Inside the titan's corpse.
Lex moved methodically through the cavern of bones, his knife slicing through the soft, pulsing marrow with practiced precision. Each unborn Titan Red Cell squirmed weakly as he punctured their translucent bodies, their half-formed shapes collapsing into lifeless husks. The system notifications flickered in the corner of his vision, each kill adding to his growing pile of coins.
[You have killed a Titan's Red Cell (unborn). 60 coins have been awarded.]
[You have killed a Titan's Red Cell (unborn). 60 coins have been awarded.]
[Total earnings: 3,060/200,000]
By the time he was done, the cavern was littered with the remains of the larvae, their lifeless forms blending into the landscape of bone and dried marrow. Lex wiped his knife on his skin, his expression unreadable as he glanced at his coin count.
"3,137 coins," he muttered, his voice low. "Far from enough to buy the blessings I need for my set."
The blood rain continued to fall, its warm, sticky droplets soaking through his clothes and clinging to his skin. Lex barely noticed it anymore. His mind was elsewhere, racing through his choices and weighing options. He needed more coins.
Lex stood still for a moment, his eyes scanning the cavern as if out of habit rather than curiosity. The silence was heavy, broken only by the faint drip of blood and the occasional shudder of the Titan's decaying flesh. His gaze flicked between two distant flesh conduits—pulsing, vein-like structures that snaked their way deeper into the Titan's corpse. He already knew where each one led.
He tilted his head slightly, his expression calm but calculating. "Blessings or items," he muttered under his breath, his voice low and steady. The blood rain pattered against his shoulders, but he barely noticed it anymore.
"If I choose one, I won't be able to choose the other one."
The first conduit led to different quests that would reward him with blessings. Completing the quests there would grant him powerful, high-potential blessings. It was tempting since he was already familiar with all the quests and those blessings. Although those blessings wouldn't be that useful in the tutorial as they needed to evolve into traits to be truly powerful, it would mean he would have high-tier traits at the end of the tutorial.
But he also knew the downside. Even with his knowledge, he wouldn't have enough coins to complete his time-related set of blessings if he chose this path.
The second conduit led to items. They were less flashy than blessings as their potential would be limited. However it would still give him a steady early advantage to do other stuff and earn more coins more easily. Since blessings were very cheap during the tutorial, it would ultimately grant him advantage in the long run.
After a while, Lex began moving toward one of the two conduits. He had made his choice.
The journey was grueling, the Titan's interior a labyrinth of twisting tunnels and fleshy walls. Hours passed as he navigated the decaying maze, his knife cutting through the stubborn tissue from time to time. The item's extreme sharpness against corpses made the work quicker, but it was still exhausting.
Finally, he arrived at a gaping, bottomless hole. The edges were jagged, the flesh around it torn and frayed as if something massive had burst through long ago. Lex didn't pause to think. He simply stepped to the edge, glanced down into the abyss, and jumped.
As he fell, cold and damp air rushed past him. The darkness swallowed him whole, but Lex remained calm. He opened his admin panel, the hologram flickering in front of him.
[Welcome back, Administrator. 5 coins have been deducted to use your privileges.]
Lex's fingers moved quickly, navigating the menu. He selected two blessings: Strength and Agility. They were basic and foundational upgrades—the kind every player needed to survive the early stages of the Game.
[Strength Blessing: 500 coins.]
[Agility Blessing: 500 coins.]
[Total spent: 1,000 coins.]
[Remaining coins: 2,137.]
The moment he confirmed the purchase, a surge of energy coursed through his body. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was noticeable—a subtle tightening of his muscles, an increased lightness in his limbs. His movements felt sharper, more precise, as if his body had been fine-tuned. It wasn't a dramatic transformation, but it was enough to make a difference.
But there was no time to dwell on it. The ground—or whatever passed for it in this place was getting closer. Lex twisted in mid-air, his knife flashing as he drove it into the fleshy wall beside him. The blade bit deep, slowing his fall with a jolt that sent pain shooting through his arm. The flesh tore as he descended, the knife carving a jagged line down the wall.
It was painful. Excruciating, even. He could feel the strain in his shoulders, the bones in his arm protesting under the pressure. A few ribs might have cracked, but Lex didn't care. It was only a few bones, anyway.
Finally, his descent slowed to a stop. He hung there for a moment, catching his breath, before beginning the arduous climb down. The wall was slick with blood and other fluids, making every movement a struggle.
After what felt like an eternity, he reached the bottom. The first thing to hit him was the stench. It was a foul, acrid smell, like rotting meat and decay. However, he didn't seem to be really fazed; after all, he was currently in the titan's stomach.
The sight that greeted him was both awe-inspiring and horrifying.
The Titan's stomach stretched out before him like a vast cavernous space that seemed to go on forever. The walls were lined with thick, cord-like veins, their surfaces glistening with a strange, bioluminescent glow. The floor was a mess of half-digested matter—chunks of bone, unrecognizable organic debris, and pools of acidic fluid that hissed and bubbled as they ate away at whatever they touched.
Lex crouched low, his eyes scanning the vast expanse of the Titan's stomach. The air was thick with the stench of decay, but Lex barely noticed. His focus was locked on something in the distance.
What he saw would have shocked most people—hundreds of Red Cells, their insect like bodies glistening in the dim light, moving with mechanical precision. They were like ants, carrying massive chunks of the Titan's own flesh and dropping them into the acidic pools. The flesh sizzled and dissolved on contact, the acid hissing as it consumed the biomass. It was a macabre sight, the Titan's body cannibalizing itself in a desperate attempt to keep functioning.
But Lex wasn't watching the Red Cells. His attention was drawn to something else—something that gleamed faintly. Shiny metal fragments scattered across the floor like forgotten treasures. As he moved closer, the details became clearer: shields, weapons, and pieces of armor, all partially corroded by the acid but still intact enough to be recognizable. There were some human remains that clung to some of them, their bones bleached and brittle.
Lex's lips curled into a faint smile. "Items it is," he muttered.