The moment Jun's rapidly retracting Tentacles tear away the mask, it clatters onto the debris-strewn floor. A heartbeat of dead silence falls across the air.
What is unveiled behind the mask instantly snatches the breath from all three observers.
Viper's face is not the cruel visage of a seasoned monster or the aged grimace of a desperate tyrant they expect. Instead, it is an incredibly youthful, arrestingly beautiful young man, appearing no older than his early twenties. His features are sculpted to perfection, but his skin is unnaturally pale, waxy, and bloodless, lending his beauty a cold, dangerous allure.
The most terrifying aspect is his eyes. They blaze with a fierce, molten-gold light, radiating a powerful demonic energy. These chilling, golden irises seem to strip-mine the very souls of Jun, Edgar, and Clara.
Starting from the corners of those Demonic Eyes, thick Green Veins emerge like taut, pulsating cables. They spread across Viper's temples and the edge of his brows—a horrific, living sign that he has engaged the terrifying Hybrid Variant Form, a fusion of human and creature. His hair is styled in a modern, short cut, yet every strand is snow-white, giving him an ethereal, ageless quality that makes him seem utterly supernatural.
Jun and his companions are frozen, statues carved from shock by this cruel, youthful beauty and the incandescent golden glare. They know they are confronting an agent of true supernatural terror, but they force their minds back to the fight.
Viper is violently resisting Jun's unbridled Phantom power, which manifests as life-force absorption. The Dark Tentacles tremble, and Jun struggles desperately to maintain his hold.
Viper realizes the life-draining capacity of Jun's limbs is not theoretical; it is potent enough to exhaust his life-force and truly kill him. Even as a formidable Trigger 4 Variant, he is endangered by the sheer, untamed instability of a newly awakened Trigger 0 Adaptor.
Viper (A snarl of white-hot rage): "This Adaptor maggot is a ticking time bomb! Even the Hybrid Variant Form can't stabilize this absorption!"
He then deploys the Basilisk Sonar Attack. It is a powerful, focused sonic wave emitted from his mouth, designed to bypass physical defenses and strike directly at the target's mind and soul, causing severe mental disorientation. While this is typically the domain of the Resonator Trigger, it is a deadly, unique function of the Viper Hybrid Variant Form.
Seizing the precise moment the Sonar Attack slams into Jun's consciousness, momentarily causing the Tentacles to falter, Viper violently wrenches himself away. His Basilisk Tail tears, leaving behind patches of rent flesh, but he is free.
The Basilisk Sonar Attack also affects Clara and Edgar, leaving them reeling.
Viper prepares to continue his attack on the three disoriented figures.
But then, his golden eyes narrow in sudden realization. 'They've arrived... This situation is no longer manageable... I must retreat,' Viper mutters internally.
Jun, Clara, and Edgar, only slightly dazed by the Sonar Attack, quickly return to full awareness.
But when they look up, Viper is gone. Edgar immediately grasps that the enemy has strategically retreated.
Before they can fully process the escape, Edgar and Clara see one of Jun's Dark Tentacles preparing to strike them.
Jun's second Phantom Tentacle, having lost its hold on Viper, begins to whip dangerously towards Clara and Edgar, seeking a new target.
''Shh...''
A look of pure horror flashes across Jun's deep purple eyes. The thought 'I won't hurt my friends again!' is the only coherent thing in his mind.
Jun: "Stop! Absolute Stop!" (His voice is raw, strained with pain and a sudden, fierce resolve.)
Jun fights with every fiber of his being against the worst symptom of the Chaos Impact Trigger: the complete loss of self-control. His iron Willpower violently overpowers the Phantom Limb.
''Whiiish''
The two dark Tentacles retreat rapidly, whipping back into his spine just before they can touch Clara and Edgar. The black and purple Aura surrounding his body vanishes, and Jun nearly collapses from sheer exhaustion.
Clara (Her face paper-white): "His... his Tentacles... they were going to attack me..."
Edgar grips Clara's shoulder firmly, bringing her back to reality.
Edgar: "Clara, he pulled it back before he blacked out. He doesn't mean to. We have to help him!"
Edgar and Clara rush past Jun towards Makus, who lies beneath a pile of shattered masonry, apparently unconscious.
Clara frantically clears the debris off Makus while Edgar assists.
Edgar then helps Makus up, and Makus slowly regains full consciousness.
Edgar: "Makus! Are you alright!"
Makus (Coughing violently, struggling for breath): "I... I'm alright... Viper's strike... it was seriously strong..."
He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to suppress the throbbing pain.
