The Obsidian Dunes weren't made of sand. They were made of ash. Windless and endless, the terrain shimmered like a burned-out world trapped in perpetual dusk. Every step kicked up dark motes that vanished mid-air, as if the ground had given up remembering what it used to be.
[Zone Entered: Stolen Realms Boundary]
[Active Effects: Memory Drift, Spirit Drain, Echo Interference]
[Warning: No map sync. No respawn anchor. Death is permanent.]
Seris wrapped her scarf tighter around her face. "I hate this place already."
I didn't answer. I was too focused on the system alert burning across my vision.
[Vault of Stolen Realms Detected: 2.3 km West]
[Status: Sealed - Under Attack]
[Competing Party Detected: "Ascenders Who Burn" - Guild Rank: Obsidian Tier]
[Leader: Korr Zeth - Fire Elemental Sage, Tier 5.3]
Korr Zeth, the name sounded familiar. Then the memory hit like a blade. He was the one who'd melted the Eastern Lakes. Burned out an entire sect to get one ascension core. Rumor said he ascended by eating a system. I tightened my grip on the jade blade.
"We need that Vault," I muttered.
Seris glanced at me. "What's inside?"
[Confirmed Rewards: Tier Break Catalyst (x1), Worldshard Fragment (x1), Unknown System Thread (???)]
She whistled. "That's a divine jackpot."
"Exactly."
We moved. It didn't take long before we saw the first sign of the assault. Burned bodies. Charred sand. Sliced stone. A ridge ahead glowed with orange runes, forming a half-circle of siege glyphs. Behind them stood a structure not made of stone or metal, but story. Words carved into the vault's walls.
Thousands of them, dancing in light, forming ancient scripts and forbidden oaths. The entire vault was alive, telling tales no one had read in eons. And six figures stood between us and it. Wearing red-black armor, etched in ember-sigil flame. Ascenders Who Burn. The lead one turned, a massive man with skin like scorched bronze and a crown of smoking hair. Korr Zeth. His eyes locked onto mine, and smiled.
"I wondered if you'd show," he called, voice deep and thick like magma sliding downhill.
Seris whispered, "That's him."
I nodded. The system pinged:
[Optional Objective: Duel Korr Zeth - Claim Flamebound Threadcraft]
[Risk Level: Extreme]
[Chance of Success: 19%]
I smirked. "I like those odds."
Korr stepped forward and drew a blade of black crystal, a fire-forged relic known only by its title.
[Weapon Detected: "Ash Sovereign" - Soul-Fused, Tier 5.0 Relic]
[Immunity: Flame + Shadow]
[Weakness: Memory-type Strike Threads]
The ground cracked beneath him with every step.
"I've heard the rumors," he said. "Heavenmarked. Jade path. Broken rules."
He raised the blade to his shoulder.
"I'm going to break you the rest of the way."
[Threadcraft Fusion: Available]
[Suggested: Ghost Spiral + Echo Burn = Mirror Collapse Slash]
➤ Strike that fractures targets with reflective ancestry, great against soulbound relics
Confirmed.
I stepped forward and charged. The clash shook the Dunes. My Mirror Collapse Slash carved a trail of silver light across the ash, forcing Korr into a guard position. His blade met mine in a burst of flame and backlash.
He grinned wider. "You hit harder than you look."
"You smell like regret."
He roared and swept his sword into a wide arc, summoning a geyser of living flame that shaped itself into a fire serpent.
[Threat Detected: Inferno Wyrm Construct - Tier 4.9]
[Weak Point: Fireflow Node - Tail Base]
I blinked left and slashed. The serpent shattered into flame-glass. Korr came through the wreckage swinging wild, but I caught the momentum, twisting behind him, driving my blade into his shoulder.
Not deep enough. He pivoted and slammed a flaming elbow into my ribs, sending me skidding backward across the ash.
[-18% HP]
[Core Temperature Rising - Status: Seared]
But my jade burned hotter.
[Jade Path Retaliation Bonus Active - Loot Yield +12%]
Seris struck from behind him, her blades flashing. He caught one, blocked the other, but missed the dagger she threw at his knee. Korr snarled, falling slightly off-balance. I surged forward again, jade light surrounding my sword.
Final strike.
[Thread Fusion: Spirit Pulse Blade + Echo Burn + Vortex Guard = Jade Ruin Flash]
➤ A wide-range cleave that burns both body and soul, enhanced against soulbound foes.
I let it rip. The light exploded from the blade, carving through Korr's armor, slicing across his chest, severing the runes that kept his relic soul fused. His weapon shattered.
He fell to one knee. Eyes wide. "How…?"
"Your fire's old," I said. "Mine just got started."
