THE SYSTEM REBOOTS
The silence came first.
No missions.
No alerts.
No pressure at the back of Damian's mind.
For the first time in a long while… the System was quiet.
Then—
SYSTEM STATUS: REBOOT COMPLETE
The words appeared calmly, without urgency.
Damian straightened.
He had learned by now:
calm messages were often the most dangerous.
SYSTEM NOTICE
ANALYSIS COMPLETE.
HOST CLASSIFICATION CONFIRMED:
— NOT A MAGIC USER.
Damian frowned slightly.
That… tracked.
His flames weren't spells.
His breathing wasn't sorcery.
His power had always existed adjacent to magic, never within it.
SYSTEM CONTINUES
HEXTECH CRYSTAL CLASSIFICATION:
— HYBRID ARTIFACT
— MAGIC + TECHNOLOGY SYNTHESIS
— NON-NATIVE TO CURRENT WORLD SYSTEMS
The Crystal hovered in Damian's dimensional space, silent and patient.
It wasn't reacting.
It was waiting.
THE NEW MISSION
The System's tone shifted—not warning, not command.
Preparation.
MISSION ASSIGNED
OBJECTIVE:
FORGE A STAFF USING HEXTECH CRYSTAL AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
Damian's eyes narrowed.
A weapon?
No.
A conduit.
MISSION PARAMETERS
• Weapon is NOT FOR HOST USE
• Weapon must be STABLE
• Weapon must be SEALED
• Weapon must be TRANSFERABLE
Then the most important line appeared.
THIS WEAPON IS TO BE GIVEN ONLY IN A MOMENT OF GREAT NEED.
CONDITION: SURVIVAL OF THE WORLD.
Damian exhaled slowly.
So not a contingency.
A last resort.
DAMIAN'S UNDERSTANDING
A staff made sense.
A blade demanded intent.
A gun demanded action.
A staff…
A staff guided.
It focused power without demanding domination.
Technology would regulate output.
Hextech would translate magic into logic.
A weapon that didn't break reality—
But could hold it together when it started to tear.
SYSTEM REWARD — LOCKED
The System didn't wait.
MISSION REWARD (UPON COMPLETION):
SUBE SUBE NO MI (SMOOTH-SMOOTH FRUIT)
TYPE: PARAMECIA
A fruit manifested briefly as a projection.
Strange. Pale. Perfectly smooth.
REWARD DESCRIPTION
• User's body becomes unnaturally smooth
• Most attacks, impacts, and forces slide off
• Physical damage resistance increases drastically
• Body automatically rejects friction-based harm
• Secondary effect: enhanced physical aesthetics
Damian stared.
Then huffed quietly.
"…Of all the fruits."
Defensive.
Non-lethal.
Perfect for survival.
And not something he could use himself.
Which meant—
Another decision would come.
SYSTEM UPDATE — CRITICAL INFORMATION
The System wasn't done.
MAGICAL DETECTION UPDATE:
ALL MAGIC USERS CAN NOW SENSE HEXTECH CRYSTAL SIGNATURE
Damian tensed.
LIMITATIONS CONFIRMED:
• Crystal CANNOT be precisely located
• Detection limited to REGIONAL PROXIMITY ONLY
• Magic users can determine COUNTRY-LEVEL LOCATION
Then the final reassurance.
AS LONG AS HEXTECH CRYSTAL REMAINS IN SYSTEM STORAGE:
• It CANNOT be traced to host
• It CANNOT be linked to "Fire Shadow"
• It CANNOT be forcibly summoned
• It CANNOT be remotely manipulated
The Crystal pulsed once.
Acknowledging.
DAMIAN'S DECISION
Damian leaned back, eyes closed.
So that was it.
Magic knew something existed.
But not who held it.
Not where exactly.
Not what it was meant to become.
He opened his eyes.
Calm.
Focused.
Resolved.
"A staff," he murmured.
"Not a weapon of conquest…"
Toothless shifted nearby, tail flicking.
Damian smirked faintly.
"…But something you give when the world's about to end."
The System remained silent.
Mission active.
The clock had started.