The nutrient packs Jin had purchased with his first batch of credits tasted like heaven compared to the chalky, grey paste they usually endured. For the first time in years, Mei had color in her cheeks, and the air filtration unit in their Nano-Unit hummed with a slightly cleaner tone after Jin replaced the clogged filters. But the peace was fleeting. In the year 2300, a few hundred credits was a bandage on a bullet wound; to truly change their fate, he had to go back in.
"Jin, wait," Mei called out as he prepared to climb back into the Sync-Pod. She was looking at a data-scroll on her tablet, her brow furrowed. "That Razor-Tusk Boar you killed… it dropped a rare coordinate. It's marked as the 'Whispering Grotto.' The forums say it's a high-level Spirit Spring, usually guarded by the Silver-Fang Guild. It's a restricted zone."
Jin paused, his hand on the pod's lid. "The boar's drop-table mentioned a 'Spirit Spring Essence.' If I can get that, I can use Runic Alchemy to create a pill that doesn't just buff stats—it might actually strengthen your neural connection permanently."
"But the Silver-Fang Guild is ruthless, brother. They have corporate backing from the Neo-Tokyo conglomerates. If they catch a solo player in their territory..."
"They won't catch me," Jin said, his voice dropping into that calm, calculated tone. "I'm not there to fight them. I'm there to rewrite the map."
[Neural Link: Established] [Synchronizing Soul Frequency... 94% (Stable)] [Welcome back to Aether-Sync, Interloper Jin.]
Jin materialized back in the Jade-Leaf Forest, but he didn't stay long. Following the coordinates, he moved toward the North-East, where the bioluminescent trees grew taller and the air became heavy with moisture. His Runic Eyes were wide open, scanning the environment. He wasn't looking for monsters; he was looking for the "Flow."
In this higher dimension, energy moved like water. By following the golden "Current Runes" in the air, he could avoid high-level patrols. He moved like a ghost, his Weighted Runic Dagger strapped to his thigh.
After an hour of trekking, the sound of rushing water reached his ears. He crested a ridge and looked down into the Whispering Grotto. It was a cavern of shimmering blue crystals, with a central pool that radiated a blinding golden light. This was the Spirit Spring—a concentrated node of the dimension's "Source Code."
But it wasn't empty.
Near the edge of the pool, a group of five players in polished, silver-and-white armor stood in a defensive formation. They were Level 10-12, far beyond Jin's current reach. In the center of their circle was a woman who looked nothing like the others.
She had long, silver-white hair that seemed to glow with its own internal light, and she was wielding a massive greatsword that was currently cracked and sparking with "System Errors." This was Seraphina. Even through her tattered armor, she possessed an aura of cold, sharp elegance—the kind of presence only someone born in the "Aurum-Class" of 2300 could have.
"Give it up, Seraphina," the leader of the Silver-Fang squad sneered. "The Thorne Corporation has revoked your ID. You're an 'Unclaimed' now. Hand over the [Frost-Core] you stole, and we'll let you log out without a neural wipe."
Seraphina didn't speak. She adjusted her grip on the broken sword, her eyes—a piercing, icy blue—fixed on her opponents. But Jin, watching from the shadows above, saw what the others didn't.
Through his Runic Eyes, he saw that Seraphina's "Sync-Rate" was fluctuating wildly. She wasn't just losing a game; her real-world brain was under attack from a corporate virus. On her broken sword, the [Sharpness] runes were shattered, leaking energy like a bleeding wound.
If she dies while her Sync-Rate is that unstable, she'll be a 'Burnout' for life, Jin thought.
He looked at the Spirit Spring. The golden water was overflowing with [Vitality] and [Purity] runes. He looked at his inventory. He still had the 'Uncut Rune-Stone' and some herbal scraps from the forest.
Slow down. Don't fight them. Re-code them.
Jin knelt and pulled out a handful of Cloud-Peel Herbs. These were basic mana-recovery items. Using his dagger, he began the process of Runic Alchemy. He didn't have a cauldron, so he used the hollow of a nearby crystal as his vessel.
He "peeled" a [Haste] rune from the surrounding wind and a [Purity] rune from the spray of the Spirit Spring. He merged them into the Cloud-Peel Herb, his fingers glowing with a soft, primordial gold.
[Runic Alchemy Initiated...] [Product: 'Overclocked Haste Pill' (Rank: Rare)] [Effect: Increases Agility by 400% for 30 seconds. Warning: Causes 10% HP drain.]
Down in the grotto, the Silver-Fang leader raised his mace. "Kill her. Take the Core."
As the four guards lunged, Jin didn't jump down. Instead, he threw the pill with the precision of a professional athlete—a benefit of his newly awakened Neural Reflex.
The pill landed directly at Seraphina's feet.
"Eat it if you want to live!" Jin shouted, his voice echoing through the grotto, disguised by a [Vibration] rune he held to his throat to mask his identity.
Seraphina hesitated for a fraction of a second. She saw the pill—it wasn't the blue, standardized medicine of the system. It was glowing with a strange, ancient script she had never seen. Sensing the raw power radiating from it, she snatched it and swallowed it whole.
[System Notification: Player 'Seraphina' has entered 'Overclock' State!]
Her movement became a blur. To the Silver-Fang guards, she simply vanished. A split second later, three of them were sent flying as she struck them with the flat of her blade, her speed so high that the broken greatsword hissed through the air like a meteor.
The leader panicked. "Who's there? Show yourself!"
Jin didn't answer. He was already moving. While the guards were distracted by the "Ghost" of Seraphina, he slid down the crystal wall toward the Spirit Spring. His goal wasn't the fight; it was the [Spring Essence].
He reached the edge of the water and dipped his hand in. The energy was so intense it felt like his skin was being peeled back.
[Warning: Attempting to harvest 'Primordial Essence' without a Container.] [Primordial Bloodline active: Absorbing...]
His arm began to glow with golden veins. The thrum in his blood turned into a roar. He wasn't just taking the water; he was "stealing" the runes of the spring itself.
Seraphina, having finished off the guards, turned toward the spring. Her eyes locked onto Jin—a hooded figure in low-level gear whose arm was literally drinking the light of the grotto.
"You..." she breathed, her voice like cracking ice. "Who are you?"
Before Jin could answer, the grotto began to shake. The Silver-Fang Guild had sent reinforcements. A massive, metallic dragon-construct—a corporate "Guard Dog"—was descending from the cave ceiling.
"Run," Jin said, his voice straining under the pressure of the energy he was holding. "Follow me if you don't want to be wiped."
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