Cracked Pillars of Fate

Chapter 3: Archen's Assumption

Archen stepped into the corridor shrouded in electric mist without the slightest hesitation. The metallic stench of dried blood on his now-tattered tank top no longer bothered him. Instead, the scent served as a reminder that he was still alive.

"How long have I been trapped in this hellhole?" Archen muttered, his voice hoarse, piercing the silence of the corridor.

[System: Subject has been in the Training Zone for three days, eight hours, and forty-two minutes.]

"Three days?" Archen chuckled, even though his chest still felt tight from the atmospheric pressure. "Feels like three years to me. Hey, do you have a cigar or at least a glass of water in that damn system of yours?"

[System: Logistics functions are unavailable during the initial integration phase. Focus on the threat ahead, Archen Huge.]

"Of course. You're always boring," Archen replied while clenching his fists. A vibration of black energy began to envelop his arms, a manifestation of Gravity Strike that he had now mastered more effectively.

The corridor ended at a vast circular hall. In its center stood an entity far more massive than anything Archen had ever fought before. The creature had no flesh; its body consisted of metal plates floating around a wildly spinning core of purple light. Every time the entity moved, the metallic tiles beneath it cracked, shattered by the gravitational weight it emitted.

[Warning: Area Boss – Gravity Guardian Detected.]

[Danger Level: Existential.]

"Existential? That’s a big word for a pile of scrap metal," Archen spat to the side, his eyes sharpening. "Come on, let’s see if you’re as heavy as a harbor crane."

Without warning, the Guardian raised one of its mechanical arms. Instantly, Archen felt his body being pulled forward with incredible magnetic force. He was dragged across the metallic floor, his fingernails clawing at the gaps in the tiles to hold on.

"Damn it! You're cheating!" Archen shouted.

He immediately rolled to the side just as the Guardian slammed its fist into the spot where Archen had stood a second ago. The impact was so loud it created a crater a meter deep. Archen panted, his mind beginning to race.

It’s not attacking physically. It’s manipulating the space around me.

"System! What’s the radius of its gravitational influence?" Archen asked internally while continuing to move in a circle.

[System: Active radius ten meters. Warning: Subject's mass increases by 400% within that zone.]

"Four times? No wonder my legs feel like they’re about to snap," Archen smirked. "But that means it’s also trapped by its own weight, right?"

The Guardian attacked again. This time, it created a gravitational vortex on the ceiling, trying to pull Archen upward only to slam him back down. Archen felt his body begin to float uncontrollably.

"Now!" Archen yelled.

Instead of fighting the pull, Archen used its momentum. He activated Gravity Strike—not at his enemy, but toward the floor. The explosion of black energy from his fist provided a counter-thrust, launching his massive frame straight toward the Guardian's head like a guided missile.

"Eat this, you bastard!"

BOOM!

Archen's fist struck the outer casing of the Guardian's light core. The metal plates vibrated violently but did not shatter. Archen was thrown back to the floor, coughing up blood as gravity pressed down on him once more.

"Still not enough?" Archen wiped blood from his lips. "Fine. Let’s try something a little smarter."

He observed the rotation pattern of the metal plates around the enemy's core. Every time the Guardian prepared to release a gravitational wave, the plates opened slightly, exposing its purple core for less than a second.

"System, can you lock onto the core's coordinates when it makes its next attack?"

[System: Requires 15% instinct synchronization. Risk: Permanent nerve damage if failed.]

"Just do it! I’d rather die with damaged nerves than be crushed into a pancake here!"

Archen ran forward. This time he didn't jump. He intentionally entered the ten-meter radius, letting gravity press down on his shoulders until he had to crawl. The Guardian seemed 'pleased'; it raised both hands, preparing for a crushing blow that would end Archen's resistance.

The metal plates opened. The purple light within pulsed brightly.

"Now, System!"

[Synchronization Active. Target Locked.]

The world in Archen's eyes suddenly slowed down. He could see every floating dust particle, every crack in the enemy's metal plates. With his remaining strength, Archen concentrated all the gravitational energy weighing him down into the tips of his index and middle fingers. He didn't use his fist this time; he needed precision.

"This is for Sam and the cold beer you promised!"

Archen lunged forward with a speed that surpassed the limits of human physics. His fingers pierced right into the center of the light core, channeling the entire gravitational load he had absorbed over the last three days into a single focal point.

A momentary silence enveloped the hall.

Then, a silent purple explosion erupted. The Gravity Guardian did not shatter; it collapsed into itself, sucked in by the core that had now become a micro-black hole before finally vanishing without a trace.

[Area Boss Eliminated.]

[Unique Achievement: Penakluk Tekanan.]

[Level Up: 7.]

[Exit Path Unlocked: Threshold Zone.]

Archen fell to his knees. His breathing sounded like a broken old engine. His body felt light, so light he felt he could fly if the wind blew. In the center of the hall, a portal in the shape of a blue rift of light began to form.

"Finally..." Archen whispered. "I'm done with this place."

He walked unsteadily toward the portal. However, just before his foot touched the blue light, a voice different from the System's mechanical tone echoed in his head. The voice was deep, ancient, and filled with a cold, mocking tone.

"You survived, Little Pillar. But remember, gravity is but the simplest of laws. Out there, reality will be far more cruel to you."

Archen paused, looking around the empty hall. "Who’s there?"

There was no answer. Only the blue portal continued to pulse, inviting him into a greater uncertainty. Archen clenched his still-trembling hand, then grinned wildly.

"Whoever you are, just prepare a place heavier than this. I’ve only just started enjoying the game."

Archen stepped into the light. In an instant, the sensation of being pulled through a dimensional tunnel swept over his consciousness, carrying the dockworker toward a crossroads of destiny that would change the history of the universe forever.