Level 7+

Kendrick sat at his desk, fingers drumming against the polished wood as he stared at the glowing screen of his laptop. The notification was still there, flickering faintly in the dimly lit room.

He exhaled slowly before opening the app's built-in messenger. His fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment before he typed:

Obscura: Would you like to achieve Level 7+?

He pressed send and leaned back in his chair, watching as the message was marked as delivered. The screen remained still. No immediate reply from the other side.

Kendrick clenched his fists. He knew exactly why.

There had only ever been a handful of Nulls who reached Level 6, and none had dared to attempt Level 7+. It wasn't just another upgrade—it was a gamble where the stakes were everything.

Failure meant total erasure.

Not death—the Archive didn't work like that—but complete loss of everything they had built. Their levels, their access, their accumulated knowledge—it would all be wiped clean, forcing them to start over from Level 1.

As if they had never existed.

For people like them, that was worse than death.

The silence stretched. The small cursor on his screen blinked.

Then, finally, a reply appeared.

Eclipse: Yes. I would like to upgrade.

Kendrick let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

Obscura: Let's do it then.

A few seconds later, another message popped up.

Eclipse: Sure. I'm truly curious what mission is needed to reach that level. Is there going to be an epic battle this time? I hope it isn't as disappointing as the one earlier.

She continued typing, her words flowing effortlessly.

Eclipse: How can that man be so drunk in the middle of the day? He's supposed to be the leader of one of the top four most notorious gangs in the underworld, but alas, I didn't even break a sweat. He couldn't even stand up straight from too much alcohol. Sigh. Truly a disappointment. But anyway, I'll let you do the planning as usual.

Her tone was lighthearted, almost careless.

Kendrick felt envious.

He wished he could be like her—carefree, bold, moving forward without a plan or backup. Yet, unknown to him, she was nervous.

She had never felt this way before. A bad feeling kept creeping up on her, gnawing at the edges of her thoughts.

The way she rambled about their last mission—something she never did after a completed task—was just her way of distracting herself.

Unknown to her, Kendrick felt the same.

They had been chasing this moment for years. The truth they sought was just beyond their reach. If this was their only chance to find the answers they needed, then they had no choice.

Kendrick flexed his fingers, steadying himself. Then, without hesitation, he clicked the [YES] button.

At that same moment, Zephany did the same.

A new message popped up on both their screens.

---

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE INITIATED LEVEL 7+ UPGRADE.

To complete the upgrade process, you must successfully accomplish the mission first.

MISSION: CAPTURE THE MASTERMIND

Mission Code: Null14zk+

Level 7+: Bounty on High-Value Target

Mission Type: Tracking and Eliminating High-Value Targets

Point Rewards: 5000 Points

Access Granted To: Very Secret Information (Hidden Histories, Secret Groups, Unknown Events, Forgotten Details)

Monetary Reward: $100 million

---

Zephany didn't hesitate.

The moment she read the mission details, she reached for the earpiece Obscura had given her years ago. With a flick of her finger, she activated it. The device connected automatically, the faintest beep signaling a secure connection.

"Obscura, did you see the mission? Can we do it?"

Her voice came through steady, her usual confidence masking the tension beneath. She even used a disguised tone, just in case.

On the other end, Kendrick remained silent.

Zephany frowned. Normally, he would respond instantly. Always with the same confident answer:

"Of course."

But this time, he didn't.

Seconds stretched between them.

"…Obscura?" she called again.

Finally, his voice came through—lower than usual.

"I'm not sure."

Zephany froze.

This wasn't like him.

Obscura never hesitated. He was the one who always had a plan, who could calculate probabilities faster than anyone she knew.

Yet here he was, saying he wasn't sure.

Her grip tightened around the earpiece.

Something about this mission was different.

She didn't respond immediately. Normally, she would have launched into a barrage of questions, forcing him to think through the mission logically. But this time, she was silent.

And Kendrick noticed.

Three minutes passed. Still, nothing from her.

Kendrick frowned. What's wrong with this woman? She was never this quiet. Is the world about to collapse?

Then, another thought crossed his mind.

Wait.

Why am I even worried about this?

If anything, he should be relieved. Finally, some peace and quiet. Finally, she wasn't talking his ears off.

But despite that thought, he found himself waiting—expecting her usual flood of questions, her endless curiosity, her forceful determination.

Instead, she remained silent.

Unbeknownst to him, Zephany was deep in thought.

She had expected this mission to be dangerous, but hearing Obscura—of all people—say that he wasn't sure made it feel real in a way it hadn't before.

What if they failed?

What if they lost everything?

She had worked too hard to get here. Pushed herself past every limit. Climbed every level. And still, the information she needed wasn't available. She knew Obscura was the same.

And now, this mission was their last shot.

If she didn't take it, she would have to accept the possibility that the truth had never existed at all.

She couldn't let that happen.

After all, she was someone who believed in leaving things to fate.

So she wasn't really worried about herself.

But… was it right to drag Obscura into this?

She could terminate their alliance. If she did, then the failure would only affect her. She would lose everything, but at least Obscura would be safe.

She swallowed.

Would he even allow that?

She already knew the answer.

Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke.

"Obscura."

"…Yeah?"

"No matter what happens, don't hesitate."

Kendrick frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" She hesitated, gripping the earpiece tighter. "If this mission turns out to be worse than we expected… I don't want you holding back just because of me."

A beat of silence.

Then Kendrick exhaled sharply. "You're being dramatic."

Zephany forced out a laugh. "I'm just saying."

Another pause.

Then, finally, Kendrick said, "I know."

She smiled faintly.

That was his way of saying he understood.

They both knew what was at stake.

Failure was not an option.

Kendrick leaned back in his chair, staring at the mission details on his screen. His fingers hovered over the keyboard before he typed one last message.

Obscura: We'll start tomorrow. I'll handle the planning.

Eclipse: Of course. You always do.

Her words were light, but Kendrick sensed the unspoken weight behind them.

He wasn't used to this.

Eclipse was always bold, carefree, moving forward without hesitation. But this time, he could feel her tension.

And the strangest part?

For the first time in a long while…

He felt it too.

They were standing at the edge of something massive.

Neither of them knew what would happen next.

But one thing was certain.

They weren't backing down.