A scorching sun blazed overhead, its merciless heat pressing down like an iron brand. Waves of shimmering distortion rippled across the horizon, blurring the endless dunes into a haze of gold and rust.
In this Hell like environment a figure lay sprawled in the sand.
At first, he didn't move.
Then, with a sharp inhale, his body jerked awake, as if ripped from drowning in an unseen abyss.
Pain.
Every muscle burned, his skin raw, his throat parched like cracked earth. A desperate gasp tore from his lips, but no moisture remained in his mouth. He rolled onto his side, coughing, but there was nothing in his lungs except thin, suffocating air.
Where… am I?
The question echoed through his skull, but no answer came.
He forced his eyes open. A wasteland stretched before him.
No trees. No water. No being. Just an endless expanse of sunbaked dunes beneath an empty, orange sky. The silence was suffocating, as if the world itself had stopped breathing.
His chest tightened.
No… no, no, no. This has to be a nightmare.
He tried to remember. Anything. His name. How he got here. Who he was. But his mind was a blank slate—no past, no identity, no explanation.
Panic gripped him.
"Think, damn it. Think!"
He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms, grounding himself in the pain. He had to move. Find water. Find shelter. Something.
Then—
[Welcome to the Terraforming System.]
His breath caught.
A voice. But not one he could hear. It rang inside his skull—clear, mechanical, emotionless. A moment later, a translucent blue screen flickered to life before his eyes, as if reality itself had glitched.
---
★★★ Terraforming System Activated ★★★
[Survival Mode: Initializing…]
---
His pulse pounded in his ears.
A system?
More text appeared.
---
★★★ System Functions Unlocked ★★★
Basic Scan (Active) – Analyze the environment for available resources.
Emergency Warning: Survival Probability – 4.8%
---
His stomach twisted. Four-point-eight percent?
I'm already as good as dead.
"What the hell…" He shook his head, his cracked lips forming dry syllables. His body swayed, exhaustion dragging him down, but he gritted his teeth.
"I need to focus. If this system is real, then maybe…"
"Activate Basic Scan," he rasped.
A pulse of invisible energy rippled outward. A second later, data flooded his vision.
---
★★★ Basic Scan Results ★★★
Sand (99.8%) – Useless.
Stone (0.2%) – Minimal structural potential.
Temperature: 47°C (Rising)
Humidity: 1.3% (Critically Low)
No Water Detected.
---
His heart sank.
There's nothing. No food. No water.
He was going to die.
The sun glared down, its heat unbearable. His vision blurred. His knees buckled. He barely caught himself on his hands, sand searing against his skin.
Then—
A low, shifting noise.
Something moved beneath the sand.
Slowly, he turned his head.
A few meters away, the dunes rippled. The sand swelled and collapsed, as if something huge slithered just beneath the surface.
His blood ran cold.
Then—
A shadow fell over him.
The heat vanished. The sky darkened.
Slowly, he looked up.
A wall of black clouds churned on the horizon, rolling forward like a titan's hand, blotting out the sun. The storm swallowed the desert, its winds howling like distant screams.
---
⚠ SYSTEM WARNING ⚠
Extreme Weather Event Detected.
Survival Probability: 2.1%
---
His hands trembled.
The heat. The dehydration. The thing in the sand. And now this?
His vision darkened. His body was shutting down.
"Damn it…"
No.
He clenched his jaw, forcing his eyes open. His hands curled into fists in the sand.
I'm not dying here.
Then—
A new notification flashed.
---
★★★ New Feature Unlocked – Survival Mode ★★★
Water Extraction (Passive) – Absorb trace moisture from the air.
---
His breath hitched.
A chance.
At the same time, another message appeared.
---
★★★ Survival Mission Issued ★★★
Mission: Survive the First 24 Hours
Goal: Maintain hydration & secure shelter before the storm arrives.
Reward: Energy Points (EP) + First Terraforming Upgrade
Failure: Death
---
"A mission?"
He barely had time to process before another alert popped up.
---
★★★ Side Mission Unlocked ★★★
Mission: First Food Source
Goal: Identify and obtain an edible resource within 48 hours.
Hint: Not all life is visible. Some things are buried deep.
Reward: System Upgrade – Basic Biomass Creation
---
"Edible resource?"
A faint memory stirred—the blue moss he had seen moments ago in the scan results. Maybe… maybe it wasn't just a useless detail.
But he had bigger problems.
The storm loomed closer, the ground rumbling beneath him. His body was too weak, his throat too dry. He needed water. Shelter could come after.
With the last of his strength, he pushed himself up—stumbling, gasping, fighting for every step.
The wind howled. The red lights within the storm blinked closer.
His time was running out.