Chapter 1: Kids are cruel
Maxwell sat hunched on a park bench, hands cradling his head, while his dark eyes remained distant, lost in thought.
The atmosphere around him was bittersweet, with families scattered across the park, laughter, and the clatter of picnic utensils filling the air. Children darted around, tossing frisbees and chasing each other, their joyous shouts echoing through the trees. Despite the vibrant scene, Maxwell remained detached, his gaze fixed on some distant point, oblivious to the lively activity around him.
The reason for his anguish was the city he was in. It wasn't his city, he'd lived in the countryside since he was born, so Maxwell thought he'd been kidnapped or something. All he remembers is going to sleep after playing Titanfall 2, he was so excited about the servers being activated again that he spent the whole night playing.
But when he woke up the next day, he thought he was hallucinating because somehow he ended up waking up in a futuristic metropolis the next day.
He wouldn't be waiting around, so like any human being with more than enough curiosity to kill a cat, he walked around the city and talked to as many people as possible to find out where he was. At first, people said they were in Meridian Metroplex, which didn't help much because Maxwell had never heard of it, he thought it was a North American city, given the English language people used.
When he asked for a smartphone to call his parents, the passer-by gave him a funny rectangular device that looked like a Game Boy. It was then that reality hit him like a steamroller.
Somehow, he ended up in the Borderlands universe. The final straw for his assumption was the Atlas soldiers he occasionally saw passing through the streets. Fortunately, he was in Promethea instead of Pandora, which was one less thing to worry about.
But then why was Maxwell sad?
In addition to Borderlands' high mortality rate, cosmic terrors, greedy corporations, and being far from home.
The reason was nothing more and nothing less than the sh-
[*Bing*]
Maxwell closed his eyes and sighed, he had been ignoring this sound for some time, not because he didn't want to accept it, but because he was apprehensive about what it would be.
Maxwell opens his eyes and looks at the floating blue screen.
[Request pending, waiting for user confirmation]
[Yes/No]
'Anything, even hentai systems. But don't put a damn robot in charge of my life, I'd rather throw myself off a bridge if that's the case.' Maxwell crossed his fingers, he would accept anything, hell, he was lowering himself to the hentai system. What was the point of going to another world, earning a system, just to be a slave?
Without further hesitation, Maxwell swallows the lump in his throat and clicks "Yes".
[Confirmation received, preparing the Titanfall system]
Maxwell's mind paused for a moment, realizing what he had heard.
"WHOAAA FUUCK YEEAAAAAH!!!" Maxwell jumps up from the bench, his clenched hands raised in the air, disregarding the many strange looks he was receiving. Some mothers left the scene with their kids, terrified that a stranger had gotten so excited in a park... full of children.
Maxwell was so caught up in the excitement that he didn't pay any attention to anything, so he hummed the magic word of every system.
"Stats"
_____
Name: [Maxwell Williams]
Regeneration: 0
[STR: 3] [END: 5] [DEX: 4] [INT: 7]
Skills: [None]
___
Functions: [Hangar] [Quest Board]
Credits: $50
_____
"I'm not going to lie, I thought it would be bigger, better that way anyway." Maxwell scratches his beard for a moment. "Can you briefly explain the stats and criteria I'd have to meet to qualify for Regeneration?"
[Of course]
[The human average is 10, and the human peak is 50.]
[Strength (STR): It represents your physical strength. This affects the general force of your blows and resistance to pushes and impacts. Additionally, it influences your maximum weight that can be carried, pushed, and lifted, with each point in STR granting an additional 3.5kg of lifting capacity. However, lifting capacity is halved if only one hand is used.]
[Endurance (END): It represents the toughness, health, and heart rate of your body. This affects resistance to fatigue, disease, and poisons. Additionally, it influences your injuries' resistance to blunt, cutting, and piercing. As well as holding your breath for longer intervals, tolerating extreme hunger, unbearable thirst, and strong urges to sleep.]
[Dexterity (DEX): It represents your body's reflexes, balance, and motor coordination. This affects your ability to move quickly, dodge attacks, and aim accurately. Additionally, it influences your proficiency with agile maneuvers and intricate tasks, such as piloting and parkour.]
[Intelligence (INT): It represents your mental capacity to retain information and focus. This affects your capacity to resist mind manipulation, withstand psychological traumas, and enhance your understanding of academic topics. Additionally, it influences your proficiency in hacking, engineering, and other technical tasks.]
