The sky above the slums of Seoul was no longer black; it was a sea of rhythmic red pulsing lights from hundreds of Hunter Association drones. Their sirens wailed, a digital scream that announced the arrival of the 'Clean-Up' squad.
"Target locked. Level 45 Glitch detected. Permission to delete: Granted," a cold, synthesized voice echoed from the lead drone.
A rain of mana-infused bullets tore through the air, aimed directly at Jin and Mi-na. Zero-Day dove for cover, but Jin didn't move. He stood tall, his hand glowing with a glitchy crimson light.
"Phase Shift," Jin whispered.
As the bullets reached him, they didn't draw blood. They passed through his body as if he were a ghost made of red pixels. For three seconds, Jin was no longer physical—he was pure code. He sprinted toward the wall of a nearby building, and instead of crashing into it, he glided right through the solid concrete, appearing behind the drone line.
[Skill: Phase Shift - 1 Second Remaining]
With a sudden burst of speed, Jin leaped into the air. His 'Glitch Dagger' extended into a blade of pure corruption. In one fluid motion, he performed a circular slash, cutting through the flight-cores of a dozen drones. They didn't just fall; they disintegrated into digital dust.
"Mi-na! Open the local network!" Jin shouted as he landed.
Mi-na raised her hands, her electric blue eyes glowing. "Overriding local satellite... Coordinates locked. Target: The Moroccan Sahara, Merzouga Region."
Zero-Day looked at his tablet in shock. "The Sahara? That's the most unstable mana-zone on the planet! The System calls it the 'Sandbox'—a place where the rules of gravity and time are broken."
"That's exactly why we're going," Jin said, his voice hard. "The Auditor's key says the 'Monolith' is buried under the golden dunes of Merzouga. If my father is there, that's where the System's power is weakest."
Zero-Day smashed a button on a hidden remote. A sleek, black stealth-jet—a 'Ghost-Wing'—rose from a hidden hydraulic platform in the alley. It was a vehicle designed to fly under the System's radar by mimicking the frequency of a 'Deleted File'.
"Welcome to Flight 000," Zero-Day grinned through his scarred face. "Destination: The Moroccan Desert. I hope you like heat, because the System's 'Firewall' over Africa is a literal hell."
As the jet roared to life and vanished into the clouds, Jin looked out at the disappearing city. He was leaving everything behind to find the truth in the shifting sands of Morocco.