Chương 69: The Nexus Gift

Recap: You defeated the Void Lord, evolved to Voidband, and cleared Floor 7. The Void Armor loot is available. You voted to GIVE ARMOR TO TORIN (PARTY). The Void Armor floated in the zero-G chamber. Dark metal. Shimmering with captured starlight. It was Level 8 Rare. Perfect for a tank. I could have stored it. My Voidband passive would have let me absorb its properties for a +5 Defense bonus. But I was already a walking fortress. Torin… Torin was flesh. He bled. He broke. And he had just taken a hit for me.

I nudged the armor with my base. It drifted toward Torin. Buzz. (Take it). Torin blinked. He was still rubbing his head where the Boss had knocked him.

"For… me?" Buzz. (Yes). Kara smiled. She floated over to help him.

"It's magical sizing, Torin. Try it." Torin hesitated. Then he pulled the armor on. It clung to him like liquid shadow. The starry shimmer faded into a matte black, matching his existing gear but reinforcing it. SYSTEM NOTIFICATIONParty Loyalty Increased: Torin (Max)Effect: Bonded SoulBuff Received: Tank SynergyEffect: When Torin takes damage, You gain +2 SP RegenEffect: When You take damage, Torin gains +2 HP Regen Nice, I thought. We're linked now. Torin flexed his arms.

"I feel… lighter. Even without gravity." He looked at me.

"Box… I don't know what to say. This… this is worth more than my life." Don't die then, I thought. Keep paying the debt.

"We're even," Kara said. She gathered her reagents.

"The portal is stabilizing. Floor 8… The Nexus. Are we ready?" I vibrated. Buzz. (Ready). We pushed off the floating rocks, swimming toward the exit. The portal wasn't a door this time. It was a ring of suspended runes. Stepping through felt like falling upward. SYSTEM NOTIFICATIONZone Change: Floor 8 (The Nexus)Environment: Archive of EchoesThreat: Knowledge Hazards, Memory EatersGravity: Normal We landed on solid stone. No zero-G. No crushing weight. Just… silence. The chamber was vast. Circular.

Walls lined with shelves. Not for items. For crystals. Millions of them. Each glowing faintly. Each humming with a voice.

"An archive," Kara whispered. She walked to the nearest shelf. She touched a crystal. It flared blue.

"…the day the King fell…" a voice echoed. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"Memories," Torin said. He gripped his sword.

"Whose?"

"Dungeon… History…" I creaked. My Core Resonance was picking up the frequency.

"Past… Run… Errors…" We moved deeper. The floor was smooth glass. In the center of the room stood a pedestal. On it, a single book. Not stone. Not crystal. Paper. Paper, I thought. In a dungeon? I slid toward it. The party followed. As I approached, the book opened itself. The pages fluttered. Text appeared. Not carved. Written. Ink. SYSTEM NOTIFICATIONLore Object Detected: The Administrator's LogAccess Level: Transmigrator (🧠)Warning: Party Members Cannot Read The text scrolled.

"Subject 8940 (Alex) confirmed deceased in Earth Reality.""Soul displacement detected.""Destination: Dungeon System (Sector 7).""Status: Anomaly.""Action: Monitor. If Threat Level exceeds Class 5… Deploy Cleaners." They know my name, I thought. They know I'm from Earth. The text changed.

"Current Threat Level: Class 3.""Reason: Dungeon Integration. Party Bonding.""Recommendation: Allow Progression. Data Collection Active." Data Collection, I thought. I'm not just surviving. I'm being watched. Studied. The book slammed shut. The light in the room dimmed. A voice echoed. Not from the book. From the ceiling.

"WELCOME… NEXUS… WALKER…" A figure descended. Not a monster. A humanoid. Robed in gray. Faceless. Level 10. SYSTEM NOTIFICATIONNPC Detected: Nexus LibrarianFaction: Neutral (System Affiliated)Quest Available: The Truth Seeker"You… read… the… Book…" the Librarian said. It pointed at me.

"Only… Anomalies… can… Read…" Torin stepped forward.

"Who are you?"

"I… am… Keeper… of… Records…" The Librarian ignored Torin. It floated to me.

"You… seek… Return…?" Return, I thought. To Earth? Buzz. (Yes).

"Return… is… Impossible… Death… is… Final… But… Escape… is… Possible…" It held out a hand. A key floated above its palm. Silver. Intricate.

"Floor… 9… The… Gate… Requires… Key… Key… Requires… Quest… Quest… Requires… Sacrifice…" Sacrifice, I thought. Of course.

"What sacrifice?" Kara asked. She sensed the danger.

"Memory…" the Librarian said.

"To… Pass… the… Gate… You… must… Forget… Why… You… Entered…" Forget, I thought. Forget Earth? Forget being Alex? That was the cost. To escape the dungeon, I had to lose the thing that made me want to escape. The Librarian waited. The party watched. They didn't know what was being asked. They only saw a key. Current Stats (Level 8 - Voidband Mimic): HP: 29/29 (Full) Mana: 24/24 (Full) Stamina: 34/34 (Full) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Guardian Hammer (Stored).

Status: Voidband Active, Transmigrator Lore Revealed, Quest Offered. What do you do? A) ACCEPT THE QUEST (SACRIFICE) Take the key. Agree to the memory loss condition. Escape is the goal, no matter the cost. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Floor 9 Access. Risk: Lose Identity/Memories.) B) REFUSE THE QUEST (DEFY) Reject the key. Find another way to Floor 9. Keep your memories intact. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Identity Safe. Risk: Harder Path, No Key.) C) ASK FOR CLARIFICATION (NEGOTIATE) Question the Librarian.

What exactly is forgotten? Just Earth? Or Dungeon progress too? (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Intel. Risk: Librarian might vanish.) D) STEAL THE KEY (THEFT) Use Dimensional Storage to take the key by force. Fight the Librarian if needed. (Cost: 5 MP. Gain: Key without Quest. Risk: System Hostility, Cleaners Deployed.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 68! Option D (Give Armor) strengthened the Party Bond!

You've entered Floor 8 (The Nexus) and discovered Major Lore about your Transmigrator status!