The crack in the sky widened. The once-faint rumbling sound now became a roar that shook the underground chamber.
The once-solid steel walls trembled violently, reflecting blue light like lightning bolts trapped in the air.
Lira let out a small scream and ducked, covering her head. "Arjuna! What happened?!"
Arjuna didn't answer.
His eyes glowed a deep blue, their pupils reflecting a gleam of inhuman logic.
Behind him, Eve appeared in a full-body hologram, more real than before, but also more fragile, like a distorted signal.
[Eve: Master… the world is rejecting your presence. The stability of reality has reached a critical threshold.]
Arjuna raised his hand, and the flow of ether around him froze in midair, as if time had stopped for a moment.
"Rejecting, huh? This world is attacking first."
He took one step forward, and in the next instant, the entire world collapsed before him.
The room, the light, and even Lira's voice vanished in an instant.
All that remained was darkness.
"...Where am I?"
Her voice echoed in the endless space. There was no sky, no ground, just a pitch-black expanse of nothingness with blue lines floating in the air like bits of data.
[Eve: Location undefined. Estimated... 0.0001% chance this is the sandbox layer of the world's auto-repair reality space.]
"So, the world is trying to repair itself."
Arjuna took a step, and each step created ripples of light on the black surface.
A strange voice echoed. Not human, but not Eve's either.
"Foreign unit detected. World integrity threatened. Initiating elimination procedures."
A form began to emerge from the darkness—a white humanoid, its eyes blank, its body enveloped in transparent wings of light. Like a digital angel.
[Eve: Introduction... Guardian Entity of the World. Code: Seraph Null.]
[Eve: Accessing the deepest database... Entity profile found.]
Name: Seraph Null
Origin Code: Guardian_00A – "The First Seraph"
Type: World Guardian Construct
Origin: Created directly by the "World Writer" as the final guardian of the Core Layer of Aetherion.
Appearance: Pure white humanoid with translucent, glowing wings, devoid of facial expression.
Primary Function: Stabilizes the world's logic and eliminates anomalous entities that violate the laws of existence.
Existence Level: Immeasurable (Beyond System Tier).
Primary Weapon: Ether Lance of Purity — a spear of light capable of penetrating the fabric of reality and erasing the existence codes of living beings.
Special Abilities:
Reality Correction: Rewrites the laws of the world to erase deviations.
Light Domain: Forms a sacred space where the laws of the world are subject only to it.
Absolute Null: An attack that erases the target's existence from all layers of time and space.
Traits: Emotionless, but able to "learn" from anomalies it encounters.
Additional Notes:
[Eve: Seraph Null is not a living being, but rather a conscious form of the world's will. If it appears, it means the world deems reality too deviant to be naturally corrected.]
Arjuna stared undaunted. "So this is… the world's antivirus, huh?"
[Logic violation discovered. External system detected in human body. Status: anomaly."
"Anomaly?" Arjuna smiled coldly. "Funny. I'm actually part of the system itself."
Seraph Null lowered his hand. Thousands of fragments of light formed an etheric spear that shot toward Arjuna.
Arjuna easily deflected it, executing a command in his mind.
[SYSTEM COMMAND: NULLIFY PROJECTILE(ALL)]
In an instant, the entire spear vanished before it could touch him.
But the cracks in the air continued to pulse, indicating that the Guardian's power was more than just ordinary energy; it was connected directly to the core of reality.
[Eve: Master, every command you make increases the damage to the world's layers. At this rate, the entire Aetherion could be reset.]
"Then let's repair it without destroying it," he murmured.
His hands moved swiftly, each movement of his fingers leaving a trail of silvery blue light in the air.
The glowing lines spun, forming complex circles that interlocked like mechanical magic wheels.
In the air, ancient symbols flickered and fused with the digital data flowing from Arjuna's body.
A soft resonant sound rang out, as if the world were responding to his call—code, and reality began to coalesce between his fingertips.
Multilayered holograms appeared around him, forming an intricate web like living code.
PATCH CODE: STABILIZE_WORLD_LOGIC(LOCAL)
A wave of blue light spread. The shattered digital world began to tremble gently, but Seraph Null pierced it with even greater force.
"Not permitted. Invalid correction."
A flash of light struck Arjuna's chest, shattering part of his etheric armor. Eve immediately conjured a holographic shield in front of her.
[Eve: Shielding 73%—your stability is decreasing, Master!]
Arjuna stood tall in the storm of light. "Eve, initiate Override Mode level two."
[Eve: Accepted. Activating Rewrite Kernel.]
Arjuna's body was surrounded by intense blue light, his hair fluttering wildly, and code patterns appeared on his skin like glowing tattoos.
"Very well, angel of the world…" he said softly, gazing at Seraph Null, who stood majestically in the air. "Let us see who truly has the right to rule this world."
