The dungeon grew darker with every step. Crimson lines of broken code crawled across the walls, and the ground trembled beneath their feet.
Aryan tightened his grip on the glitching sword as the system's voice echoed:
> [Approaching Core Gate.]
[Warning: Guardian Detected.]
Liana lifted her staff, golden magic swirling around her. "These tremors… we're close. But something feels wrong."
A vast chamber opened before them. At its center loomed a colossal black gate, glowing like a cracked monitor. And before it—
A monstrous figure knelt, forged from shattered stone and twisted metal. Its eyes flickered like glitching crimson screens.
The system announced:
> [Core Guardian – Level 15]
[Status: Corrupted.]
The beast raised its head, a fractured mechanical voice rumbling from its chest:
"…Unauthorized… user… must… be… erased…"
Aryan staggered back. "This… it's just like the visions I saw!"
The guardian roared, every movement shedding shards of metal. Liana cast a bolt of light, but a shimmering digital shield blocked it instantly.
Aryan raised his blade. The glitching lines flared—
> [Skill Activated: Glitch Strike Lv.2]
His strike shattered the shield, but the guardian's massive arm slammed into him, hurling his body against the wall.
"Aryan!" Liana cried.
The beast advanced, ready to crush him—when suddenly, the fragment of cursed chain he'd acquired earlier glowed in his hand. Without understanding how, Aryan lashed it out, binding the guardian's arm for a brief moment.
The system reacted instantly:
> [Item Fusion Detected.]
[Cursed Chain Fragment → Bound Protocol Activated.]
The guardian's crimson eyes flickered. Aryan seized the moment, gripping his sword tighter.
"This power may not belong to me… but right now, I'm the only one who can wield it!"
Blue and golden light engulfed the chamber.
The real battle had begun.
— To be continued —