I walked out to the garden just as the sun was cresting the bamboo wall. The air was crisp, filled with the scent of damp earth and Qi.

  My Qi reserves had regenerated to 30 overnight. Not full, but enough.

  I knelt by the Heavenly Gourd of Holding. It had matured into about the size of a watermelon. I plucked it from the vine. It felt surprisingly light.

  I popped the cork. Inside, I could sense a space—a pocket dimension roughly the size of a shipping container.

  I grabbed a trowel and shoveled in a few cubic feet of Spirit Soil. I tossed in packets of seeds, a few bottles of Heavenly Healing Paste, and a jar of Sustenance Pills.

  "Mobile base secured," I whispered, strapping the gourd to my belt.

  Next, gear.

  I looked at my Spirit Bamboo Armor and Spirit Bamboo Sword. To upgrade either to Grade 2 would cost 25 Qi. I could only afford one.

  "The best defense is a monster lying dead on the ground," I decided.

  I gripped the sword. I poured 25 Qi into the bamboo blade.

  The wood darkened, turning polished. The grain tightened.

  [Spirit Bamboo Sword (Grade 2)]

  I grabbed the Spirit Bamboo Shield and Spear and headed out front.

  Aiya was waiting by the car, looking nervous.

  "Here," I said, shoving the shield and spear into her arms. "These are yours now."

  She nearly dropped them. "Thanks? But... Kaz, it's wood. Can bamboo really kill monsters?"

  "Trust me," I said, patting the Grade 2 sword at my hip. "It can."

  I reached for my phone. "Oh, right. Your cut."

  I tapped the banking app. Transfer.

  A moment later, Aiya’s phone dinged. She checked it.

  Her eyes bulged. She started making a sound like a deflating balloon.

  [Transfer Received: 370,500 Spirit Stones]

  "Kaz..." she wheezed. "Is this... is this a typo?"

  "Get used to it," I said. "We're a team now."

  She looked like she might faint, clutching the bamboo spear for support.

  "Listen," I said, my tone serious. "This is the first and last time we hunt together. We're the only two members of Eden. We can't waste time on road trips. In the future, I hunt alone, you cook. Efficiency is everything."

  She nodded dumbly, still staring at her phone.

  "Let's go," I said.

  We drove to the Big Rig Dealership down the road.

  "Why aren't we leaving the zone?" Aiya asked, finally recovering from her financial shock. "Got cold feet?"

  "This car is a liability," I said, patting the dashboard. "I have the money to buy something that won't crumple if a monster looks at it funny."

  We rolled into the lot. A salesman in a polo shirt jogged over. His nametag read Antonio.

  "Welcome to Big Rig!" Antonio chirped. He was chipper. Too chipper. "How can I get you folks mobile today?"

  I noticed a small pin on his collar.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Seaside Affiliated.

  "You work for Seaside?" I asked as we walked toward the trucks.

  "No sir!" Antonio replied, like a cadet. "Seaside owns a majority stake and exercises limited oversight! But I assure you, we are completely independent!"

  "Doesn't sound like it," Aiya muttered, crossing her arms.

  "Ownership of stock does not invalidate operational independence, Ma'am!" Antonio said.

  "Okay, enough," I said. "I need a truck. What’s the best thing you have?"

  Antonio led us to a beast of a vehicle. Matte black, lifted, armored.

  " The Terramotta," he said, slapping the hood. "Electric. 450-mile range. Zero-to-sixty in under four seconds. Towing capacity over 11,000 pounds. Digital mirrors, door-mounted toolbox, integrated solar charging."

  "Price?"

  "65,000 Stones."

  "Sold," I said.

  I traded in the sedan for a pitiful 3,000 stones and transferred the difference. Ten minutes later, we rolled out of the lot in the Terramotta. It felt like driving a tank.

  We headed for the border checkpoint.

  "Mister O is dangerous," Aiya said, watching the safe zone pass by on the 17-inch dashboard screen. "If he owns car dealerships, he owns logistics. We're behind."

  "We'll catch up," I said. "Once Eden opens, we join the game."

  We hit the checkpoint. The guards checked our IDs and waved us through with a grim warning.

  "Government jurisdiction ends at the line. You're on your own out there."

  We crossed over.

  The difference was instant.

  Inside the zone, lawns were mowed. Outside? It was a wasteland.

  Houses were ripped open like dollhouses. Cars were abandoned in the middle of the road. We saw looters picking through a smashed storefront, looking over their shoulders. We saw a dog—no, a Monster Rat the size of a dog—scurry into a storm drain.

  "Complete shithole," Aiya whispered.

  "Yep," I said. "This is where civilization went to die. Where the unlucky majority live."

  We pulled up to an abandoned convenience store called 7 Lights. The green neon sign was still functioning.

  "Movement inside," I said.

  We got out. I had my sword ready. Aiya held the spear with shaking hands.

  Something stepped out of the shattered glass doors.

  It was a deer. But it was ten feet tall at the shoulder. Its skin was black, stretched tight over muscle. Its eyes were white. Its antlers were knives.

  Aiya gasped. The spear clattered to the pavement.

  The deer’s head twitched toward the sound. It let out a sound and charged.

  Aiya screamed, scrambling back against the truck.

  I didn't panic. This wasn't my first rodeo.

  I stepped forward.

  The deer lowered its head to gore me.

  I pivoted. My body moved faster than I thought. The Seed Stage upgrade had rewritten my physiology. I saw the deer in slow motion.

  I swung the Grade 2 Sword.

  There was no resistance. The blade sheared through the antlers, through the neck, and out the other side.

  The massive body crashed to the ground, sliding to a halt at my feet.

  I stood there, breathing evenly.

  The Monster Roach had nearly killed me. This deer was ten times stronger, and I had swatted it like a fly.

  "Kaz..." Aiya whispered.

  I sheathed the sword. "Open the Gourd."

  I shoved the massive carcass into the small bottle at my hip.

  I went over to Aiya and pulled her into a hug. She was shaking.

  "It's okay," I said. "It's over."

  We were driving back toward the border when three figures standing on the side of the road started waving red flares.

  I slowed the Terramotta.

  "Kaz, don't stop," Aiya said. "It's a trap."

  I stopped anyway. I rolled down the window.

  A woman ran up. She looked like she hadn't eaten in a week. Her clothes were torn, her face smeared with dirt. Behind her, two younger girls huddled together.

  "Please," the woman begged, grabbing the door handle. "Please, take us. Take us to the Safe Zone."

  "I'm Mayah," she sobbed. "These are my sisters. We can't stay here. We'll die. Please."

  I looked at them. They were desperate. Broken.

  I started to roll the window up.

  "We'll do anything!" Mayah screamed, falling to her knees. "Anything! Please!"

  I stopped the window.

  "Anything?" I asked.

  "Yes! Anything!"

  I looked at Aiya. She was glaring at me.

  "What the hell are you doing?" she hissed. "They're strangers! Non-citizens! We don't know what they could be up to!"

  "Have some compassion, Aiya," I said. "After all, they said 'anything'."

  I laughed.

  Aiya looked at me like I had grown a second head. "What crazy plan do you have now?"

  "You'll see soon enough," I said.

  I looked back at Mayah.

  "Get in the back."

  We drove through the checkpoint as the sun went down, smuggling three desperate souls into the land of plenty.