Chương 72: Copper and Current

Recap: You are in the Vent (Off-System). A magical fan blocks the path. You voted to BITE THE CONDUIT (SABOTAGE). Timing was everything. One second too early, and I'd be sliced into kindling. One second too late, and the cycle would reset. The fan blades hummed. Whirrrr… Whirrrr… The speed dropped. The magic powering the motor flickered. This was the window. Now, I thought. I launched myself toward the wall. The conduit was a thick crystal tube pulsing with blue mana. It was exposed during the slow cycle.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Bite Cost: 2 Stamina Current SP: 22/34 Target: Mana Conduit (Level 8 Hazard) Defense: 0 (Exposed) I clamped down. CRACK. The crystal shattered. But mana doesn't just stop. It leaks. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Taken: 4 HP (Mana Shock) Resistance (Voidband): -10% Net Damage: 4 HP Current HP: 25/29 Effect: Conduit Severed Status: Fan Stalled The pain was electric. It didn't burn; it numbed. My wood tingled. My iron bands sparked. But the fan… the fan groaned. The blades slowed. Stopped.

The hum died.

"Box!" Kara yelled. She saw the sparks flying off my lid.

"Are you okay?" I vibrated. Buzz. (Fine). Torin didn't wait.

"Move! Before it restarts!" We scrambled past the stalled blades. The heat behind us was rising rapidly. The cooling system was dead. The tunnel was becoming an oven. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Environmental Hazard: Overheat Time Until Critical: 5 Minutes Damage: 1 HP per 30 Seconds A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Run," Torin ordered. We ran. Or slid, in my case. The tunnel sloped upward now. Toward light. Pure, blinding white light. The heat faded. The smell of ozone was replaced by… nothing. Sterile air. We burst out of the vent. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Zone Change: Floor 9 (The Gate) Environment: Cosmic Void Threat: System Administrators (Potential) Status: Re-Entered System (Checkpoints Active) We stood on a platform. Floating in a sea of stars. No ceiling. No floor. Just a path of white stone leading to a massive archway.

The Archway was made of code. Glowing green symbols scrolled across the stone like water.

"Welcome… Travelers…" A voice boomed. Not from a monster. From the sky.

"Floor… 9… The… Gate… Only… One… May… Pass…" Torin stopped. He looked at the archway.

"One? What does that mean?" Kara stepped forward.

"It's a trial. Only one person can walk through?"

"Correction…" the voice intoned.

"Only… One… Soul… Is… Cleared… For… Ascension… The… Rest… Must… Return… Or… Fall…" Return or Fall, I thought. That sounds like death. I looked at the archway. My Transmigrator's Mark pulsed. The green code… it wasn't just decoration. It was a filter. It scanned souls. I could feel it scanning us. Torin: CLEARED (Dungeon Native) Kara: CLEARED (Dungeon Native) Renn: CLEARED (Dungeon Native) Me: ANOMALY (FLAGGED) Of course, I thought. I'm the problem. The archway glowed red when it looked at me. Green for the others.

"If only one can pass…" Torin said. He looked at the party.

"Then we decide who."

"No," Kara said.

"We stick together. We find another way."

"No… Other… Way…" the voice boomed.

"Trial… Begins… In… 60… Seconds…" A timer appeared in the air. Green digits. 59… 58… I looked at the archway. If I walked through… I might trigger the Cleaners. If I stayed… the party might be forced to leave me. But I had the Void Core. I had the Mark. I had Core Resonance. Maybe… I could hack the gate. I slid toward the archway. The code scrolled faster as I approached.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Quest Detected: The Gatekeeper's Filter Objective: bypass Soul Scan Method: Unknown Reward: Party Passage Failure: Party Wipe I had 22 SP. 24 MP. 25 HP. I had Gravity Well. I had Dimensional Storage. I had Core Resonance. If I used Core Resonance on the code… could I rewrite the scan? If I stored the party… could I walk through alone and release them? If I Taunted the Gate… would it focus on me? The timer ticked. 45… 44…

Current Stats (Level 8 - Voidband Mimic): HP: 25/29 (Mana Shock) Mana: 24/24 (Full) Stamina: 22/34 (Bite Cost) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Guardian Hammer (Stored). Status: Voidband Active, System Re-Entered, Gate Trial Active. What do you do? A) HACK THE GATE (RESONANCE) Use Core Resonance on the code. Try to change your status from Anomaly to Native. (Cost: 10 MP. Gain: Potential Bypass. Risk: System Alert, Cleaners Notified.) B) STORE THE PARTY (SMUGGLE) Put Torin/Kara/Renn in Dimensional Storage. Walk through alone. Release them on the other side. (Cost: 15 MP. Gain: Safe Passage. Risk: Storage Limit, Gate Might Detect Weight.) C) TAUNT THE GATE (DISTRACT) Draw the Gate's attention. Let the party walk through while it focuses on you. (Cost: 3 MP. Gain: Party Safety. Risk: You are Trapped/Deleted.) D) ASK PARTY FOR HELP (COMBINED) Tell them the truth (vaguely). Ask Kara to buff your soul signature. Torin to shield you. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Party Buffs. Risk: They might panic about 'Anomaly' status.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 71! Option B (Bite Conduit) worked! You severed the power, escaped the Vent, and reached Floor 9 (The Gate)! But the Gate only allows One Soul through!