The sky above Sector B3 shimmered a different color that morning—tinted violet, with digital cracks forming across the clouds like fractured glass. The system was shifting again.
Aiden blinked sleep from his eyes, the distant sound of wind giving way to something more artificial. A hum. Then a pulse. Then… a voice.
"System Update Complete. Trust Points Activated."
"Trust is now currency. Earn points through kills, trades, or deception."
"Players with 0 points will be automatically terminated in 12 hours."
The announcement echoed across the forest clearing, a cold reminder that mercy was never part of this game.
Aiden shot up from his sleeping position against a mossy boulder. Lila, wide-eyed, gripped her wristband. The screen flickered—then numbers appeared.
[Aiden: 15 TP]
[Lila: 12 TP]
[Rena: 3 TP]
[Takumi: 9 TP]
"What the hell does that mean?" Lila muttered. "Trade? Deception?"
"It means the rules just changed," said Rena, arms crossed, eyes already scanning the treetops for threats. "And not in our favor."
Takumi said nothing, as usual, but tapped his own wristband and nodded grimly.
Aiden exhaled slowly. "So now it's not just survival. It's… business."
They walked in silence for a while, passing the rusting ruins of yesterday's skirmish: an overturned supply drone, two bodies still untouched by scavengers, their wristbands blinking red—deactivated. The game didn't bury the dead. It used them as warnings.
Rena finally spoke.
"What's to stop someone from killing their own teammate for points?"
"Nothing," Aiden said.
That was the point.
---
By midday, they reached a riverbank. Takumi found edible roots. Lila filtered water through a packet scavenged from a fallen player. They tried to act normal, but the numbers on their bands haunted every glance.
A rustle in the bushes.
Aiden stepped forward cautiously—and out stumbled a teenager, covered in scratches, dragging a dislocated shoulder.
"Help," he croaked, barely able to stand. "Please… I'm not a threat. I just—please—"
Rena reached for her blade, but Aiden blocked her.
"He's unarmed," Aiden said. "We help him."
"He'll drain your points," Rena snapped. "You heard the system."
Aiden ignored her. "What's your name?"
"Leo," the boy said, struggling to sit. "I'm from Brazil. I got separated from my group."
He was barely sixteen, rail-thin, and looked like he hadn't eaten in days. Aiden knelt, handing him a small ration bar. His wristband beeped.
-5 Trust Points: Resource Assistance
New Balance: 10 TP
Lila whispered, "You sure about this?"
Aiden nodded. "We don't lose ourselves to this game."
Rena muttered under her breath, "You will. Eventually."
---
That night, they made camp near a cluster of jagged stone pillars. Leo lay curled beside the fire, chewing slowly on the ration Aiden gave him.
Aiden didn't sleep. Neither did Rena.
By dawn… Leo was gone.
So was Aiden's last medkit.
A message appeared:
Unauthorized Resource Withdrawal Detected.
-3 Trust Points
Current Balance: 7 TP
Aiden stared at the screen in disbelief. Betrayed.
Lila approached slowly. "He took your kit and ran."
Rena didn't even look surprised. "Called it."
"I thought—" Aiden stopped. "He was just a kid."
"He's a player," Rena said. "And you were the resource."
Aiden clenched his fists, but said nothing. Somewhere deep in his chest, something hardened. He wasn't angry that Leo betrayed him.
He was angry that the system rewarded him for it.
---
That night, as they prepared to move out again, a new message flashed:
Top 10 Players by Trust Points:
#1 – Player 007 – 82 TP
#2 – Player 015 – 75 TP
…
#10 – Player 045 – 43 TP
Rena scanned the names, then looked at Aiden.
"You want to survive this game?"
He nodded slowly.
"Then stop trusting people who are playing to win."
Aiden looked up at the stars. Somewhere out there, Leo was spending his stolen points. Maybe laughing. Maybe already dead. Maybe hunting someone else.
But Aiden wasn't going to forget.
He wasn't going to lose again.
Not to the game.
Not to the system.
Not to trust.
---