The man in the white suit didn't move. He stood at the base of the crystalline staircase, leaning against a mahogany bookshelf that shouldn't exist in a digital world.
He was holding a physical book—thick, leather-bound, and smelling of old parchment—a relic in an age of HUDs and data-shards.
[Warning: Unknown Entity Detected.]
[Level: ???]
[Identity: Hidden by 'Sovereign-Level' Encryption.]
Han felt the air leave his lungs. It wasn't the "Dread Aura" he had leaked earlier; this was different. It was as if the very atoms in the room were bowing to this man.
Beside him, Rin had frozen mid-step, her chrome staff sparking uselessly.
Her eyes were wide, her data-streams flickering red.
"My System..." Rin whispered, her voice trembling. "It's... it's muted.
He's muting a [Data-Thief]'s core signal just by standing there."
The man closed his book with a soft thud that echoed like a cannon shot in the silent library.
He looked up, and Han saw the golden rings in his irises. They were identical to Han's, but deeper, like looking into a dying sun.
"Three hundred years is a long time to wait in a trash bin, Han," the man said.
His voice was smooth, cultured, and terrifyingly calm.
"I am Silas. Or, as the Global System calls me: The First Error."
Han gripped the rusted pipe, though it felt pathetic in this temple of knowledge.
"You knew I was coming? You knew my name?"
Silas smiled, stepping forward. With every step, the floating data-spheres around him changed color from blue to gold.
"I didn't just know. I authored the 'Glitch' that allowed your awakening. You think it was a coincidence that a 'Null' survived a Level 15 dungeon collapse?
I diverted the server's processing power for three milliseconds to ensure you lived.
"Han's mind raced. His entire life—the struggle, the poverty, the 'Null' status—had been a setup?
"Why?" Han demanded."
Because the Global System has become a cage," Silas said, gesturing to the endless rows of books."
They turned the world into a game so they could control the players.
They gave you 'Classes' and 'Stats' to keep you busy while they harvest your potential. But the First Sovereign... he didn't want players. He wanted successors."
[Sovereign System Notification]
[Synchronizing with 'Library Archive'...]
[Connection Established: 1%]
Suddenly, a massive holographic screen erupted in the center of the room. It wasn't the standard blue box. It was a deep, liquid gold.
[Legacy Quest Updated: The Path of the Usurper]
[Requirement: Accept the 'Sovereign's Core'.]
[Warning: Accepting will trigger a 'World-Class' Alert. Every Guild, Hunter, and Enforcer will receive your coordinates.]
"He's offering you the keys to the kingdom," Rin hissed, grabbing Han's arm."
Han, if you take that, there's no going back. You won't just be a bounty; you'll be a terrorist.
The Silver Wing Guild will send their S-Rank 'Gods' to erase you.
"Han looked at the golden screen, then back at Silas.
"If I don't take it, I die anyway, don't I? The Silver Wing is already at the sewer entrance.
"Silas nodded appreciatively."
Logic is the first step to power. You are Level 5. Trash. But with the Core... you become the Administrator of your own soul.
"Han reached out. His fingers brushed the golden holograph.
[Do you accept the Class: 'Sovereign of the Void'?]
[Yes/ No]Yes.
The world exploded in white light.
[Class Change Successful!]
[Current Class: Sovereign of the Void (Unique - Growth Type)]
[Strength: 1 -> 25]
[Agility: 2 -> 30]
[Intelligence: 10 -> 50]
[New Passive Skill: 'King's Domain' — All enemies within 10 meters suffer a 20% stat reduction.]
[New Active Skill: 'Delete' (Rank E) — Target an object or low-level spell to erase it from the current instance.]
Han felt his body being reconstructed. The rusted pipe in his hand began to melt, the iron twisting and merging with the golden code leaking from his skin. It reshaped itself into a matte-black gladius, the blade humming with the same "erasure" energy the Archivist had used.
[Weapon Manifested: 'The Eraser's Edge' (Bound)]
"He did it," Rin whispered, staring at the notification appearing on her own HUD.
"He actually did it. The madman."
But the celebration was short-lived. A siren began to wail—not from the library, but from the very sky above the city, audible even miles underground.
[World Announcement: A 'System Threat' has been detected in Sector 7.]
[Emergency Quest Issued to all Players: Terminate the 'Sovereign's Heir'.]
[Reward: 100,000,000 Credits & 1 Legendary Gear Box.]
"One hundred million?" Rin's eyes went wide."
"Han... I like you, but for a hundred million, even I would consider stabbing you."
"Then you'd better start running," Silas said,
His form beginning to fade into digital mist.
"The Library is no longer hidden.
The 'Gods' are coming. Use the back door, Heir. And remember: The System is a lie.
Only the Void is real. "Silas vanished.
At the top of the stairs, the sound of explosions reached them. The matte-black doors were being blasted open from the outside.
"They're here," Han said, his voice now layered with a strange, metallic echo.
He gripped the black blade, his new stats surging through his veins.
He didn't feel like a 'Null' anymore. He felt like the one who was going to break the game.in.
"RIN get behind me."
A squad of Silver Wing Enforcers—Level 30 Paladins in gleaming white armor—dropped from the ceiling, their jet-boots hissing ."Target sighted," the lead Paladin barked, raising a glowing spear.
"Delete the glitch. "Han smirked, the golden rings in his eyes glowing bright.
You want to delete me? I was born in the trash.
"You're just data."
He swung the black blade.
He didn't hit the Paladin; he hit the air in front of him.[Skill Activated: Delete.]
The Paladin's spear simply vanished.
Not broken—gone.
The man stared at his empty hands in horror as Han stepped forward.
"My turn," Han whispered.