[Regeneration: The maximum Regeneration level is 10. It represents your authorization level for new items in the hangar. As the pilot progresses and reaches 50 points in all stats, you can choose to Regenerate his body, reset your stats to 10, increase your attribute cap limited by 10, and get credits multiplied and attributes multiplied. You won't get amnesia when you perform Regeneration, and your body will be rejuvenated, bringing your body back to its young age and increasing your longevity.]
"My physique isn't even average? Well, well, sounds like the previous owner was a bit sedentary uh." Maxwell rubs his nose, a little embarrassed. "Anyway, what can I do with credits?"
[Credits are the currency used to exchange for [Hangar] items. However, certain items are blocked until you reach the Regeneration level required by the product.]
"Hmm, so it's like a shop." Maxwell clicks on the [Hangar] tab, expanding it to a much larger screen.
_____
[Weapons]
[Gear]
[Augments]
[Robots (locked)]
[Medicine (locked)]
[Vehicles (locked)]
[Titans (locked)]
[Civilian (locked)]
_____
"Wow wow hey." Maxwell felt his heart racing, the screen almost reaching the floor. The system was selling everything from the Titanfall universe, maybe even Apex Legends since it's set in the same universe.
Maxwell sits back on the bench, exploring all the tabs. His eyes widened, and at other times he frowned, thinking about the possible applications.
After an hour Maxwell stopped swiping the screen. He realized a few things. Blueprints are cheaper while buying the item already done is more expensive, something quite obvious, and all items after augmentations were locked, so no titans for now.
Also, he could buy Loba's clothes… What? He was just seeing if he could buy something from Apex Legends.
With all his questions answered Maxwell concentrated on which items he should buy.
The lists seemed endless, but Maxwell used the filters to find a few interesting things.
[(Augments) Rudimentary Nanites MK1: Small robots that help to heal wounds quickly. This version is magnetic. With a powerful magnet, it can tear nanites away from their body host. $30c]
[(Weapons) Data Knife: Tactical knife used for combat and hacking. $10c]
[-$40c]
[Credits: $10]
Maxwell had chosen these two things because they were the most cost-effective of all. There were several versions of nanites, some of which were so crazy that they could improve your body without training, change certain physical aspects, and replicate objects. The price was just as crazy, of course. So he took the weakest and cheapest version.
As for Data Knife, he got the Titanfall 2 version. Not that there were many versions anyway.
With 10 credits left, Maxwell wanted a firearm. He chose one of the sidearm weapons, which were light, small, and easy to hide. Apart from the fact that the cheapest one only cost 5 credits, this allowed him to buy magazines, which only cost 2 credits.
[(Weapons) RE-45 Autopistol: The RE-45 is a fully automatic machine pistol with a magazine size of 20 rounds. $6c]
[(Weapons) Hammond P2011/2016/2020: The Hammond's gun is a Semi-Automatic Handgun with a magazine size of 12 rounds (P2011/2016) or 14 rounds (P2020). $5c/$7c]
[(Weapons) B3 Wingman: The Wingman is a double-action revolver with six chambers. $8c]
Maxwell chose the P2016, the Titanfall 2 version. The gun itself was the most balanced, catering for short and medium range with a good rate of fire and a decent magazine size, without diminishing its firepower.
[-$5c]
He also bought two magazines, making a total of three, considering that the gun came with one already equipped.
[-$4c]
[Credits: $1c]
Maxwell quickly put his knife, pistol, and magazines in his pockets. All that was left in his hand was a small syringe, the contents of which were black and seemed to move on their own.
Maxwell injects the nanites into his body without hesitation, the pain of the needle piercing his flesh is soon superimposed on the nanites running like ants through his veins. When he withdrew the syringe there was no time for blood to flow out and the nanites closed the small hole.
He then notices the absence of people in the park and sees that it is already getting dark. Maxwell gets up and walks back into town.
The green landscape of the park is replaced by streets crowded with cars and skyscrapers detailed with neons. Maxwell ponders as his lungs fill with the carbon dioxide emitted by the vehicles, he consoles himself by saying that he will increase his Endurance stats.
Because he was carrying a lot of dangerous things, Maxwell was walking in a rather strange way, people didn't mind too much, but children...
"Look, Daddy, that man shit in his pants." A little girl across the street pointed at Maxwell as he pulled on his father's shirt.
