5.The Architect's Dilemma

Aaron's gaze locked onto the next stone statue—a massive, hulking figure that wielded an oversized hammer. The ground beneath it trembled with each step, and the air vibrated as it raised its weapon, ready to crush him.

But Aaron wasn't worried. Not anymore.

He grinned, rolling his shoulders as the Conqueror's Haki wrapped around him, his aura flaring. He could feel the immense weight of his new power, the strength of Garp surging through his veins. He clenched his fists, each knuckle crackling with energy.

"Let's make this quick," Aaron muttered to himself.

With a swift burst of speed, he dashed forward, his legs burning with pain but propelled by sheer force of will. The massive hammer came crashing down—fast, brutal, unrelenting. But Aaron wasn't just reacting anymore; he knew what to expect.

He sidestepped just in time, his body moving on instinct, weaving through the air like he was born for this. The hammer slammed into the ground where he had been just a moment before, sending rocks and debris flying in all directions.

Aaron's foot connected with the statue's side, sending it staggering back. He immediately followed up with a haymaker, using his Fist of the Sea King, and the force of the punch created a shockwave that shattered the stone like fragile glass.

The statue fell into pieces, crumbling to the ground in a heap of shattered stone.

Aaron took a breath, satisfied, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Not bad for a guy who can barely move," he smirked, before suddenly feeling the weight of his body crash back down on him. His broken limbs flared with pain again, the sudden strain causing his vision to blur.

His knees buckled. For a moment, he felt like he was going to collapse right there.

And then—his body gave out.

With a soft thud, Aaron hit the ground hard, his body unable to support itself anymore. His breath came in ragged gasps, his limbs unresponsive.

> Gacha System Alert:

> "Trial Experience Complete: Peak Garp Template"

A soft, mechanical chime echoed in his mind, and the familiar voice of the system spoke up.

> "Integration Process: 7% Complete."

Aaron's mind barely registered the words. His vision blurred more, and he struggled to stay conscious.

> "To experience the full power of the Peak Garp Template again, please complete the integration process."

> "Warning: Due to insufficient integration, host will experience extreme physical exhaustion."

Aaron groaned, pushing himself up with the last of his energy. "Are you seriously telling me I can't even finish using this power until the trial's complete?"

The system seemed to pause, as if processing his frustration.

> "Affirmative. Completing the integration process is required to fully harness the Peak Garp Template. Current progress: 7%."

"Great," Aaron muttered, his vision flickering. "Just... what I needed."

As his body struggled to hold on, his mind shifted back to the mission at hand. The dungeon was still far from over, and though the Gacha system had given him an incredible gift, it seemed the price for that power was more than just his broken body—it was the process of merging that power with his soul.

"Alright, system... what's next?"

The Gacha didn't respond immediately, but the hum of the system continued to linger, like a promise of things to come.

Aaron managed a half-smile, despite the overwhelming exhaustion.

Just as Aaron was about to lose consciousness, his vision swimming in pain, another screen blinked into existence—blue, not the chaotic red of the Gacha system.

It felt... different. Structured. Cold.

Then it flashed this was the supposed system of architect.

> [System initializing…]

[Confirming eligibility…]

[Would you like to live?]

Aaron's half-conscious mind let out a raspy chuckle.

"Really? Dramatic much?"

But the danger was real. His body was a wreck—both legs gone, arms barely responding. His vision dimmed.

> [Warning: Vital signs falling.]

[Cardiac arrest in 0.07 seconds.]

"Oh come on, stop being so dramatic."

And then, with a smirk, voice barely a whisper—

> "Yes."

> [Great Spellcaster Kandiaru's Blessing: Bestowed.]

— Grants the ability to heal any illness.

— Bestows unnatural longevity to the blessed.

— Provides immunity to poisons, curses, and all status abnormalities.

A rush of warmth flooded Aaron's body, as if ancient magic was being stitched into his very soul. His wounds didn't fully vanish—but the bleeding halted, and a strange calm settled in. No pain. No infection. No weakness.

Even death seemed... hesitant now.

Warmth surged through his mangled form—not full regeneration, but enough to stop the bleeding and stabilize his condition. Just enough to say: Not today, Death.

Then the system buzzed again—

> [Welcome, Player.]

A moment of silence.

Then—

> [System error detected.]

[Unexpected parameters found.]

[Combat Experience… Present.]

[Stat distribution… Above expected thresholds.]

[Trait Unlocked: Iron Resolve.]

[Trait Unlocked: Devil's Tenacity.]

