After killing a creature, Tatehan had developed a habit—walk over and check it for cores. Almost every creature on this godforsaken planet had them, and he'd be damned if he'd waste resources just lying around.

It was crazy how literally almost all of the creatures he had fought had cores on them except from the common brutenecks.

It seemed to be some weird fantastic stuff on this planet. Hellish nightmarish creatures coming with valuable cores.

So he walked over to the dead slime-monkey, stepping carefully around the pools of oozing liquid spreading across the ground. The stench hit him even through his helmet's filters, rotten and acidic. He crouched beside the corpse, near where his second shot had blown open its chest.

There, embedded in the ruined flesh and shattered ribs, was a core.

Inasmuch as he a bit skeptical that he would find any core, seeing one right now made him realize he was actually confident he would.

Back when he was still a newbie with how things worked on this planet, after killing a monster, he wasn't so certain he would find a core in them.

It was like 'Lemme try and see'. But of recent, he was more certain he would.

Now this core was different from the previous cores he'd been collecting. It was slimy, coated in the same viscous substance that had covered the creature's body, and it glowed with a sickly green light.

Tatehan reached in and pulled it free, the slime coating his armored gauntlets. He held it up to examine it more closely.

The moment his fingers closed around it, a system notification appeared in his vision:

[Upgrade Core Acquired]

He blinked. Upgrade core?

He wondered if it was for upgrading abilities—like the ones he'd gotten from killing those lunatic Brutenecks. If it was the cores that leveled up his abilities. If that was the case, although he would be glad as anything was progress, one core was way too small to be so an upgrade to his abilities.

A core likely upgraded one ability and this might just increase the level of one of his.

He focused on the core, willing the system to give him more information.

A description appeared:

[Upgrade Core (Vehicle Class)]

[Function: Enhances any vehicle of your choice, improving efficiency, durability, and performance]

"Vehicle class, well…, that's surprising," Tatehan muttered.

T

His head snapped toward the Dust Rider.

A smile slowly formed on his lips.

He could upgrade the vehicle.

The Dust Rider was already useful, but it was old and worn. The kind of machine that had seen better days decades ago. If this core could actually improve it...

Tatehan didn't waste time. He strode over to the bike and crouched beside it, opening the compartment where he usually inserted the shadow cores. He pulled out the current core, still glowing faintly with about twenty minutes of charge left, and set it aside.

Then he placed the green upgrade core into the slot.

The reaction was immediate.

The Dust Rider began to hum, not the usual steady vibration, but something deeper and resonant. The sound grew louder, thrumming through the air, and suddenly the entire bike was engulfed in a cloud of shimmering, dusty smoke. It sparkled with flecks of green and silver light, swirling around the vehicle like a miniature storm.

Tatehan stepped back, watching as the magic, or whatever the hell this was, happened.

The smoke swirled faster, brighter, and then with a sudden whoosh, it dispersed all at once.

The Dust Rider stood before him, completely transformed.

It was no longer the dusty, beaten-up relic he'd been riding. The frame looked brand new, sleek and polished, the metal gleaming in the sunlight. The worn seat had been replaced with something that actually looked comfortable, and the handlebars were fitted with what appeared to be upgraded controls. Even the tires looked different—thicker, more durable, with treads designed for serious speed.

"Damn," Tatehan muttered.

He moved closer, running his hand along the frame. It was smooth and flawless. He opened the compartment where he'd inserted the upgrade core, half-expecting to find it still there.

Nothing.

The core was gone, completely consumed in the upgrade process.

Tatehan grabbed one of his shadow goblin cores from his inventory and inserted it into the slot. The compartment closed, and the familiar glow began to intensify through the bike's systems.

Then a system notification flashed across his vision:

[Dust Rider - Upgraded]

[Core Duration: 3 hours per core (previously 1 hour)]

[Top Speed: Increased by 10%]

[Handling: Improved]

[Durability: Enhanced]

Tatehan read through the notification twice, letting it sink in.

