The light swallowed him whole.
The forge chamber was less a room and more a cathedral built of machines.
Rows of floating panels hung in mid-air; rivers of molten code streamed along the floor like liquid glass. Each platform shimmered with the outline of half-formed weapons waiting for a creator's touch.
Leice's boots clicked against the metallic bridge as he stepped inside.
Data flowed around his hands, recognising his presence.
[Forge Access Verified. Participant: Leice Grape.]
[System Integration — Compatible at 100%.]
The message flickered only in his vision.
He grinned. Still with me, huh?
Across the hall, Yvonne was already surrounded by a ring of assistants from the academy's tech division, their holographic arms moving as she designed a rapier forged from condensed sunlight.
The blade's blueprint gleamed gold, elegant and sharp — Sunflare.
Nearby, laughter cut through the mechanical hum.
Kesha Billex lounged on her own platform, black jacket half-unzipped, eyes glowing crimson as her twin pistols took shape mid-air. Sparks leapt each time she snapped her fingers; the pistols morphed into a bow, then a blade, then back again.
"Flexible weapons for flexible fights," she said aloud, catching Leice watching.
"What about you, pretty boy? Going to craft a mirror to admire yourself?"
Leice smirked.
"You'll see."
He stood before an empty forge. A sphere of raw data hovered there, waiting to be claimed.
He lifted his hand; the system hummed inside his mind.
[Begin Weapon Creation.]
[Concept Required.]
Images flashed — ten years of games, thousands of weapons he'd mastered, every build, every failure.
He whispered to the sphere, voice low.
"A weapon that adapts. One that never loses the same way twice."
The data pulsed in answer.
He fed in fragments of memory: swords from MMOs, guns from shooters, the rhythmic sound of engines, the clean swing of an axe.
The forge blazed.
Parts assembled, then separated, then fused again like living steel. A skeletal frame emerged — segmented, breathing, aware.
[Prototype Form Achieved.]
[Designation: BREAKAM ONE.]
Before him floated a weapon unlike any other — slender at first glance, its body composed of shifting plates and glowing veins. It twisted slowly, the blade reshaping itself into a gun barrel, then an axe head, then a scythe, each motion smooth as water.
The surrounding air trembled. Even Kesha's laughter died for a heartbeat.
"That… thing's alive," someone whispered.
Leice extended his hand. The weapon responded, folding into a simple sword shape and landing in his grip with a satisfying click. The handle was warm, heartbeat faint against his palm.
"Alive enough," he murmured.
A faint pulse travelled up his arm — a whisper from the system.
[Compatibility: Perfect.]
[Feed required for evolution.]
He smiled at the word feed.
"Guess you're hungry, partner."
Yvonne turned from her station, the light of her rapier reflecting in her amber eyes.
"Trying to show off, Leice? Flashy tricks don't win tournaments."
"You're right," he said, spinning the blade once. "But they make people remember the name of the winner."
Kesha barked a short laugh.
"Careful, princess. He's got teeth."
Yvonne ignored her, but the tension between the three of them set sparks dancing in the air.
When the final countdown tone echoed through the forge, every participant froze.
EVA-9's voice returned, calm and omnipresent.
"All weapons registered. Synchronisation complete. You will now be transferred to the staging platform."
Pillars of light rose around each contestant. The forge floor began to dissolve into a field of cascading symbols.
Leice's interface displayed the last set of data:
[Weapon Registered: BREAKAM ONE]
[Form: Adaptive / Modular]
[Core Trait: Consume & Evolve]
[Sync: 100%]
The weapon in his hand vibrated once, almost eager.
Across from him, Yvonne pointed her rapier at him.
"Try not to get deleted in the first five minutes."
"I'll keep that in mind," he replied. "When I'm saving you."
Her glare could have melted iron.
Kesha whistled.
"Can't wait to see which of you crashes first."
A flash of light engulfed the chamber.
Hundreds of bodies turned to streams of data, rising through the ceiling toward the digital sky.
Leice's last glimpse of the forge was the reflection of his own smile on the polished blade of Breakam One.
[Transferring Participant…]
[Destination: NightSun Grid]
[Countdown: 10… 9… 8…]
Wind roared in his ears. The world stretched into lines of light.
[3… 2… 1…]
Darkness snapped to brilliance.
The battlefield of Jaigoria unfolded beneath him—an endless expanse of floating islands, ruined cities, and storms of crystal energy.
Far below, hundreds of flashes marked the arrival of other contestants.
Breakam One pulsed once, like a living heart.
[System Online.]
[Let the qualification begin.]
Leice adjusted his stance in mid-air, eyes narrowing.
"Game start."
And he dove.