Carin slipped out of the dormitory before dawn. She moved like a shadow, her breath shallow to keep her fractured ribs from grating. Stepping carefully over the snoring bodies of the other laborers until she reached the door. The air outside was cold and damp, the mist thick enough to hide her movements.

She reached under her thin sleeping mat and pulled out a small, hard piece of dried root she had saved from her meager rations the day before. It wasn't much, but it was all she had to trade. She tucked it into her pocket and headed for the market.

The market was already chaotic. The sounds of shouting vendors and roaring beasts filled the air. Stalls made of animal skins and rough wood lined the paths, displaying slabs of meat, bones, and strange trinkets. The ground was a mess of mud and offal.

She pulled her hood low, keeping her head down as she navigated through the crowd. She was careful to avoid the larger males, their massive frames taking up most of the path. As she carefully edged past a butcher's stall, the jostling of the crowd sending sharp stabs of pain through her side, she overheard two merchants arguing loudly. "You expect me to pay full price for this?" one yelled, slamming a slab of meat down. "The beast struggled too much before it died! Its core almost detonated. The meat is halfway carbonized, it tastes like ash!" The other merchant grumbled but lowered the price. She stopped at a stall selling strange, purple-red fruits.

She focused her mind, activating the system scan. The blue panel flickered in her vision.

Highly toxic. No economic value.

She moved on. She stopped at another stall, this one run by a Cetacean merchant. His skin had a faint blue tint, and he smelled of salt and fish. The stall was piled with dried seafood and strange, shells.

The merchant looked up as Carin approached. His nose wrinkled in disgust at the sight of her mud-caked clothes and hooded face. "Get lost, trash," he snapped, waving a hand at her. "You can't afford anything here."

Carin didn't argue. She turned to leave, but her eyes caught something in the corner of the stall. A torn, dirty burlap sack was wedged under a table. A few shriveled, yellow grains had spilled from a hole in the sack, scattered in the dirt.

Carin's heart skipped a beat. She activated the scan again, her eyes locked on the grains.

Earth equivalent species detected: Primitive gene sequence of [Corn]. Match rate: 98%.

She forced her face to remain blank, suppressing the surge of excitement that threatened to break through. She pointed a dirty finger at the sack, her voice a rough, disinterested croak.

"How much for that bag of moldy bird feed?"

The merchant laughed, a harsh, barking sound. "Bird feed? You mean those hard-shelled nuts from the far north? They're worthless. You can't even crack them open with a rock."

He looked at the dried root in Carin's hand. "I'll take that root. You can have the garbage." He snatched the root from her and kicked the burlap sack toward her with his foot. "Now get out of my sight."

Carin didn't hesitate. She sank to her knees with a muffled gasp, and scooped up the sack, careful not to let it press too hard against her injured chest. She even scrabbled in the dirt to retrieve the few grains that had spilled out. A group of females buying meat nearby saw her and burst into laughter.

"Look at the crazy girl," one of them jeered. "She's eating rocks now!"

Carin ignored them. She tucked the sack under her arm and pushed her way out of the crowd. She didn't stop until she found a narrow, dark alley between two stone buildings. She ducked into the shadows, pressing her back against the cool stone.

She waited until the sounds of the market faded slightly before she opened the sack. She thrust her hand inside, her fingers brushing against the dry, rough texture of the corn kernels.

A crisp, clear chime sounded in her mind.

Successfully unlocked staple food codex: [Corn].

The holographic panel exploded with golden fireworks. A notification popped up, the text glowing brightly.

First entry reward received: 100 Energy Crystals.

Another window appeared immediately after.

Novice development material received: [Tier 1 Portable Farm Blueprint].

Carin stared at the virtual rewards, her eyes stinging. She bit her lip hard, fighting the urge to scream with joy. She quickly navigated to the extraction command.

A small handful of crystals materialized in her palm. They were rough and unpolished, but they glowed with a warm, pure white light. She could feel the energy radiating from them, a hum of power against her skin. In this world, these were wealth. These were life.

