Borderlands: Apex Predator

*Beeep* *beeep* *beeep*

An ECHO alarms, its annoying sound echoing through the room. 

Turning off the device, Maxwell gets up from his bed with a yawn.

Looking around the room, Maxwell's face wrinkles and he falls into bed again. His eyes roam the ceiling, trying to remember where he was.

"Damn, that's weird as hell!" Maxwell buries his face in the mattress and shouts.

Maxwell lay there for a while longer before sighing. Things weren't going to go back to normal, he only realized that when he was no longer in his old world.

"The desire to have, and the boredom of possessing." Sitting on the bed, Maxwell patted his face. "Let's start the day, anyone who works in a bed is a prostitute. "

"System, is there any difference in gaining points in physical attributes if I do calisthenics or hypertrophy?" Maxwell asks as he rubs his face to get rid of some of the sleep in his eyes, still feeling the remnants of a groggy awakening.

[Yes, there is a difference. Calisthenics will have the highest point gain in STR and DEX, with a considerable gain in END. Hypertrophy has a significant gain, albeit smaller, in the same stats. The focus, however, is on muscle gain, which results in the greatest strength gain per point in STR.]

"Let me see if I understand. When I reach my human peak my strength would be 175kg. If I remember well, a human could lift half a tonne on Earth. So if I do Hypertrophy, instead of gaining 3.5 strength by each point, I'll gain 4?"

[I apologize for the lack of further explanation. But you got it right, some pilots for example can lift a tonne with the help of stim specialized in muscle development. But I recommend against the use of such items as they remove some points from your END and slow down the rate of gain.]

"I understand, I'll follow your advice. Is there anything else I should know?"

[Don't let your STR be greater than your END, they can be equal, but never let STR be greater. If your strength is greater than your endurance, you could end up destroying your body. For example, if your stats are 50 STR and 20 END, you might be able to break through a wall, but you'll have lost your arm in the process.]

[Be aware that your body is not the famous "Gamer Body", the system has unleashed its body's potential, being able to reach human limits and even surpass them to a certain extent. If you stop training, eat too many foods that denigrate your health, or use toxic substances, you could lose stats points. Keep up a daily exercise routine and pay attention to your diet, and I don't need to mention staying away from drugs and cigarettes.]

[Your running speed or agility depends on STR, END, and DEX. Your strength decides how far you can travel with each step, obviously determining your top speed. Your stamina decides how far you can go before you get tired. Your dexterity decides your balance, and control over how fast you want to go. For statistics nerds, 1 point in STR and DEX combined equals 1 AGI point, which is worth around 0.77m/s for each point.]

"Now this is important information, I didn't realize there was a hidden AGI statistic. Thank you for your patience," with a clear goal, Maxwell takes a shower to wake up fully and eats a meal. and sets off for the day's training. "I'll do calisthenics for now, then I'll focus on gaining more muscle."

He trained for a few hours doing the calisthenic movements he remembered. With the help of Nanites, his muscles returned to full strength within a few minutes of rest, allowing him to optimize and gain strength quickly.

After doing a few push-ups and squats, Maxwell transitions into the frog stand position. His legs rise off the ground as he bends over and engages his core. Just as he prepares to transition into a handstand, he momentarily loses his balance. However, with composure, he quickly adjusts his body, preventing any potential injury in the process.

Maxwell doesn't get discouraged and completes his routine with an L-sit, pushing his abdomen to its limit until he can no longer maintain the position. Finally, he collapses to the ground, his chest heaving rapidly as sweat pools beneath him, staining the ground beneath with his exertion.

A tingling sensation began to appear in Maxwell's worn-out muscles, as the Nanites began to repair every fiber of his limbs.

As the process would take some time, Maxwell decided to accompany its growth.

_____

Name: Maxwell Williams

Regeneration: 0

[STR: 3>6] [END: 5>6] [DEX: 5>7] [INT: 9]

Skills: [Trigger Discipline lv.2]

___

Functions: [Hangar] [Quest Board]

Credits: $11

_____

"I only won one point in END? Come on, that's too little!" Maxwell couldn't believe that after several hours all he had gained was a measly point in endurance. The system's warning to him not to let STR exceed END weighed heavily on his mind.

"System, isn't there an easier way to increase END?"

[Certainly, cardio is a great alternative for a quick increase in END and a small increase in STR and DEX.]

"Hmm, let's try it out." Maxwell gets up when the Nanites have finished fixing him.

Leaving the apartment he decides to go for a short run to see how far 6 of END could take him.

After thirty seconds of running, Maxwell stopped, his body bent over while his hands were on his knees.

[END: 6>7]

"I… *huff* forgot to… *huff* warm up." Maxwell's sweaty face wrinkles as he feels his ribs ache. "I *huff* need a break."

Maxwell drags his body onto a bench and the tingling begins to grow again in his body. After a few minutes, the Nanites finished their work and Maxwell was ready for another round.

He doesn't make the same mistake and starts slowly, his walk lasting only a few minutes before the feeling of tiredness sets in. And as if he knew it, his Nanites start to work, allowing Maxwell to continue.

[END: 7>8]

Realizing he wasn't getting tired after several minutes of walking, Maxwell increased his speed. Although he had the feeling that he was getting tired, the Nanites' recovery seemed to outstrip the rate at which he got tired.

