System Integrity

Chapter 77

This will potentially lead to unforeseen consequences on the first floor and must be corrected to prevent further disruptions and maintain the integrity of the main system. Integrity is now falling apart; this was perceived to happen eventually, and Damon and his team created a fail-safe to ensure the error will be corrected.

Because the main law was still intact, patches to clean and isolate the bugs will be activated. New races will emerge from the south region to ensure the scenarios will align once again. Purging of the error will start after confirmation from the gatekeepers. The spores and miasma are the byproduct of these errors, and the system must be restored back to normal functionality. The tower administrator received the report and delegated the gate custodians to sweep the gorge within a few days, as the tower system was still conducting an internal scan of the entire first floor, as it had many anomalies registered in its logs. The administrator knew that swift action was necessary to prevent any further disruptions in the tower's operations and to maintain the safety of its inhabitants.

Dane was still climbing up the wall and fully understood and fully accepted the issues he created; he knew he did cheat at his own creation, and he deeply regrets it now. He doesn't want to justify his action; he considered this even a beta test. He was still a person that sees an opportunity to test a theory; he will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, regardless of the consequences. Dane was determined to learn from his mistakes and strive for excellence, even if it meant he was to destroy what he and his team created.

Nothing is perfect, and the failsafe program was meant to handle this matter in the most logical manner he and his team could devise. Dane's relentless pursuit of innovation and improvement drove him to take risks and challenge the status quo, always pushing the limits of what was thought to be achievable. He was at the forefront of the virtual game that made billions addicted to his creation, and now, being Dane, he was still at the center of the chaos that he himself created, and he is loving every minute of it.

Dane is currently at a height of 280 meters above the gorge. He was able to gather a few plants that were growing on the wall, and as he was notified by his assessment skill about their medicinal effects, Dane saw huge potential in these raw materials, knowing he still had to contribute to humanity's advancement in the medical field. As he recalled, there was an illness that came ti be that made many people sick; these people were non-mana users and were exposed to large amounts of energy, similar to acute radiation syndrome. A few plants were the same plant that the velvet knights were trying to obtain

Meanwhile, Bai Xifeng and her brother, with the remaining members of their guild, continued to protect the Anchorage Castle. Basement as Netherborn promise, then he will come back after two days. The monster that entered the castle was having a hard time reaching them below, as the Anchorage Castle was highly fortified and the way going down the basement was filled with traps. Dane was able to enter the area where the divine turtle was imprisonedbecause he knew the way. The velvet knights waited and were able to safeguard the huge Aspidochelone.

While waiting, Jin Xifeng and some of his team were able to investigate the area where the turtle was chained down. The basement, however, was not ordinary. It had many unexplored mini caves, each filled with peculiar items and teeming with life. Small, various creatures inhabited these caves—some resembling squirrels, others like worm-like slimes, and horned beetles. These creatures, though unusual, were harmless. They played a crucial role in the basement's ecosystem, feeding on the moss that grew on the turtle's skin and the dead remains scattered across the floor. The slimes, in particular, were known to break down decaying matter, while the beetles helped recycle nutrients. Over time, these creatures had formed a symbiotic relationship with the turtle, creating a unique and balanced environment.

Jin Xifeng and his team were fascinated by this discovery. They marveled at how these creatures coexisted peacefully, each contributing to the survival of the others. The basement, it seemed, was not just a place of confinement but a thriving ecosystem hidden beneath the surface. The team made plans to further study these creatures, their behaviors, and their relationship with the turtle. They were eager to uncover more secrets of this underground world and understand how such a complex network of life had developed in isolation. This discovery not only deepened their connection to the turtle but also opened their eyes to the mysteries that lay hidden in unexpected places.

The humanoid monster thought the monster under the basement that gave them buff was eating the carcasses they threw down the feeding hole. The small creatures were the ones using the dead remains to fertilize a small path of soil under the castle to grow mushrooms that they offered to feed to the huge turtle that they saw as their protector and provider. The velvet knights realized that the ecosystem beneath the castle was more complex and interconnected than they had ever imagined, leading them to reconsider their assumptions about the creatures living below.

Bai Xifeng and a few of their female members sat around and waited and discussed the plan. After the netherborn returned, they asked their sub-captain about the plan. Bai was still bewildered, considering his older brother just accepted the netherborn's request as is. They have no choice in the matter, considering they were already half dead; without the netherborn's help, they would be dead right now. Bai Xifeng just explained to them that their actions were risky, and they all knew it was a stupid plan, but obtaining the lotus plant was the reason they took the risk in the first place. Staying in Anchorage Castle for two days is a small price to repay the person that saved them from being fertilizers.