"Tsk" Maxwell clicks his tongue. 'Fucking annoying kids, didn't your parents teach you to respect others? I'm a man with a loaded gun here!'
Maxwell hurried up the pace for the child's safety. After a few minutes of walking through the city, he finds his lonely target.
A Marcus vending machine.
"I won't go gently into that good night." Maxwell looks at his Data Knife with a mischievous grin. "Now, cutie, let's test you, shall we?"
The Data Knife looked no different from any other blade but looks can be deceiving. A button discreetly hidden in the handle revealed its unique feature: a blade interior similar to RAM. After making sure no one was around, Maxwell connected the blade to the machine. A holographic screen materialized on the handle, displaying the hack's success rate.
34%
76%
100%
Deciding not to be greedy, Maxwell withdraws an amount that Marcus wouldn't miss… or so he hoped, given Marcus's reputation for ruthlessness, which even extended to pursuing refund checks sent in error. He quickly makes the machine release twenty 100-dollar bills, takes them all, and puts them in the pockets of his jeans. He knew he could make a lot of money selling the guns, but going around with various weapons would attract unwanted attention.
Maxwell leaves the scene of the crime, adrenaline coursing through his veins, his heart pounding in his chest from the exhilaration of committing his first of many crimes.
Chapter 2: Pull the trigger!
Maxwell continued walking through the streets of the Metroplex until he finally stopped in front of a modest apartment. Slapping his shoes to get the dirt off, Maxwell pushed open the glass doors; the atmosphere inside was cool and cold.
A young woman was reclining her head on her arms at the counter. When she saw the door swing open, she stood up straight, an inviting smile growing on her face.
"Welcome!" she greeted cheerfully while fixing her hair. "How can I help you today?"
"Say, Ma'am. I'd like to know if there are any rooms available."
"Of course, of course." The young woman nods several times. She turns to check the available rooms on her computer. "Hmm… let me see here…"
"Oh, sixty-ninth floor. A fully equipped kitchen, a cozy air-conditioned bedroom, a bathroom, and a balcony offering a view of the sunset.
"How much for a month?"
"The monthly rent is $1500."
"Meals are included?"
"No, But there's a restaurant two blocks away."
"..." Maxwell turns his face to street, it's already very late and there may not be any other places open. He puts the money on the counter. "Well, at least it's on the sixty-ninth floor."
"I also need your ID card."
"M-my I-ID card? S-sure, I think I left it somewhere."
Maxwell panics for a moment as he searches the pockets of his jeans. He only breathes a sigh of relief when he picks up a card with a photo of himself, or more precisely the former owner of the body.
'Rest in peace, you little bastard.' Maxwell says a quick prayer for the poor soul.
Checking the information, the young woman hands over the card and hands him a key with the number 69 printed on it.
"All right, have a good night."
"For you too ma'am."
"Maxwell Williams, date of birth August 3, 2841. He has the same name as me, but he's older. Looking on the bright side, it's better than going through puberty again." Maxwell looked at his ID while climbing the stairs, he discovered while walking around the metropolis that they were in the year 2875, which meant he was 34 years old.
Being in a safe place, Maxwell finally concentrates on the headache he was feeling, he had been ignoring the visions and memories for a long time.
There wasn't much to it, which explained the little pain he felt. The life of the old body was a humdrum routine, which boiled down to doing the basics to survive. Maxwell even questioned whether the body's former owner was a person or just an empty shell to be filled with his soul.
Shaking his head, Maxwell put these thoughts to the back of his mind and entered what he would call home for the next month. After storing his weapons in a wardrobe, Maxwell takes a quick shower and falls to the bed, completely exhausted.
The next day…
Yawning, Maxwell gets out of bed. He freezes for a moment at the unfamiliar surroundings, until memories of the previous day flood his mind. Shrugging, Maxwell goes into the bathroom to wash his face.
"Ahhh! A thief! No wait… it's me." Seeing his new appearance in the mirror, Maxwell can't help but feel strange. It was quite disconcerting to see himself with a new face, was this how people who had plastic surgery felt?
"Not bad, not bad at all." With his hand on his chin and another in the sink, Maxwell turns his side left and right. His skin was a healthy tan, black hair was combed back with a neatly trimmed beard, framing his dark blue eyes.
Maxwell's eyebrows jump and his hands go down to his pants and look at his attributes.
"I don't understand, how can reincarnators measure exactly their dicks with the naked eye? Is it some kind of skill that you gain after inspecting several dicks? I don't know, kind of gay".
