[Secret Action Completed: First Solo Kill of Mechanical Sentinel.]
[Class Evolution Unlocked — Hidden Path Discovered.]
[Analyzing… MatchingThe system's voice echoed only in Newton's head now. No one else seemed to hear it.
He stood above the twitching body of the spider-bot, its metal core cracked and bleeding sparks. Around him, silence. Fear.
No one cheered.
They just stared.
The weakling had killed the monster. Alone.
---
> [Hidden Class Fragment Detected.]
[Activating Core Trial for Conditional Unlock.]
Warning: You are not eligible for public system advancement. All future evolutions will be hidden. Do you accept?]
Newton didn't hesitate.
"…Accept."
The voice hummed.
> [Welcome, User: Newton.]
[You have walked the path of the unseen. The broken. The betrayed.]
[Initializing Core Trait: "Null Pulse."]
— Hidden Class: Ghost of Function
— Passive: "Shadow Circuit" — You leave no trace in system logs. Cannot be tracked by most system entities.
— Active: "Silence Burst" (Lv. 1) — Release a burst that resets detection systems for 3 seconds. Cooldown: 2 minutes.
Warning: This class must remain hidden. If discovered, consequences will follow.
Newton felt it.
Like a parasite waking inside his spine.
Something deep in his bones — something old — pulsed.
His body dropped to one knee. Blood poured from his nose. His vision went dark for a second.
But then… power.
Not strength. Not speed. Not flashy.
Control. Precision. The ability to vanish.
It felt like a glove sliding over his soul. A perfect fit.
---
He turned to the others.
They flinched when his eyes passed over them. No one stepped forward to thank him.
The guy who'd mocked him earlier — the tall one with sharp black eyes — avoided his gaze.
Good.
---
"Lilly," Newton muttered and rushed back to her.
She was awake now, eyes wide with fear.
"W-what happened?" she asked.
He knelt, pulled her close, and for once, lied to her.
"Nothing. It's over. Just rest."
---
> [Trial 1 Completed.]
[Participants Remaining: 47 / 60]
[You may now enter the first safe zone.]
A door opened in the wall, smooth and silent. A hallway of flickering lights stretched forward.
One by one, the survivors limped inside.
Newton stood, carrying Lilly in his arms.
Before he passed the threshold, he turned once more — and stared at the broken remains of the spider-bot.
> [Data Core Absorbed — Unknown Algorithm Detected.]
[Processing…]
Another notification blinked, then disappeared before he could read it.
He didn't stop walking.
He had more important things to protect.
---
🌑 SAFE ZONE: LEVEL 1 — "Resting Den"
The hallway led to a strange room filled with glowing pads on the floor.
People collapsed on them. Crying. Resting. Some just curled up in silence.
Newton picked a spot in the corner, away from the others, and laid Lilly down.
She fell asleep quickly.
He didn't.
He stared at the grey ceiling.
> They laughed at you.
They left you.
They would've let you die.
But you lived.
And they'll never control you again.
---
A soft shuffle of feet broke his thoughts.
Someone approached.
Newton's eyes snapped toward the sound. Instinctively, his hand slipped into the folds of his jacket, gripping the sharp scrap of metal he'd stolen from the spider's leg earlier.
The figure stopped a few feet away.
A boy with round glasses and a satchel made from stitched cloth. His stats floated above his head, public for now:
FISHER — Agility 6, Intelligence 9, Willpower 5
Fisher raised both hands in peace.
"Don't stab me, yeah?"
Newton said nothing.
Fisher sat down anyway, a few steps away. Not too close.
"Smart move with the spider," he said. "Knew it was a trap the moment it hissed. But still… no idea how you killed it with your stats."
Newton didn't answer.
"I'm not asking. Just saying. I noticed."
Still silence.
Fisher chuckled, light and slow. "Well, I'm Fisher. I like long walks through death corridors and short breaks in safe zones."
"…Newton."
That surprised him.
"Newton? Alright. Strong name. Like an inventor."
Newton nodded once.
Fisher looked over at Lilly. "Your sister?"
"Yes."
"She's… sick?"
"Yes."
Fisher leaned back. "Guess we'll be climbing together, huh?"
Newton finally turned to look at him fully. Cold eyes. Measured.
"I don't need a partner."
Fisher shrugged. "Yeah. But you'll have one anyway. I'm stubborn like that."
Newton narrowed his gaze.
Fisher didn't flinch.
The two sat in silence after that. A quiet understanding formed. Thin, fragile. But there.
The kind that doesn't need words.
---
📡 Meanwhile — Somewhere Deeper in the Tower…
A woman in white armor stood before a massive screen made of living light.
On it — Newton's battle replayed.
The stab. The timing. The use of the syringe. The stealth.
And the kill.
A voice beside her whispered: "Another glitcher?"
She shook her head.
"No. He didn't break the system."
The screen zoomed in on Newton's cold expression, his hidden class screen flickering briefly.
"He used it."
She tapped the console. The screen shut off.
"Mark him as Class Zero."
"Class Zero?! But those are—"
"Dangerous," she finished. "Exactly."
---
🕒 Back in the Resting Den...
> [New Trial Begins in 3 hours.]
[Use this time wisely.]
Newton sat beside Lilly.
Fisher had dozed off against the wall.
And across the room, two girls were whispering about him.
One of them — gentle face, soft voice — kept glancing his way.
Li'la.
She had approached him earlier before the spider event, asking if he needed help carrying his sister. He hadn't trusted her then.
He didn't now.
The other girl, though — all sharp cheekbones, piercing glare — seemed more intrigued by what he did, not who he was.
Beth.
She said nothing, just kept watching him, eyes sharp like she wanted to dissect him.
---
Newton didn't care.
Let them look.
Let them guess.
Let them wonder how the scared, shaking boy from earlier had killed a sentinel with stats barely above zero.
Let them try to approach.
He had no love left for anyone.
No time.
Only purpose.
---
> Protect Lilly.
Survive the Tower.
Never trust anyone again.