Chương 75: The Party's Verdict

Recap: You learned the Core's truth. The Administrator attacks. You voted to ASK PARTY TO DECIDE (DEMOCRACY). I couldn't speak the words. Earth. Home. Freedom. Slavery. But I could show them the path. I slid between Torin and the charging Administrator. I faced the party. I vibrated my lid toward the Archway behind us. Buzz. (Exit). Then I vibrated toward the Core behind the Admin. Buzz. (Stay). I projected the feeling using Core Resonance. Not words. Emotions. Exit = Home. Family. Rain. Sun. Freedom. Stay = Power.

Immortality. Dungeon. Cage. I poured the memory of the Vending Machine into the link. The cold soda. The fluorescent lights. The traffic noise. Then I poured the feeling of the Dungeon. The cold stone. The blood. The endless fight. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Core Resonance (Empathy Projection) Cost: 4 MP Current MP: 5/24 Target: Party (Torin, Kara, Renn) Effect: Emotional Transfer Kara gasped. She clutched her staff. Tears welled in her eyes.

"He… he wants to go home." Torin froze. His shield was raised, but his eyes were on me.

"Home? Not… the surface?"

"NOT… DISTRACTED… BY… PET… SENTIMENT…" the Administrator boomed. It swung its sword. A wave of white light slashed toward us.

"SHIELD!" Torin roared. He slammed the Void Armor into the ground. The shadow dome expanded. The light wave hit it and shattered. But the dome cracked. Torin skidded back, boots carving grooves in the air-floor.

"HE… IS… ANOMALY…" the Admin pressed forward.

"IF… HE… STAYS… CHAOS… IF… HE… LEAVES… ORDER… CHOOSE… WARDEN…" The Admin offered me the power again. I could feel it. A pulse from the Core. Become me. Rule. I looked at Torin. He was bleeding from the nose. Kara was panting, mana nearly dry. Renn had three arrows left. They couldn't win a war against the System. But they could win a fight. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Box," Kara said. Her voice was steady. She wiped her eyes.

"You… you saved us. In the sewer. In the void. At the Gate." Buzz. (Yes).

"We… we can't ask you to stay," Torin said. He stood up straight. The Void Armor glowed dark.

"You're not a monster. You're… one of us. You deserve… to go home."

"NO…" the Admin interrupted.

"HE… BELONGS… TO… SYSTEM…"

"Shut up!" Renn yelled. He fired an arrow. It hit the Admin's knee. It didn't penetrate, but it distracted. Torin looked at me.

"We choose… Freedom. For you. We'll fight… until you… open the path." SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Party Loyalty: MAXED Buff Activated: Soul Bond (Final) Effect: All Stats +20% When Fighting System Entities Effect: Pain Suppression (Party) Effect: Shared Mana Pool (Active) Shared Mana, I thought. Kara's mana is low. But I have some. I felt the connection snap into place. Kara's mana pool linked with mine. I felt her exhaustion. She felt my reserve. Current MP: 5/24 + 2/20 (Kara) = 7/24 Combined.

"FOOLISH… CHOICE…" the Administrator raised its sword. The light intensified. It was charging a final blow. A wipe.

"PURGE… SECTOR… 7…" The Core whispered in my head.

"Now… Or… Never… Break… Me… Or… Bind… Me…" If I fought the Admin, I had to break the Core's chains. That meant damaging the Core. If I damaged the Core, the Dungeon might collapse. If the Dungeon collapsed… where would the party go? One last choice, I thought. How to break the chain. I had 5 MP. 22 SP. 25 HP. The Admin was Level 20. But I had the Voidband. I had the Hammer. I had the Party. I needed a plan. A final slam. A final bite. A final trick. The Admin lunged. The sword descended.

Current Stats (Level 8 - Voidband Mimic): HP: 25/29 (Unchanged) Mana: 7/24 (Combined Pool) Stamina: 22/34 (Unchanged) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Guardian Hammer (Stored). Status: Soul Bond (Final), Core Bargain Pending, Admin Attacking. What do you do? A) SLAM THE CORE (BREAK CHAINS) Ignore the Admin. Slam the Dungeon Core itself. Break the connection. Free the Core & Yourself. (Cost: 10 SP. Gain: Freedom, Dungeon Collapse. Risk: Party Stranded, Core Death.) B) SLAM THE ADMINISTRATOR (KILL WARDEN) Focus all power on the Admin. Use Party Buffs. Destroy the enforcer. Keep Core intact. (Cost: 10 SP + 5 MP. Gain: Victory, Core Freed. Risk: Admin Level 20, High Damage.) C) ABSORB THE ADMIN (CONSUME) Try to Bite the Admin. It's made of light. But Voidband might digest it. Gain Level/Power. (Cost: 5 SP. Gain: XP, Power. Risk: Internal Burn, Light Damage.) D) DEPLOY HAMMER + GRAVITY WELL (COMBO) Use the Guardian Hammer + Gravity Well to pin the Admin.

Let Torin deliver the killing blow. (Cost: 5 MP + 5 SP. Gain: Teamwork Kill. Risk: MP Critical, Hammer Loss.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 74! Option C (Democracy) was heartwarming! The Party chose Freedom for you! You've activated Soul Bond (Final)! Now you must decide HOW to win the final fight!