2025-06-06 12:49:16Chapter 5: Trial by Time
Time Remaining: 13:20:57 The Oracle Shard pulsed faintly in his inventory, like a second heartbeat. Despite the cold silence of his apartment, Samuel couldn’t stop glancing at the system clock. Each tick of the countdown brought a heavy awareness not just of time passing, but of how fragile his survival was. He hadn’t eaten. He hadn’t slept. He didn’t dare. System Notice: Vital Levels: Dropping. Hunger: Moderate Fatigue: Mild Recommended Action: Resource Recovery Samuel rose from the floor. The air smelled of stale food and scorched metal. Every instinct told him to stay hidden, but every lesson from the last twelve hours told him that inaction was fatal. “Food, water, rest,” he muttered. “Things a normal person needs.” He wasn’t sure he was normal anymore. He headed into the corridor, keeping low and listening. Something had changed outside less traffic, fewer voices, a strange stillness as if the entire district was holding its breath. The Red Shadow operatives hadn’t returned yet, but he wasn’t naïve enough to think they’d simply forgotten. The elevator didn’t work. Too risky anyway. He took the stairs down thirteen floors, past sleeping neighbors, flickering lights, graffiti-covered walls. As he reached the first floor, he stopped. A drone hovered silently at the corner of the hallway. Pulse Scan Activated. Civilian-Class Recon Bot Threat Level: Low Affiliation: CityGrid Security Status: Passive. Monitoring Unregistered Movement. Samuel held still, breath shallow. Skill Triggered: Silent Motion (F) — Movement suppresses noise by 80% when crouched. With practiced care, he slipped past the drone, down the alley, and into the ruins of an old cyber-café turned black market food stall. There, he found packaged nutrient bricks, two sealed flasks of water, and a can of synthetic caffeine. Inventory Updated +3 [Nutrient Brick] +2 [Clean Water Flask] +1 [Caffeine Surge Canister] He scarfed the food in minutes, body trembling slightly as the calories surged through his veins. His status bars began to shift upward—barely noticeable, but enough to keep moving. Time Remaining: 11:08:35 The system pulsed again. New Event: Micro-Rift Detected Nearby Description: Temporary spatial anomaly. Cause: Data Corruption. Duration: 90 minutes Optional Objective: Enter Micro-Rift and survive encounter. Reward: Rare Ability Unlock + Combat Trait Samuel stared at the map overlay. The rift was just four blocks away beneath an old mag-rail station. The temptation was immediate. Risk, yes, but the chance to gain something powerful? Something he might need? He hesitated only a moment before setting off. The mag-rail station was dead overgrown with moss, lit only by flickering emergency strips. Echoes of the old world lingered in the dust-covered terminals and shattered vending machines. Below the platform, an old service tunnel yawned open, and within it, a faint, unnatural glow pulsed like a heartbeat. Entering Micro-Rift Instance Warning: Difficulty scaling in effect. Samuel stepped through and the world shifted. The tunnel twisted into a fragmented maze of broken subway cars floating in the dark. Gravity flickered. Time dilated. Creatures twisted mockeries of human form moved between the debris, composed of shredded code and ancient muscle. [Enemy: Rift-Spawned Wretch] Level: 3 Type: Aberrant Behavior: Swarming Reward: +10 XP per kill Three of them spotted him. They shrieked and charged. Samuel’s system flared to life. Adaptive Echo Form. Pulse Scan. Momentum Shift. He triggered every skill he had. His movements were faster now precise, fluid. The first Wretch lunged; he dodged and drove a metal shard into its neck. The second leapt onto his back, but he rolled with it, slamming both into the edge of a floating railcar. Critical Hit. XP Gained: +30 Stamina: 45/100 But the third Wretch the largest grabbed him by the arm and flung him into open space. His back slammed into a bulkhead. Pain lanced through his ribs. Health: 38 / 100 Blood dripped from his mouth. And then something inside him snapped. System Instability Surged. Hidden Trait Activated: Code Resilience (Passive) — When near death, system temporarily adapts combat protocols to user biology. His vision flared red. He moved like a phantom his form slightly flickering, limbs faster than his eyes could track. He vaulted onto the Wretch, grabbed a fallen blade fragment, and cleaved downward. The creature fell in pieces. Micro-Rift Cleared. Time Remaining: 07:47:51 Reward: Ability Unlocked — Phase Edge (F): Temporarily renders melee weapons incorporeal for armor penetration. Trait Gained — Instinctive Flow: Grants passive agility boost during rapid combat decisions. System Integration: 32% Level Up! Samuel Gray is now Level 3. The rift closed behind him, and the world reset. Back in his apartment, Samuel’s body was bruised and battered. But he was alive. Stronger. And the system wasn’t done with him yet. Trial Ending Imminent. Final Integration Phase Beginning. Time Remaining: 00:02:44 He sat in the center of the room, surrounded by flickering lights and interface runes. The system interface grew brighter more aware. Congratulations. You have survived the Initial Protocol Trial. You are now eligible for advancement through Ascension Tier 1. Initiating Candidate Path… Suddenly, a new set of windows bloomed in front of him—cascading like a flood of choices. Choose Your Growth Path: [1] Combat Specialist — Weapon-focused, enhanced reflexes, access to advanced kinetic weaponry. [2] Techno-Walker — Hacking and engineering proficiency, drone summoning, electromagnetic warfare. [3] Echo-Warlock — Manipulate corrupted code, apply effects to reality, blend support and destruction. [4] Unbound — Reject structure. Embrace system evolution. Gain random boosts and future mutations. Samuel’s hand hovered between them. He thought of Ayla. Of the Red Shadow. Of the Wretches. Of the Oracle Shard. And he made his choice. Selection Confirmed: Unbound Ascension Tier 1 Activated New Directive: Complete the Three Trials of the Unbound Trial of Flesh Trial of Code Trial of Will First Trial Begins in: 12 Hours Samuel exhaled, standing tall despite the bruises. This was only the end of the beginning.
