The sound of metal shrieking against concrete echoed through the chamber as the creature lunged.
Kai barely had time to react.
Instinct took over. He dove to the side, rolling across the cold floor just as the monster's claw slammed into where he'd been standing. Sparks flew. The floor cracked beneath the impact. Whatever this thing was, it had enough strength to punch through walls—and possibly people.
Icarus was already moving, his pistol barking with short, controlled bursts. The rounds glanced off the creature's armor-like plating, ricocheting into the walls. Useless. The beast didn't even flinch. Its eyes—green and glowing—remained locked on Kai.
"Move!" Icarus shouted. "It's targeting you!"
Kai scrambled to his feet, heart pounding, breath ragged. His fingers tightened around the blade he'd picked up earlier. Primitive weapon against a techno-beast? It didn't matter. If this thing wanted him, it was going to bleed for it.
The creature snarled and surged forward.
Kai ducked low and sidestepped, slashing at its leg. Sparks and flesh tore free, but not enough to cripple it. The thing shrieked, more rage than pain, and lashed out again. This time, its swipe caught Kai across the side, sending him sprawling into a heap of crates.
Pain flared through his ribs. Something cracked. Maybe a rib. Maybe two.
[System Protocol Triggered]
Combat Mode: [Forced Instinct] Engaged.
Reaction Time +35%
Stamina Drain: Moderate
The sudden rush of the System's interface flooded his mind. His vision sharpened. Time seemed to slow. Kai didn't question it—he welcomed it. He pushed himself to his feet, teeth gritted against the pain. If the System wanted to help now, he wasn't going to say no.
He sidestepped another blow, rolling under the creature's swinging arm and slicing upward with all his might. This time, his blade found a weak point between the plates—tissue and wires. The thing jerked back with a metallic howl, its movements stuttering.
"NOW!" Icarus yelled. "You staggered it!"
Kai didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, aiming for the same spot. But the creature wasn't out of tricks—it whirled mid-motion, a whiplash of its tail sending Icarus flying into a wall. The crack of impact made Kai wince. Icarus didn't get up.
Kai was alone again.
The creature turned back toward him, smoke rising from the gash in its side. Its eyes glowed brighter, angrier.
[Warning: Protocol Drain Reaching Threshold]
Optional Skill Activation: "Adrenaline Spike" — Activate? (Y/N)
Kai didn't have time to think. "Yes!" he shouted mentally.
A surge of heat flooded his veins. His muscles tensed. His vision tunneled—but in that tunnel, the world became terrifyingly clear. Every movement of the monster, every twitch, every flicker of power in its limbs was highlighted like a path. He wasn't just reacting now—he was anticipating.
The beast charged again.
Kai met it head-on.
He ducked under its swing, ran up its arm like a ramp, and drove his blade into the base of its neck. The creature reared, thrashing, but Kai held on, stabbing again and again as sparks and dark fluid sprayed around him.
[System Update: Weak Point Confirmed — Critical Hits Enhanced x2]
One final plunge of the blade and the creature shrieked—an electric death rattle that echoed through the room. Its body convulsed, then collapsed, smashing into the floor with a thunderous crash. The green lights in its eyes flickered... and died.
Silence followed.
For a moment, all Kai could hear was his own labored breathing. The System faded from his mind like a dream evaporating in the morning. His legs gave out beneath him, and he dropped to one knee beside the smoking corpse.
"Icarus?" he called, voice raw.
A groan answered from the far wall. Kai stumbled over, cringing at every step.
Icarus was conscious, but barely. His face was pale, blood trickling from a gash above his brow. "You... killed it," he rasped. "That thing was... synthetic—never seen one move like that."
"Barely," Kai replied, helping him sit up. "What the hell was it?"
Icarus coughed. "One of the lost units, maybe. Some of the old defense drones got corrupted over time... but this one... it was tracking you. It knew you."
Kai's stomach sank. "That's not random."
"No," Icarus said grimly. "It's not."
Kai turned to the corpse. Now that the adrenaline was fading, he could feel the sting of every wound. He sat beside Icarus, the two of them breathing hard in the echoing quiet of the chamber.
"I think... someone sent that after me," Kai said. "It was too focused. Too deliberate."
"Then you've got bigger problems than I thought," Icarus muttered. "And you're going to need more than a sword."
They both fell into silence.
A soft chime echoed in Kai's ears.
[Ascension Protocol: Omega Sequence Recognized]
New Objective Unlocked: Seek the Terminal Core
Coordinates: Locked | Encryption: Tier 2 Access Required
Progression: 3.2%
Kai's heart froze.
The name—Omega—was back. He hadn't seen it since the System first activated. Now it was tied to something deeper, something more than just fighting monsters in tunnels. Something important.
"What now?" he asked the empty air, more to himself than anything.
The System remained silent.
But inside, something had shifted. This wasn't about surviving anymore. The subgrid wasn't just a place to hide and scavenge. There was something hidden here. Something important. The Terminal Core, whatever it was, held answers.
Kai stood, despite the pain. Icarus looked up at him with one eye half-closed. "You're going after it?"
"Yeah," Kai said. "I have to."
The path forward was uncertain. Danger loomed in every direction. But the protocol had spoken. And he was beginning to understand what that meant.
Kai wasn't just a survivor.
He was a variable.
A threat.
A player in something far bigger than the subgrid.
And the game had only just begun.
[End of Chapter 11]