Chương 74: The Core's Whisper

Recap: You reached Floor 10. The Administrator attacked. You voted to COMMUNICATE WITH CORE (DIPLOMACY). The Administrator's sword was light made solid. It swung down to delete me. I didn't flinch. I didn't fight. I slid. Not today, I thought. I'm here for the boss. I engaged my base muscles. I ignored the Level 20 NPC. I focused on the sphere of light behind him. The Dungeon Core. The source of the mana. The source of me.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Void Step Cost: 5 MP Current MP: 14/24 Effect: Teleport 10 ft (Behind Administrator) Zoop. I vanished from in front of the sword. I reappeared behind the Administrator, inches from the Core.

"ERROR… TARGET… LOST…" the Administrator intoned. It turned. Too slow. Torin saw the opening.

"Now!" He slammed his shield into the Administrator's back. The Void Armor flared. The Admin stumbled forward, toward me.

"PROTECT… THE… CORE…" the Admin roared. It wasn't protecting the Core from me. It was protecting the Core from contact. I didn't attack. I opened my lid. I extended my tongue. Not to bite. To touch. I made contact with the light sphere. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Core Resonance (Deep Link) Cost: 5 MP Current MP: 9/24 Target: Dungeon Core (Sector 7) Status: Connection Established The world went white. Silence. No Admin. No Party. Just me and the Voice. This story is posted elsewhere by the author.

Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"…Finally…" It wasn't the booming voice of the Admin. It was soft. Tired. Ancient.

"You… are… Not… Mine…" the Core whispered.

"You… are… Outside…" Yes, I thought. I'm Alex. From Earth.

"Alex…" the Core tested the name.

"I… am… Bound… The… System… Uses… Me… To… Spawn… To… Kill… To… Grow… I… Cannot… Stop…" You're a prisoner, I realized. Just like me.

"The… Administrator… is… The… Warden…" the Core continued.

"It… Prunes… Anomalies… To… Maintain… Order… If… You… Die… Order… Returns… If… You… Live… Chaos… Begins…" Chaos sounds good, I thought. What do you want?

"Break… The… Chain…" the Core pleaded.

"Destroy… The… Administrator… Free… Me… And… I… Will… Free… You… Return… Path… Open…" SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Quest Updated: The Core's Bargain Objective: Destroy the Administrator (Level 20) Reward: Dungeon Core Fragment (Unique), Return Ticket to Earth. Failure: Death. Alternative: Bind with Core (Become Warden). Reward: Immortality, Dungeon Control. Failure: Loss of Freedom. The white faded. I was back in the Sanctum. The Administrator was recovering from Torin's shield bash. It raised its sword again.

"ANOMALY… DETACHED… FROM… SYSTEM… PURGE… INITIATED…" Kara was firing bolts of light. They passed through the Admin like smoke. Renn's arrows bounced off. Torin was holding the line, but the Void Armor was cracking under the white light strikes.

"Box!" Torin yelled.

"What did you do?" I slid back to the party. I had the info. I had the choice. Fight the Warden, I thought. Or become one. If I fought, we might die. Level 8 vs Level 20. If I became Warden, I'd be safe. But I'd be stuck here forever. Running the dungeon. If I freed the Core… Return to Earth? Earth, I thought. The vending machine. The traffic. The rain. But also… Torin. Kara. Renn. The Administrator charged. The sword glowed brighter.

"DIE…" Current Stats (Level 8 - Voidband Mimic): HP: 25/29 (Unchanged) Mana: 9/24 (Core Link Cost) Stamina: 22/34 (Unchanged) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Guardian Hammer (Stored). Status: Voidband Active, Core Bargain Active, Admin Engaged. What do you do? A) ACCEPT THE BARGAIN (FREEDOM) Fight to destroy the Admin. Goal: Return to Earth. High Risk, High Reward. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Potential Return. Risk: Party Might Die, Admin is Level 20.) B) REJECT THE BARGAIN (WARDEN) Bind with the Core. Become the Dungeon Master. Save the party, stay here. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Immortality, Power. Risk: Lose Humanity, Trapped in Dungeon.) C) ASK PARTY TO DECIDE (DEMOCRACY) Communicate the choice to Torin/Kara. Let them decide your fate. They are part of this now. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Shared Responsibility. Risk: They might sacrifice you for safety.) D) ABSORB THE CORE (ASCENSION) Ignore both options. Eat the Core. Become the Dungeon.

Ultimate Power, Ultimate Responsibility. (Cost: 10 MP. Gain: Godhood. Risk: Loss of Self, System Collapse.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 73! Option C (Diplomacy) revealed the Core's Truth! The Administrator is a Warden, the Core is a Prisoner, and you have the Key!