Ethan's breaths came in ragged gasps as he leaned against the cool stone wall of the ruin, the remnants of the battle still fresh in his mind. His sword hung loosely in his hand, the blade chipped and dull from clashing against the stone golems. Lila sat nearby, her magic staff resting across her lap as she rubbed her aching arms. Rogan and Mira stood watch at the entrance, both visibly shaken but trying to mask their exhaustion.
They had survived the trial, but just barely. If not for the timely arrival of the guild's reinforcements, Ethan knew they would have been crushed beneath the golems' relentless assault.
"Ten minutes never felt so long," Rogan muttered, shaking his head.
Mira gave a weak chuckle, though her expression remained tense. "Tell me about it."
Ethan wiped the sweat from his brow, but even as his body began to relax, his mind remained uneasy. The system had intervened with a mission—survive for ten minutes until reinforcements arrive—but it had come so late. Why hadn't it warned him earlier? Why did it feel like the system had waited until they were on the verge of defeat before stepping in?
Just as these thoughts began to cloud his mind, the familiar chime of the system echoed in his head.
"New Mission: Emergency Protocol Activated."
"Objective: Investigate the Ruin's Core. Critical Discovery Imminent."
Reward: ???"
Risk Level: Unknown."
Ethan's heart skipped a beat as the new mission appeared in front of him. Investigate the Ruin's Core? He glanced around the chamber. The golems were destroyed, and the artifact they had come for lay safely in their possession. What more could the system want from them?
"What now?" Lila asked, noticing the shift in his expression.
Ethan frowned. "The system just gave me another mission. Something about investigating the core of this ruin. It didn't say what we're supposed to find—just that it's critical."
Rogan groaned, rubbing his sore shoulders. "More danger, I'm guessing?"
Mira's eyes narrowed as she scanned the room. "We've already been through enough in this place. What could be left?"
Ethan felt the weight of the system's urgency pressing on him. This wasn't just another task—there was something deeper at play here, something the system was only now revealing.
"We need to check it out," Ethan said firmly. "The system hasn't led us astray yet, and if it says there's something important here, we can't ignore it."
Lila sighed but nodded. "Alright. But let's be careful. We barely survived the last fight."
The chamber they had been fighting in seemed to be the heart of the ruin, but as Ethan surveyed the area, his eyes caught something strange—an inscription on the wall near the pedestal where the artifact had been. The runes glowed faintly with the same eerie light as the artifact, and as Ethan approached, the system chimed again.
"Ancient Script Detected: Decoding..."
He watched as the glowing runes shifted, the strange symbols rearranging themselves until they formed a coherent message.
"To unlock the truth, you must reach the core. The secrets of this world are hidden within."
Ethan's pulse quickened. The truth? The secrets of this world? The system's cryptic messages were nothing new, but this one felt different—like it was guiding him toward something monumental.
"There's something behind this wall," Ethan said, running his fingers along the smooth stone surface. "The inscription talks about unlocking the truth. There has to be a way to open it."
Rogan, never one to waste time, hefted his axe. "Well, there's one way to find out."
Before anyone could stop him, he swung the axe at the wall. The impact echoed through the chamber, and to everyone's surprise, the stone began to crack and crumble, revealing a hidden passage behind it.
"Well, I'll be," Rogan muttered, staring at the opening.
Ethan's system interface flared to life again.
"Passage to Ruin's Core Unlocked."
"New Mission: Enter the Core."
Risk Level: High."
Mira eyed the dark passage warily. "Are we really going down there?"
Ethan nodded, determination etched on his face. "We've come this far. We need to see this through."
The passage was narrow, barely wide enough for them to move through single file. The air grew colder as they descended, the light from Lila's staff casting long, flickering shadows on the damp walls. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became, as if the ruin itself was alive and watching their every step.
After what felt like an eternity, the passage opened up into a massive underground chamber. In the center of the room, a large, glowing orb floated above a stone altar, its surface pulsing with strange, ethereal light.
Ethan's system chimed again.
"Ruin Core Detected: Source of Energy Linked to World-Core."
"New Discovery: This Core contains residual energy from the World-Core. It holds vital information about the system's true purpose."
"New Objective: Absorb the Core's Energy."
Ethan's heart raced. World-Core energy? This was the first time the system had mentioned anything about the World-Core in such specific terms. He had heard whispers of it before, in cryptic mission logs and hidden messages, but now it was becoming clear that this was something far more important than he had realized.
"This… this is connected to the World-Core," Ethan said, his voice barely above a whisper. "The system wants me to absorb its energy."
Lila's eyes widened. "Absorb it? Are you sure that's safe?"
Ethan hesitated. He wasn't sure. The system was guiding him, but it wasn't always clear about the risks. Still, if this was connected to the World-Core—whatever that was—it could hold the answers they had been searching for.
"We don't have much choice," Ethan said finally. "This is what the system brought us here for."
He stepped forward, reaching out toward the glowing orb. As his hand touched the surface, a surge of energy coursed through his body, lighting up his system interface with a blinding array of notifications.
"Energy Absorption Initiated..."
"Warning: Energy Levels Unstable."
"New Mission: Stabilize Energy Core before Absorption Completes."
Objective: Protect the Core from External Forces."
Before Ethan could react, the ground beneath them began to shake violently. The chamber trembled as cracks formed in the walls, and from the shadows, more stone golems began to emerge—larger and more menacing than the ones they had faced before.
"Not again!" Rogan shouted, raising his axe as the first golem charged toward them.
Ethan's mind raced. The core's energy was unstable, and they were under attack again. The system's mission was clear—he needed to stabilize the core, but first, they had to survive this onslaught.
"Lila, keep the golems away from the core!" Ethan shouted, his voice filled with urgency. "Rogan, Mira, hold them off as long as you can!"
Lila nodded, summoning a barrier of fire around the core to protect it from the approaching golems. Rogan and Mira sprang into action, their weapons flashing as they engaged the towering enemies.
Ethan focused on the core, his system interface guiding him through the process of stabilizing the energy. His hands shook as he manipulated the glowing orb, trying to balance the wild energy coursing through it.
"Energy Stabilization at 50%..."
The ground shook again as one of the golems broke through Lila's barrier, its massive stone fist crashing toward the core. Ethan barely had time to react, raising his hand to shield the core with a burst of magic from the system.
"Energy Stabilization at 75%..."
Rogan let out a roar of frustration as he cleaved through another golem, but the enemies kept coming. "We can't hold them off much longer!" he shouted.
Ethan gritted his teeth, his focus entirely on the core. "Just a little more…"
"Energy Stabilization at 100%."
With a final surge of power, the core stabilized, its wild energy calming as it was absorbed into the system. The remaining golems froze in place, their eyes dimming as the energy that powered them dissipated.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Ethan collapsed to his knees, exhausted but relieved. The system chimed one last time.
"Mission Complete: Energy Absorbed."
"New Ability Unlocked: World-Core Resonance (Passive)."
Effect: Increased understanding of World-Core energy and its influence on the system."
Lila rushed to his side, her face pale with concern. "Are you okay?"
Ethan nodded weakly. "Yeah… I think we did it."
Mira and Rogan joined them, both of them battered but alive. "What was that?" Mira asked, staring at the now-dormant core.
Ethan looked up at the glowing orb, his heart still racing. "I don't know… but whatever it was, it's connected to something bigger. The World-Core… the system… everything we've been doing is tied to it."
Rogan frowned. "So, what now?"
Ethan stood slowly, his gaze still fixed on the core. "Now… we figure out what this all means."