Chapter 7: I Think the System’s Alive
So I'm sittin' on the edge of my busted mattress, blood on my knuckles, rot still stingin' the edge of my lungs, and this voice—this freakin' voice—is just laughin in my head.
Not loud.
Not evil.
Just amused.
---
> "We're just getting started."
---
Cool. Great. No pressure, right?
I wiped my face with a towel that used to be white but now looked like it lost a fistfight in a sewer. Tossed it. Didn't matter.
Still saw the Gate. Still felt it.
Still heard the whispers.
---
I ain't told nobody.
Not Mira. Not Kye. Not even old man Hyun who runs the alley doc clinic and patches me up sometimes in exchange for canned food.
Because how do you explain it?
> "Hey man, I've got a haunted video game UI in my head and I eat dead Wielders like snacks now. Cool right?"
Nah.
They'd lock me up.
---
But I know one thing for sure.
This Hollow System?
It's not just software.
It thinks.
It reacts.
And now... it's talkin back.
---
I stood up, stretched my arms, felt bones crack like dry branches.
No time to mope.
I had missions to do — or "offerings," as the System calls 'em now.
---
> [Daily Offering – Incomplete]
Slay 3 Lesser Veilspawn (1/3)
Bonus: Absorb 1 Forgotten Fragment
Reward: Random Trait + EXP
Time Left: 09:34
---
I sighed. "Why do you gotta make it sound all ritual-y…"
No answer. Of course.
Creepy voice only chimes in when it feels like bein dramatic.
---
So I head out.
Gear? Same trash as always. My cracked pipe. Rusted knee guards. One glove with the fingers torn out. No money for enchantments, no sponsor tags. Just me and the itch in my skull tellin' me where the monsters are.
I followed it. Always do.
Like a bloodhound with brain damage.
---
This one led me to an underground station.
Old subway line — shut down since the Quake six years ago. Caved in on one side. Water leakin from the ceiling. Smelled like mold and metal.
Dark, too.
Real dark.
---
> [Gate Detected: Minor Veil Breach – Class E]
Entry: Open
Danger: Minimal
Proceed? YES / NO
---
I didn't even say yes.
The shadows pulled me in like I was already part of the place.
---
Inside?
It was... wrong.
Not forest. Not tunnel.
It was both.
Roots grew out of concrete walls. Tracks curled like snakes. Lights buzzed red and then snapped off. Every sound echoed weird — like they bounced off memories instead of stone.
And then I saw them.
The Veilspawn.
Three of 'em. All small. All fast. Looked like kids made of ash and bone, with jaws that clicked open sideways.
I raised my pipe.
"Let's get this over with."
---
First one rushed me.
Too eager.
I ducked, spun, slammed my pipe through its ribcage — or where ribs should've been.
It hissed. Screamed like radio static.
Gone.
---
> [EXP +2]
---
Second one came from above. Dropped from the ceiling.
I caught it midair with Hollow Pulse. Boom — violet shock, sent it crashin into a rusted vending machine.
It twitched once. Then nothing.
---
> [EXP +2]
Hollow Pulse cooldown: 18s
---
Last one?
Tricky bastard.
Ran.
I chased.
Down the tracks, past a broken sign that read "EXIT B4," around a corner—
And then it stopped.
Waitin'.
Smilin'.
It wanted me to follow.
I slowed down. Grip tightened.
Something's off.
---
Then it spoke.
---
Not words.
Not a voice.
It mimicked mine.
> "Kael… why'd you leave us…"
My blood ran cold.
That voice. That wasn't me.
That was her.
---
My sister.
---
No. NO. It couldn't—
I swung, blind rage in my chest.
Connected.
Ash burst everywhere.
The thing crumpled and twitched.
Dead.
But my hands… they didn't stop shakin'.
---
> [All Objectives Complete]
Reward: Random Trait Gained
➤ Trait: "Veil Echo – Resistance to Illusions" unlocked
EXP +5
Level Up!
➤ Kael – LVL 5
HP: +10
MP: +15
Skill Slots: +1
---
I sat there, breathin heavy.
Not from the fight.
From what I heard.
---
Was it fake?
A trick?
Or is the System diggin into my memories now too?
Is it showin me things I don't wanna see?
---
I stood up slow.
Dust on my coat. Blood on my cheek. Vision still flickerin at the edges.
---
> "You're changin' me," I whispered.
"And I don't know if that's a good thing."
No answer.
But I swear I felt it smile.
---
To Be Continued…