[Player condition violates Tutorial Constraints.]

[Recalibrating…]

[System rebooting...]

The screen glitched and vanished in a flicker of static.

Aaron smirked, even as his consciousness slipped.

"Heh… broke another system."

And then, everything went dark.

-----------------------

The blue screen fizzled in and out like a dying neon sign.

> [System Crash: Critical Severity Reached.]

[Emergency Safeguards Failing…]

[Core Functions—]

Fzzzt.

Aaron blinked slowly, vision blurring as the coldness crept in. His body was wrecked. Limbs broken, legs gone, blood soaked into stone. The pain that once screamed through every nerve was now a distant hum, like a lullaby playing behind glass.

"Damn… I was just getting warmed up…"

His eyelids fluttered. The last thing he saw was the flickering blue light sparking erratically above him.

> [Shutting down…]

A deep yawn slipped past his lips.

"…Mmm, five more minutes…"

And just like that, Aaron, Slayer of Statues, Breaker of Systems, slipped into unconsciousness… as the Architect's system went into full meltdown.

> [CRITICAL SYSTEM FAILURE – ALL FUNCTIONS OFFLINE]

The room fell silent, save for the faint, echoing sound of stone shifting… and the flicker of a corrupted screen fading into nothing.

-------

Within the eerie stillness of the double dungeon, where divine silence reigned and shattered stone statues littered the ground, one figure remained untouched—the massive angelic statue at the altar.

Its glowing eyes dimmed for a moment.

Then flared.

"What… is this malfunction?" the Architect's voice echoed—not aloud, but in a cold, calculating frequency only the dungeon itself could hear.

From his post, still pretending to be an immobile god, the Architect scanned the broken system data that should've smoothly installed into Aaron's body.

> [Player Sync Error]

[Tutorial Boundaries Exceeded]

[Vital Monitoring Interrupted]

[Statistical Anomalies Detected]

He seethed behind that stony expression.

This boy—no, this outlier—had already killed two stone soldiers. He'd awakened willpower and determination-based abilities far ahead of schedule. Worse, his stats were climbing faster than the system could stabilize.

Then the worst hit:

When the Architect tried accessing Aaron's mind to manually debug the error…

SLAM.

A strange, ancient power repelled him. Hard.

The Architect's expression, still frozen in angelic serenity, didn't change—but inside?

Panic.

"That… shouldn't be possible. Not even the Monarchs should be able to block me at this level…"

He tried again.

Denied.

A third time. The mental backlash nearly caused the whole dungeon to shudder.

"What in the world have you been through, boy…?" he murmured, voice tight.

He glanced at Aaron's limp form—no legs, bruised, unconscious, barely breathing—yet surrounded by a quiet, untouchable pressure.

This wasn't a vessel.

This wasn't a candidate.

This was a cataclysm wrapped in human skin.

The Architect's fingers twitched on the altar.

He'd need to tread carefully. Fix the system. Buy time.

Because if Aaron woke up again…

The game would no longer be his to control.

The Architect's panic turned to calculation.

He couldn't access Aaron's mind. The system was already spiraling out of his control, with erratic code spiraling like a virus inside the interface. But abandoning the test subject now would be an even greater failure.

"If I don't stabilize at least something… the whole project will corrupt."

Reluctantly, he made a call.

> [Partial Sync Override Initiated]

[Preserving Skill Acquisition...]

[Player Skill 'Tenacity'—Retained]

[New Skill Created: 'Iron Will']

—A passive skill born of unyielding resolve. Grants resistance to fear, charm, and status effects that weaken mental focus.

The Architect watched as the unstable system limped along, forced to accept the foreign code fragments Aaron had already burned into it through sheer willpower.

Worse still—his stats weren't resetting. The Architect had planned to nerf them post-tutorial, but the system refused to overwrite them without risking another crash.

[Retained Attributes: Strength, Endurance, Vitality, Agility, Perception]

Each one slightly—but significantly—higher than the intended baseline.

The Architect's internal interface buzzed again.

> [WARNING: Real-time monitoring disabled.]

[WARNING: Behavioral influence disabled.]

[WARNING: Memory access denied.]

He gritted his metaphorical teeth.

"I can't track him. I can't control him. And I can't predict him."

All he could do now… was watch. From a distance. Blind and increasingly paranoid.

"I've created a monster with a broken leash…"

The stony eyes of the angel statue dimmed once again, leaving behind only a cold, divine silence. Somewhere deeper in the dungeon, Aaron's breathing steadied—slowly.

For now.

Next chapter... Reboot and rebirth