Houses lined both sides of the road, structures that seemed so strange to Tatehan's eyes. But that wasn't stopping the excitement building inside of him.

He was finally at civilization.

He wondered why he was seeing a city, though. The Spaceship's AI, through the map, hadn't indicated they'd encounter anything like this.

The road was paved, just like on Earth, but with a more sophisticated material, some kind of processed Martian stone mixed with a polymer that gleamed faintly under the streetlights. Tatehan stared at the ground, then looked upward.

The buildings around him glowed with light, dressing the city in a cascade of colors that dazzled. Neon signs advertised shops and services in languages both familiar and alien. Holographic displays flickered above doorways, showing goods for sale or news feeds scrolling past. Windows were illuminated from within, revealing silhouettes of people moving about their lives.

He was surprised to be seeing a place as futuristic as this. The wastelands had left him with a terrible impression of Mars, he'd thought it would be nothing but barren emptiness filled with monsters. He'd never expected somewhere as stunning as this, so visually captivating it almost hurt to look at.

Riven smiled beside him. She'd let go of his waist long ago, as soon as they'd seen the sign indicating they'd reached Waython Hollow. The journey here had been shorter than he'd expected. While he'd anticipated spending more than ten hours on the road, they'd made it in less than six.

Tatehan summoned the map partially across his vision. They were almost at their destination, the marker glowing gently just ahead.

He turned left onto another road, the continuation of the main thoroughfare, filled with vehicles of different sorts moving in organized lanes.

Among the most fascinating ones he saw was a three-wheeled vehicle with two large tires in front and a smaller one at the back. That one seemed to glide across the surface rather than roll. Then he saw one with tires positioned vertically instead of their normal horizontal orientation.

That vehicle wasn't even touching the ground—it hovered slightly above the pavement, and Tatehan wondered what type of energy powered it. Magnetic repulsion? Anti-gravity tech?

He wondered why Waython Hollow got to be in a city at all. Riven had made it sound like a small trading post.

The answer to his question came when a notification flashed across his retina:

[You have gained information]

[Knowledge +2]

He suddenly understood. Waython Hollow had initially been just a normal trading post where Martian humans gathered to exchange items and supplies.

It started small. But due to how active and prosperous it became, it slowly expanded. Humans began building permanent structures around the trading post. Roads were laid. Infrastructure developed. It grew into quite a large city, eventually connecting to other settlements across Mars through a network of paved highways.

It was now called Waython Hollow City.

Well, he hadn't seen that detail on the map. He realized now that the map overlay in the corner of his vision wasn't created by the Spaceship's AI, it was just a digital representation of the physical map Kael had handed him before he died. A map that was likely years out of date.

"How can Mars be this civilized when there are so many monsters roaming around?" Tatehan asked Riven, who was seated behind him, also looking around.

Though she wasn't as surprised as Tatehan— this was familiar territory to her— there was still a gleam of happiness in her eyes. She was back home, or at least close to it. Tatehan was certain this was where she'd grown up.

"The monsters enter the city occasionally," Riven said, her voice carrying easily over the hum of passing vehicles. "But the humans living here take care of them. It's normal now, though the frequency of monster incursions has dropped significantly in the past few months."

"Why?" Tatehan asked.

"They're dying of starvation," Riven replied matter-of-factly. "The deeper wastelands are emptying out. But fear is also a major factor, the buildings here are constructed with protective plating and energy barriers. Monsters can't just break through like they could with the old structures."

There was a pause, and then she added:

"You talk like you just arrived on Mars yesterday. Everyone here has grown accustomed to these living conditions. Monsters are a huge part of Mars. That's why the most common saying here is: 'The stronger the weapon you awaken, the greater your survival on Mars.' It's basically a fundamental law at this point."

'The stronger the weapon you awaken, the greater your survival on Mars.'

The more he heard this statement, these words, this mantra, the more he realized how accurate it was.

Mars was as harsh as he could ever imagine. A planet, though a large portion of it was now civilized, remained as deadly as it could be.

A normal human would never last on this planet in its current state. An enhanced human without an awakened weapon probably wouldn't either.

Weapons granted abilities, and without them, life was essentially a death sentence. Because even in a city as stunning and majestic as this, monsters still invaded periodically.

He wondered what humans did here to earn money. Did they get jobs? The thought of someone with an awakened weapon working a normal job was just... wild, in a way. Did a gravity manipulator work construction? Did someone with enhanced speed deliver packages?

Tatehan pondered this as he guided the Dust Rider through the traffic. Many people looked at them as they passed, and it wasn't exactly for their appearance, because Tatehan was dressed decently enough, as was Riven.

The reason for the stares was the vehicle they were driving.

Back in the wastelands, the Dust Rider had looked like one of the best vehicles Tatehan had ever seen. It had felt like riding a mythical creature,.a flying horse with wings that could breathe fire and water while soaring through space.

But here? Now? It was... underwhelming.

The vehicles that zoomed past them were sleek, modern and clearly well-maintained. Holographic displays on their dashboards, smooth magnetic engines, aerodynamic designs that looked like they belonged in a sci-fi movie. And in the sky above, he could count at least five flying vehicles moving between the taller buildings.

In comparison, the Dust Rider looked like exactly what it was: a salvaged military bike, covered in wasteland dust, held together with scavenged parts and powered by a monster's core.

That didn't make it any less functional, but it certainly made them stand out, and not in a good way.

They continued riding. It was a short journey through the city streets, made even shorter by the way Tatehan's attention kept getting pulled to everything around him.

Storefronts with glowing signs. Street vendors selling food from carts that emitted enticing smells—actual cooked food, not dried meat or loaves of bread. Children playing in a small park sectioned off by energy barriers. A market square in the distance where dozens of people moved like a living organism, buying and selling and existing.

Life. Actual human life, continuing despite the monsters, despite the harsh planet, despite everything.

After some time navigating the streets, following the map's guidance, he saw the notification flash across his retina:

[Journey progress: 99.9%]

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