The last thing Frathan remembered was the screech of tearing metal and the blinding white heat of an exploding kinetic thruster. Then came the void—a hollow, suffocating silence—before his lungs suddenly burned with the sensation of inhaling molten glass.He collapsed onto a cold, uneven floor, his eyes snapping open. He wasn't in the training hangar anymore. He was in a damp, torch-lit cavern reeking of rot and sulfur."What the hell?" Frathan wheezed, clutching his chest.A low, guttural chittering echoed from the shadows. Three hunched, green-skinned figures stepped into the flickering light, their jagged, rusted blades glistening with dark ichor. D-Rank Goblins."Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me," Frathan muttered, scrambling backward. "Is this a joke? Who’s running this simulation?""Grak! Kill!" one of the creatures hissed, lunging forward with erratic, twitchy movements.Frathan ducked, the blade slicing a lock of his hair. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird

The tunnel roared. Not with the sound of wind, but with the wet, grinding splintering of rock. The beast was through the bottleneck.Frathan bolted toward the grotto’s inner ledge, his boots skidding on loose shale. He didn't look back; he didn't need to. The predatory chittering vibrating through the floorboards was enough of a death warrant."You really enjoy the drama, don't you?" Frathan barked, sliding behind a massive, glowing mushroom cluster near the woman. "You said you were going to tell me how to survive, not turn me into a chew toy!"The woman—Seraphina—didn't flinch. She stood with the lazy grace of a coiled viper, her amber eyes tracking the tunnel mouth. She didn't reach for her dagger; she reached for a heavy, blackened metal sphere resting at her feet."You’re alive, aren't you?" she tossed back, a smirk dancing on her lips. "If you were dead, I wouldn't have to listen to your whining. That’s a win for me.""Oh, glad my heartbeat is providing you with some light enter

The sensation of reality being shredded like wet tissue paper faded, replaced by the deafening, rhythmic thud of war drums and the high-pitched whistle of falling debris.Frathan hit the ground hard, his lungs seizing as he tasted ash and pulverized stone. He scrambled to his feet, his hand instinctively going to his side, but the void was empty. Seraphina was gone."System? Report," Frathan barked, his voice raw."Location: Kingdom of Oakhaven. Status: Siege underway. Difficulty: B-Rank. Estimated survival: 1.2%," the monotone voice echoed in his skull."B-Rank? Are you kidding me? Where is she?""Subject Seraphina: Disconnected. Signal: Null."A heavy iron mace slammed into the stone wall inches from Frathan’s head, sending a spray of shrapnel across his face. A massive, iron-clad soldier—a husk of a man with rusted armor—screeched, swinging for his neck again. Frathan ducked, the momentum carrying him into a pile of crates."Watch the face, pal!" Frathan shouted, parrying the heavy

The road to the Spire wasn't a road at all; it was a winding, jagged scar etched into the landscape, leading toward the obsidian monolith that pierced the bruised, crimson sky. Frathan moved through the shadows of the outer perimeter, his stolen guard’s tunic reeking of stale ozone and antiseptic.He caught a glimpse of his reflection in a passing transport drone’s hull. The helmet hid his face, but his eyes—those burning, stubborn eyes—looked ready to snap."System," Frathan muttered under his breath, keeping his head down as a patrol marched past. "How's the scan suppression holding?""Frequency dampening at 84%," the system replied. "Lower your heart rate, Subject 01. Your pulse is erratic.""Yeah, well, it’s not every day I decide to break into the literal center of a hellscape," Frathan whispered.He reached the checkpoint. A massive guard captain with cybernetic plating covering half his face blocked the path."Hey, you," the captain barked, his voice sounding like gravel in a b

The white light detonated, blinding him, and when Frathan’s vision returned, he was crawling through a mountain of rusted, slick pipes. The stench of sulfur and rot was suffocating. He slumped against a damp wall, his skin burning with the rhythm of his own pulse."System? You alive?" Frathan rasped, his voice echoing in the hollow metal tunnels."System… critical failure," the voice flickered, distorting like a radio caught between stations. "Correction Protocol… engaged. Memory… degradation… imminent.""Great. A digital lobotomy for the price of one," Frathan wheezed. He pressed his hand against his side. The black sludge from his earlier coughing fit was still seeping from his pores. "Just my luck.""Hey! You! Keep your hands where I can see them, scavenger!"Frathan spun, his hand clawing for his blade, but he slumped forward instead. Three figures emerged from the shadows, their faces hidden behind gas masks fashioned from scavenged scrap. They held jagged spears pointed directly