Back in the quiet of his room at the inn, Ryder took out the Envelope Hessa had given him.
He needed to be sure.
"Betsy," he murmured, his voice low, "You are pretty magical right? Could you prehaps help me with what's inside of this envelope? Captain Hessa seems trustworthy. But sometimes, a soldier's loyalty could still get in the way of things."
"You got it, hotshot. Projecting it for you now with the System Interface. And here I thought you were the trusting type,"
As Betsy's voice echoed in his mind, a faint, shimmering projection of the letter's text appeared in the air before him.
He scanned the neatly scripted words.
It detailed the attack on Crowpoint. Then, it mentioned him: 'Ryder Vance, a resident of Crowpoint, who, in the crucible of the assault, made a bond with a natural Anchor – a sword and shield of notable resilience.'
Ryder's eyebrows rose slightly. He was relieved. Hessa hadn't mentioned a sentient truck at all, just the manifested weapons. That was good; it would certainly avoid immediate flags and difficult questions.
It continued, 'Ryder Vance, with the valiant support of the Crowpoint Guard, engage and neutralize the invading Class 6 Primordial, thereby saving the township from utter annihilation.'
"Class 6 huhh... Betsy, I remembered that when i first got here, the system said Goremaw was a Class 3. Right? How does this Class system work? Is a Class 6 tougher than a Class 3?"
"Alright, here's the rundown on Classes."Betsy's voice replied. "According to my database, the lower the Class number, the meaner the beast.
So a Class 1 is top-tier trouble, something you really don't want to meet.
Class 6 is the lowest rank of primordial, but it's still considered a significant threat. Think of a double sized Bear that's a bit berserked, with some tenticles and extra eyes. Usually unless you are a extremely high ranked Hunter, any primordial, including rank 6 would require a team to deal with."
Ryder processed this. "So, Goremaw being a Class 3 was pretty serious. That Shepherd... given how tough it was, it must have been an even lower Class number, maybe a Class 2, or even pushing Class 1."
He paused, his mind working.
"Hessa had been very careful with the letter.
If even a Class 6 usually takes a squad of trained Hunters, as she implied, then a newcomer like me taking down one with the help of the Guards... that's heroic, but believable.
If she'd reported what we actually faced with 2 primordial that's atleast class 3, and that I essentially took them down solo... that wouldn't just be heroic, it'd be almost impossible for someone new.
It would draw a lot of unwanted attention and suspicion."
A slow breath escaped his lips. "She's a very smart soldier, and also a very flexible one."
Ryder nodded, a silent thanks to Hessa forming in his mind, appreciating the strategic omission.
She'd given him a plausible story, a manageable legend. It was a good start.
"Alright," Ryder said, tucking away the sealed letter.
"Now for the other thing you mentioned, Betsy. The System upgrade. What new goodies did we unlock after that… dust-up in the tunnels?"
"Oh, you're gonna like this! The system upgrade is finished and there are tons of functions unlocked."
A familiar, translucent interface shimmered into existence before Ryder's eyes, larger and more detailed than he remembered.
[SYSTEM ONLINE - INTERFACE V1.1]
[CONSUMABLES SHOP UNLOCKED]
[ARMORY UNLOCKED]
[VEHICLE FEATURE SHOP UNLOCKED]
[SYSTEM FEATURE SHOP UNLOCKED]
Ryder leaned forward, intrigued.
"Consumables Shop?"
"Yep! Technically you had this since the beginning. But unlike before, you can now buy from it whenever you need instead of waiting for a notification."
The interface shifted, showing a list:
[Healing Kit - Basic - 50 Points]
[Stamina Booster - Basic - 150 Points]
[One Use Barrier - Small - 300 Points]
huh, Useful.
"Okay, what about the Armory?"
The display changed again, this time showing holographic representations of gears.
"Alright, so you already got a taste of this with the Blade and Shield it popped out for you in the tunnels. This Armory is where you can get more permanent, upgradeable versions of my… uh… components as personal gear, or even some new toys. Still scaled down, mostly. Don't want you throwin' your back out tryin' to swing my whole engine block."
A few options appeared. He recognized the crude License Plate Blade and Door Shield he'd received in the tunnels, now listed more formally. With potential upgrades.
There are also 2 new Module that he could unlock.
["Trailblazer" Headlight Torch]: Emits a blinding beam capable of illuminating vast distances. (Cost: 1000 Points)
["Big Block" Engine Hammer]: Delivers earth-shattering concussive blows, fueled by raw, torque-boosted momentum. (Cost: 2000 Points)
["Drive Shaft" Spear]: A sturdy, armor-piercing spear assembled from reinforced drive shaft segments and a sharpened differential. (Cost: 1500 Points)
Ryder whistled softly. The new options were expensive, but potentially game-changing.
Right now the only way for him to deal blunt damage to enemy is bashing them with the door shield, and a hammer would making things a lot easier.
The spear is also pretty appealing to him, after all, having a longer ranged weapon often means more space to work with.
Though unfortunately there doesn't seems to be a real ranged option like a fire arm right now, so he can't use his past experience with guns here.
