In an instant, the remaining tunnels lit up with a synchronized cascade of system windows, each one displaying the specific conditions required to pass through their respective entrance barriers.
I watched silently as the teams aligned perfectly with their tunnel requirements. Gaius and Genesis's squad qualified with ease, as did the rest. Turned out, Tunnel II and Tunnel IV had opposing elemental affinities—the latter fell under the umbrella of Zane Atticus.
Tunnel IV catered to Knight- and Paladin-class awakeners—those attuned to divine or light-based combat systems—a perfect affinity with the Alistair twins and their squadmates. Tunnel II, on the other hand, was built for metal-affinity types. Perfect for Atticus's squad.
So that's why his armor looked like liquid silver.
It wasn't just high-tier gear—it was bonded to him, synced at the molecular level. That shimmering metal was his awakened ability, responding like a second skin.
Nova's squad was different. Their affinity, I realized, was beast and bio-summoning. I hadn't known until now that they were Beast Summoners—awakeners who conjured creatures into battle, breathing life into the battlefield through summoned entities. And this perfectly suited with the conditions required for Tunnel V.
She met my eyes as the status window in front of me updated.
TUNNEL I PARAMETERS
AFFINITY DETECTED: Summoner-Class
REQUIRED RANK: C
ENTRY TYPE: Solo
STATUS: ACCESS GRANTED
Nova's gaze lingered on me, a faint curve tugging at her lips.
That smile. It wasn't smug—it was knowing. Almost like she'd expected this. Like she understood something I didn't.
Then she turned, walking away with her squad into Tunnel V, the glowing barrier dissolving for them without resistance.
A chill crept down my spine.
Can she read minds? Or am I just being paranoid?
I shook the thought off and turned back toward Tunnel I.
A smile formed across my face.
Solo at last. Time to break a sweat. Let's conquer this damn floor.
I stepped forward, inhaled once, and crossed the threshold. The world behind me dimmed as the barrier sealed shut with a final, metallic hiss.
Inside, a long hallway stretched out—lit, sterile, unnervingly silent.
Too silent.
Then came the voice.
"Initiating Solo Trial. Objective: Survive."
Figures.
Before I could move, the environment shifted.
The white corridor disintegrated like static on an old screen, morphing into something entirely different—a massive, abandoned metropolis. A ghost city.
Towering skyscrapers loomed above, their windows shattered. The streets were eerily empty—no vehicles, no sound, no signs of life. Just the oppressive silence of a city frozen in time.
Then, the quiet broke.
A guttural roar echoed from my left flank.
My head snapped in that direction—just in time to see a skyscraper collapse in on itself. Then another. And another.
Each one crumbled faster than the last, like dominoes falling under the force of something massive.
"What the hell…"
My Technomancer armor activated with a pulse. Drones deployed from my back with a crisp hiss.
No time to stand around like an idiot.
I bolted.
I spotted a highway tunnel in the distance and sprinted toward it, mentally dividing my drone units—half vanguard, half recon.
"Scout the source of the destruction. Now," I commanded.
If I want to survive this trial, I need to understand what I'm up against—fast.
My recon drones zipped toward the destruction zone, sending real-time visuals to my interface. I kept sprinting toward the tunnel entrance, using the shadows of toppled buildings as partial cover.
Then the feed came in.
And I froze.
It wasn't a monster.
It was a walking apocalypse.
A colossal reptilian alien—easily over a hundred meters tall—stomped through the city ruins like a god of extinction. Its scales shimmered with a metallic black hue, each one looking tougher than reinforced steel. Heat sensors picked up no weak points. Not even one.
The thing wasn't just armored—it was indestructible.
Its limbs ended in claws sharp enough to pierce concrete like paper. A spined tail swayed behind it, leaving cratered roads in its wake. But the worst part?
Its eyes.
Burning crimson orbs that glowed through the haze, scanning the ruins like it could smell me. Like it knew I was here.
[System Scan Result:
Target: Alpha Reptilia-Class Variant – RAZORBACK (RANK S)
Attributes: Extreme Durability / Area Destruction / Enhanced Sensory / Regenerative Core Detected
Status: Territorial. Aggroed by movement, light, and noise.
Warning: Do not engage. Survival probability: 2.3%.]
I stared at the number.
Two point three percent.
"Well, screw you too, system," I muttered under my breath.
The ground trembled as Razorback roared again, its voice a sonic weapon that shattered what was left of the closest skyscraper. Debris flew like shrapnel, forcing me to slide behind a flipped bus.
"Shields!" I barked.
My drones deployed an energy field just in time, blocking a cascade of concrete chunks that would've flattened me.
If this thing really was an S-rank behemoth… then this wasn't a solo trial.
This was a death sentence.
But my smile returned, sharp and wicked.
"Indestructible skin, huh?" I muttered with a smirk. "Too bad I speak fluent genetic code. Let's see how well you regenerate when I rewrite your DNA on the fly."
I activated my internal interface, fingers dancing through digital code.
"Let's see what happens when you throw an S-Rank kaiju against a Technomancer."
********
Holographic monitors lined the dimly lit operations room, casting a cold glow over the steel walls. One screen flickered—distorted with static—its interface painted in a bold crimson alert:
"UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS – SYSTEM OVERRIDE IN PROGRESS."
The man standing at the center of the room narrowed his eyes, the harsh red light reflecting off the metallic ridges of his ceremonial GE armor.
"Why is that feed dead?" he asked, voice calm but clipped.
An officer in standard-issue GE uniform straightened beside him. "We attempted override using GAIA's MOD protocol. It's... unresponsive, Lord."
The man—addressed as Lord by those around him—folded his arms. "Unresponsive to MOD protocol?" His tone dipped, just slightly. "That shouldn't be possible."
"No, Lord. We've cross-checked encryption layers. It's a clean breach—whoever did this bypassed GAIA's core security layers."
The Lord's eyes sharpened. "Who the hell is inside that section?"
The officer tapped at a nearby console, a flicker of hesitation in his movement. "System log flags a C-Rank awakener… Noah Adler."
"C-Rank?" The Lord's gaze tightened. "Solo?"
"Yes, Lord. His participation was authorized by your son as a temporary support for this Tower Guardian mission."
The Lord's expression shifted, unreadable for a moment. He rubbed his chin, lips pressing into a thin line.
"Cason vouched for him?"
"Yes, Lord. Personally."
He didn't respond immediately—just stared at the static screen, the error still pulsing like a heartbeat.
"Pull up everything on this Noah Adler," he said finally. "His background. Bloodline. Education. Affiliations. Known contacts. I want a full neural imprint if available."
"Understood." The officer turned to initiate the deep-dive search.
The Lord's gaze lingered on the corrupted feed, more thoughtful now than suspicious.
"Noah Adler," he murmured. "C-Rank, and yet... overriding GAIA's surveillance. That's not talent. That's something else."
He leaned in slightly, the hum of the monitors filling the silence.
"Interesting."