The moment the hooded figure raised its hand, the cavern shifted.
Shadows stretched like tendrils, writhing unnaturally, bending the rules of light.
Even the Skullborne Harvester halted its charge, hissing warily, backing into the darkness like a beaten beast.
[System Error: Environment shift outside of dungeon laws.]
[Unknown Field Detected: "Throne of Unbirth"]
[Evacuation impossible.]
Yuto dropped from the ceiling, skittering backward, instinctively lowering his body in a submissive crouch. Whatever this being was… it wasn't bound by the system.
"Sovereign," the figure said again, its voice now echoing inside Yuto's head.
"You are waking too fast. You'll draw the others."
"I don't care," Yuto hissed, readying Warp Skitter. "Who—what—are you?"
The hood dissolved like smoke.
No face. No flesh. Just a black void crackling with faint static and thin filaments of web-like script.
[Analyzing... Entity resembles corrupted Administrator-class AI.]
Nyx's voice stammered for the first time:
[Designation: 'Orryx' – Status: Rogue Threadkeeper]
[Classification: Forbidden]
"I am one who failed," Orryx said. "And you… are one being watched by the Weaver."
Yuto narrowed his eyes.
"Who the hell is the Weaver?"
The entity tilted its head.
"Your final form. Your future. The one the world fears."
Before Yuto could respond, Orryx stepped forward—no movement, just a flicker. One instant, it was far. The next, right in front of him.
It extended a hand.
[You are being offered a System Fragment: 'Thread of Forbidden Knowledge']
Do you accept?
[Warning: Accepting this fragment may alter your evolution path irreversibly.]
Yuto's instincts screamed. So did Nyx.
[Suggestion: DECLINE. This entity is unstable and hostile to the balance of this world.]
But his rage burned hotter than caution.
Kaito was still alive. The humans would return. Stronger next time. Smarter.
He needed power.
"I accept."
The moment he said it, the shadows engulfed him.
[Thread of Forbidden Knowledge embedded.]
[You have unlocked a hidden Evolution Tree.]
New Path Unlocked: "Void Sovereign"
– Trait Gained: Threadborn Mind (LV1)
– Trait Gained: Whisperlink (LV1)
– Passive Gained: Emotion Sink
Yuto collapsed, body shaking.
His mind expanded—violently.
He saw glimpses of countless timelines. Endless versions of himself. Insect. God. Tyrant. Corpse.
"All paths lead to ruin… unless you carve your own."
Orryx stepped back into the shadows, fading.
"The next time we meet, Sovereign… we won't talk."
[Entity Orryx has vanished.]
[Local corruption cleared.]
[Dungeon balance restored.]
The world returned to normal.
The Skullborne Harvester was gone. So were the humans—retreated or devoured, Yuto didn't know.
But he felt different now.
Bigger. Sharper. Colder.
He had tasted a higher thread.
And now, he wanted more.