'...hm?'

Akito opened her eyes.

The place she seeing was not her home but a damp and dirty place with almost no light.

"What is going on?"

Where is she? What happened after that flash?

Akito was sure that she was in her home.

In pitch black environment, Akito couldn't even distinguish her arm by placing it in front of her. Confused, Akito examined around her, searching for any clues in the vicinity.

"Power down or sudden dungeon appearance or..."

Although numerous questions appeared in her mind, they were all far from the truth.

The combination of an unknown place, pitch darkness, the emptiness felt around her hand and legs. Akito's mind filled with panic, frustration, and suspicion, but at the same time, she was also surprised by how calm she was considering the circumstances.

"What is happened to me."

The uncomfortable feeling of loss of unknown Akito feeling right now. It was familiar to feeling she first time experienced losing her sense of pain, heat, and cold.

Then her hand felt something hard and smooth.

"What is this ?"

Finally, finding something. Akito began to feel around using both of her hands to get the general shape.

While feeling around the thing, she understood it was some kind of cube. The surface had a smooth feeling like metal, but it had a line. Not a line like crude workmanship or natural crack on mineral, from the way how it balanced the space and shape is.

It was something more like an engraving.

"Hnn...?"

She followed the engraving with her finger and found a button. At that moment, various scenarios played in her head about what will happen if she pushes it.

But in the end, Aiko also knows she can't just stay there forever without doing anything.

"What could worse thing could happen..."

Preparing herself for worse, and Aiko pushed the button.

Aiko observed the engraving on the cube in front of her slowly lighting up in a blue hue while slowly lifting up from the ground.

Under the illumination of the blue light coming out from the cube. Under the faint blue light, she finally saw her surroundings clear. She was at the end of a large tunnel made of rocks and unknown minerals

But then Aiko noticed the source of her uncomfortable feeling. Under the faint blue light, all she saw was a rusty mechanical arm without any skin or flesh.

Aiko checked the other parts of her body. After the examination, Aiko realized. As it thought, she became an old rusty humanoid mechanical doll with no face.

"Bummer..."

In the end, she died without ever getting a chance of doing with someone. The doctor said even though she couldn't feel its heat, she could still feel the pleasure.

With all things clear, Aiko felt more clear-minded.

She is still alive.

Somewhat alive.

And that is great.

After asserting her situation, Aiko shifted her focus back to a floating cube.

The cube was about a half meter in size with a body made of unknown metal with black luster. The lines are shining in bright light, combined with its various hair-thin lines running through its body gave the impression of being mysterious and monotonous.

She noticed a hand-shaped piece in the center of the cube. Its small lines going in and out at fast speed made the piece flash in and out a specific pattern.

Giving off temptation like one seeing a big bright red button with a warning under it says don't push it

Not knowing whether it was because of temptation or curiosity, Aiko slowly raised her hand against the piece and placed it.

The first thing Aiko felt was something hard and bumpy thing before piercing her palm and injecting an unknown liquid.

-Recharge in progress-

A message appeared in Aiko's head, notifying her about her battery life.

Receiving the notification, pieces have begun to join in her head.

Unlike a living body that generates energy from itself to some degree, it is obvious that her mechanical-like body requires some kind of fuel to move.

At the same time, even more, questions began to appear as well like:

If she really has this mechanical body, then what happened to her real body?

How did she become a doll?

Is she became a cyborg or a full one?

If she really became a mechanical doll, then is she a person called Aiko ? not something with her memory?

How does her body even work?

-Recharge complete. Remaining time: 4 hours-

Hearing the notification, Aiko realized she had already been standing there for quite a while. Without separating the connection with the cube, Aiko tried to see a status or menu.

Because if it this thing is really some kind of machine then there must be a menu or at least configuration.

And it worked, after spending some time tweaking and trying various ways.

"Nice!"

Aiko finally felt a connection with the cube, but her excitement didn't last long.

A large screen appeared.

Headquarter: Lv.0                      Worker Bot Mk.1
Exp: 0/1000                                 Exp: 0/100
Research Project: None             Battery: 4 hours.
Essence: None

Those pieces of information looked like a few grains of rice placed on a large plate. The screen gave off an image of a vast empty desert devoid of life.

"That is it?"

There was no explanation or description or skill.

No, there is one.

Aiko chooses the tech research tab but only to find two things under the weapon tab.

Improved Battery: 0/100% exp rate 1/10
Improved Transmission: 0/100% exp rate 1/1

"Ah..."

If Aiko had a mouth to breathe, she would be letting out a deep sigh. Aiko understood that if she wanted to survive, she must feed this thing with exp.

At least she knows what exp is since it's a term used by both game and real-life players that earned by slaying monsters.

"Well, standing there will accomplish nothing."

Aiko bend down and began to scour around the ground for something that could be used as a weapon.

Almost anything was better than her rusty mechanical hand that looks about to disintegrate into the sand.

"This looks about right."

Aiko found two rocks in different shapes and sizes. One was hard, small, and comfortable to hold while the other one was bigger, consistent in shape, and different color.

Placing the big one under the cube's light, with a right angle Aiko began to hit the big one's edges with a small one. After the hit, some part of the rock is peeled off by the small one.

Then after a few hits in specific angles, the big one began to take form. This stoneworking technique was called Levallois, and it was something she learned from old man Seiya. Along with Scrimshaw for a stupid reason.

***

The reason was she just wanted to show off to other kids. Of course, it failed magnificently since no kid wanted to see someone smack rock for hours or work on creepy bone.

With her enthusiasm fizzled out from her failed attempt Aiko wanted to stop, but Seiya didn't let her since he hated that kind of wishy-washy attitude that gives up in the mid-way when it faced some hardship or loses its interest the most.