[END: 8>10]

Keeping up his running pace, Maxwell realized that his endurance seemed infinite.

"Have I *huff* just *huff* found a glitch?" Maxwell said incredulously, he had run so far that he had reached the other side of town.

*Rumble*

"I think that's a no." Maxwell felt his stomach ache, after running so much he was getting hungry, and his mouth was dry, begging for a drink of water. 

Fortunately, he had spotted a snack bar across the street.

His tired countenance disappears when his nose is attacked by the smell of food in the air. Maxwell hurries into the establishment and finds a place to sit.

Raising his hand anxiously, Maxwell caught the waitress's eye. feeling relaxed only when his order was on its way.

Relaxing in his seat, Maxwell finally realized that a few people were sitting behind him, his ears perking up as he listened to the subject of the conversation.

"Bryan, my friend, how are things going in the army?"

"it could be better, but I have nothing to complain about."

"Yes, I can see, you're quite pale."

"It's the Commandant Steele's fault, she initiated a military enlistment campaign, and it's been hectic ever since."

"Which planet this time? I heard some rumors saying it would be on Eden-5."

"I wish it was Eden-5, but that woman decided to go to Pandora."

"Really? You're so fucke-"

"Here's your request." The waitress interrupted, startling Maxwell, who was quite focused on the conversation. 

"Thanks, Ma'am."

Maxwell ate silently, his head spinning with the implications of the small talk. He hadn't paid much attention to the news, but now he at least knew that he was probably at the beginning of Borderlands 1.

'Fortunately, I'm at the beginning, the early Borderlands franchise doesn't have many notable villains. No Jack or the twins.' Just remembering the twins put him in a sour mood. He was going to do the universe a favor when he got strong because he recognized that although the twins were a pair of idiots, they were still Sirens and could kill him with just a touch.

Handsome Jack was avoidable, he didn't need more enemies. As someone who knew a bit about the lore of Borderlands, the real enemies were those who acted in the shadows.

He was curious, do the guardians The Watcher and The Seer know of his presence?

'System, can I be influenced by Seer? I vaguely remember that he could manipulate the people of the universe, except the Sirens.'

[It depends, the more INT points you have, the harder it is for you not to notice your change in attitude, making it impossible to manipulate you. However, the system advises you to have a Siren on your side. When you perform Regeneration, your stats reset to 10, which makes you vulnerable.]

'Continence plans are always welcome. But I think I'm safe until I do something big that puts me in the spotlight.'

Finishing his meal, Maxwell opens his wallet to pay his bill. There was only one note left, and not ironically he had seen a mosquito come out of his wallet.

It would be a good start to solving the financial problem.

It looks like Marcus will have a few more reasons to want him dead.

A few weeks later…

Maxwell's life fell into a quiet routine, sometimes he even forgot he was in the world of Borderlands. The franchise was related to everything but tranquillity.

He could attribute this to being on a planet ruled by a corporation with a firm hand. Atlas was no different from other corporations, but fortunately, it was concerned with maintaining order and peace on its planet.

_____

Name: Maxwell Williams

Regeneration: 0

[STR: 13] [END: 22] [DEX: 15] [INT: 11]

Skills: [Trigger Discipline lv.5]

___

Functions: [Hangar] [Quest Board]

Credits: $11

_____

His efforts in these weeks have been just as great as in the early days. But as his stats increased, the pace of progression slowed. It was nothing new for someone used to games, the difficulty of reaching the next level was something very common in the Borderlands franchise.

Maxwell was currently getting ready to leave, then grabbed his P2016 and left the apartment. He made his way to the shooting club. The people there had taught him many useful things that went beyond shooting. Like the tips from his teachers, telling him to polish and lubricate his gun, would prevent the gun from being damaged and lessen the chance of it jamming.

Speaking of jamming, Maxwell realized how annoying it was and how the games he played never emphasized something so crucial. If a gun goes off in the middle of a gunfight, getting hurt would be the least of the problems.

The local gunsmith, however, praised how good his P2016 was, the gun rarely jammed.

The man had asked where he had gotten such a good piece. Corporations usually sold weapons for profit, so the weapons were of poor quality on purpose. Titanfall's weapons, on the other hand, were made in the middle of a war scenario, so quality was of the utmost importance.

Maxwell said it was an inheritance his father had left him, making the man stop trying to buy his gun. But it made him realize that maybe he could do something bigger with his system. However, there was the problem of getting his idea off the ground.

The gears in Maxwell's head start turning at full throttle.

Maxwell was thinking profusely about this, it was an opportunity. It had been a while since he thought of creating his own company and army, and with his system, it wouldn't be impossible to become the IMC in Borderlands. But, starting a company from scratch would take a long time, the smartest option would be to buy one that already exists…

'Isn't it Atlas that will see its value fall when General Knoxx dies? There's also S&S Munitions, which ends up falling into the hands of the bandits in Pandora.'

"Nah, I'm still going to need a lot of money to buy a corporation."

Maxwell was almost to the gun club when he stopped in the middle of the road as if lightning had struck him.

"Wait, maybe it's not impossible," Maxwell mutters to himself as if he had just discovered an alternative. "I can't believe I'm going to do this."

"How much does a ticket to Pandora cost?" Maxwell had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, his eyes then returning to the large Atlas enlistment logos.

"I remember that Steele's departure for Pandora was announced, her division will probably need more capable people and I need a ride."