"What about the Vehicle Upgrades?" This was the one he was most curious about. Betsy in her full form is his biggest asset.
"Yeehaw! This is where the real fun begins, suger! We can upgrade my core systems.
Enhance my barriers, boost engine output. But it ain't all about the rough and tumble."
The interface expanded, showing a branching tree of potential upgrades. Some were likely to be more truck-oriented:
[Engine Enhancement - Increase Max Speed - 3000 Point]
[Barrier Enhancement Mk.1 - Increased Shielding Capacity - 2500 Point]
[Kinetic Dampeners - Reduced Impact Shock - 2800 Point]
There are also ones that's focused on the Interior, the type of things that you'd expect from an Recreational Vehicle.
[Interior: Subspace Size Upgrade - 5000 Point]
[Interior: Basic Sleeping Quarters - 2500 Point]
[Interior: Kitchen - 2500 Point]
Ryder stared. "Subspace… living quarters? You're telling me we can have an actual bunk inside you?"
His mind grappled with the impossibility, then filed it under 'useful anomaly.'
"Dimensional magic, hotshot! Or somethin' real close to it. I'm not completely sure how it works either.
Either way, this means we can travel in style and stay operational longer, even if it looks like just a regular ol' semi on the outside. Well, a spectacular semi."
And lastly, there were only 2 things available in the System Shop at the moment:
[System Feature: Mini-Map - 750 Point]
[System Feature: Dimensional Storage (Small) - 1000 Point]
He had a substantial 10520 Points from killing that tree like monster down in the tunnal.
Decisions, decisions. The upgrades were costly.
The journey to Oakhaven would take could days. While it's not an issue to just sleep in the Cab, he would prefer to have a bit more comfort.
A tired soldier is a compromised soldier.
"Alright, Betsy," he said, a plan forming. His tone was decisive.
"Let's prioritize. We need a place to sleep that isn't the driver's seat. And a way to cook.
That mini-map also sounds damn useful for navigation, standard procedure for reconnaissance."
"Good choices, Ryder!"
He navigated the interface, selecting the upgrades. The point totals made him wince internally, but they were necessary investments.
[UPGRADE SELECTED: Interior: Basic Sleeping Quarters - 2500 Point]
[UPGRADE SELECTED: Interior: Kitchen - 2500 Point]
[UPGRADE SELECTED: System Feature: Dimensional Storage (Small) - 1000 Point]
[UPGRADE SELECTED: System Feature: Mini-Map - 750 Point]
The 6750 points deducted from his total, leaving him with 3,770 Point.
He would probably unlock the gears when situations arose, or when he had much more overflowing points. But for now, it's better to just keep the points to have some wiggle rooms.
"Upgrades Complete! Hope you like the bed! And try not to burn the toast."
Ryder allowed himself a small, dry smile. "We will see about that, Betsy. And I can handle a field stove."
Now that everything is set, there is only one thing left to do today.
He needed supplies for the journey.
He had a small pouch of local currency Hessa had gave him. The content looks like it's made out of gold, so unless gold works completely differently in this world, it's probably a pretty hefty amount.
His first stop was a makeshift market stall where a merchant was selling dried meats, grains, and preserved fruits.
As Ryder approached, the merchant, a wiry man with a soot-stained face, looked up.
His eyes widened in recognition.
"The Savior!" he exclaimed, his voice carrying.
Several nearby townsfolk turned, their expressions a mixture of awe and gratitude.
Ryder felt a familiar flush of discomfort. He's not used to receiving this kind of gratitute.
"Just Ryder, please."
"Nonsense!" the merchant declared. "You saved us all! What do you need, sir? Anything! It's on the house!"
"I appreciate that, really," Ryder said, his voice firm but polite, "but I can pay."
"Pay? After what you did?" The merchant scoffed. "Wouldn't hear of it! Take what you need. It's the least we can do."
He began piling goods onto the counter – more than Ryder could possibly carry by himself.
It was the same at every stall. The baker insisted he take loaves of fresh, if slightly misshapen, bread.
A woman pressed a waterskin of what smelled like potent local ale into his hands.
Another offered him a warm, knitted cloak, "for the cold nights on the road."
Ryder tried to refuse, to offer payment, but their insistence was overwhelming.
Their eyes, filled with genuine gratitude, made it impossible to say no without causing offense or a scene.
"Looks like you're a local celebrity now, hotshot," Betsy's voice was laced with amusement in his mind. "Might as well lean into it. Free stuff is free stuff! And you did save their bacon, after all."
He ended up with an armload of supplies, far more than he'd intended. It felt strange, being appreciated by so many people.
After thanking the locals, Ryder made his way to a quieter edge of the square.
"Alright, girl," he muttered, "Let's try this. Subspace storage, right?"
He focused his mind on the system, and a faint shimmer appeared in the air before him.
The System interface popped up, showing [ACCESSING SUBSPACE STORAGE].
Then with a thought, the supplies vanished without a sound.
The Subspace Storage. Very useful upgrade, indeed.
Ryder took one last look at the struggling, rebuilding town. Than turned and walked back towards the inn.
One more night. Tomorrow, the road to Oakhaven. And whatever came next.