Chương 83: The Earth Shield

Recap: You are at Critical HP (16/31). Two System Repairers fired Deletion Beams. You voted to GATE SHIELD (DEFENSE). The white light screamed toward me. Existence erasure. Pure code. I didn't flinch. I focused on the White Door etched into my lid. I didn't open it to travel. I opened it to block. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Gatekeeper Passage (Defensive) Cost: 5 MP Current MP: 17/26 Effect: Portal Barrier (One-Way) The White Door on my lid swung open. Not into the Dungeon. Into Tokyo.

The beams vanished into the wood. They crossed realities. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Negated: 100% Collateral Damage: Earth (Sector 7) Status: System Tracking Risk (Low) On the other side, in a rainy alleyway in Shinjuku, a vending machine sparked and exploded. A cat hissed and ran. A salaryman dropped his umbrella. The deletion beams dissipated harmlessly into the Earth atmosphere. I slammed the door shut. Clack. The two Repairers froze.

Their weapons hummed, ready to fire again, but their targeting systems were scrambling.

"ERROR… TARGET… LOCATION… MISMATCH…""ERROR… REALITY… BREACH… DETECTED…" Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. They glitched. Their white armor flickered between solid and transparent. They were trying to recalculate coordinates across dimensions. Now, I thought. They're confused.

"Box!" Torin yelled. He had the crippled Repairer on the ground. He looked at me.

"What was that?" Buzz. (Home Defense). Kara lowered her staff. She sensed the mana shift.

"You… you sent the attack somewhere else? Where?" Buzz. (Away). I couldn't waste time explaining. The two shooters were recovering. Their armor stabilized. The red code turned back to white.

"PURGE… PROTOCOL… UPDATED… REALITY… ANCHOR… LOCKED…" They wouldn't miss twice. They were locking onto the Dungeon reality specifically now. I had 17 MP. 36 SP. 16 HP. The crippled Repairer (550/1000 HP) was trying to stand. Torin was holding it down. The two shooters (1000/1000 HP) were aiming at me again. I needed to end this. The Gate shield worked, but it cost MP I couldn't spare for another round. I had to use Stamina. I had to use the Hammer. I had to use the Party.

The Hammer was still hovering where I dropped it earlier. Mid-air. Ready. Torin, I thought. I need you to throw me. No, too risky. I need to hit them while they're recalibrating. I slid forward. Not away. Into the line of fire. Current Stats (Level 9 - Gatekeeper Mimic): HP: 16/31 (Critical) Mana: 17/26 (Moderate) Stamina: 36/36 (Full) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Guardian Hammer (Deployed). White Door (Integrated).

Status: The Gatekeeper, Earth Shield Cooldown (30s), Repairers Glitching. What do you do? A) SLAM THE SHOOTERS (OFFENSE) Use full Stamina to Slam both Repairers while they are glitching. Break their armor. (Cost: 10 SP. Gain: Massive Damage. Risk: Close Range, Might Take Hits.) B) CLOSE THE DOOR (TRAP) Open the White Door beneath the shooters. Drop them into Earth. Trap them there. (Cost: 10 MP. Gain: Enemy Removal. Risk: They Might Return, Earth Damage.) C) RECALL HAMMER (EXECUTE) Teleport the Hammer directly into the shooters' backs. Instant critical damage. (Cost: 5 MP. Gain: High Damage. Risk: Hammer Might Get Stuck.) D) HEAL SELF (SURVIVAL) Use Core Link to heal HP before continuing. Can't fight at 16 HP. (Cost: 10 MP. Gain: HP Restore. Risk: Repairers Recover & Attack.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 82! Option A (Gate Shield) was brilliant!

You negated 100% Damage but caused Collateral Damage on Earth! The Repairers are Glitching from the reality shift!