I barely had time to read the quest alert before another drone opened fire, its energy blast sizzling the air.
I threw myself to the side again, my heart pounding in my chest. I didn't have time to think, just react.
One drone zipped by overhead, firing wildly at a recruit who'd tried to duck behind a pillar. The poor guy didn't even have time to scream before the blast hit, sending him sprawling to the ground in a crumpled heap.
I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the tightness in my limbs as I tried to find some kind of cover. I wasn't sure if it was fear or just the shock of being thrown into something like this without warning.
A bolt of energy ricocheted off the wall near me, missing by mere inches. The drones were relentless.
"This is such bullshit," I muttered under my breath, trying to steady my breathing. "I just wanted to play a game. Not join a fucking galactic—"
WHAM!
A drone decided that ranged attacks weren't enough and promptly slammed into my side, sending me sprawling to the ground. It hurt like hell, but it hadn't incapacitated me yet.
Another drone fired. I grit my teeth and forced myself to dodge through the pain.
The screen from earlier crackled into my vision.
4:23 minutes remaining.
'Okay, fuck this.' Whether I liked it or not, this was my reality now. I could freak out about being sucked into the world of Dragon Ball later.
A new drone locked onto me; its red eye glowing brighter as it prepared to fire.
I hit the ground with a painful grunt, but the blast missed me, slamming into the far wall with an electric crack.
I pushed myself up to my knees, panting. "I sort of regret picking my perks now..."
I needed a strategy—something, anything—or these little metal monsters were going to fry me before I even got thrown into the universe with nothing but the clothes on my back.
'On second thought, they'll probably take my clothes too.' I couldn't help but think.
My eyes landed on a pile of broken drones near the far corner of the room. Some other recruit must've taken them out earlier, but their remains were still smoldering.
'Better than nothing.'
I darted toward the pile, weaving as much as my burning legs would allow. Blasts of energy zipped past me, and for a terrifying moment, I thought I wasn't going to make it. Then, with one last lunge, I threw myself behind the heap of sparking metal.
The drones hesitated—like they couldn't quite figure out where I'd gone—and then split off to target the other recruits.
I took a moment to catch my breath, leaning against the broken remains of a huge pile of drones. My vision was still swimming, my body aching, but at least I wasn't actively being shot at.
3:17 minutes remaining.
Huddled behind the pile of sparking drone parts, I could feel my pulse hammering in my ears. My breathing came fast and shallow, adrenaline keeping my limbs from turning into complete jelly.
For the briefest moment, I considered staying put, waiting for the clock to run out.
But that thought died as quickly as it came.
The old man—the bane of my existence—barked orders at the swarm of drones. "Kick it into second gear! If they break now, they're worthless!" His voice thundered over the chaos, spurring the drones to become even more relentless.
'I fucking hate this guy already.' I thought as I peeked over the heap of broken drones, taking stock of the chaos.
Other recruits were scattered around the room, some faring better than others. A lean woman with razor-sharp reflexes was weaving between drones like she'd been born for it, landing well-placed strikes that sent sparks flying. A hulking alien with armored skin was outright tanking hits, lumbering forward with unstoppable momentum.
And then there was me—a skinny Human with no flashy powers, hiding behind a pile of garbage.
'No, I do have something,' I recalled. 'Reveal yourself system and show me my Status!'
o–o
Name: Jyn
Age: 18
Race: Earthling
Title: [--]
Power Level: 5.6
Body: 7
Mind: NaN
Spirit: 8
Ki Control: 10%
Abilities: [Human Adaptability], [Vessel of the System]
Major Skills: [--]
Minor Skills: [--]
o–o
The lack of a leveling system was disappointing, but if this was truly the world of Dragon Ball, then it didn't matter much. Simple training should be enough.
...And why does my mind stat say it doesn't have a number?
The stats themselves were pretty self-explanatory. My Power Level was clearly a multiplication of my Body and Spirit, which was being hindered by my dogshit Ki Control.
If I had perfect ki control, I'd have a power level of 56 even though my body is built like a twig.
But none of that was truly important. The thing I was looking for was the one actual ability I had in my arsenal.
I needed to know if it worked how I thought it did.
o–o
[Human Adaptability]
Allows the user to develop resistance to extreme conditions over time.
o–o
'Perfect.'
It didn't seem like much at first glance, but with this, I was confident that I didn't need to just hide like a coward.
Another red laser slammed into the pile of broken drones, sending a shard of smoking metal whizzing past my ear. I ducked even further down instinctively, my heart thudding in my ears.
'Okay, maybe confident isn't the right word.'