The simulation was a cruel teacher.
Michael stood panting in the infinite white space of the training chamber.
His virtual sword felt impossibly heavy.
Across from him, the Sim-Bear roared. ROOOOAR!
It was a Level 5 beast, a hulking mass of pixelated fur and rage.
The Warden's voice echoed in his head, calm and unbothered.
"Synchronization Threshold reached."
"Your physical body cannot process the combat data necessary to defeat this opponent."
"Further attempts are statistically futile."
"Shut up," Michael grunted, spitting virtual blood.
He was tired of the System's cold logic.
He was tired of being weak.
His father's words haunted him.
Stay away. Don't get involved.
But the quest log burned in his vision.
[MAIN QUEST: THE EVER-GATE'S ECHO]
Objective 1: Reach D-Rank.
How could he reach D-Rank if he couldn't even beat a fake bear?
How could he find his mother if he was stuck at Level 1?
"One more time," he muttered, raising his sword.
He charged. FWOOSH!
The bear met him with a swipe of its claws. SWOOOSH—SLASH!
The world shattered. KSHHHHH! A cascade of red error messages.
[SIMULATION FAILED]
[VIRTUAL DEATH RECORDED]
He was back in his bedroom, the familiar white grid gone.
His body ached with a phantom exhaustion.
He slammed his fist on his desk. BAM! The impact rattled a stack of old textbooks.
"This is useless!" he yelled at the empty room.
He felt a familiar anger bubbling up inside him.
It was the same helpless fury he felt when he looked at his father.
A man who was once a legend, now just a ghost in his own life.
A man who had the power to change things but chose to hide from it.
"Is this what you wanted for me, Dad?" Michael whispered, his voice cracking. "To be so afraid of becoming a monster that I can't even fight them?"
He glared at his own reflection in the dark computer screen.
He saw a weak, scared kid.
"System!" he shouted. "Is this it? Is this all I am?"
He didn't expect an answer.
But the System gave him one.
[EMOTIONAL VOLATILITY DETECTED]
[USER'S DEFIANCE EXCEEDS SAFE PARAMETERS]
[INITIATING SEALED PROTOCOL…]
Michael froze.
The air in his room grew cold.
A new screen flickered in his vision, bordered in a venomous black.
[WARNING: ANCIENT BLOODLINE SEAL IS UNSTABLE]
A searing pain shot through his chest. ZZZZAP! Like ice and fire at the same time.
He gasped, clutching his shirt.
It wasn't a physical wound.
It was deeper. Soul-deep.
He pulled up his Status screen, his fingers trembling.
Everything was glitching, the text flickering between blue and a terrifying crimson.
He saw a new line item under his name.
[BLOODLINE SEAL (DIVINE-TIER): 99.9% INTEGRITY]
As he watched, a tiny crack appeared in the text.
The number ticked down.
[99.8%]
An agony unlike anything he had ever known ripped through him. RRRRIP!
It felt like something inside him was being torn apart.
Or maybe, it was being born.
[FORCED AWAKENING DETECTED]
[DIVERTING SYSTEM POWER TO CONTAIN… CONTAINMENT FAILED]
[CLASS AWAKENING… VOID REAPER]
The word echoed in his mind.
"Void Reaper."
Of course, he thought.
Couldn't have been something normal like 'Swordsman' or 'Slightly-Better-Than-Average-Dude'.
Had to be the one that sounds like a death metal band.
A wave of black, cold energy washed through him, extinguishing the pain.
It was replaced by a chilling emptiness. A profound power that felt both alien and intimately familiar.
He felt… complete.
The glitching stopped.
His Status screen stabilized, but it was different now.
The blue text was tinged with faint, dark purple highlights.
STATUS
Name: Michael
Level: 1
Class: Void Reaper (Awakened)
Title: Last Scion
HP (Health Points): 100/100
VE (Void Energy): 50/50
STATS:
Strength: 7 -> 12
Agility: 9 -> 15
Stamina: 8 -> 12
Intelligence: 14
Sense: 11
Mana: 0
[Note: Mana Core has been bypassed. All abilities are now powered by Void Energy.]
[BLOODLINE SEAL (DIVINE-TIER): 99.8% INTEGRITY (DAMAGED)]
His stats had jumped.
He felt the change in every fiber of his being.
The phantom ache was gone, replaced by a thrumming, dangerous energy.
He scrolled down.
The [Skills] tab was no longer grayed out.
SKILLS
[Void Reaper: Bloodline Class (Passive)]
Description: A forbidden class specializing in soul-based energy, stealth, and lethality. Grants access to Void Energy and exclusive skills.
[Shadow Step (Lv. 1)]
Description: Instantly traverse short distances through the void.
Cost: 5 VE
[Void Slash (Lv. 1)]
Description: Imbue a weapon with Void Energy, dealing extra damage that bypasses most physical defenses.
Cost: 10 VE
His heart hammered in his chest.
This was power.
Real power.
A new notification pinged. PING!
[CLASS AWAKENING REWARD ADDED TO INVENTORY]
He opened his inventory tab.
There was a new item.
[REAPER'S FANG (F-RANK DAGGER)]
Description: A blade condensed from pure void. Silent, sharp, and hungry. A fitting tool for a new Reaper.
He focused on the item.
A nine-inch dagger materialized in his hand with a soft POP!
It was matte black, absorbing all light, the kind of edgy accessory a goth kid would dream of.
It felt cold and weighed almost nothing.
His first thought wasn't of power or vengeance, but a far more practical, "How do I not accidentally stab myself with this?"
He gave the tip a tentative poke. Yep. Sharp.
He was no longer just Michael, the student.
He was Michael, the Void Reaper.
And he had a key. A weapon.
The Warden's voice returned, but this time it wasn't amused. It was laced with something that sounded like genuine shock.
"Child… what have you done?"
"I woke up," Michael said, his voice steady.
"You have broken a seal that was not meant to be broken," the Warden said, its tone grave. "You have awakened a power your ancestors went to great lengths to bury."
"My ancestors aren't here," Michael countered. "I am."
There was a long silence.
"The corruption in the Legacy Archive… it has shifted," the Warden finally said. "The damage to your Bloodline Seal has created a resonance."
"A new data packet has been partially decrypted."
A new window appeared. It was still mostly static, but a few words were clear.
[FRAGMENTED DATA: THE… ALCHEMIST…]
[LOCATION TAG: THE UNDERCROFT… SECTOR 7…]
[STATUS: ACTIVE]
"The Undercroft?" Michael asked.
"A black market," the Warden replied. "A den of thieves, rogue Hunters, and information brokers. It operates in the abandoned subway tunnels beneath the city. A place the DGC pretends doesn't exist."
Michael looked at the Reaper's Fang in his hand.
He thought of the bear in the simulation.
He thought of the new power humming in his veins.
To find his mother, he needed to get stronger.
To get stronger, he needed to break the seal.
And to break the seal… he needed to find this Alchemist.
His path was clear.
It was a path his father would forbid. A path that led straight into the city's dark underbelly.
But for the first time since the Gate opened in Times Square, he didn't feel scared.
He felt a sliver of hope.