The Complier is the hardest boss to reach in the extraction shooter Marathon. To even have the chance to fight it, you need to have cleared six vaults—increasingly elaborate puzzle rooms—in the Cryo Archive, Marathon’s end game map. To even get the chance to enter each of those vaults, you need to obtain a key for each. To even get a chance to get one of those keys, you need to kill another set of bosses or find them in dangerous runs of another map. And if you do find a key, or you bring one into Cryo Archive to use, another team of players may simply kill you and take it from you. 

Or, you could pay a random guy on eBay to kill the Compiler for you. 

“Too busy with life? Want to hop on after a long day with a vault full of loot? Look no further!,” the description for a listing on eBay says. The listing itself is advertising a “Cryo Archive Compiler Kill.”

“Since the old Destiny loot cave days, I have loved helping players get the most out of their enjoyment with the game. Whether you want lots of loot, a higher rank, or a fun group of people to play with, my goal is simple: help you get results without wasting time,” it adds.

Paid boosting in video games is, obviously, not new. For years players without enough time to do it themselves have paid other people real money to grind Call of Duty experience for them, get to a certain rank in World of Warcraft, or obtain specific loot in Arc Raiders. But I found the Compiler kill offer especially jarring because it is something that requires so much time and skill from the person offering the boost. Killing, even getting to, the Compiler is not a mindless grind. You have to play a lot of Marathon to get there, and be good at the game. That, and personally it is a goal Emanuel, Matthew, and myself are slowly working towards, because that slow, painful progress is so satisfying to do yourself. 

One attraction of killing the Compiler is that you get a unique character skin after doing so, something that in the know players will definitely notice you flaunting. There is also a chance to get the Biotoxic Disinjector weapon as a reward. This is a ludicrous gun that shoots both slime and grenades, and Bungie already had to lower its power once. If you want one Biotoxic Disinjector, the booster is charging $200. If you want three, you need to cough up $400. If you’re happy with just the kill itself, it costs $125. According to the listing, 15 people have paid for this particular service.

The eBay listing says buyers can have the booster play on the customer’s account, or “You play with us (Me and one more good player) *More expensive.” They also let you pay and play with another person of your choosing, but keep it hidden from them you’re paying for a boost, if you want to add some friendship deception in there too. 

I noticed at least one listing advertising a similar Compiler kill service has been removed from eBay. Bungie, Marathon’s developer, did not respond to a request for comment, and I specifically asked Bungie if these boost services violate its rules.

Japan’s Minister of Defense Shinjirō Koizumi posed with a cardboard drone on Monday during a meeting with drone manufacturer AirKamuy. The AirKamuy 150 is a cheap pre-fab cardboard drone meant to die on the battlefield and it comes shipped in a flatpack like an IKEA shelf.

According to Koizumi, Japan’s military has already begun to use the cardboard drone. “The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is already utilizing them as targets,” he said in a post on X. “In aiming to become the Self-Defense Forces that makes the most extensive use of unmanned assets, including drones, in the world, strengthening collaboration with startups enthusiastic about the defense sector is indispensable.”

A one-of-a-kind piece is, by nature, special–it is singularly the only thing that exists like it. FREITAG prides itself on circular design in every respect of the process, reclaiming used (but not finished) truck tarps and billboard material, transforming a material that would otherwise go unused into something totally unique. Their new Easy Riders collection features cute catchalls, expertly designed to fit snugly on to the frame or handlebars of your bike. That’s not all–these bags can transform into messengers, conveniently coming with you with a simple clip-on strap. Build your ideal setup, stay prepared, and take it on the road, wherever that may be.

The F140 FRAN is a crossbody bag and a bike pouch in one, clipping on to the front of your handlebars with ease. An easily convertible bag from day to night, sling it crossbody to take your essentials from trail to town with ease.

The F141 BERYL is an asymmetrical cycling bag that sits snugly on the top tube, with a handy strap for the seat tube to keep things secure.

Small but mighty, the F142 HEINZ sits at the back of the seat post, strapped to the bottom of the saddle. For your most precious objects, even a little mud won’t stand a chance against the tarp material, waterproof and meant to withstand even the toughest elements. This mini bag can also be clipped to a bag, belt, or as a standalone crossbody bag. Each one unique, you’ll carry a piece of manufactur, as well as a sense

FREITAG is on a mission to keep bags in use, not in the closet or worse, landfill. Each piece is unique, upcycling a core tenet of the values of the brand. They walk the walk where many do not–offering Repair, Take-Back, and Rent services, you can truly keep your bag in use, as long as you’d like.

To learn more about the Easy Riders collection from FREITAG, visit freitag.ch.

Photography by Silvia Possamai.