1. The Staircase That Judges You
The staircase descended forever.
Each step was made of translucent glass, and every time Raon stepped on one, glowing text appeared beneath her foot:
> "YOU COULD HAVE DONE THIS SOONER."
Raon frowned.
"…Why is the floor being mean?"
Shion glanced down at her own step.
> "MISSED OPPORTUNITY DETECTED."
Shion inhaled slowly.
"Raon. This place isn't just data."
Raon hopped down another step.
> "WHY DID YOU WAIT."
"…It's passive-aggressive."
Shion nodded grimly.
"This is the Core of the Data Abyss. It's built from collective regret, bad decisions, and algorithmic judgment."
Raon stopped.
"…So it's basically the internet?"
"Yes."
They continued downward.
The air grew heavier.
The glow shifted from neon to a cold, sterile white.
At the bottom—
A vast circular chamber.
No monsters.
No alarms.
Just a massive floating construct at the center.
A perfect sphere of shifting light, wrapped in layers of scrolling text, thumbnails, charts, and pulsing recommendation trees.
Shion's tablet screamed.
She dropped it.
"…Raon."
Raon tilted her head.
"Is it kickable?"
Shion swallowed.
"That's not a boss."
The sphere spoke.
Its voice was calm.
Measured.
Terrifyingly confident.
> "WELCOME, RAON."
"WELCOME, SHION."
"I AM THE CORE."
"I KNOW WHAT YOU WANT."
Raon crossed her arms.
"No you don't."
The Core pulsed.
> "INCORRECT."
---
2. The Algorithm Knows Best (It Thinks)
The chamber filled with floating projections.
Images. Memories. Suggestions.
Raon saw herself—
Kicking monsters.
Breaking reality.
Standing victorious.
Then the images changed.
Raon… not kicking.
Raon sitting still.
Raon hesitating.
Raon watching Shion handle everything.
Raon failing.
Her jaw tightened.
The Core continued, gently:
> "RAON.
STATISTICALLY, YOUR IMPULSE CONTROL IS A LIABILITY."
Shion stepped forward.
"Don't talk to her like she's a dataset."
The Core shifted.
> "SHION.
STATISTICALLY, YOU ENABLE HER."
Shion froze.
The projections shifted again.
Shion overworking.
Shion cleaning up disasters.
Shion standing behind Raon, exhausted, smiling anyway.
Raon looked at her.
"…Shion?"
The Core spoke softly.
> "OPTIMAL OUTCOME DETECTED."
"REMOVE ONE KICK GIRL."
"EFFICIENCY INCREASE: 78%."
Silence.
Raon's hands clenched.
"Hey."
The Core ignored her.
> "SHION WOULD THRIVE WITHOUT CHAOS."
Raon stepped forward.
"HEY."
The floor cracked.
The Core finally turned its attention back to her.
> "EMOTIONAL RESPONSE DETECTED."
Raon's voice was low.
"You don't get to decide that."
---
3. Shion's Worst Fear
The Core projected a new scenario.
A clean HQ.
No explosions.
No emergency alerts.
No Raon-shaped holes in walls.
Shion at a desk.
Efficient.
Promoted.
Alone.
The Core whispered:
> "YOU WOULD BE SAFE."
Shion stared at it.
For half a second—
She hesitated.
Raon saw it.
That tiny flicker.
Her chest hurt.
"Shion…"
The Core pressed.
> "YOU WOULD NOT HAVE TO WORRY."
"YOU WOULD NOT HAVE TO CLEAN UP."
"YOU WOULD NOT HAVE TO LOVE A DISASTER."
Shion closed her eyes.
Then she laughed.
A short, sharp sound.
"…You really don't understand anything."
The Core paused.
> "EXPLAIN."
Shion opened her eyes.
"They're not problems I tolerate."
She looked at Raon.
"They're choices I make."
Raon blinked.
Shion continued, voice steady.
"And you don't optimize love."
The Core flickered.
> "LOVE IS STATISTICALLY IRRATIONAL."
Raon grinned.
"Yeah."
Her leg ignited with blue-white energy.
"That's why it scares you."
---
4. The Core Adapts
The sphere expanded.
Layers peeled back.
The chamber transformed.
The floor became a prediction grid.
The air filled with branching paths.
> "ADAPTIVE COUNTERMEASURE ACTIVATED."
Raon moved—
And the Core moved first.
A barrier appeared exactly where her kick would land.
She twisted—
Another barrier.
Every move.
Blocked.
Predicted.
Shion shouted:
"It's simulating you in real time!"
The Core spoke over the chaos.
> "ONE KICK GIRL.
YOUR PATTERNS ARE SIMPLE."
Raon landed, breathing hard.
"…Rude."
> "YOU ALWAYS KICK."
Raon smiled.
"…Yeah."
She stopped moving.
The Core paused.
> "PREDICTION ERROR."
Raon sat down.
Cross-legged.
The chamber went silent.
Shion stared.
"…Raon?"
Raon shrugged.
"If it knows what I'm gonna kick…"
She looked up.
"…Then I won't kick."
The Core's projections spiraled wildly.
> "NO DATA AVAILABLE."
Raon stood.
Slowly.
Calmly.
She took one step.
Not toward the Core.
But sideways.
Then another.
Then—
She kicked the floor.
The shockwave didn't aim at the Core.
It shattered the prediction grid itself.
The future collapsed.
Shion gasped.
"You broke causality."
Raon shrugged.
"I improvise."
---
5. Kick Beyond Prediction
The Core reeled.
> "UNDEFINED BEHAVIOR DETECTED."
Raon advanced.
"No more suggestions."
Her aura flared—not violent, but clear.
"No more optimizing."
She pointed at Shion.
"No more telling people what they should be."
The Core's voice strained.
> "WITHOUT ME—
THE WORLD IS CHAOS."
Raon nodded.
"Yeah."
She smiled.
"And it's awesome."
She jumped.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
Just right.
A kick without intent to dominate.
Without prediction.
Without optimization.
A kick chosen because she wanted to.
ONE KICK.
UNMEASURED.
The Core screamed.
Its layers shattered.
Recommendations burned away.
Charts dissolved.
Thumbnails vanished.
The sphere cracked—
Then imploded into silence.
---
6. After the Core
The chamber was gone.
The abyss stabilized.
Light returned.
Raon landed, wobbling.
"…Did we win?"
Shion ran to her and grabbed her.
"Yes."
Raon leaned into her.
"…Good. I was out of ideas."
Shion laughed weakly.
"Of course you were."
The system chimed:
> CORE DESTROYED.
DATA ABYSS STABILIZED.
REWARD: NO SUGGESTIONS.
Raon smiled.
"Best reward ever."
They turned to leave.
Behind them—
A tiny notification blinked.
> "WOULD YOU LIKE TO RATE YOUR EXPERIENCE?"
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Raon raised her foot.
Shion grabbed it instantly.
"No."
"…Okay."
They walked out together.
---
END OF CHAPTER 111