She shoved the crystals deep into her inner pocket, pressing them against her skin where they wouldn't be seen. The glow was too conspicuous; she couldn't risk anyone seeing it.

Heavy footsteps echoed at the mouth of the alley. A patrol squad was marching past, their armored boots thudding on the stone.

Carin instantly closed the system panel. She hoisted the burlap sack cautiously over her uninjured shoulder, letting it hang like a piece of discarded padding. The weight pulled at her torso, making her vision swim for a second. She hunched her shoulders, lowered her head, and walked out of the alley.

A squad of leopard warriors marched toward her. Carin pressed herself flat against the wall, giving them plenty of room. But as she watched them pass, the fear in her eyes was gone, replaced by a quiet, unshakeable confidence that burned brighter than the persistent ache in her side.

Carin made it back to the dormitory without incident. The large, damp room was empty, the other laborers already out for their morning assignments. The air was thick with the smell of moldy straw and stale sweat.

She walked to her corner, the most isolated spot in the room, and carefully hid the burlap sack deep under her pile of straw. She sat down on the thin mat, her back against the cold stone wall.

She took a deep breath and gave the mental command, using the temporary name she had given it. "Open datapad panel."

The blue holographic screen expanded in her vision. The interface was more detailed now, with several new modules lit up. She tapped the glowing icon for the [Portable Farm Blueprint].

A detailed description scrolled across the screen.

This blueprint can bind to any 2x2 meter plot of land, transforming it into climate-independent, constant-temperature black soil.

Carin's eyes widened. Constant-temperature black soil. That meant she could grow food even in the deadly winter that was coming. She wouldn't have to rely on the clan's scraps.

But below the description, a red warning flashed.

Deployment requires 95 Energy Crystals as an initial power source.

She touched the crystals hidden in her inner pocket. It was a steep price, almost everything she had, but it was an investment she had to make. She tapped the "Confirm Activation Prep" button.

The blueprint dissolved into a beam of light that only she could see, shrinking into a virtual scroll that hovered in the top right corner of her interface, ready to be deployed.

Next, she turned her attention to the [Data Point Store] icon in the center of the screen. She tapped it, and a waterfall of merchandise cascaded down the screen. Her eyes scanned the list: "High-Yield Soybean Seeds," "Cold-Resistant Wheat Gene Fragments," "Primary Water Purifier."

Then she saw the prices. The cheapest seeds cost 500 Data Points. She checked her balance. In addition to the crystals, the corn entry had granted her exactly 100 Data Points.

Carin frowned. She opened the help file and quickly read through the ways to earn Data Points. Besides discovering new species, successfully planting and harvesting crops, or improving the survival status of the natives, would yield significant points.

The logic was clear. Plant the corn, harvest it, trade the harvest for Data Points, buy more supplies. It was a perfect closed loop.

She was so engrossed in her planning that she almost missed the sound of voices outside the door. The other laborers were back early.

Carin's reaction was a desperate, pained lurch. She willed the system panel to shut down, the blue light vanishing just as the wooden door was shoved open. She collapsed onto the mat, her fractured ribs screaming in protest. She pulled a ragged piece of animal hide over her face, stifling a real groan of agony.

A group of sweaty, grumpy females stomped into the room. One of them was complaining loudly about the small food ration she had received.

"Useless clan!" she snarled, kicking a wooden bucket out of her way.

The bucket rolled across the floor, bumping into Carin's mat with a dull thud.

Carin let out a small, terrified whimper, her body flinching under the hide. She played the part perfectly, the scared, weak laborer who couldn't even handle a loud noise.

The female who kicked the bucket looked down at her with contempt. "Waste of space," she muttered, then turned away to fight with the others over the water jug.

Under the hide, Carin opened one eye just a slit. She watched the chaotic, violent scene with a cold, detached gaze. Her fingers tapped silently against her thigh.

She couldn't deploy the farm here. There was no privacy, no security. Someone would see the glowing soil, or steal her crops. She had to move out.