Maxwell gave up trying to guess the size of his cock, he had a belly to fill and plans to make. After tidying up, Maxwell goes downstairs, deciding to have a look at the restaurant near the apartment.
When Maxwell got there, he chose a seat by the window and ordered a cup of coffee and pancakes for breakfast. Maxwell was lost in his thoughts as he occasionally sipped his coffee, some of his doubts popping up.
'System, I've seen that I don't have any skills, how can I get one?'
[Skills are gained in two ways. Through missions focused on gaining this skill or through Challenges in the Quest Board. The latter, however, gives you a pre-defined skill]
'Quest Board uh? I hope they're not absurd missions.' Maxwell's mind spins, wondering which skill he should get first. 'Well, I'm in Borderlands, gaining a firearm skill would be the smart thing to do. I'm going to look for a shooting club when I'm done here."
[Verifying quest conditions… condition met]
[Generating quest…]
[Quest:
( ) Join a shooting club.
( ) Receive instructions on how to handle a gun properly.
( ) Hit 5 consecutive shots.
Reward: Trigger Discipline + $10c]
'No penalization? I think I'm falling in love,' Maxwell breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the system's lack of bullshit. 'But what would happen if I didn't?'
[My goal is to make you the Apex Predator, penalization is against my user terms.]
[If you don't complete the mission you won't get the reward; the mission can remain incomplete for years without any penalization. But I must warn you about missions such as rescuing people, because if the target of the rescue dies, the mission counts as failed, although there is no penalization from the system, the person referred to will still die through the fault of the user.]
'That's reasonable, I can handle it.'
With a destination in mind, Maxwell doesn't rush but finishes his meal, he looks at the people rushing to work, the traffic, and the distant sounds of honking horns.
'If I hadn't known I was on another planet, I might have thought I was still on Earth.' Maxwell could only sigh at how human beings remained the same, no matter what world they were in. 'These people live worrying about bills to pay, unaware of the ruins beneath their feet; truly, ignorance is a blessing for the masses. '
The waitress goes to his table when she sees that he has finished and is getting up to leave. Maxwell took the opportunity to ask if there were any shooting clubs nearby.
"Yes, I know. There's a club near the hospital." The woman looks at Maxwell strangely. "You could find this kind of information on ECHOnet, you know?"
"Oh! Uh… I lost mine. Thanks anyway, ma'am." Maxwell pays for his meal and leaves for the shooting club.
'I'm going to need an ECHO too. Maybe I'll need more money sooner than I expected.' Maxwell just hoped that Marcus wouldn't notice that certain amounts were missing.
Walking down the street, Maxwell passes a hospital and after a few minutes, he arrives at his destination. Even from outside, he could hear the occasional gunshot; the sound was rather muffled, but it was still noticeable.
It was the first time he had been to such a place, so it took some time for Maxwell to be allowed in. With his documents and identity confirmed, and above all, with no criminal record, he was granted admission.
Maxwell registered and paid the fee. As he had a gun, he wanted to go straight away, but his instructor warned him that he needed to use the training ammunition, for which his ammunition was not suitable at the moment.
[(X) Join a shooting club.]
His instructor leads him into a room, Maxwell's eyes darting from side to side as he realizes the ridiculous amount of ammunition. There was not only Atlas ammunition but ammunition from all the other corporations.
"Hey, buddy, don't just stand there, what do you want?" An old man was in charge of the place; given his worn appearance, he was probably a man who had taken part in several gunfights.
'System, give me a hand here. Which ammunition is compatible with my p2016?'
[The weapons provided by the system are compatible with the ammunition in this universe. Just understand that there are certain limits. Such as loading an energy weapon with physical ammunition or reloading an energy weapon using explosive ammunition]
[For example, your P2016 is comparable with Dahl and Vladof ammunition. But the same cannot be done with Maliwan and Torgue ammunition.]
'I see' With the information provided, Maxwell buys a few boxes of training ammunition, two holsters, one for his P2016 and one for his Data Knife.
With everything settled, Maxwell can finally shoot. He is taken to the shooting ranges, there were a few people present, and even a child was practicing there. Maxwell pulls his P2016 from its holster and waits for instructions.
"Alright, before we start, I need to teach you a few safety rules. But it seems you already know that, don't you?" The instructor shakes his head as he observes Maxwell pointing the gun barrel downwards and keeping his finger away from the trigger.