Edgar: ''Makus! We need to leave now! Is that the kid you were talking about... Whatever he is, his Phantom Trigger is highly unstable. We need to move him!"
Makus (His eyes widen in stunned realization): ''Yes, Edgar, Isaac and I... Ehh... wait a moment... are you saying... he's a... Phantom Trigger?... In other words, an Adaptor?"
Edgar: ''Yes, of course.... don't you know?"
Makus looks at the collapsed Jun with a mixture of shock and responsibility. Duty is the dominant feeling.
Makus immediately orders his two remaining squadmates to evacuate the location.
Makus: ''We can't stay here! If Viper is searching this desperately, the Artifact Map is in critical danger. I hid the Map in a safe place, but I'm certain other organizations will start turning over every stone!"
Makus: "We need to report! We must inform 'The Watchers' HQ about the Mistveil situation immediately! We need reinforcements! A Conflict Zone is about to commence! Edgar! Use your Scribe Trigger to send an Encrypted Message to the organization's Code Tower!"
Edgar doesn't question Makus's orders. He quickly locates a flat stone slab amidst the rubble near Jun and presses his fingertips rapidly against it.
His Scribe Trigger generates golden energy streams, inscribing a highly complex Data Code onto the stone surface within seconds.
WATCHERS HQ TRANSMISSION - CODE 7.1
TARGET: Code Tower (Urgent)
[STATUS]
ZONE: MISTVEIL (MV-A)
PRIORITY: CRIT-RED
TIME: T+0 (IMMEDIATE)
[THREAT_ID]
UNIT_ID: VIPER (V-4), UNKNOWN
VARIANT: HYBRID (Confirmed)
[ASSET_STATUS]
ASSET: ARTIFACT_MAP // CRITICAL_RISK
[TEAM_STATUS]
SQUAD: DELTA-9 (Compromised)
[ACTION_REQUEST]
REINFORCE: YES (Immediate)
PREF_UNIT: THE ARCHONS
WARNING: CONFLICT_IMMINENT (C-ZONE)
After finalizing all the codes, Edgar bends his middle finger and thumb, pressing them together to form a Hand Sign. He then mutters, ''DE'JALO CAER'' (Let it Fall).
The codes on the slab flash brightly and instantly transmit as a silent wave of power toward The Watchers' Code Tower.
Makus confirms Edgar's message completion and pulls Jun to his feet. The energy streams emanating from Jun's body are quiet now, but he remains completely unconscious.
Makus: ''Now we have to get out of here! Clara! Edgar!... Let's move to our auxiliary safe house... We'll find a little help there."
Makus and Edgar help steady the unconscious Jun, and Edgar lifts him onto his back. Jun's body is light, but the chaotic nature of his dormant Trigger power makes Edgar's shoulders tense.
With Clara leading, the three hurry through the winding, forgotten alleys of Old Mistveil, taking advantage of the fleeting pre-dawn hours. The air is thick with the scent of an impending battle.
Minutes later, they arrive at the rear of one of the city's oldest Guard Post buildings. This is the official, mundane office of Knox Sterling.
Makus swiftly knocks on the wooden back door using the specified cadence: (two taps, pause, three taps). The door is immediately opened from the inside.
It is Knox. A man in his mid-fifties, with a sturdy build and the experienced face of a veteran. Dressed in a local officer's uniform, his eyes instantly register alarm.
Knox: "Makus! What in the Abyss happens! Why do you look like this..."
Makus: "No time for chatter, Old Man Knox. Viper attacked us. This kid is a Phantom Trigger (Adaptor)... he's dangerously unstable. Clara, Edgar, get him downstairs into the hidden room!"
Knox instantly understands the gravity of the situation. He opens a secret compartment leading to the bunker, their emergency refuge.
Edgar, carrying Jun, and Clara descend through the secret door behind Knox's Guard Post into the basement. The space is utterly silent and cool.
Knox's basement is vastly larger than their previous temporary hideouts.
The room is cross-shaped, about 40 feet long, and is partitioned into areas for strategy and rest.
Expensive, magic-powered orbs are mounted on the ceiling, bathing the space in a warm, white light.
In the center is a massive, thick wooden War Table surrounded by heavy leather chairs.
Adjacent to the table stands a Large Metal-framed Whiteboard for mapping and strategizing.
The left flank of the room serves as the Emergency Medical Bay, where crates of supplies and the wooden bench for Jun are situated.
In the farthest corner is Knox's personal workspace, featuring sturdy cabinets filled with Ancient Texts, files, and confidential documents.
The entire bunker is a robust fortress, completely shielded from the outside world, yet fully stocked with all the covert supplies and strategic tools necessary for The Watchers.