So old man made sure that Aiko was proficient at least at a competent level.

***

Despite its primitive method, the technique required very high skill and experience. Sometime later, the rock finally took the form of a small knife. Aiko wanted to make the edges sharper, but she wasn't confident that she make it without breaking the whole body.

So she decided to finish as it is.

"Well, then."

Holding her stone knife, Aiko walked towards the tunnels' entrance then she heard notification.

"30:25 minutes remaining. Please Recharge."

To think she ended up spending three and half hours making a stone dagger.

Well, It better to be safe than sorry.

Aiko walked back to the cube and placed her palm on the connector.

-Detected undamaged model of unknown tech. Would you like to scan it?-

Following the message, Aiko observed following its line a small hole opened in the cube to receive her stone knife.

"What is there to lose anyway," Aiko said to herself and placed her stone knife on the scanner. At worst, she only loses some stone knife, and there is nothing but stone around her.

Aiko, curiosity observed the scanning process, and a few minutes later.

She received a new message.

-Scanning the complete. The creation was added to the recipe tab. 1/2 requirement met to unlock search project 'improved stone weapon'-

-Crude Stone Knife price: 2 Essence-

Taking her a completely intact stone knife out from the scanner. Akio understood that the new research can be unlocked by presenting a model or sample related to the research subject to the scanner. At the same time, she can register her own work to the recipe to make her work easier.

But sadly right now that was the only thing Aiko could present to a scanner.

With her battery is fully charged, Aiko walked towards the cave's entrance the second time.

With each step, Aiko can see the darkness getting even closer. Arriving at the edge of the entrance she peeked out past the cave's wall. Under the unknown faint white light what Aiko saw was a large tunnel, like a tree root it was split and spread to every direction.

Then Aiko noticed many figures crawling on the unusual white floor that looks made of dust and ash.

The shapes and sizes of the figures are many ranging from a small one that is about the size of her knee to one that is even bigger than an elephant.

One of them noticed Aiko.

"shit!"

Aiko immediately lay on the ground hiding behind the wall and waited for the thing to arrive. To her luck, the only thing that noticed her was a smaller ones.

A moment later, she began to hear sounds of something dragging something along the ground.

The creeping sound got closer and closer until the moment a creepy-looking red tendril peeks out from behind the rock seeking its prey. It was far more bigger than she imagined but now there is no choice.

Aiko gathered up strengths preparing for the moment, and on the moment she saw a red pulsating part under the thing. She immediately sprung into action.

First, her arm went around the thing securing it in place meanwhile with her other arm holding the stone knife, she impaled it.

'Shit!'

As Aiko expected, immediately the thing tried to struggle out from her hold with its dagger stuck on the organ. Of course, there is no such a living thing that just lets someone kill it without fighting for life.

Mustering all of her strength wherever her body can generate, Aiko pulled the thing over her shoulder slamming on the ground. Like a turtle flipped over on the ground, the thing showed its soft under the body to her then quickly tried to stand up on its spider-like legs.

"No, you don't!"

Without missing the chance, Aiko mounted on the thing and began to stab its stone knife deep into the thing's soft fleshy part while moving left and right to make the hurt worse.

She knows unlike her, the pain will hinder the thing's movement and sap its strength.

Meanwhile, the thing didn't just lay there waiting for Aiko to finish her job. In every moment using its sharp spear-like legs and creepy alien-like mouth, the thing tried to destroy her as well.

Long struggles later, Aiko sat on the ground beside the lifeless carcass of the thing, battered and bruised. She was finally able to kill the thing, but it was not easy.

Aiko looked down at her worn-down body.

Her body now it's full of holes and bumps from the struggle especially, her back messed up beyond its shape from the thing's sharp spider-like legs. While the internal parts of the forearm laid bare as its surface cover was ripped off and crushed by the thing's tendril-like mouth.

-Worker Bot Mk.1
Exp: 25/100
Battery: 2 hours.-

After checking her status, Aiko stood up and dragged the thing's corpse toward the cube to get a closer look.

Sometimes later, the thing's body became clear under the light.

"Alien?"

Aiko spoke while observing the thing's body under the light.

The thing's total length was about a meter. The body resembled no animal or monsters she knew. It was an alien thing with no face.

Instead of the face or head, the thing had many thick fleshy red tendrils. The light reflected off its pure white shell covering its only upper part of the body and spear-like four legs, completely contrasting with its red fleshy body.

The thing's end resembling a very long human tongue was peeking out underneath the shell.

"How about its inside?"

Holding her crude stone knife, Aiko tried to dissect the thing apart and compare the insides with other animals. But after seeing the contorted and squished organs behind its skin. She realized it was something beyond her capability.

So she picks the second-best option of shoving it into the scanner of the cube.

If it can scan a stone dagger that is completely different from its origin it definitely has a chance to scan this thing.

First, Aiko cut off its four legs and placed them in the scanner.

Then, she connected with the cube.

-Detected part of an unknown being. The current HQ level is sufficient to perform an autopsy. Would you like to break it down and analyze it?-

Without any hesitation, Aiko chooses to analyze it. Following her choice, she witnessed the legs of the thing breaking down into small particles then being absorbed into the cube.

-Collected 40 essence, New project unlocked 'Foreign Material'-

It was better than nothing, so she shoved other parts into the scanner without leaving anything.

-Collected 150 essence, Requirements not met to unlock any further projects related to this subject.-

Comparing her current 190 essences, Aiko decided to spend 2 to get one from her registered crude knife.

"Oh?!"

Following her command, she saw similar-looking particles from last time released from the cube and forming an identical stone knife above the scanner.

Taking the stone knife, Aiko compared her own and found no contrast between them.

Understood that the quality of products depends on her skill in the end. Aiko decided to improve the quality of her weapon before anything else.