Clash of Systems
Author: Amy Precious
last update2025-07-03 05:22:00

Chapter 5: Clash of Systems

The Hall of Echoes buzzed with anticipation as the sixteen Trial contestants were led into a domed chamber beneath the fortress. Massive stone archways bore the crests of ancient houses—dragons, suns, thorns, and wolves. The air pulsed with raw magic.

“Welcome,” the Judge intoned, his voice amplified by runes carved into the walls. “You stand on the edge of legacy. Over the next ten days, your bodies, minds, and loyalty will be tested.”

Kiny glanced across the chamber.

Sixteen contestants—nobles, assassins, mercenaries, and war-spawned brutes.

And one girl with violet eyes who had a system like his.

Reyna Mordane.

She stood with effortless grace, arms folded, cloak swaying lightly behind her. Her expression unreadable, but her gaze kept flicking to Kiny.

He wasn’t sure if she wanted to kill him—or recruit him.

[SYSTEM ALERT: COMPATIBLE ENTITY WITHIN RANGE]

• User: Reyna Mordane

• Status: System Carrier

• Type: Unknown Variant – Codename “Witch Protocol”

• Observational Mode: Active

• Threat Level: Potentially lethal

The Judge raised a black crystal orb. “Your first challenge begins now.”

He slammed the orb into the floor.

CRACK—BOOOOM.

The entire platform split apart. Cracks spread across the stone like lightning. The floor beneath Kiny gave way.

He fell.

Down.

Spinning.

Darkness consumed him.

Then light.

Trial Labyrinth — Layer 1: Awakening Grounds

Kiny landed hard on stone tiles, rolling to his feet as a bladed dart narrowly missed his head.

SHING!

It embedded in the pillar beside him.

“What the—”

A second dart flew, and he dove for cover behind a crumbling statue.

The air buzzed with energy. Arcane runes glowed across the ground.

Around him, half of the other contestants had already landed—scattered throughout the chamber like chess pieces on a broken board.

And the bloodsport had begun.

[SYSTEM UPDATE]

• Trial Mode: Activated

• Objective: Survive Layer 1

• Bonus Objective: Claim the Core Sigil hidden in the center

• Rewards: Random Ability + Ranking Boost

• Warning: PvP is allowed. Allies are optional. Trust no one.

Kiny crouched low, watching a behemoth contestant named Gorvak smash through two others with a flaming battleaxe.

Steel clashed against steel.

Screams echoed through the maze.

A countdown appeared in the sky—hovering like a god’s clock.

TIME REMAINING: 29:56

Kiny gritted his teeth.

This wasn’t training anymore.

This was war.

He sprinted forward, weaving through shattered pillars and hanging chains. A female contestant lunged at him with dual daggers, blades singing through the air.

He ducked and spun—

[Shadow Step: Activated]

—reappearing behind her.

He elbowed her in the spine and slammed her into the ground.

She coughed blood and vanished in a flash of red light.

[Contestant Eliminated – 1]

“Nice trick,” a voice said from the shadows.

Kiny turned.

Reyna Mordane stepped out from behind a crumbling pillar, her eyes glowing faintly violet.

“Fast, quiet, clean. You’re no ordinary street rat,” she said.

Kiny kept his stance guarded. “Neither are you.”

She smiled. “No. I’m worse.”

Her hands glowed as blue glyphs spiraled around her wrists.

[Witch Protocol – Activated]

Skill: Veilbind Chains

Status Effect: Paralysis (3 sec)

Chains of shadow burst from the ground.

Kiny tried to dodge—too late.

The chains wrapped around his arms and legs, locking him in place.

Reyna walked closer, unhurried. “You should’ve stayed in the kitchens, servant boy.”

Kiny’s heart pounded.

[System Override Attempt Detected…]

Countermeasures engaged.

Breaking Status Effect…

The chains cracked—

SNAP.

Kiny burst free, rolling across the floor just as Reyna fired a glowing bolt of pure energy.

It missed his head by inches and blew a crater into the wall.

He slashed a broken sword shard at her—she blocked with a magical barrier.

He grinned.

She looked surprised.

[New Trait Activated: Instinctive Counter]

• Reacts automatically to first-time abilities used against host

• Bonus: +10% dodge chance vs unknown skills

• Triggered: Enemy “Witch Protocol”

“You’re learning fast,” Reyna said. “Too fast.”

Kiny narrowed his eyes. “It’s not me. It’s something inside me.”

Reyna tilted her head. “Yours talks too, doesn’t it?”

He blinked. “What?”

She chuckled. “You’re not the only one with voices in your head.”

And then, like lightning—she vanished.

[WARNING: Incoming strike from behind]

Kiny spun instinctively.

Reyna reappeared mid-air, staff blazing.

He blocked with a stone shield he grabbed from the floor—but the impact sent him skidding ten feet back.

He coughed.

HP: 11/15

“Truce?” she asked, voice casual. “At least until we find the Core Sigil?”

Kiny wiped blood from his lip. “You tried to paralyze me.”

“You survived. Impressive.”

“…Fine.”

They moved together—uneasy allies. As they pushed deeper into the labyrinth, they passed corpses, traps, and shattered dreams.

Each corner revealed more chaos—beasts summoned by contestants, illusions tricking the eye, lava pits disguised by illusions.

Only seven contestants remained.

The center chamber was close.

The countdown ticked lower.

TIME REMAINING: 10:03

Finally, they reached a sealed iron gate—covered in ancient glyphs pulsing red.

“This is it,” Reyna said. “The Core Sigil’s inside.”

A rune activated beneath her feet—

CLICK.

Her eyes widened. “Trap—!”

The floor beneath her dropped. She screamed and vanished into the pit.

“Reyna!”

Kiny dashed forward.

[EMERGENCY SYSTEM OPTION AVAILABLE]

• Shadow Dive – New Upgrade Unlocked

Use shadow energy to teleport directly into line-of-sight voids

• Cooldown: 30 minutes

Kiny didn’t hesitate.

[Shadow Dive – Activated]

He jumped—

—into the black.

Darkness swallowed him.

Then he landed hard, rolling beside Reyna in a pit lined with blade traps and skeletal remains.

She groaned, arm bleeding. “You idiot…”

He pulled her up. “You're welcome.”

Above them, footsteps echoed.

Gorvak, the brute with the flaming axe, looked down at them with a grin.

“Thanks for finding the sigil,” he said.

He held up a glowing crimson gem.

“Now die.”

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