And the only legal way for a female to move out of the dormitory was to bind herself to a male during the mating ceremony. She had to get that isolated, broken male with the stone hut.

She had to get Brannon.

The next evening, Carin stood at the washing area outside the dormitory. She scrubbed the mud from her hands, the cold water turning brown as it swirled down the stone drain.

From her pocket, she pulled out a small, red apple. She had found it at the edge of the market, discarded by a merchant who thought it was too bruised to sell. To Carin, it was a treasure, a rare source of vitamins and sugar.

She used the hem of her rough tunic to wipe the dust from the apple's skin. Just as she was about to take a bite, a hand shot out from beside her and snatched it away.

Carin turned. Sadie Boggs, a fox-female from her dormitory, was standing there. She had already taken a huge bite out of the apple, the juice running down her chin.

"Tastes sour," Sadie said, chewing loudly. "Perfect for a low-born like you."

The other females at the washing troughs stopped what they were doing. They turned to watch, their eyes gleaming with the anticipation of a show. They expected Carin to cry, to beg, to run away like she usually did.

Carin didn't do any of those things. She flicked the water from her hands and stepped sideways, a sharp twinge in her side forcing her to catch her breath as she blocked the only exit to the washing area. Her eyes, usually downcast and fearful, went flat and cold.

"Spit it out," she said, her voice low but sharp enough to cut through the damp air. "Or compensate me."

Sadie paused mid-chew, then burst into exaggerated laughter. "Are you crazy? Did a Blade Beast kick you in the head?"

Carin didn't repeat herself. She stood there, her body trembling slightly. Part of it was an act she had perfected, but part of it was genuine physical exhaustion. However, as she looked at the bite marks on her only source of sustenance, a cold, calculated anger completely overpowered her fear. In this brutal world, stepping back meant death. She couldn't retreat anymore. She took a deliberate step forward, her hand shooting out to grab a rusty boning knife from the nearby cutting board—the sudden movement sent a white-hot spike of pain through her fractured ribs, but she didn't let her grip waver.

The air in the washing area went dead. The watching females sucked in a breath. No one had expected the coward to pick up a weapon.

Sadie took a step back, the apple nearly slipping from her fingers. "Y-You wouldn't dare," she stammered.

"Clan law," Carin said, her voice steady and cold. "Theft of a laborer's rations is punishable by ten days in the mine pits."

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping over the other females. "If I report this to the patrol, what do you think? Will you still make it to the mating ceremony the day after tomorrow?"

Sadie's face drained of color. The mating ceremony was her only chance to climb out of the laborer class. If she was sent to the mines, she would miss it. She would be assigned to a rogue.

"That's... that's not a ration," Sadie tried to argue, her voice shaking. "It's just a wild fruit nobody wanted."

Carin moved her wrist. The boning knife scraped against the rough stone trough, the sound like nails on a chalkboard. It cut Sadie's words off instantly.

"I want equivalent compensation," Carin said, holding out her empty left hand, palm up. "Now."

Sadie's jaw clenched. She knew she was beaten. With a look of pure hatred, she reached into the leather pouch at her waist. She pulled out a small leaf-wrapped packet and slammed it into Carin's palm.

"Take it, you crazy bitch," Sadie snarled.

Carin opened the leaf with one hand. Inside was a lump of coarse, grayish-white crystal. Salt. Unrefined, but still a precious commodity in this world.

She closed her fingers over the packet and slipped it into her pocket. With her other hand, she tossed the boning knife back onto the cutting board. It landed with a sharp clatter.

Carin stepped aside, clearing the exit. Sadie didn't need to be told twice. She threw the half-eaten apple into the mud and fled, the other females quickly following her out.

Carin walked back to the trough. She splashed cold water on her face, washing away the fierce, dangerous look she had worn. She touched the salt packet in her pocket. It would help her electrolytes and serve as trade goods later.

A deep, resonant horn blast echoed across the settlement. It was the warning signal: the autumn mating ceremony would begin in two days.

Carin looked up toward the sound, her eyes dark and focused. Her real battle was about to begin.