Chương 51: Mind Over Metal

Recap: You tanked a hit from the Forge Guardian and are Stunned. The hammer is coming down again. You have 3 MP left. You voted to USE CORE AUTHORITY (COMMAND). I was stunned. My muscles were locked. My lid was vibrating from the impact. The hammer was descending like a executioner's axe. I had 3 Mana points. Exactly enough for one skill. Exactly enough for one hope. Core Authority. It worked on skeletons. It worked on goblins. This was a construct. Made by the dungeon. Powered by mana. Just like me.

Please, I thought. Please listen to the boss. I didn't have a voice. I didn't have a mouth to speak commands. But I had the Fragment. I pushed the Sub-Core piece in my stomach. I let its resonance flare. I projected WILL. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Core Authority (Construct Override) Cost: 3 MP Current MP: 0/16 Target: Forge Guardian (Level 6) Level Discrepancy: -2 (Penalty Applied) Check: Intelligence 12 vs Willpower 14 Result: Partial Success (Confusion)"HALT," I projected. Not in words. In mana.

The hammer stopped. It hovered inches above my lid. The molten cracks in the Guardian's body flickered. Orange turned to a confused yellow.

"ERROR…" the Guardian grinded.

"COMMAND… CONFLICT… PRIORITY… UNDEFINED…" It didn't obey me. Not exactly. But it stopped attacking. It was caught between the Dungeon's default protocol (Kill Intruders) and my Fragment's authority (Protect/Obey Core). The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The stun wore off. My muscles unlocked. I gasped. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Status Effect: Stunned Status: EXPIRED Current SP: 7/26 Current HP: 16/21 I was alive. But I was out of mana. Completely dry.

If I needed Tremorsense, I was blind. If I needed Taunt, I was silent. If I needed magic… I was wood.

"Did you see that?" Kara whispered. She lowered her staff.

"The golem… it listened to the box." Torin didn't lower his sword.

"It's confused. Look at its eyes. They're flickering."

"SYSTEM… RECALIBRATING…" the Guardian boomed. It stepped back. The hammer lowered.

"THREAT… LEVEL… UNKNOWN…" It wasn't friendly. But it wasn't swinging. Yet.

"We have a window," Torin said.

"Five seconds. Maybe ten. Before it resets."

"RESET… IN… 10… 9…" It was counting down. I had 7 Stamina. I could Slam (5 SP). I could Bite (2 SP). I could Run (3 SP). The party was ready. Torin's sword was glowing faintly (enchanted). Kara was charging ice. Renn had an arrow nocked. If we attacked, we might break it before it resets. If we ran, it might chase us into the tunnel. If I tried to talk… I had no mana left to project authority.

"8… 7…" The Frost Ward on me flickered. 10 Minutes remaining. The heat was still oppressive. The lava below bubbled. I looked at the Guardian. It was made of black iron. Metal. I needed metal for evolution. I was at 1/3 (Dagger) + Overflow (Collar/Leg/Coin). Wait, I had fused those. I was Ironband. But more metal meant more mass. More Defense. If I ate the Guardian… I'd be unstoppable. If I died… I'd be scrap.

"6… 5…" Current Stats (Level 4 - Ironband Mimic): HP: 16/21 (Unchanged) Mana: 0/16 (DEPLETED) Stamina: 7/26 (Low) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Status: Core Authority (Cooldown), Frost Ward (10 Mins), Guardian Confused. What do you do? A) SLAM THE KNEE (CRIPPLE) Use your last Stamina to Slam its leg joint. Disable its movement. Let the party finish it. (Cost: 5 SP. Gain: Mobility Debuff. Risk: Reset Aggro.) B) BITE THE HAMMER (EAT) Try to bite the weapon. It's pure metal.

High evolution value. High risk. (Cost: 2 SP. Gain: Metal Item. Risk: Teeth Damage, Aggro.) C) SIGNAL PARTY (COORDINATE) Vibrate to tell them where to strike. Use their damage while you conserve stamina. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Efficient Kill. Risk: They might miss the window.) D) FLEE THE ROOM (RETREAT) The Guardian is too strong. Run into the tunnel. Let it reset to dormant state. (Cost: 3 SP. Gain: Safety. Risk: Lose Loot/XP, Blocked Path.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins.

[Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 50! Option A (Core Authority) worked partially! You confused the Guardian but drained your Mana to 0! You have one window of opportunity before it resets!