable item in his possession.