The Willful Living Armour, still without a name, yet unmistakably different from the other Living Armours roaming throughout this gate, continued forward.
It did not know where it was going.
There was no destination etched into its existence, no directive guiding its steps. And yet, it moved. Not aimlessly—but with an unspoken intent, driven by the faint pull of awareness that now lingered within it. Each step echoed with dull metallic weight as it crossed fractured stone and debris scattered from long-forgotten battles.
The Willful Armour paused.
Slowly, it turned its helmeted head upward, gazing toward the place from which it had fallen—the high wall, the ledge above, the point of descent that marked its separation from the throne room and the first human it had slain. The distance felt greater now. Not because the height had changed, but because it had.
It approached the wall.
As it drew closer, movement caught its attention. Small, frantic shapes crawled across the rigid concrete surface—red ants, climbing upward in thin, wavering lines. They moved with tireless persistence, forming trails that stretched both up and down the wall, occasionally scattering before reforming once more. No matter how chaotic their motion became, the pattern never truly broke.
They could climb this wall.
The Willful Living Armour placed one heavy palm against the cold surface. The concrete was rough, weathered by time and rain, yet firm beneath its touch. In that moment, something subtle stirred within it—an intuitive understanding not born of thought, but recognition.
If those smaller creatures could ascend this surface… then so could it.
The realization came effortlessly. The Willful Living Armour understood—not through logic, but through perception—that every being possessed unique characteristics. Size did not dictate ability. Form did not define limitation.
This truth was recorded.
A low, rough sound escaped the armour's frame—a faint, grinding growl, metal scraping against metal. Without further pause, it turned away from the wall and began walking toward the back of the castle. There was more to see. More to learn.
Before it could travel far, sound reached it.
Metal.
Not the hollow echo of its own steps, but sharper, more violent—clattering, puncturing, scraping. The noise carried intent. The Willful Living Armour shifted its direction, drawn toward the disturbance.
Ahead, Tina moved with practiced precision.
Her thin sword pierced through Living Armour after Living Armour, each strike deliberate and efficient. Metal plates punctured, helmets with holes, and hollow bodies collapsed in place. The sound of impact rang repeatedly through the broken corridors.
"Baron should have already finish his part" Tina said to herself as another Living Armour fell, its body riddled with puncture wounds—chest, limbs, helmet all compromised.
The Willful one approached.
With every step closer, the sound sharpened. What had once been a distant bang became a grating screech, and then—
"Ting!"
The sound of metal piercing metal rang clearly.
The Willful Living Armour halted upon seeing her.
Another creature.
Similar to the one it had not long ago killed—yet different.
This one possessed a slimmer build, narrower shoulders, and a lighter frame. The strands atop her head were a different color, and her chest carried contours unfamiliar to the Willful one. Yet despite these differences, the conclusion was the same.
This creature was hostile.
"Oh, I missed one," Tina said out loud as she tightened her grip on her rapier.
'Huh?!' she thought, eyes narrowing. That one came from where Baron and I were supposed to meet.
Her gaze focused fully on the Willful Living Armour. Blood stained its form—from helmet to chestpiece, all the way down to its flak boots. The dark red liquid clung thickly to its armor, drying unevenly in the cold air.
'Could Baron have been injured by a slip up,' Tina thought, then quickly corrected herself. 'That's too much blood to only just been injured, Baron must have died.'
Her jaw tightened.
"All that Progress I did to get closer to him and he died to a Normal Weak Monster," Tina said to herself.
"Well, I'll just finish the job, let's just call this avenging you then," Tina said as she burst forward.
The Willful Living Armour reacted.
It swung its sword in a wide, heavy arc—an attack born of learned pattern rather than instinct alone. Tina dropped her center of gravity, her body lowering fluidly as the blade passed harmlessly overhead.
"All you stupid things do is slash in the same exact way as each other," Tina said as she kicked the Willful One's leg.
The impact was sharp and precise.
The Willful Living Armour lost its balance. Its weight shifted too late. Metal slammed against stone as it fell flat onto its belly, the breathless clang echoing through the corridor.
Tina rose instantly, poised to deliver the finishing strike.
But what she did not know—what she could not know—was that this Living Armour was different.
It learned.
As it lay against the ground, something new surfaced within the Willful one. It recognized that attack did not require a blade alone. That the body itself could be a weapon.
The Willful one grabbed Tina's leg.
"What the?!" Tina reacted.
"Let go you stupid thing," Tina roared as she thrust her rapier toward its helmet.
The blade struck—but not deeply enough.
The Willful Living Armour dragged her down.
Tina crashed to the ground, her rapier skidding across stone, coming to rest just beyond her reach. She stretched toward it desperately—then froze.
A shadow loomed over her.
Her eyes widened as the Willful one smashed its helmet into her head.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
And again.
Metal met bone in brutal repetition. The sound was dull, wet, final. Tina's body went slack, her fingers twitching once—then no more.
The Living Armour rose.
It stood upon two feet as blood streamed down the edges of its helmet, dripping steadily onto the stone below. A familiar panel appeared before it, glowing against the darkness.
[ DING!! ]
[ DEFEATED A HUMAN RAIDER ]
[ GAINED 119 EXP ]
[ GAINED '33' WILL ]
[ LEVEL UP!! ]
A purple glow enveloped the Willful Armour once more, its form stabilizing as the light washed over it. The glow faded, leaving behind a presence that felt heavier—more anchored.
Another panel appeared.
This one was different.
Its color had shifted from blue to red, mirroring the hue of the Living Armour's Arcane Core, as though the system itself were adapting to it.
Name: ____
Race: Living Armour
Level: 4
Active Skills: None
Passive Skills: None
Talents: Sturdy Body, Thy Will Be Done
The Willful Living Armour stared at the panel.
It had grown.
Yet unlike before, no additional notifications followed. No Will Counter. No activation. Nothing.
It understood—without understanding—that something was missing.
As if there existed a requirement.
A gate.
One that 'Will' itself must pass through before the talent could awaken again.
And until that gate was opened—
The Willful Living Armour would continue forward.