"I know a few things." Although the sound was muffled by the earplugs, he could still hear his instructor.
"Good, now, let's start with your stance. Assume the standing shooting position for me. Feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and lean forward slightly. Good. Now, grip the gun firmly with both hands and extend your arms straight out in front of you. Excellent. You're in position."
"Take a deep breath, steady your aim, and when you're ready, gently squeeze the trigger. Give it a try."
Maxwell holds his breath, and with his target in his sights, puts his finger on the trigger and pulls it.
*Bang*
And he completely missed the target.
Maxwell is not discouraged and tries again, pulling the trigger again when he recovers from the recoil.
*Bang*
He misses again.
"Uh... I think I've got something wrong."
"Yeah, you're pulling the trigger, that sudden action is throwing off your aim. Try squeezing the trigger gently." The instructor doesn't lose patience, in fact, he expected something like this to happen.
[(X) Receive instructions on how to handle a gun properly.]
Maxwell nods, gets into position, and holds his breath. His finger slowly squeezes until it reaches the breaking point.
*Bang*
The bullet landed in the target's chest, and Maxwell only realized how focused he was when he was brought back to reality by a screen appearing in front of him.
(1/5) Hit 5 consecutive shots.]
Maxwell is concentrating again, that's all it took for him to gain his ability. He focuses on hitting the target's torso to minimize the chance of missing.
*Bang* *bang*
(3/5) Hit 5 consecutive shots.]
Maxwell took his time with each shot to recover from the gun's recoil. With his care taken, he managed to hit the remaining shots.
*Bang* *bang*
(X) Hit 5 consecutive shots.]
[Quest accomplished! Depositing rewards…]
[You've received a skill: Trigger Discipline]
[Trigger Discipline: This skill represents mastery over all types of firearms. Trigger Discipline improves various aspects of the art of shooting, including:
Iron Grip: Maintaining a firm, stable grip on the weapon significantly reduces recoil and the possibility of making prolonged bursts without affecting the aim.
Quicksilver: Reload your weapons quickly and efficiently, minimizing downtime and letting you quickly switch between different weapons.
Eagle Eyes: Passively increases the maximum distance your eyes can see per level.]
[+$10c]
'No chance, can I zoom in with my eyesight?' Maxwell exclaimed in his mind as he felt he could control how far he could see, the 'zoom' he could give didn't seem like much at the moment, but it was expected given the skill level.
'Let's see, stats.'
_____
Name: Maxwell Williams
Regeneration: 0
[STR: 3] [END: 5] [DEX: 4>5] [INT: 7>9]
Skills: [Trigger Discipline lv.1]
___
Functions: [Hangar] [Quest Board]
Credits: $11
_____
'OH! I've won some points… Well, that makes sense, I need focus and dexterity to shoot.' Maxwell is brought back from his thoughts when his instructor catches his eye.
"No need to be too surprised, let's keep shooting. I still need to teach you how to reload your gun and refill your magazines with your ammunition."
"Sure, of course, pal" Maxwell wouldn't argue, he needed to shoot more to improve his skill.
A few hours later…
[With continuous effort, Trigger Discipline has leveled up]
[Trigger Discipline lv1>lv2]
'Hmm, I feel sick. I need to get used to this happening.' Maxwell complains as he feels his vision improving again, allowing him to look further.
Maxwell put down his P2016. The barrel of the gun had visible smoke coming from the end of the barrel, and it was also rather hot.
With his goal achieved, Maxwell can finally leave and go home. He would be visiting the shooting range more often to improve his skills as much as possible.
Arriving at his room, Maxwell took a quick shower and ate a meal he had ordered. Afterward, he goes out onto the balcony to relax after a productive day. In his hand, he had a rectangular device known as an ECHO, very familiar and present in all Borderlands games.
Maxwell had bought one while he was on his way back, the ECHO didn't cost much, it was practically the price of a smartphone on his old planet, and it also did everything a smartphone does, take photos, make video calls, and not least, play games.
On the other hand, the accessories for the ECHO were quite expensive. The popular Storage Deck, or just SD, worked like a videogame inventory, allowing you to carry various items without worrying about weight. It was more convenient than a backpack.
You can store your clothes, ammunition, non-perishable supplies, and even your car if the SD has enough space! It was everyone's dream, and Maxwell was no different.
Maxwell ended his day watching the sunset before going to bed. He would be training his body tomorrow.
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
164 Power
stone 
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