The creature lunged.
Aiden dove sideways, the monster's claws carving a deep trench where he had just stood. Stone shattered, fragments exploding across the corridor.
[TIME TO SURVIVE: 00:02:42]
[WARNING: PHYSICAL CAPACITY LOW]
Aiden rolled, barely keeping his balance. His breaths came out ragged. I can't outrun this thing. Not like this.
The monster turned its head toward him—glowing red eyes, elongated jaw, and muscle-packed limbs that looked built for tearing people apart. Its breathing was a guttural snarl.
Kael stood back, analyzing with sharp amusement. "Go on, Aiden. Show me what that forbidden system of yours can actually do."
Aiden ignored him. He couldn't spare a second.
The beast charged again.
Aiden raised the cracked amulet—one of the fallen students' items. He didn't know what it could do, if anything, but—
The amulet pulsed weakly. A faint barrier flickered for half a second before shattering like glass.
Aiden was thrown backward, smashing into a broken pillar.
Pain shot through his ribs. His vision blurred.
[DAMAGE TAKEN: Moderate]
[Soul Integrity: 32%]
I'm going to die.
The creature stomped toward him, claws dripping with mana.
Aiden forced himself up, legs shaking. "System… give me something. Anything!"
The tattoo on his arm pulsed violently.
[FORCED ACTIVATION: INSTABILITY MODE]
[WARNING: HIGH RISK OF SOUL DAMAGE]
Proceed? YES / NO
Aiden's breath hitched.
If he hit Yes, the system might destroy him from the inside.
If he hit No, the monster would rip him apart anyway.
He tapped YES.
Light exploded from his arm.
His veins burned like molten metal. His heartbeat hammered so fast it felt like it might tear through his chest.
[INSTABILITY MODE ACTIVATED]
[TEMPORARY STAT SHIFT: +60% REACTION / +40% FORCE]
[SIDE EFFECT: Internal strain increasing]
The world sharpened around him.
His senses snapped into focus.
Even the monster's growl slowed in his ears.
For the first time—Aiden moved faster than the creature.
It slashed at him.
Aiden ducked under it, sliding forward on instinct and driving his fist into the creature's ribs.
A jolt of raw energy blasted out of his arm.
The creature was thrown sideways, crashing into the wall hard enough to fracture it.
Aiden staggered, gripping his burning arm. "I… actually hit it."
Kael's eyes widened with real surprise. "You're kidding. That unstable trash system can boost you that much?"
Aiden didn't answer. The system didn't give him time.
[WARNING: INTERNAL STRAIN 62%]
[USER MUST END INSTABILITY MODE SOON]
The monster rose, angrier than before. Blood dripped from its mouth. It roared—a sound that shook the air.
Aiden clenched his fists. "Come on… come on…"
The beast charged again.
Aiden met it head-on.
He ducked under its swipe, grabbed its arm, and forced unstable mana through his muscles. His body screamed—but he didn't stop.
He slammed the creature into the ground.
Crack!
The monster howled, thrashing wildly.
Aiden stumbled back, panting hard, vision pulsing red.
[STRIKE SUCCESSFUL]
[SOUL DAMAGE: Increasing]
[WARNING: Instability Mode Will Collapse]
He looked down at his arm. The tattoo was overheating, glowing dangerously bright.
If this mode collapses while I'm still using it… I'm dead.
The creature staggered back up, trembling, barely standing—but still alive.
Aiden gritted his teeth. One more hit. One more. That's all he needed.
The monster lunged.
Aiden charged to meet it.
Just as their attacks were about to collide—
His system abruptly flickered.
[INSTABILITY MODE CRITICAL FAILURE]
[FORCED SHUTDOWN…]
The power in his body vanished.
His muscles gave out.
His vision blurred.
His legs collapsed beneath him.
"Aiden!" Kael shouted—not in concern, but in startled disbelief.
The monster's claw was already swinging toward Aiden's throat.
Aiden couldn't move.
The claw closed the distance—
And then—
A crushing ripple of power tore through the corridor, slamming the monster backward like a ragdoll.
A boot stepped between Aiden and the creature. A shadow fell over him.
A strict, cold voice spoke above him:
"Level Zero… survive or not, you're coming with me."
Aiden forced his blurred eyes upward—
An instructor stood over him.
But not just any instructor.
The one who should have been dead.
The one the academy never talks about.
The one who recognized his forbidden system before anyone else.
His vision faded.
The last words he heard were:
"Your life just got a lot more complicated, Aiden Vale."