The other female velvet knight agreed to what Bai Xifeng said when his brother came back with the rest of the male members with a handful of large mushrooms. Jin Xifeng told his sister that there are small caves in the far corner of the basement, and based on the composition of the mushroom, they understood these were edible and were the same food the huge turtle was actually eating. The Aspidochelon smelled the mushroom and opened its large mouth and

And Jin Xifeng gave the mushroom as the others gave the creature a wide berth, not wanting to disturb it while it ate. Jin Xifeng carefully placed the mushroom in front of the Aspidochelon, watching as it eagerly devoured the food before retreating back into its sleep.

While this was happening, more goblins were roaming the castle area looking for a way into the basement. The main passageways were filled with traps, and many of their kind had already paid the price of entering the place. The orcs that were ordering the goblins were getting impatient as they wanted to reach the basement and personally seek out the creature that was no longer buffing them. These orcs assumed if they could kill and eat the monster's body, they might gain its ability and no longer offer food to gain a physical buff.

Even the reason for these creatures was based on personal greed, gaining those physical buffs. Even these animals' motivations were driven by personal avarice; they could easily crush their opponents with the help of their physical boosts, and now that they have nothing left over after giving to their killed victims, these monsters presume killing and eating the beast under the castle will permanently give them the buff so they can finally evolve and be stronger.

The Velvet Knights was a small guild; like other players, they lacked experience in clearing any quest. These situations are not new in the tower ground; many players are either newly awakened and rely solely on documents from other veteran players that actually played the virtual game in the past. They register with the player association to gain information on the first floor but never actually clear any quest. These are called free-roamers.

The reason why nobody had ever reached the second floor was the lack of players willing to sacrifice to open the path toward the second floor until now. The achievement that the Lazarus and White Devil guilds gained was the reason many free-roamers started to take risks, and the Velvet Knights were one of these groups. They are aiming to earn a lot from obtaining the lotus plant growing in the gorge that is under the fog.

The information about the lotus plant came from their own older relatives that played the game. The lotus plant was known to fetch a high price, as it could heal any illness. It came from those who were able to enter the gorge as in activated when it was still a virtual game but unknowingly got saved as they were able to evade the young, hungry demon spiders.

Dane was moving faster and multitasking as he made sure to gather enough medicinal plants and transfer them toward the war forge. The owl attacked and killed most of the insects that were targeting Dne as they ascended upward. As the other serpents swallow the remains whole and transport them, after a few more hours, Dane reaches the fog. He decides that continuing his climb inside the fog will be a disadvantage for him, as his assessment skills can only detect living organisms and those with mana. As the core skill was based in mana detection with the help of the formless armor, he quickly changed into his Netherborn form and rushed upward the remaining distance inside the wall and just forcefully came up, killing any monster lurking inside the fog.

At the same time, it was already afternoon as the goblins were able to clear the path down to the basement. The orcs that were leading the horde of goblins could feel a huge being under the castle ground. As one of the orcs was a shaman, Netherborn burst out of the fog as he saw below him that the castle was surrounded with many different monsters, from orcs to goblins and many Alraunes. These are similar to mandrake plants but more humanoid-looking and have an annoying ability to release a paralyzing scent when threatened. Dane knew that the Alraune, or mandrakes, were just following the scent of the dead remains of those goblins that died in the traps leading toward the castle basement.

The orcs and goblins were not paying attention to the Alraune, as they usually move when the sun is low and the smell of blood is in the air. The Velvet Knight was still alive, as there were no signs of battle. Dane was high above the fog, and with the help of the formless armor, he easily maneuvered closer toward the castle and hid among the shadows on the castle's broken structures.

In a few more hours, the sun will finally set. The Alraune will soon change into a more agile form. These carnivorous, humanoid-looking plants have a nasty habit of luring their prey in, paralyzing them, and dragging and burying their victims remains under the ground and consuming their nutrients.

No living creature has even seen the Alraune plant do this, as no survivors were able to share this information, but Dane knew this as they incorporated his feature, making it harder to hunt in the night. Alraune plants will move faster and more violently. Many underestimate them because most plant monsters were slow and docile, but Alraune proves to be a formidable and deadly opponent in the night. As hundreds of these plants slowly walked all over the Anchorage Castle floor, lobby, waiting area, corners, and every inch of the place, the orcs and goblins were seen pushing, trampling, and even cutting the Alraune, as they were seen as a pest rather than a treat.

And yet they treat this situation as more of a nuisance than a problem, as none of the two races have any knowledge of the Alraune humanoid walking plant's capabilities when it's night.

Dane saw an opportunity in this situation; the number of plants compared to the orcs and goblins was six to one.

Dane wanted to watch the situation unfold, but the promise he made would be put on hold as he knew he had to intervene before the situation got too complicated, because the velvet knights were still under the castle, and his request to guard the divine turtle was still ongoing, so he activated his assessment skill and scanned the area. What he saw ,made him smile a bit; there were nearly seven hundred experience points waiting to be harvested. Dane can increase his arsenal by investing more points in the skill sapling, which will strengthen it, and produce more skill branches.