Three days passed.
Three long, exhausting days.
I did every quest the System gave me—early training, bodyweight routines, fasting when I couldn't afford food, and meditation in the same park where I first accepted it all. I slept on benches. Showered in public restrooms. Ate rice crackers when I had them. And yet…
I felt alive.
Every push-up burned—but every notification after made it worth it.
[Stat Increased: Strength +1][Endurance +1][Skill Gained: "Breathing Control Lv.1"][Passive: Mental Fortitude Lv. 2]
I was still weak. Still broke. Still wearing the same three outfits.But now I had a system.
And the system made one thing clear:
Keep growing. Or stay worthless.
On the morning of Day 4, the system dropped something new on me.
[System Alert – Path Divergence Detected][Host is ready for their first True Encounter.][Accept Quest: "Claim Your First Weapon"?]
Y/N
My pulse quickened.
A "True Encounter"? That sounded more serious than "Push-up 100 times" or "Meditate and cry about your life under a tree."
"…Yes," I whispered.
The air shimmered.
[Quest Accepted: Claim Your First Weapon][Clue: Strength isn't found in luxury. Go where the forgotten things rest.][Location Hint: Junkyard]
It wasn't far.
I remembered passing a large junkyard two train stations from my old workplace. I walked there in two hours. No ticket. No train. Just my legs.
The closer I got, the heavier the air felt. Maybe it was my nerves. Or maybe the system was doing something again.
Rusted iron. Bent poles. Broken refrigerators stacked like monuments of failure. The stench of oil, metal, and discarded dreams.
And at the center of it all was him.
A man.
Sitting on a rusted folding chair, smoking a cigarette, and flipping through an old manga like he was in a café.
He looked up as I stepped through the gates.
Then grinned.
"You finally showed up."
My eyes widened."…Huh?"
"You've got the eyes of someone crawling out of rock bottom." He tossed his cigarette into a puddle and stood. "System pick you up recently?"
"…Yes."
"Good. That means I'm not going crazy yet."
He was tall. Maybe late 30s. Short beard, black gloves, messy brown hair, and a large coat draped over his shoulders like a cape.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"The name's Kaito. I run this dump."
He held out a hand.I didn't take it.
He chuckled. "Smart. Don't trust people too easily, especially not after what happened with your girl."
My blood froze.
"…How do you know about that?"
"I've been watching you."
His eyes glowed faintly blue. Not natural. Not normal.
"You're one of us now. System holders. Survivors. Crawlers. Whatever name you wanna use. We're the ones who got nothing—but got chosen. This world's got rules, kid. But we get to cheat."
"…Are there others?"
He nodded. "Hundreds. Maybe thousands. Some use the system to get rich. Others become killers. Mercenaries. Some just vanish."
He paused, then grinned again.
"And some… become kings."
Kaito led me deeper into the junkyard. We passed broken car frames, shattered TVs, even old playground equipment. He stopped in front of a huge metal cargo container.
"I've stored something here. Not new. Not shiny. But it'll speak to you if your soul's ready."
He kicked the doors open.
Inside were weapons.
Rusty blades. Bent batons. Scrap metal forged into shapes of violence. Not a single one looked special.
Until one of them called to me.
It was faint. Like a hum inside my chest.A pulse. A whisper.
I walked toward it.
A dull black crowbar.
Thick. Heavy. Slightly curved. No carvings. No gems. Just raw, brutal simplicity.
I reached out.
The moment my hand touched it—
[Weapon Chosen: Broken Crowbar – Rank: F+][Compatibility: 98%][Binding Weapon…][Title Gained: The One Who Breaks First][Skill Gained: Smash Lv.1 | Improvised Combat Lv.1]
Kaito whistled.
"Well, well. Not bad at all. That thing's seen blood. But you've got the kind of heart that understands tools made to destroy."
I gripped the crowbar.
It was heavy. But it felt right.
"…What now?" I asked.
Kaito smiled.
"Now, you prove you deserve it."
He snapped his fingers.
And the scrap around us moved.
From behind the crates, three figures emerged. Humanoid, but… wrong.
Rust-covered skin. Hollow eyes. Metal rods embedded into their bodies.
"Old system echoes," Kaito said casually. "Failed hosts turned feral. Don't worry. They won't kill you."
"Wait, what—?"
[New Quest: Survive the Test]Objective: Defeat 3 Rustbound Echoes]**Reward: +3 Strength | +1 Weapon Mastery | Unlock New System Path]
They rushed me.
No hesitation. No sound.
Just movement.
I ducked the first swing by instinct alone. My body screamed from three days of overtraining. But I pushed through.
Smash Lv. 1 – Activate!
I swung.
The crowbar connected with a sickening clang, sending one Echo staggering back. Another came from my right—I turned just in time, catching its punch on my forearm. Pain exploded through my bones, but I didn't fall.
I screamed and brought the crowbar down on its shoulder.
Crack.
One dropped.
[Enemy Defeated: Rustbound Echo][+15 EXP]
The last two circled.
I grit my teeth. I wasn't a fighter. I wasn't trained. But I had something I never had before.
A reason to win.
And that made all the difference.
Ten minutes later, I stood over three broken bodies.
Breathing hard. Bleeding from my lip. Arms numb.
But I was alive.
[Quest Complete: Survive the Test][Level Up: 1 → 2][Stat Points Gained: +5][Skill Rank Up: Smash Lv. 2][Title Gained: Scrap Warrior]
Kaito clapped slowly. "You'll do fine, kid. Just remember—this world? It doesn't get easier. But with the System?"
He tapped my chest.
"You stop losing."
That night, I slept in the junkyard.
The crowbar beside me.
The stars above me.
My old life behind me.
And my new one, waiting to begin.
End of Chapter 3