🧠Part I: The High-Level Data Recharge
The small, stable park was quiet again, littered only with the residual, shimmering particles of what had been twelve Level 10 Wraiths. Kael, still leaning against the cold stone of the Statue of Victoria, was functionally useless, his Mental Energy hovering dangerously close to the 5% threshold.
Elara stood watch, her form radiating a faint golden light—the lingering energy of the Holy activation. She was impatience distilled, but she honored the contract.
"Archivist, perform your data acquisition. I will not stand guard all day," Elara stated, her voice tight with suppressed energy.
"Understood," Kael rasped. He closed his eyes and focused his will on the raw, powerful data he had captured just before his crash. The [Dati di Combattimento di Alto Livello: HOLY_CORRUPTION] was his war loot, a trove of system logs detailing the exact moment Level 15 Holy damage overcame Level 10 Undead resistance.
[Kael uses: Archive Data] (Decompression Protocol)
Unlike the chaotic release of the FATAL EXCEPTION in the subway, this data was structured and pure. Processing it felt less like a jolt of energy and more like a massive, instantaneous upgrade to his own internal processing speed. The information rushed into his mental core, not as chaos, but as ordered energy.
Mental Energy: Replenished. (Now 98% Stable). Data Archive (Slot 1): Empty. Skill Acquired (Passive): [CODE ACUITY] – Mental processes now operate at 1.5x speed when analyzing System Logs.
A wave of intense clarity washed over Kael. The risk had paid off. High-level combat data was a vastly superior resource for recharging and growth.
"Done," Kael said, standing up. He felt not only recovered but significantly sharper.
Elara, sensing the change in his presence, raised an eyebrow. "You recharge with information. A strange power."
"The strength of the Archivist is the speed of his analysis," Kael confirmed. "The bug fix succeeded. Your Holy damage is active. But we need to prepare for the next encounter. Your power is brute force; mine is intelligence. Now, we analyze the core."
đź“ť Part II: The Law of Primary Weakness
Kael turned his attention to the second Law of Combat Elara had mentioned: the necessity of hitting a monster's Primary Weakness to inflict full damage. If the System was consistent, there had to be a rule set defining these vulnerabilities.
"Elara, I need you to confirm what you know about the elemental cores of the Wraiths we just fought," Kael instructed.
Elara, surprisingly, indulged him. "The Briar Wraiths are Undead, corrupted by plant-based dark magic. Their Primary Weakness is always Holy or Fire—something that purifies. Had your patch failed, I would have had to rely on a few vials of weak Alchemist's Fire to kill them."
Kael focused his newly enhanced [CODE ACUITY] on the residual data particles. He didn't just see the destruction of the Wraiths; he saw the lines of code that dictated their vulnerability.
> ENTITY_TYPE: UNDEAD_CORRUPT > RESISTANCE_FLAG: RUNE_DARK_PLANT (90%) > VULNERABILITY_FLAG: HOLY (100% Damage Scaling) > VULNERABILITY_FLAG: FIRE (75% Damage Scaling) > PRIMARY_WEAKNESS_TRIGGER: HOLY
"Look at this," Kael explained, pointing to the glowing residue of the dust. "The System differentiates between Weakness (Fire, 75% scaling) and Primary Weakness (Holy, 100% scaling). You hit the 100% trigger. That's why the execution was instantaneous."
He realized the strategic importance: knowing the Primary Weakness allowed them to conserve Elara's energy and eliminate threats in a single strike, vital when facing higher-level enemies.
đź“Š Part III: Creating the Tactical Database
Kael needed to formalize this knowledge. He mentally began compiling a new structure, dedicating a permanent segment of his internal resource to tactical data—a digital library he could access instantaneously.
[Kael uses: Archive Data] (Function: Create Tactical Database)
The process was seamless. He didn't just store the Wraith data; he created the foundation for a predictive model based on Entity Types.
TACTICAL DATABASE (V 1.0) INITIALIZED
INPUT 1: Entity Type: Undead Corrupt (e.g., Briar Wraith, Rust Ghoul)
Primary Weakness: HOLY
Secondary Weakness: FIRE
INPUT 2 (Theoretical): Entity Type: Elemental Stone (e.g., Earth Golem)
Primary Weakness Prediction: ICE or SONIC (Vibrational Overload)
INPUT 3 (Theoretical): Entity Type: Technological Construct (e.g., Automated Turret)
Primary Weakness Prediction: ELECTRICAL (Short Circuit) or DECONSTRUCT (Archivist Override)
"This is what the Archivist does," Kael announced, the energy of the successful analysis still humming beneath his skin. "I can now instantly query the most effective method of attack, even if I haven't fought the monster before, based on its classification and local environmental vulnerabilities. It's a combat forecast model."
Elara sheathed her sword. The golden light subsided. She looked genuinely impressed, a rare expression on her face. "You turn the fight into a formula. You are valuable, Archivist. More than I thought."
"This database means we don't waste energy on the 25% damage minimum," Kael countered. "It's efficient code management. We need to test the model immediately."
🧠Part IV: The March to Big Ben
Kael accessed the local, still-functioning network from the nearest lamp post—no need for a full [Deconstruct Interface] now that his acuity was sharpened. He queried the fastest route to the Big Ben Fragment.
"The path to the Big Ben Fragment is mostly clear, running along the Thames embankment," Kael reported. "However, the System has anchored two Level 20 Technological Constructs—old automated defenses—to the Waterloo Bridge area. We can't use Holy damage on them; they are not organic."
Elara's expression hardened. "Level 20 is manageable, but if I can only do 25% damage, it will drain me. What does your database predict?"
Kael opened his theoretical prediction for Technological Constructs. "The Primary Weakness is [ELECTRICAL] or [DECONSTRUCT]. Since my energy is still recovering, we target the Electrical Weakness. We need a way to redirect the local power grid."
Elara smirked. "So, you won't be using your hands to fight, but the city itself. I understand the contract now, Archivist."
Kael gave a concise nod. "Our journey to the Big Ben Fragment is the first test of our new efficiency. Let's move. We are ready for the high-level code."