Three hours per core instead of one. That meant fewer stops, less hassle, and a hell of a lot more ground covered. And the speed increase? That was just crazy!

The vehicle already ran at insane speed prior to the upgrade. When riding through the wastelands at the then highest speed, the vehicle appeared to be a streak do lightning. Zooming through place, going at a speed that even stumbling on a pebble was a great risk as that would greatly jolt him out of his seat.

And now it was upgraded by ten percent? That was Insane!

He thought about the benefits, running through the math in his head. With the cores he had in his inventory, he could now travel significantly farther without needing to stop and swap them out every hour. The improved durability meant the bike could take more punishment, useful if he ran into more creatures like that slime-monkey. And the handling improvements would make navigating rough terrain easier.

All from one core.

He wondered how many more of these upgrade cores were out there. If every creature dropped something different—shadow cores, upgrade cores, who knew what else, then hunting them down might actually be worth the effort.

Tatehan glanced back at the dead monster, then at the wasteland stretching ahead of him.

"Yeah," he muttered, swinging his leg over the newly upgraded Dust Rider. "Definitely not a boring ride now."

He twisted the throttle, and the bike shot forward with a burst of speed that actually surprised him. The acceleration was smooth, powerful, and the engine's hum had a cleaner, more refined sound to it.

He grinned inside his helmet and rode off, leaving the dead creature behind in the dust.

————

Five hours later, Tatehan arrived at Waython Hollow.

The city rose up from the wasteland like something out of a dream, or a science fiction novel. Tall, sleek buildings stretched toward the sky, their surfaces gleaming with reflective panels and integrated lights. It was much more greater upgrade than wastelands. Without the luxury and the advance futuristic features of the spaceship, it might have seemed that he was living in the primitive age rather than a century into the future from his already advancing time.

Holographic advertisements flickered on building facades, promoting everything from food to weapons to entertainment.

It was cool. Futuristic. And honestly, a hell of a lot more advanced than when he was here before. Or maybe that was because of it had been quite long since he was here? About more than a week ago.

He slowed the Dust Rider as he entered the city proper, going through the streets. Pedestrians moved along wide sidewalks, some in regular clothing, others in light armor similar to his own. Vehicles hummed past, some wheeled, others hovering a few feet off the ground.

Tatehan followed the route he remembered from his previous visit, navigating through the mid-levels until he reached the building where Riven lived.

It was a tall residential tower, sleek and modern, with dozens of living units stacked vertically. Riven's place was near the top, one of the upper floors with a view of the city.

He pulled the Dust Rider into a parking area near the building's entrance and dismounted. The bike powered down with a soft hum, and he took a moment to look up at the tower of a building.

He could head straight to the Red Crest Clan building, meet with the commander and figure out what she needed from him. But he wanted to check in with Riven first. She'd helped him before, and besides...

Tatehan walked into the building, passing through the main lobby. A few people glanced at him, his armor always drew attention, but no one stopped him. He immediately summoned his armor after passing them.

Sure they were people with armors here, but his seemed more mediaval than sleek and modern.

He made his way to the elevator bank and stepped inside.

The interior was clean, minimalist, with a touchscreen panel on the wall listing all the floors. Tatehan selected Riven's floor, near the top, and the doors slid shut.

The elevator began to rise, smooth and silent.

His reflection stared back at him from the polished elevator walls—tired eyes, a few days' worth of stubble, the look of someone who'd spent too long in the wastelands.

The elevator climbed higher, the floor numbers ticking upward on the display.

Finally, it came to a stop, and the doors opened with a soft chime.

Tatehan stepped out into a hallway lined with doors, each one leading to a different residential unit. He walked down the corridor until he reached Riven's door.

He paused for a moment, then knocked twice.

"Yes?" Riven's voice came from inside, muffled but clear. He heard footsteps approaching quickly, and then the sound of the lock disengaging.

The door slid open.

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