**Arc 5: The Veil of Betrayal**
**Chapter 8: Secrets Beneath the Spire**
Jae-min stood over the defeated Calder, his breathing steady but his eyes cold. The room was littered with broken drones and unconscious guards. Leon leaned against the doorway, wiping a smear of soot from his face while Yuna and Riho tied up the remaining conscious enemies.
Yerin glanced at Jae-min. "What's the plan? We can't just leave him here. He's the one behind everything."
Jae-min crouched next to Calder, gripping his collar tightly. "You've got one chance, Calder. Start talking. Who's pulling the strings?"
Calder coughed, trying to free himself from Jae-min's grip but failing. His lips curled into a mocking grin. "You think this ends with me? There's a whole network out there, and you're just a pawn in their game."
Jae-min didn't flinch. Instead, he activated a minor truth detection ability the system had granted him earlier. Aria's voice echoed in his mind, calm and reassuring.
"Don't let him fool you. He knows more than he's letting on."
"Start talking, or I'll make sure you regret it," Jae-min said, his voice low and menacing.
---
Calder's smirk faltered. He could see the determination in Jae-min's eyes and realized there was no bluff here. "Fine," he spat. "There's a hidden passage below this room. It leads to an archive where you'll find what you're looking for."
Leon frowned. "An archive? That sounds like a trap."
"It is," Calder said, chuckling weakly. "But if you're so eager to uncover the truth, go ahead. Just don't say I didn't warn you."
Jae-min motioned for Yerin and Leon to stay on guard while he, Yuna, and Riho searched for the hidden passage. It didn't take long before Yuna found a concealed lever behind one of the ornate pillars. With a creak, the floor shifted, revealing a dark staircase leading downward.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Riho muttered, eyeing the staircase warily.
"Me too," Jae-min admitted. "But we don't have a choice."
---
The group descended carefully, the air growing colder with each step. Dim lights flickered along the stone walls, casting eerie shadows. Jae-min could feel Aria's presence growing stronger in his mind, as if the system itself was on high alert.
"There's something strange about this place," Aria said, her voice unusually serious. "Be careful, Jae-min. This isn't just an archive—it's something more."
They reached the bottom of the stairs, finding themselves in a large underground chamber filled with rows of ancient-looking files and glowing data consoles. At the center of the room stood a massive crystal, pulsating with energy.
"What is that?" Yuna whispered, her eyes wide.
Jae-min approached the crystal cautiously. "I don't know, but it feels… familiar."
Aria's voice rang in his mind again. "That's a core fragment. It's connected to the system."
---
Before Jae-min could react, the crystal emitted a blinding light, and a wave of energy pulsed through the room. Alarms blared as the data consoles lit up with streams of encrypted information.
"Jae-min, we need to leave!" Yerin's voice came through the communicator.
"Not yet!" Jae-min shouted back. He placed his hand on the crystal, trusting Aria's guidance. Energy surged through him, and the system interface lit up, displaying a new task:
**System Task Activated: Extract Core Data. Reward: Core Synchronization Upgrade.**
"Hold them off!" Jae-min ordered as he focused on the task. Yuna and Riho moved to guard the entrance, ready to fend off any attackers. The room trembled, and cracks began forming on the ceiling.
"This place is collapsing!" Leon's voice crackled over the comm.
"Hurry up, Jae-min!" Yuna shouted as she deflected an incoming blast from a newly activated drone.
---
Jae-min gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay calm. The extraction process was nearly complete, but the room's condition was worsening by the second. He could hear Aria's voice urging him on, her presence guiding him through the process.
Finally, the system chimed:
**Task Complete. Core Synchronization Upgrade Acquired.**
The crystal shattered, sending a final wave of energy through the chamber. Jae-min stumbled back, but Riho caught him before he could fall.
"Time to go!" Riho said, dragging him toward the staircase.
As they ascended, the ground beneath them shook violently. Dust and debris rained down, but they pushed forward, determined to escape before the entire structure collapsed.
---
They burst out of the hidden passage just as the chamber below caved in completely. Leon, Yerin, and the others were waiting, their expressions tense.
"Did you get it?" Yerin asked.
Jae-min nodded. "Yeah, but we've got a bigger problem now."
"What kind of problem?" Leon asked, frowning.
Jae-min's eyes darkened. "Whatever's behind this, it's more dangerous than we thought."
---
**End of Chapter 8**