The rain wasn't just water anymore; it was a physical weight, slicking the alleyway bricks as Han's boots thudded against the pavement. Beside him, Rin moved like a ghost—her footsteps nonexistent, a high-level [Agility] stat at work.
"Left! Now!" Rin hissed.
Han skidded around a dumpster just as a crimson laser swept the wall.
The brickwork disintegrated into molten slag where his head had been a second ago.
[Warning: Thermal Lock Detected.]
[Enemy: Enforcer Drone (Model-X) — Level 12]
[Status: Hostile / Search-and-Destroy]
Level 12? Han gritted his teeth.
I'm a Level 2 'Null' with a pipe. If that thing breathes on me, I'm a smear on the sidewalk."
"Then don't get hit, 'Mountain of Gold'!" Rin chirped.
Her eyes were darting rapidly, glowing with blue data-streams. She tapped a command into her wrist-HUD. "Pino, Distraction Pattern Gamma!"
The mechanical owl let out a digitized screech. It veered upward, its wings unfolding into reflective mirrors that scattered the drone's laser into a thousand harmless red dots.
The Enforcer drone whirred in confusion. Its AI was choking on the sensory overload.
"Through the grate! Move!" Rin kicked a heavy iron manhole cover.
To Han's surprise, it didn't clatter—it slid open with a hiss of pressurized air.
They dropped into the darkness just as an explosion rocked the street above
. The drone had fired a micro-missile at their last known ghost-signature. Inside the sewer, the air was thick with the smell of ozone and damp earth.
Han leaned against the cold stone wall, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"You're fast for a Null," Rin said, watching him.
She popped her pink lollipop back in her mouth, her gaze calculating.
"Or should I say... whatever you are now. Your Agility stat is jumping all over the place. One second it's 5, the next it's 40. You really are a glitch. "
Han looked at his hands. The golden veins under his skin were pulsing in time with his heartbeat.[Sovereign System Notification]
[Passive Skill: 'Dread Aura' (Rank F) is leaking.]
[Effect: Low-level entities feel 'Death Pressure'.]
[Suppress Aura? Y/N]
Leaking? Han frowned.
He looked at Rin and realized she was actually shivering, despite her playful tone.
His presence was subconsciously weighing on her like a mountain.
Yes. Suppress it.
The pressure in the air instantly vanished.
Rin let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"I don't know what I am," Han admitted."
"But if the Silver Wing is offering a million credits for me, the 'Weakest System' title they gave me was a lie."
"Obviously," Rin snorted.
She began walking deeper into the tunnels.
"The Library is three miles sub-surface. It's a 'Dead Zone'—no GPS, no System signal, no 'Gods' watching. It's the only place where someone like you can breathe without a sniper aimed at your heart."
She stopped and turned, her expression suddenly grave.
"But Han? There's a reason it was deleted from the map. The Library isn't just a place for books. It's where the First Sovereign stored the things he couldn't kill."
"A low, guttural growl echoed from the darkness ahead."
It wasn't the sound of a machine or a programmed monster. It sounded... ancient.
[New Quest: The Silent Archivist]
[Objective: Reach the Sub-Surface Library Gates.]
[Time Limit: 00:59:59]
[Reward: Hidden Skill Unlock (Sovereign Class).]
[Penalty for Failure: Permanent Character Deletion.]
Han felt a cold shiver. Permanent deletion?
That shouldn't be possible in the tutorial zones.Rin didn't answer.
She just pointed her flashlight into the tunnel, revealing a pair of massive, glowing yellow eyes reflecting the beam.
"Welcome to the Deep Web, Han,try not to get eaten."
She whispered.