SSS-Tier Extraction: From Outcast to Overgod!
Chapter 43: Cache and Cores

Chapter 43: Cache and Cores

Ryan took a moment to catch his breath, the thrill of victory and his new Level 7 power humming through him. He had spent maybe ten minutes, tops, inside the Time-Locked Vault, and it had been the most intense ten minutes of his new life.

But now, the scary part was over. The Legendary Guardian was a pile of scrap, and the rest of the Vault was his to explore.

He walked toward the sealed Precursor armory that his Neural Map had pointed out. The door was massive, made of the same dark, seamless metal as everything else in the Vault.

It looked like it could withstand a bomb. A complex, glowing panel next to the door was likely the lock. In the past, he would have been stumped. But now, he had a new trick up his sleeve.

He focused on his new B-Tier talent, "Chrono-Manipulation." He reached out with his mind and gently targeted the ancient locking mechanism. He didn’t try to force it or hack it. Instead, he used his ability to subtly "slow" the flow of time around the lock’s internal security chronometers.

To the lock’s ancient computer brain, it seemed as if no time had passed at all, so its age-locked security protocols, which were designed to keep it sealed for millennia, were tricked into thinking everything was fine.

He then applied a gentle touch of "Haste" to the door’s opening mechanism.

With a soft, satisfying hiss, the age-old seals disengaged. The massive door slid open silently, revealing the treasures within.

Ryan’s jaw dropped slightly. The armory was huge, and it was immaculately organized. Racks upon racks stretched into the darkness, and on every single shelf sat rows of "Precursor Power Cores."

They were small, cylindrical objects that glowed with a soft, steady blue light. There were hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe. They were all fully charged, perfectly preserved, just waiting for someone to come and collect them.

"It’s... it’s beautiful," Ryan whispered. It was a scavenger’s dream come true.

He didn’t waste any time. He started grabbing the Power Cores, stuffing them into his inventory space. His system dinged with each one he collected.

After a few minutes of frantic gathering, a loud announcement from the god Warden echoed in the minds of everyone participating in the Scramble.

"Ryan Stone of Genesis Outpost #7 has collected 100 Power Cores!"

A scoreboard appeared in the corner of Ryan’s vision, and presumably, in everyone else’s too.

[Power Core Scramble]

Outpost #7 (Blue Falcons): 100

Outpost #3 (Circuit Breakers): 15

Ryan smirked. While the tech-savvy Circuit Breakers were out in the Labyrinth, fighting rusty robots for one or two cores at a time, he had just strolled into the main bank vault and emptied a whole shelf.

Their score of 15 was probably the result of their entire faction working hard for the last ten minutes. His score of 100 was just him, grabbing stuff off a shelf.

He felt a little bad for them. Just a little.

He continued exploring the armory. It wasn’t just Power Cores. On a special pedestal in the center of the room sat a single, unique item. It was a small, metallic projector, about the size of his fist. The system identified it for him.

[Kinetic Field Projector (Tier 4)]

Description: A defensive Precursor artifact. When activated, it generates a personal force field capable of absorbing a significant amount of physical or energy-based impact.

"Oh, I am definitely taking you," Ryan said, snatching it up.

A personal force field? Yes, please. After his run-in with the Guardian Prime, he was all for having more things to hide behind when giant robots tried to smash him.

He spent the next two hours in a state of pure, blissful scavenging. He continued to clear out the armory, shelf by shelf. His Power Core count climbed steadily. 150. 200. 250.

With each new milestone, the god Warden would make another announcement, and Ryan could almost feel the collective groan of despair from the Circuit Breakers.

The Vault was more than just the armory, though. It had other rooms, other corridors. As he explored, he found they weren’t all empty. It seemed the Vault Guardian Prime wasn’t the only security measure.

He ran into three more Labyrinth Guardians. These were not as terrifying as the "Prime" model, but they were still tough Level 6 and 7 constructs.

The fights were challenging, but now they were manageable. He was Level 7, armed with new gear and the powerful Chrono-Manipulation talent.

He could use "Slow" to make the Guardians’ attacks easier to dodge, and "Haste" to make his own strikes faster. He defeated all three of them, gaining a significant amount of god Points.

From their wreckage, he used his system to extract valuable materials like "Hardened Alloy Plates" and a perfect "Energy Focusing Lens." These would be fantastic for crafting or upgrading his gear later.

By the time he was done, he had secured a staggering 350 Power Cores from the Vault all by himself. He was more than halfway to the goal, and the other team was likely still struggling to break 50.

Just as he was admiring his huge pile of virtual loot, a trade notification pinged on his interface. It was from Emma "Sage" Thorne.

[Emma "Sage" Thorne | Outpost #7 | Blue Falcons]: "Ryan, it’s Emma. My team has been scouting the outer Labyrinth while collecting cores.

We found a secure route through Sector Beta, which seems to have a lot of low-level automata. It’s not much, but I’ve compiled the navigation data. Would you be willing to trade it for one of your ’Concentrated Intellect Essences’? My Tactical Insight skill is more effective with a higher Intellect stat."

Ryan smiled. Emma was always thinking, always trying to be more efficient. He happily accepted the trade. The navigation data was useful, as it helped fill in some gaps on his own map, but the essence was more valuable to her.

It was a good trade for both of them. He processed it, sending the vial of glowing essence to her inventory.

He checked his own status. His god Point bar was looking healthy. He was now Level 7, with 1550 out of 3000 points needed for Level 8. He was making steady progress.

He wondered how Zara Khan, the confident leader of the Circuit Breakers, was feeling right now. Her grand, organized plan was being completely dismantled by a single person who had found a back door to the candy store.

He decided to check the Sector CommNet to see the fallout. The drama, he suspected, was probably just as entertaining as the scavenging.