[Korr Zeth Defeated - Loot Claimed: Flamebound Thread + 4 Skill Nodes]
[Tier Break Catalyst (Secured)]
[Worldshard Fragment Extracted]
[Ascenders Who Burn - Leadership Lost: Guild Dissolution Imminent]
[Faction Reputation Gained: +Jade Renegade Status Recognized]
Seris dropped beside me.
"You okay?" she asked.
"I will be."
I held the Catalyst in one hand. A pure golden crystal, pulsing with energy not meant for mortals.
[Tier Break Catalyst - Use to ascend one Core Rank instantly with zero backlash]
[Recommended Use: Before next regional bounty siege]
I stared at it for a long time. Then smiled. The Vault was ours. And the world would feel the ripple. The Vault crumbled behind us. The dunes quieted. And for the first time since I broke into the Jade Path, I stood at the edge of a breakthrough, with the power to force it. The Tier Break Catalyst pulsed in my palm like a heart without a body.
Seris eyed it warily. "You sure you want to use it here? No barriers. No backup. No fallback."
"I've got something better."
"What?"
I smiled. "Nothing left to lose."
[Initiate Catalyst Use?]
[Warning: Tier Break bypass will cause core destabilization if system compatibility is not absolute.]
[Proceed: Y/N]
Yes. The Catalyst dissolved into gold light. It entered my chest like a storm of needles. My breath hitched. My spine locked. And then...
[System Conflict Detected.]
[Jade Path Thread: Compatible]
[Mutant Ascender Core: Incompatible Mutation Detected]
The pain hit second. Like being pulled in six directions at once. My thoughts split. My blood ran hot, cold, then nonexistent. I collapsed to one knee, hands in the ash.
[Error: You do not possess a valid Ascension Core.]
[Error: You do not possess an invalid one either.]
"What… does that mean?" I hissed aloud.
Seris knelt beside me, eyes wide. "Jin, your aura, it's folding over itself."
[Warning: You are creating a new core type.]
[Designation: ???]
[Do you wish to name it?]
Name it?
Through gritted teeth, I whispered:
"Paradox Core."
The system paused, then:
[Accepted.]
[Paradox Core Created - Unique Classification: Unwritten Path]
[All existing path rules voided.]
[System Threading Limit Removed.]
[Skill Mutation Chance: 100% under combat pressure.]
[Tier Status: Undefined - Treated as Tier 5.0+]
[Warning: Outer System and Central Nexus alerted.]
The sky darkened, just slightly. Not from clouds. But from awareness. Something noticed.
Seris grabbed my shoulder. "Your jade glow… it's not jade anymore."
I looked down. Where there used to be green light, now a twisting aurora danced. Purple. Silver. Gold. Faint lines of black ink floating around the glow like orbiting chains. My core had rewritten itself. I wasn't Ascender, Jadewalker, Heavenmarked, or anything in between.
I was… an error.
[Paradox Trait: Thread Override]
➤ You may now rewrite any skill in combat at will, with no resource cost. Mutations stack indefinitely.
➤ Warning: Prolonged use draws system attention from higher entities.
I stood slowly. The sand didn't crunch beneath me anymore. It obeyed.
Seris backed up a step. "You're not even radiating Qi anymore. It's like…"
"Like the rules broke."
She swallowed. "They're going to come for you. You know that."
I nodded. "Let them try."
[Paradox Core Sync: 8% Complete]
[New Passive Acquired: Skill Drift - Random secondary effects added to all attacks]
[Worldshard Fragment Reacting - Unseal Opportunity Available]
➤ Do you wish to awaken your Worldshard affinity early?
Yes. The fragment glowed white in my palm. It sank into my chest and vanished.
[Worldshard Affinity: "Chrono-Null" - Incomplete Time-Type Shard]
[Trait Acquired: Phase Rewind - Once per battle, rewind your physical state by 4 seconds.]
I blinked. Seris stared. "What just happened?"
"I gained a cheat button," I muttered.
The system chimed again.
[New Title Earned: Pathless One]
➤ Bearer of the first Paradox Core. All traditional factions will consider you a destabilizing threat.
[Bounty Status: Escalated to Level 6]
➤ You are now being tracked by: Outer System Inquisitors, Central Path Monitors, Jade Order Enforcers
I grinned as I turned toward the horizon.
"They wanted a rulebreaker."
Seris nodded. "You became the rule."
As we walked toward the nearest ridge, a black spear struck the sand beside us, embedding deep. Attached to it was a message sealed in system glyphs. I picked it up and read it aloud.
"To the bearer of the Paradox Core. You have been seen. Come to the Eclipsed Arena in twelve days, or we will come to you. Bring your strength. Leave your name...The Null Crown."
I looked at Seris. She said nothing. Neither did I. But the hunt was on.
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