The world felt different after the second kill—less static, more alive. Or maybe it was Damian who had changed.
Echo Processing… COMPLETE
New Function Unlocked: Instinctive Resilience (Passive)
Grants temporary damage reduction after sustaining a hit. Duration: 5 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
It wasn't flashy, but it was survival. He anchored it to a secondary buffer—still locked, but now visible. The UI was starting to bend around him. Not the other way around.
System Notice:
Nearby Core Pulse Detected
[Optional] Investigate to unlock Tier-2 Seed Trait
That got his attention.
Tier-2? Already?
Distance: 1.6 miles northwest
Threat Rating: High
Time Limit: 02:00:00
He didn't hesitate. If the System was offering upgrades, it meant the next phase would be worse.
Much worse.
The journey took him through the outskirts—abandoned homes, overturned vehicles, fields of invasive red fungus that hissed when touched. A message blinked as he passed a warped statue near a broken park:
[Zone Entered: Breach Perimeter]
Aberrant Density: Elevated
Core Pulse Origin: Beneath Surface - Subterranean Facility
A cracked manhole cover. Glowing faintly. Below it: a narrow access tunnel and the deep thrum of power.
He climbed down.
The underground facility was a tech graveyard—half-submerged corridors, scorched walls, and shattered drones lining the path. But deeper in, something still worked.
Core Pulse Stable - 30 Meters Ahead
Security Protocols: Active
As he approached, turrets rose from the floor. Red laser sights targeted his chest.
Combat Adaptation Buffer - Preloaded
Predictive Counter - Ready
He moved.
A roll behind cover. A crowbar deflection. A sprint into blind spot. Then—his machete cracked open a turret's casing, exposing the cooling node.
He plunged the blade. The turret shorted.
Two more.
He grabbed a fallen drone and flung it like a shield—absorbing the next burst. The final turret tried to track him, but he was already inside its blind arc. He wrenched out its optic core and kicked it over.
Silence.
Security Disabled
Core Interface Active
Damian stepped into the Core Room. A sphere hovered above the pedestal—metallic, pulsing like a heartbeat. Glyphs spiraled around it.
[SEED CORE: SYNAPTIC TRACE FOUND]
Assimilate Core? Y/N
He chose Yes.
And the world split open.
White light flooded his vision. Pain stabbed his skull, then peeled back.
Then—
A field of blue code. Voices echoing in reverse. Memories that weren't his.
Alira. Screaming. Holding something small. A child?
Then nothing.
When the light cleared, Damian stood alone—but something inside him had changed.
SEED CORE UPDATE: TRAIT UNLOCKED
TRACE PATH - CLASS: GLITCHWALKER
You can exist partially out of phase. Grants:
Phase Dash (Active): Blink 10 meters through physical space. CD: 15s
Static Veil (Passive): 30% chance to avoid all damage from any non-Echo source.
Tier-2 Trait Installed
He staggered back, gasping.
"Glitchwalker," he whispered.
A ripple passed through his arm. For a second, it wasn't there—just static.
Then it reformed.
Damian laughed. Not from joy. From disbelief.
He was no longer just adapting to the game.
He was breaking it.
As he climbed back to the surface, the sun had finally moved. Slightly. Barely. But enough.
[6:00:44 UNTIL CYCLE ONE]
Core Pulse Recorded
Region Status: Glitchwalker Claimed
The world was no longer a prison.
It was a sandbox.
And Damian was learning how to cheat.