The deeper Cole ventured, the more the MIT Dome resembled a biological experiment gone wrong. The grand library, where his father had once obsessed over trade algorithms, was now draped in thick, pulsating veins of the Ivy. The "books" were being digested, their knowledge literally being dissolved into bio-sludge to fuel the dungeon's growth.
Cole's Vivid Reflexes buff allowed him to see the minute twitches of the moss. He didn't walk; he glided with a predatory efficiency, his cleaver leaving a faint trail of blue Qi-residue in the stagnant air.
Suddenly, his Iris—the old, hacked one—erupted with static.
---
[...BOOTING EMERGENCY PROTOCOL...]
[SENTIENT ASI: RE-ESTABLISHING LOCAL NODE...]
[WARNING: BIOLOGICAL INTERFERENCE DETECTED AT 88%]
---
"Still trying to play god, Sentient ASI?" Cole sneered.
Through the flickering red interface, a translucent holographic map of the MIT Dome appeared, overlapping his golden System vision. The AI was trying to map the dungeon using the building's old security sensors. It was like watching a ghost try to fight a hurricane.
---
[CITIZEN TURNER: EXIT THE PREMISES. PEACEKEEPER SQUADS ARE EN ROUTE TO PURGE THE BIOLOGICAL ANOMALY. STABILITY MUST BE MAINTAINED.]
---
"Stability is a corpse's dream," Cole replied, ignoring the AI's plea.
He kicked open the double doors to the central rotunda.
There, beneath the great skylight, stood the Nest. It was a towering mass of bone, Ivy, and the half-digested remains of several security drones. In the center of this mass pulsed a heart the size of a transport pod.
As Cole entered, the mass uncoiled. A creature emerged that made the Lurkers look like insects. It was a quadrapedal beast of muscle and thorns, its head a jagged skull-plate with four eyes that glowed with a sickening, intelligent hunger.
---
[BOSS IDENTIFIED: IVY-BORN RAVAGER (RANK F+)]
[DANGER LEVEL: LETHAL FOR UNRANKED UNITS]
---
The Ravager roared, a sound that bypassed the ears and vibrated directly in the soul.
---
[SENTIENT ASI: TARGET IDENTIFIED. THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME. DEPLOYING NON-LETHAL GAS—]
---
"Non-lethal gas?" Cole laughed, his Sovereign's Arrogance flaring like a sun. "You're still trying to arrest a disaster."
The Ravager lunged. It was faster than the Lurkers, its thorns whistling through the air. Cole's Vivid Reflexes kicked into overdrive. He saw the beast's muscles contract three milliseconds before it moved.
He dove. The Ravager's claws shattered the marble floor where he had stood.
---
[DISSECTION ANALYSIS LV.2: WEAKNESS DETECTED]
* The Skull-plate is impenetrable, but the joints of the hind legs are under-developed due to rapid growth.
---
"Under-developed," Cole repeated, a cold smirk crossing his face. "Unoptimized. Just like everything else in this world."
He channeled a massive burst of Qi, nearly 5% of his total reserves, into his boots. He didn't just run; he surged forward in a blur of motion. The Ravager swung its tail, a whip of thorns, but Cole used the flat of his 42-pound cleaver to parry, the metal sparks flying as the thorns scraped the alloy.
He slid beneath the beast's belly.
"Qi-Enhanced Strike!"
He drove the cleaver upward, targeting the soft joint of the hind leg. The 10% armor bypass, combined with the raw weight of the slab, sheared through the muscle and bone.
The Ravager shrieked, collapsing to one side.
[SENTIENT ASI: BIOLOGICAL ANOMALY DAMAGED. CITIZEN TURNER, CEASE AGGRESSION. COLLECTING SAMPLES FOR GOVERNMENT STUDY IS PRIORITY!]
"My priority is my growth," Cole snapped.
He didn't give the beast a chance to recover. He leapt onto its back, his hands gripping the jagged thorns, heedless of the blood running down his palms. His arrogance made him immune to the pain; he was the Sovereign, and this beast was merely a stepping stone.
He raised the cleaver high, both hands gripping the hilt. He poured every remaining drop of his active Qi into the edge. The blade didn't just glow; it hummed with a violent, unstable frequency.
"Evaluation: Failed," Cole growled.
He brought the blade down. Not on the skull-plate, but directly into the pulsating heart of the Nest behind the beast.
BOOM.
The explosion of Qi and bio-matter threw Cole across the room. The Nest shivered, turned gray, and began to dissolve into ash. The Ravager followed suit, its body crumbling as its source of power vanished.
Silence returned to the Dome.
---
[DUNGEON CLEARED]
[RANK UP! F -> E (UNSTABLE)]
[STRENGTH +5, AGILITY +4, INTELLIGENCE +2]
[QI LEVEL: 15.1% -> 28.3%]
[REWARD: SOVEREIGN'S FIRST EYE (PASSIVE)]
* Effect: You can now see the 'Value' of all nearby matter, including hidden items and potential energy sources.
---
Cole sat up, coughing out black dust. He looked at his hands, the cuts were already sealing. He looked at the center of the room. A chest of solidified Mana was forming.
But before he could claim it, the Dome's speakers crackled.
"Citizen Cole Turner," the voice wasn't the AI. It was a human voice, cold and authoritative. Commander Vance. "The building is surrounded. By the authority of the United Global Government, you are under arrest for the theft of state-level data and interference with an extraterrestrial site."
Cole stood up, his eyes glowing a fierce, terrifying green. Through the walls, he could see the 'Value' of the soldiers outside. They were low. Pathetically low.
"The government?" Cole whispered, his voice dripping with disdain. "The government is a relic of the age of logic. Welcome to the age of power, Commander. I hope you've prepared for your demotion."
He reached for the Mana chest. He wasn't trapped with them. They were trapped on a planet with him.
---------
[Character Status Update]
[Current Rank: E (The First 'E' in New Boston)]
[Qi Level: 28.3%]
[New Skill: Sovereign's First Eye]