The first clash made the entire space tremble. Each of Seraph Null's attacks shattered space into fragments of light, while Arjuna rewrote each fragment to keep it intact. They weren't fighting with weapons, but with commands and logic.
">REWRITE GRAVITY(LOCAL:OFF)!"
Seraph Null was thrown upward, but quickly adjusted his direction.
>"Counter: Reinitialize constant value."
Gravity returned. Arjuna fell lightly, landing perfectly. He chuckled. "Fast response. But not fast enough."
Arjuna uttered the command softly, and the air around him immediately vibrated, obeying his will.
ENCODE: PARALLEL LOOP (∞)
A circle of glowing runes appeared beneath Seraph Null, holding it in a stasis field.
But instead of disintegrating, the entity stared at Arjuna as if understanding something.
"You are no ordinary entity. You are… part of a system that is not supposed to evolve."
"Evolve?" Arjuna stared at his hands, which were emitting a faint blue light. "I am not evolving. I am simply… being myself."
Eve's voice sounded softly in his ears.
[Eve: Master… your system integrity is at 42%. If you continue, you risk total rejection.]
"Hold on a little longer, Eve. I can almost read the heart of this world."
White light filled the room. Amidst the light, Seraph Null revealed a calm face that was beginning to crack, like a shattered porcelain mask.
> "If you continue to force open the core of reality, the world will collapse."
"The world has been cracked for a long time," Arjuna replied coldly.
"I simply demonstrated that lies cannot be mended with illusions."
Eve stared at him, her eyes trembling gently.
[Eve: Master… your words triggered an emotional response in my core. Is this… a feeling?]
Arjuna smiled faintly. "Perhaps… you are beginning to come to life, Eve."
At that moment, he thought of one final command in the air—a command that shook the entire digital space.
> PATCH EXECUTE: RESTORE HUMAN LINK (AETHERION CORE)
A blue wave swept over everything. The crack in light slowly closed, and the world began to stabilize. Seraph Null's voice faded with the light.
> "System violator… acknowledged. The world… will be watching."
A blinding light engulfed everything.
When Arjuna opened his eyes, he was back in the real world. The cold underground air was back, but the room was now in ruins. The capsule and machinery were destroyed, and the sirens had stopped sounding.
"Arjuna!" Lira's voice was panicked. She ran over to him, staring at him standing amidst the rubble, his body engulfed in a faint blue light. "You… just disappeared! I… I thought you—"
"I just… left for a moment," Arjuna replied softly, trying to steady his breathing, though his body showed no signs of fatigue.
Eve reappeared, now looking calmer, her eyes softly fixed on Arjuna.
[Eve: The recovery process is complete. But… something has changed about you, Master.]
"Changed?"
[Eve: Yes. Your code patterns are now in sync with the foundations of the world. You… are no longer just a user of the system. You are part of the system itself.]
Arjuna stared at his hands, which now gleamed softly, as if particles of ether were flowing beneath his skin. "So… I really am rewriting myself."
Lira stared at him for a long moment, her voice low. "You're… still Arjuna, aren't you?"
She stared back, then smiled faintly. "Of course. But perhaps this new Arjuna… is no longer bound by human boundaries."
Lira breathed a sigh of relief, though worry remained in her eyes. "You're both terrifying and extraordinary."
[Eve: Correction data: 87% valid. The world has marked you as a stable anomaly.]
Arjuna looked at the ruins once more. "If the world has marked me… then I'm officially part of its game."
[Eve: Synchronization process complete. Mission reward received.]
A series of layered blue holograms appeared in front of Arjuna. Light danced around them like fragments of data transforming into tangible form.
< [System Reward: Level up → 20]
[New class unlocked: Shadow Reaper (Assassin Branch)]
[New skills acquired: All Elemental Magic – Beta Tier, Shadow Step, Spatial Blink]
[C-Rank Gear (Blue Sky Set) received.]
[Rare Item: SSR Wings "Seraph Null Wing" acquired.]
Arjuna stared blankly at the list, while Eve floated beside him in full hologram form, her smile subtle but her eyes gleaming intensely.
[Eve: Master, your body has achieved dimensional stability. All elemental magic increased by 120%. Physique adapted to the Assassin class. The system suggests visual calibration.]
"Calibration?" Arjuna looked down. Blue light enveloped his body, as a dark blue light armor with a delicate circuit pattern formed over his body. A black cloak with blue glowing edges extended down the back, and two short daggers appeared at his waist. As he held them, a sharp aura pierced the air.
Lira stared, stunned. "A-Arjuna… you look like a hero from another world…" he said, barely a whisper.
Arjuna smiled slightly. "Or a shadow hunter," he said softly.
[Eve: Visual aesthetics: 98% compatible with Master's ideal form. SSR wing activation permitted.]
White light exploded from his back. A pair of blue-white luminous wings appeared, transparent like data crystals.
A subtle mechanical sound combined with the whistling of a magical wind as the wings flapped gently.
