Chương 84: Code Breaker

Recap: You shielded with the White Door. The Repairers are glitching. You voted to SLAM THE SHOOTERS (OFFENSE). They were recalibrating. Their white armor flickered like a bad hologram. For three seconds, they weren't Level 25 Gods. They were errors. Three seconds is forever, I thought. I engaged every muscle in my base. I didn't aim for one. I aimed for the space between them. A cleave of wood and iron.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Slam Attack (Multi-Target) Cost: 10 Stamina Current SP: 26/36 Modifier: Glitch Vulnerability (x2 Damage) Modifier: Voidband (System Entity Bonus) Target: 2 System Repairers (Level 25) I launched. The obsidian bridge cracked under the force. I hit them like a bowling ball made of neutron star matter. CRUNCH. My iron bands sank into their glitching forms. The Voidband metal drank their code. The Glitch status made them brittle.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Dealt: 400 HP (Per Target) Target 1 HP: 450/1000 Target 2 HP: 600/1000 Status Effect: Code Dispersed (Defense -100%) They didn't just break. They scattered. Pixels of white light flew everywhere. They were exposed. Raw data.

"Torin! Now!" I creaked. Buzz! Torin didn't need telling. He was already moving. The Dungeon Avatar buff made him a blur. He left the crippled Repairer (who was still struggling to stand) and rushed the two I had just smashed.

"PROTOCOL… FAIL…" one Repairer stuttered. It tried to raise its cannon. Torin's sword swept through its neck. No resistance. Like cutting smoke. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Ally Damage: Torin (Critical) Target 1: DECEASED XP Gained: 500 XP Kara and Renn focused the second one. Kara's mana lance pierced its chest. Renn's arrows pinned its arms. It shattered into dust. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Target 2: DECEASED This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

XP Gained: 500 XP That left the crippled one. The one I had Hammered in Chapter 82. It was on its knees, code leaking from its joints.

"MERGE… PROTOCOL… INITIATE…" It didn't try to fight. It tried to absorb the data of its fallen comrades. The white dust flowed toward it.

"No you don't!" Torin yelled. He charged. But I was closer. I had 26 SP. I had 17 MP. I had 16 HP. I couldn't let it heal. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Bite Cost: 2 Stamina Current SP: 24/36 Target: System Repairer (Merging) Effect: Consume Data I lunged. I bit into the merging stream. The white dust tasted like static electricity. Like burning plastic. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Dealt: 200 HP Target HP: 0/1000 Target: DECEASED XP Gained: 500 XP Current XP: 1500/1500 LEVEL UP!

Level: 10 Stat Points Available: +2 HP Max: 31 → 34 (+2) MP Max: 26 → 28 (+2) SP Max: 36 → 38 (+2) Current HP: 20/34 (Regen Pending) Current MP: 17/28 (Regen Pending) Current SP: 24/38 New Skill Unlocked: Reality Anchor (Active) Cost: 10 MP Effect: Lock Reality in 20ft Zone (No Teleportation/Portals) Cooldown: 5 Minutes The Repairer dissolved. No body. No loot. Just data fragments that faded into the Dungeon floor.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Quest Complete: The Gatekeeper's Defense Reward: Dungeon Sovereignty (Floor 1-10) Effect: Full Control over Dungeon Spawns/Traps Warning: System Surveillance Increased Effect: "The Eye" is Now Watching The silence returned. The Furnace heat felt normal again. The glitching air stabilized. Torin sheathed his sword. He was breathing hard. The golden glow of the Avatar buff faded from his eyes.

"It's… done?" For now, I thought. But they know where we are. Kara slumped against the obsidian wall.

"I've never felt mana like that. It was… cold."

"Box," Renn said. He pointed at my lid. The White Door mark was pulsing red.

"Your door… it's bleeding." I looked down. A thin line of red light traced the outline of the White Door on my bands. The Earth Shield had left a mark. A tether. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Status Effect: System Tether Effect: System Can Track Location via Earth Link Duration: Permanent (Until Severed) Solution: Unknown Great, I thought. I saved us, but I left a trail. Torin walked over. He saw the red line. He didn't flinch.

"We'll cut it. Whatever it takes." Buzz. (Together). We had won the battle. But the war had just begun. The System wasn't just sending Repairers anymore. It was sending The Eye. I needed to rest. I needed to heal. And I needed to figure out how to hide a door to Earth that was painted on my soul. Current Stats (Level 10 - Gatekeeper Mimic): HP: 20/34 (Regening) Mana: 17/28 (Regening) Stamina: 24/38 (Moderate) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Guardian Hammer (Stored).

White Door (Tethered). Status: Level 10, Reality Anchor Unlocked, System Tether Active. What do you do? A) SEVER THE TETHER (RISK) Use Reality Anchor on yourself. Lock your own location to the Dungeon. Break the Earth link. (Cost: 10 MP. Gain: Hide from System. Risk: Lose Earth Access Permanently.) B) HEAL & REST (RECOVER) Return to Sanctum. Regen fully. Plan the next move with the Party. (Cost: 0 SP. Time Skip: 12 Hours. Gain: Full Stats. Risk: Tether Remains.) C) INVESTIGATE THE TETHER (LORE) Analyze the red line. Can it be moved? Hidden? Used as a weapon? (Cost: 5 MP. Gain: Intel. Risk: System Might Trace Back.) D) UPGRADE DUNGEON (SOVEREIGNTY) Use new Dungeon Sovereignty to upgrade Floors 1-10. Make them harder for the next wave. (Cost: 10 MP. Gain: Defense Buff. Risk: MP Drain.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 83! Option A (Slam) was victorious!

You defeated all 3 System Repairers, reached Level 10, and unlocked Reality Anchor! But you gained a System Tether from using the Earth Shield!