Once in the bunker, Edgar gently places Jun on the wooden bench.
Knox secures the door, then fixes a severe gaze upon Makus.
"Boy Makus... detail your situation... I want to know everything."
Makus leans against the stone wall, breathing with difficulty, and relays the entire harrowing account to Knox.
Makus then asks Knox: "Where is the Artifact Map... Is it safely secured, Knox?"
Knox immediately closes the distance to Makus and delivers a light punch to Makus's head.
Knox: "Damn it, Makus... didn't I tell you to use my proper title? I'm twenty-three years your senior!"
The playful punch makes Makus wince.
Makus: "Agh, Old Man Knox... Your fist hasn't lost its sting... not since those days... ha ha."
Knox roars with laughter in return.
Knox: "Ha ha... you mention it and I miss those times... you and Isaac... my dedicated punching bags... ha ha."
The mention of Isaac's name instantly wipes the smile from Makus's face, replacing it with a look of profound grief.
Knox, still oblivious to the full context, asks again: "Where is the boy, Isaac?"
Makus clenches his teeth, and tears, no longer controllable, begin to stream down his face.
Seeing Makus in this state, Knox instantly understands.
Makus: ''Old Man Knox... He... he... damn it...''
Makus is unable to speak. His chest is flooded with a burning mix of rage, self-reproach for his perceived weakness, and the guilt of a leader who has lost a comrade.
Knox gently pats Makus on the shoulder, a silent gesture of comfort.
Knox: "It's not your fault, Makus. Isaac was a brave comrade you should be proud of... Be proud of him."
Meanwhile, Edgar and Clara sit a short distance from the bench, watching over Jun.
Edgar then speaks to Clara: "Clara... you keep monitoring him... I'm going to join Makus and Knox for the strategic meeting."
Clara nods in solemn agreement.
Edgar then opens the compartment and walks toward Makus and Knox, who are seated at the square War Table.
Edgar takes the seat directly opposite Makus and Knox.
Knox unhooks a small leather pouch from his belt and carefully produces the crumpled Artifact Map. The Map is a blend of smoky gray and dark brown, the ancient inscriptions pulsing with a deep, contained energy.
Makus signals the start of the meeting: "Right... let's begin."
At that very moment, Clara, growing restless, rises from her seat and walks over to the prone Jun. She begins to closely examine his features.
She notices a complex Dark Whirlpool symbol imprinted on Jun's forehead.
She immediately gasps, covering her mouth with one hand.
Clara whispers from beneath her hand: "This... This can't be... Edgar said he should only be at the newly awakened, unstable Tier... but this is..."
Jun's Inner World: The Ethereal Space
While Jun lies in an induced coma from the excessive exertion of his Phantom Trigger power...
Jun floats between oblivion and profound mental serenity, is captivated by the spectacle before his inner eye. He stands at the core of a world that is not constructed but naturally exists within his soul—the Ethereal Space.
The cosmos surrounding Jun is an infinite canvas, a perfect blend of absolute black and abyssal deep blue, with no discernible bottom. It is a universe unfurled, stretched out and illuminated by the light streams of countless distant stars.
Thousands of light-years away, vast, majestic Nebulae in striking hues of violet, magenta, and cyan drift like colossal, luminous clouds. These ribbons of color flow across the black canvas of the void, appearing as magical rivers of light that glide silently, injecting a moving, vibrant beauty into the universe's profound stillness.
Everywhere he looks, crystalline, cold particles, the so-called Star Dust, shimmer and sparkle like falling diamond dust. They drift down gently, like supernatural snow, surrounding him completely. The particles pass right through Jun's form without resistance, yet he feels a mysterious, surging energy being constantly emitted from them.
The entire panorama is defined by an unearthly, chilling silence. But this silence is not empty; it is terrifyingly magnificent and grand, possessing a dangerous allure that threatens to consume his consciousness. Jun is sinking deeper and deeper into the powerful, volatile energy waves of the Ethereal Space.
Jun's eyes are wide and unblinking, captivated by the breathtaking splendor of the infinite void. He forgets to breathe, completely lost in the moment. He finally manages a hushed whisper, the sound immediately swallowed by the immensity around him:
"Wow... This is truly beautiful..."
Then, a voice, echoing in the vast emptiness, resonates directly in Jun's ear.
[ CONGRATULATIONS, ATHERNAL ]
[ YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED TO THE DREAM WORLD BECAUSE YOU HAVE ADVANCED FROM TRIGGER 0 (THE AWAKENED) TO TRIGGER 2 (THE PIONEER TIER) ]
[ WELCOME TO THE DREAM WORLD ]