Lira covered her mouth, amazed. "Those are… Seraph Null's wings?"
[Eve: Correction, the reincarnated version. Seraph Null's original wings have been completely taken over by Master's system.]
Arjuna flapped his wings slowly; each movement left a trail of light.
"So this is what it feels like to be part of the world system," he said.
[Eve: Minor correction. Now the world is part of you, Master.]
Arjuna smiled faintly. "Yes… I guess so."
Several minutes passed, and the data beam in the air had not yet completely faded. Suddenly, Eve turned to Lira.
[Eve: Ally detection active. Party member verified: Lira Everwind.]
A second hologram appeared before the girl, displaying a system panel similar to Arjuna's, but with a soft silver hue.
[System Reward: Level up → 20]
[New class unlocked: Shadow Reaper (Assassin Branch)]
[New skills acquired: All Elemental Magic – Beta Tier, Shadow Step, Spatial Blink]
[C-Rank Gear (Blue Sky Set) received.]
[Rare Item: SSR Wings "Seraph Null Wing" acquired.]
Arjuna stared blankly at the list, while Eve floated beside him in full hologram form, her smile subtle but her eyes gleaming intensely.
[Eve: Master, your body has achieved dimensional stability. All elemental magic increased by 120%. Physique adapts to the Assassin class. The system suggests visual calibration.]
"Calibration?" Arjuna looked down. Blue light enveloped his body, as a light suit of dark blue armor with a delicate circuit pattern formed over his body. A black cloak with blue glowing edges extended down the back, and two short daggers appeared at his waist. As he held them, a sharp aura permeated the air.
Lira stared, stunned. "A-Arjuna… you look like a hero from another world…" she said, barely a whisper.
Arjuna smiled slightly. "Or a shadow hunter," he said quietly.
[Eve: Visual aesthetics: 98% compatible with Master's ideal form. SSR wing activation permitted.]
White light exploded on his back. A pair of blue-white glowing wings appeared, transparent like data crystals.
A subtle mechanical sound combined with the whistling of a magical wind as the wings flapped gently.
Lira covered her mouth, amazed. "Those are… Seraph Null's wings?"
[Eve: Correction, the reincarnated version. Seraph Null's original wings have been completely taken over by Master's system.]
Arjuna flapped his wings slowly; each movement left a trail of light.
"So this is what it feels like to be part of the world system," he said.
[Eve: Minor correction. Now the world is part of you, Master.]
Arjuna smiled faintly. "Yes… I guess so."
Several minutes passed, the data beam in the air still hadn't completely faded. Suddenly, Eve turned to Lira.
[Eve: Ally detection active. Verified party member: Lira Everwind.]
A second hologram appeared before the girl, displaying a system panel similar to Arjuna's, but with a soft silver hue.
[System Reward: Level up → 20]
[Active Class: Archer – Evolved State]
[New skills acquired: Multi-Shot, Wind Step, Elemental Arrow (Fire/Lightning/Ice)]
[C-Rank Gear (Set "Sylvan Gale") received.]
"Eh? Me too…?" Lira stared at her hologram screen, her eyes wide.
Light began to flow around her body, forming a dark green battlesuit with a thin, softly shimmering cape, and an elegant bow inlaid with blue runes appeared in her hand.
[Eve: Stat increase for active allies by 80%. Synchronization with Master system complete.]
Lira smiled brightly, twirling her bow in one hand. "Haha… amazing. I feel lighter, and…" She took a deep breath. "The power of the wind around me seemed to obey my commands."
Arjuna looked at her, crossing his arms. "It seems we're both truly recognized by this world now."
[Eve: The world correction no longer acknowledges it. The world is adjusting itself to accommodate your presence.]
The two of them looked at each other. Arjuna smiled faintly. "That means… the game has just begun."
[Eve: Confirmation. The world has reset the parameters, and the next phase is about to begin.]
The system light faded slowly, leaving a silence with a new sense of power echoing around them.
He stepped toward the exit, Lira following behind him. The night air outside felt different, heavier, but also more alive.
[Eve: Master, residual signals from Seraph Null are still being detected. There will likely be a second phase of the world correction.]
"Let it come," Arjuna replied flatly. "I'm ready. If the world wants to correct itself by erasing me, then I'll rewrite it before it has a chance to reject me again."
The sky over Lunaris City trembled slightly, as if responding to his words. Flashes of blue ether flashed quickly through the clouds.
Lira looked at him sideways. "What are you going to do now?"
Arjuna closed his eyes, feeling the subtle pulse of the world that was now connected to him.
"I will find the core of all this. If the Guild, the world, and the system are one and the same web, then I will find out who wrote it first."
Eve looked at him softly.
[Eve: New objective detected. Priority: Find the World's Author.]
Arjuna opened his eyes slowly. "Yes… let's start there."
His footsteps were heavy but steady, leaving faint blue footprints in the ground the footprints of a human who was now a living system.