The night grew colder.
Kael could feel it in his bones as he walked through the silent forest, stepping over broken branches and monster corpses.
The elite predator's body had already turned grey behind him, drained completely by Energy Devourer.
His body was healing slowly.
Not fully.
Never fully.
But enough to move.
Enough to survive.
The crimson sky above flickered again, like a broken screen struggling to stay active.
[Survival Timer: 22 Hours Remaining]
"…Still counting," Kael muttered.
The system had gone quiet after the last fight.
Too quiet.
That bothered him.
Because systems didn't stay silent without reason.
They calculated.
They adapted.
They planned.
Which meant something worse was probably coming.
Kael walked forward, eyes scanning the forest carefully.
Every sound mattered now.
Every shadow.
Every movement.
Then—
He stopped.
"…What is that?"
Ahead of him, through the twisted trees, something unnatural stood in the distance.
Stone.
Black stone.
Ruins.
Kael frowned.
Ruins… in the middle of a corrupted forest?
That didn't make sense.
Slowly, he moved closer.
The trees began to thin, and the air changed.
Heavier.
Older.
Like stepping into a forgotten graveyard.
Soon, the structure became clear.
Broken pillars.
Collapsed walls.
Ancient stone covered in strange glowing symbols.
A ruin.
But not abandoned.
The energy here was different.
It pulsed.
Like something alive.
[Warning: Unknown Structure Detected]
The system flickered weakly again.
[System Database Access Restricted]
Kael smirked.
"Of course it is."
He stepped forward anyway.
Because restricted information usually meant something valuable.
Or dangerous.
Or both.
The ground changed beneath his feet.
From dirt…
To stone.
Cracked, ancient stone covered in faded markings.
As he stepped into the ruins—
The forest behind him suddenly went silent.
Completely silent.
No wind.
No movement.
Nothing.
Kael stopped.
"…That's not good."
Then—
The ground lit up.
Symbols across the ruins began to glow.
One by one.
Like a circuit activating.
[Warning: Ancient Mechanism Activated]
The system flickered violently.
[This area is outside system jurisdiction]
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
"…Outside system jurisdiction?"
That was new.
Very new.
Before he could react—
A deep voice echoed through the ruins.
Cold.
Ancient.
Inhuman.
"An anomaly… has entered."
Kael turned instantly, scanning the ruins.
"Who's there?"
No answer.
Then—
The stone pillars shifted.
Not physically.
But something inside them moved.
Watching.
Observing.
The voice returned.
"You carry system corruption."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"And you sound like something that shouldn't exist."
Silence.
Then—
A faint glow appeared at the center of the ruins.
A floating sphere of ancient energy.
Cracked.
Damaged.
But alive.
The system flickered violently.
[WARNING WARNING WARNING]
[Ancient Core Detected]
[Immediate Withdrawal Recommended]
Kael smiled slowly.
"Now you're panicking."
The voice spoke again.
"This place is forbidden."
Kael stepped forward.
"That's exactly why I want to see it."
The energy sphere pulsed.
Stronger.
"He rejects system authority…"
The voice sounded almost… curious now.
"Interesting."
Kael stopped in front of the floating core.
Up close, he could see cracks running across its surface.
Like something had tried to destroy it long ago.
"What are you?" Kael asked.
The sphere flickered.
"I am what existed before the system."
Kael's expression darkened.
Before the system?
That meant—
Something ancient.
Something older than the rules controlling this world.
The system glitched violently.
[DO NOT INTERACT]
[DO NOT INTERACT]
[DO NOT INTERACT]
Kael laughed.
"You really don't want me touching this."
The voice spoke again.
"You seek power."
Kael didn't deny it.
"Yes."
"You reject control."
"Yes."
"You seek freedom."
Kael's eyes sharpened.
"Yes."
The core pulsed again.
Then it said something unexpected.
"Then take what remains of me."
Kael froze.
"…What?"
The system exploded with warnings.
[CRITICAL DANGER]
[Interaction Will Cause System Collapse]
[HOST WILL BE FLAGGED FOR TERMINATION]
Kael stared at the core.
"If I take your power…"
The voice answered calmly.
"You will become something the system cannot control."
Kael smiled slowly.
"That already sounds good."
"But," the voice continued, "you will also become something this world will hunt."
Kael stepped closer.
"That already happened too."
The system flickered violently.
[FINAL WARNING]
Kael raised his hand.
The core glowed brighter.
"Make your choice, anomaly," the voice said.
"Power or survival."
Kael chuckled.
"Wrong question."
His hand touched the core.
"I choose both."
The ruins exploded with light.
The system screamed.
[CRITICAL ERROR]
[UNAUTHORIZED POWER ABSORPTION]
Energy flooded into Kael's body.
Ancient.
Wild.
Uncontrolled.
His body shook violently as the core cracked further.
[System Integrity: 66%… 60%… 55%…]
Far beyond the sky—
Something woke up.
Watching.
Angry.
Back in the ruins, Kael collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily as ancient power flowed through him.
The core shattered.
Gone.
Absorbed.
The voice faded.
"You are now… free from their chains…"
Silence followed.
The ruins began to collapse slowly.
Kael stood up, eyes glowing faintly with new power.
The system flickered weakly.
[New Trait Acquired]
[Ancient Anomaly]
Effect: System restrictions greatly reduced
Ancient energy can be used freely
World hostility increased
Kael smiled.
"Perfect."
[Survival Timer: 21 Hours Remaining]
He turned and walked out of the collapsing ruins.
Stronger.
More dangerous.
More hunted.
And somewhere beyond the sky—
The system had begun preparing something far worse.
Because now—
Kael wasn't just a problem.
He was a threat.
And threats had to be eliminated.