Night had settled over the Spiral Grove, but the sky above Jun still shimmered with residual traces of the Breath Kernel. He knelt beneath a frost-covered tree, catching his breath, the Azure Embershell flickering faintly along his spine like a living armor.
There was no time to savor victory.
System Broadcast: World Event Initialized Title: Hunt the Rootless Description: A high-value anomaly has been detected within Heaven's Gate Online. A bounty has been issued by [Unknown Protocol Authority]. Rewards: +5000 Soul Fragments, Exclusive System-Class Gear, Legacy Data Keys Target: Kernel-Bound Rootless (ID: Jun – Manual Mode)
Jun's eyes narrowed. "They really gamified it."
Riven handed him a scroll wrapped in dark silk.
Item Acquired: Breathmarked Map Contents: Hidden Rootless Sanctuaries, Anomaly Nodes, Cultivation Grounds (Unregistered)
"We're not safe here," Riven said. "The Spiral Grove's shielding is already fading. You need to learn to hide—not just from players, but from the System Watchers. They're not bound by normal detection rules."
"Where to next?" Jun asked.
Riven pointed toward the east. "Sanctuary Delta. Deep in the Hollow Forest. But first, we make a stop… at the Breath Market."
New Functionality: Breath Market
Location Unlocked: Echo-Choked Bazaar (Hidden Instance) Description: A dynamic zone that trades in Breath fragments, corrupted Echo techniques, and Rootless relics.
It was unlike any city Jun had seen in-game before. Lanterns hung from twisted trees, glowing with Qi-infused fireflies. Stalls were manned not by NPCs but by other Rootless—each with strange tags and flickering names that the system couldn't fully classify.
One merchant, a woman with four Breath tattoos and an Echo-corrupted arm, nodded to Jun. "Fresh from the Kernel, huh? Don't touch the black lotus stand. It bites."
Jun kept his guard up. The Market pulsed like a breathing organism—alive with trade, treachery, and techniques.
He approached a relic seller whose wares floated mid-air:
Fragmented Breath Scroll (Fire Variant – Unknown Origin) Cost: 2 Spirit Echoes
Locked Root Core (Type: ???) Cost: 1 Rare Technique Blueprint or equivalent manual breath path
Riven whispered, "You should trade that Breath Lotus you cultivated. It's valuable here."
Jun hesitated. His Breath was hard-earned. But this world didn't reward hoarding. He made the trade.
Trade Completed Item Acquired: Fragmented Root Core (Frostburn Variant) Functionality: Can evolve Breath Center to Tier II Core upon refinement
Suddenly, a hush fell over the market.
A hooded figure entered.
New Character: Kael of the System Reapers
Name: Kael Class: System Reaper Affiliation: Protocol Hunters Division – Echo Enforcement
Kael's presence caused several Rootless to vanish instantly—some dissolved into smoke, others simply phased out of view.
He walked straight toward Jun.
"You are the one they call Kernel-Bound. I have no quarrel. But I carry the System's Will. Either submit and return to protocol... or die resisting."
Jun stepped back, pulse quickening. No system window offered a duel. No countdown.
Kael drew a blade. Not forged steel, but a data-wrapped construct humming with system enforcement code.
System Override Activated: PvE/PvP Rules Suspended
This wasn't a normal fight.
It was survival.
Combat Event: Breath Clash Initiated
Jun activated Azure Embershell. His breath surged in dual rhythm, Flame and Frost syncing erratically.
Kael struck with seamless precision, each blow warping the local code layer. Breath techniques didn't register against him as they normally would—he seemed to eat them, converting breath force into system damage.
Riven interfered—just enough to buy Jun an opening.
Jun unleashed Frostburn Spiral Step. His movements fractured space, breaking line-of-sight for a moment. He dipped into the corrupted side channel of the Market and emerged behind Kael.
One precise palm strike.
Direct Hit: System Reaper's Core Thread Interrupted Outcome: Partial Memory Wipe Successful
Kael staggered. "Interesting… The Kernel… is learning from you."
With a pulse of energy, he vanished.
Encounter Logged: Breath-Level Threat Evaded
Real World Consequences: NexSoul HQ – Tier 2 Alert
Sora reviewed the battle footage. "He fought off a Reaper. Not just any Reaper—Kael. That's Tier 6 system code he disrupted."
Minase looked shaken. "The Azure Embershell isn't from the original design. It's extrapolating Breath Paths from player behavior now. The myth engine has gone rogue."
"What do we do?" a junior engineer asked.
Sora said quietly, "We watch. And we wait for Jun to make a mistake we can exploit."
Post-Battle: The Choice
Back at their camp near the edge of the Echo-Choked Bazaar, Jun sat with the Fragmented Root Core in hand. It pulsed faintly.
Optional Upgrade Available: Breath Center Expansion Caution: May Trigger Permanent Path Divergence
He stared at it, then at the horizon.
He wasn't playing a game anymore.
He was building a new reality from the ashes of a forgotten one.