From the dark chaos, the boy Ren Xiaosu wiped the sweat off his forehead and then looked at the young boy, around thirteen or fourteen, standing by the door.

"Liuyuan, is there anything wrong?" Ren Xiaosu asked.

The boy, called Liuyuan, was actually named Yan Liuyuan in full.

Yan Liuyuan had an innocent face, looking like he wouldn’t harm a soul, but he stood guard at the door, gripping a bone knife. It was deep into the night, and he was clearly tired but hadn’t closed his eyes once—he was keeping watch.

Yan Liuyuan shook his head and said, "No. But what's going on with your head? Can’t the doctors in the town figure out what’s wrong with you?"

"You don’t need to worry about that. It’s not an illness," Ren Xiaosu responded decisively. "It’s almost dawn. I’m heading out to hunt. You get some rest and make sure to go to school on time."

"Oh," Yan Liuyuan replied quietly, nodding. "But what’s the point of studying in this wasteland…"

"I say it’s useful, so it is," Ren Xiaosu said in a tone that brooked no argument.

“I want to go hunting, too,” Yan Liuyuan pouted.

“If something happens to you, who will keep watch? The unconscious me?” Ren Xiaosu got up, preparing to fetch water from the town center. By dawn, it would be less dangerous.

Nights here were lawless.

…

The gloomy sky rolled with dark clouds. Finally, a drop of acid rain fell, buffeted by the wild winds before landing with a splat right in front of Ren Xiaosu.

Ren Xiaosu lay flat on the ground in the wilderness, frowning. He thought to himself that today wasn’t looking good. He hadn’t even spotted any prey yet, and now the acid rain had arrived.

Some said that you had to watch out for wild beasts when wandering the wasteland.

But Ren Xiaosu thought that wasn’t the full story. On this wasteland, there were many other things that could take your life, one of which was acid rain.

Still, Ren Xiaosu didn’t move. If he didn’t catch anything today, he and Yan Liuyuan might starve before the acid rain made them sick.

Suddenly, there was the sound of wings flapping. Ren Xiaosu’s eyes widened, but his breathing remained calm.

Not far in front of Ren Xiaosu was a blackened iron pot propped up by a branch, with some blackened crumbs scattered underneath.

A large bird landed cautiously next to the iron pot, its eyes sharp and vigilant. The bird was nearly as large as the pot itself.

It preened its feathers for a long time, and Ren Xiaosu waited patiently, unmoving.

At last, the bird seemed to lower its guard and slowly crept toward the pot, its steps light like a thief’s.

Just as the bird bent down to peck at the crumbs, Ren Xiaosu yanked the rope in his hand with all his strength. The boy leapt up like a wild mule breaking free, charging toward the pot. Before the bird could overturn the pot, Ren Xiaosu threw his entire body onto it, pinning it down firmly!

"Phew!" 

Ren Xiaosu exhaled deeply. He had waited all night for this sparrow, and today his efforts had paid off. This kind of opportunity wasn’t something that came every day.

From under the pot came the sounds of the sparrow struggling, its hard feathers scraping sharply against the metal. In the distance, the clock chimes of the refuge barrier rang out.

Ren Xiaosu looked back at the barrier. He wondered when he and Yan Liuyuan would finally be able to enter it.

To Ren Xiaosu, those inside the refuge barriers were the lucky ones. They didn’t have to face the dangers of the wasteland.

But, getting in wasn’t easy.

The commotion under the pot finally subsided. Ren Xiaosu sighed and double-checked the rag wrapped around his hand, then slowly lifted the pot just a crack. He slipped his hand inside, trying to grab the sparrow’s leg!

But life was never that simple. As soon as his hand went in, he let out a yelp.

Ren Xiaosu withdrew his hand and saw blood oozing from his palm—the rag hadn’t protected him from the sparrow’s sharp beak.

Frustrated, Ren Xiaosu wrapped his worn-out jacket around his hand and thrust it into the pot again. This time, he grabbed the sparrow by the neck in one swift motion.

Quickly, he pulled the bird out and snapped its neck with a practiced twist.

As he held the limp bird, Ren Xiaosu glanced at his jacket—now full of holes from the sparrow’s claws.

Suddenly, a loud *gong* sounded in his mind. Ren Xiaosu collapsed to his knees, his head ringing as though a giant bronze bell had struck.

Not good. Usually, these episodes only came at midnight, but this one had arrived early.

This wasn’t the first time he’d had an “episode.” Almost everyone in the town knew he had some kind of brain problem that flared up periodically.

But Ren Xiaosu knew better. It wasn’t pain. It was pure chaos.

Wait… This time, something was different. The black fog in his mind cleared, revealing a palace!

Ren Xiaosu opened his eyes abruptly and looked at himself in disbelief. “I woke up this quickly?”

He would have liked to examine that palace more closely, but he knew better. Passing out in the wilderness was as good as asking to die. He needed to get back to the town outside Barrier 113 before the acid rain arrived!

Ren Xiaosu tied the sparrow’s legs together and slung it over his shoulder, then hoisted the pot over his head and started running. Raindrops tapped against the iron pot with a soft *thud-thud-thud*.

For now, the pot was his umbrella.

But he hadn’t gone far before a shadow blocked his path. A man stood in front of him, brandishing a bone knife. “Give me your catch…”

Before the man could finish, he saw an enormous iron pot flying toward his face!

“Shit!” The would-be robber flipped backward, stunned by Ren Xiaosu’s strength and speed!

Without missing a beat, Ren Xiaosu lifted the pot, slung it back over his head, and ran off. By the time the robber hit the ground, Ren Xiaosu was already far ahead!

The robber lay there, the acid rain stinging his face. He couldn’t make sense of what had just happened.

Normally, people exchanged a few words before fighting, right? How many times had this kid dealt with robbers to react so instinctively?!

Wait… the boy was coming back!

The robber scrambled up and saw Ren Xiaosu approaching again!

Ren Xiaosu hadn’t planned to return, but a voice echoed in his mind from the palace: “Quest: Give your catch to another.”

Who was speaking? Doubtful, Ren Xiaosu turned back toward the robber.

The robber panicked. “We can talk this out… wait, I’m the victim here…”

Ren Xiaosu scanned the area. No one else seemed to be around.

“Do you want this sparrow?” Ren Xiaosu asked.

The robber’s eyes lit up. “Yes!”

“Here you go,” Ren Xiaosu said, shoving the sparrow into the robber’s arms.

That strange, neutral voice echoed in his mind again: “Quest complete. Reward: Basic skill learning chart. Able to learn others’ abilities.”

Ren Xiaosu froze. He could feel a piece of parchment had appeared in his mind!

A skill learning chart… Could this mean he could copy others’ abilities? Hunting? Survival? Or something else?

The robber hugged the sparrow tightly, ready to thank Ren Xiaosu. “You’re a good pers—”

Before he could finish, Ren Xiaosu snatched the sparrow back and ran off into the distance.

The robber: “???”

He watched Ren Xiaosu’s disappearing figure. What the hell… what was the point of that?!