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Blood in the Shadows
Chapter 17 — Blood in the ShadowsThe atmosphere in Zenith Academy had shifted.After Samuel publicly declared the formation of his own faction "The Unseen Oath" the academy responded not with admiration, but with silence. A heavy, watchful silence. It hung in the halls, clung to the walls, and followed him like a shadow that refused to vanish.At first, it seemed like no one would dare oppose him openly. His display of strength in the unregistered trial had spread like wildfire through whisper networks and hidden forums. A few daring students even approached him quietly, always alone asking to join his cause. These were the bold ones, the desperate ones, and sometimes, the disillusioned.But none of them lasted.The first to fall was a second year student named Jin Fael, a speed-type manipulator who had shown loyalty by distributing encrypted recruitment scrolls for Samuel in the lower dormitories. Three days later, his dorm room was found empty. Not abandoned empty. No trace of belo
The Birth of a Shadow
Chapter 16: The Birth of a ShadowThe sky above Zenith Academy remained a constant swirl of artificial twilight, a blend of soft starlight and blue-tinted mana currents drifting across like northern lights. Beneath that unearthly sky, Samuel Gray stood at the edge of the mana field arena. His body ached from his earlier training sessions, his breath controlled and shallow, every muscle tensed in anticipation of what was next.Ever since the attack and Aralyn's warning, Samuel knew his days of invisibility were over. The mask had begun to crack, and while many still underestimated him, whispers had started circulating. Rumors. Speculations. Fear.But what kept him alert now wasn't gossip. It was the notification that appeared before him just as he reached the edge of the training zone:[UNBOUND SYSTEM INTERFACE - NEW TRIALS AVAILABLE]Category: Advancement Tier | Objective: Strengthen Host CompatibilityStatus: Incomplete (0/3)Note: Failure results in temporal regression of unlocked p
Whispers and Reckoning
Chapter 15: Whispers and ReckoningsThe moonlight filtered through the towering glass of Zenith Academy’s central hall, casting cold, silver streaks across the stone floor. Samuel stood alone beneath one of the arching pillars, his uniform slightly disheveled from the earlier encounter. His fingers twitched faintly by his side not out of weakness, but restraint. He could feel the shift in the atmosphere. Since the mission, eyes had begun to follow him more openly. Whispers trailed after his footsteps. Rumors moved faster than truth.He exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing.“You didn’t have to go that far back there,” a voice cut through the silence. Crisp. Controlled.Aralyn stepped forward from the shadows, her long black coat trailing slightly behind her. Her gaze pierced him not angry, but searching.“You saved all of them, even the ones who looked down on you. Why?”Samuel tilted his head, the corners of his lips curling slightly. “Was I supposed to let them die?”“That’s not what I mea
A Storm Beneath Still Waters
Chapter 14: A Storm Beneath Still WatersThe sun dipped below the western mountains, casting long shadows across Zenith Academy’s sprawling campus. Night brought more than just darkness here. It was when secrets walked freely, whispers became commands, and the true nature of power was unveiled.Samuel stood atop the southern training cliff, overlooking the dueling grounds far below. A soft wind blew through his coat as he gazed into the distance, his mind caught between the strange tasks of the system and the growing tension that simmered beneath the academy’s pristine surface.Another task had appeared earlier that evening.[New Directive: Interfere with the coming disruption without being noticed.][Bonus Objective: Influence outcome without direct confrontation.][Reward: Ability Modifier – "Spectral Command."]He frowned. The system had grown more obscure lately, as if its own awareness was evolving with him. These weren’t just simple stat boosts or fighting challenges anymore the
Shifting Current
Chapter 13: Shifting Currents The morning sun broke through the high walls of Zenith Academy, casting golden beams across the training fields and spires of the vast campus. Birds soared above, their shadows sweeping over the students who gathered in cliques and ranks, each adorned with the insignias of their respective factions. The academy was no longer just a schoolit was a battlefield of politics, hidden agendas, and silent wars fought with words, glances, and power. Samuel walked through the central courtyard with calculated ease. His face wore a passive expression, eyes dull enough to make anyone overlook him. To most students, he appeared as just another average transfer, a late arrival with no clan backing or prior achievements. But beneath that quiet surface was a growing storm. Ever since the masked servant from the high hierarchy had sent word to faction leaders, whispers had begun to ripple through the ranks. The balance had shifted the moment Samuel’s presence was ackno
The Whisper Beneath the Arena
Chapter 12: The Whisper Beneath the ArenaThe aftermath of the mission lingered in the air like the scent of ozone. Though the team returned with the relic and minimal losses, an unspoken tension followed them back to the academy like a ghost.Samuel walked beside Kaien in silence, his posture low-key, his eyes carefully dimmed.But Aralyn’s voice echoed in his mind.> “You’re still pretending… Fools make the best ghosts.”She didn’t know about the system at least, he was sure she didn’t but her gaze had pierced something deeper. Instinct. Intuition. A quiet recognition that he didn’t belong.That he was something else.Samuel buried the thought beneath layers of false normalcy. He nodded respectfully to Kaien, said all the right words, kept the tone humble.> “Thank you for the opportunity. I’ll study harder to keep up.”Kaien just grunted.But his eyes… they lingered.Three Days Later — Zenith Academy, Lower CompoundBy day, Zenith was polished marble and radiant sigils. A sanctum o
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