Rain lashed the rooftop of the Verdant Nexus Tower as Leon stood alone under the night sky. Below him, Neo-Tokyo's skyline pulsed with neon lights, flickering like a heartbeat—his heartbeat. Each flicker, each surge of color, resonated with something dormant inside him. Ever since he'd unlocked the Primordial Exchange, the system had begun to evolve in ways even he couldn't predict.
[System Notification: Deep Core Protocol detected. Dormant functions initializing…]
The message blinked before his eyes, not in the bright digital blue he was used to—but in a deep crimson hue, like the blood of forgotten gods. His body shivered. Not from fear, but anticipation. He had touched on something buried—something the original creators of the system likely never meant to be reached.
A second notification appeared, etched in an ancient script the system slowly translated:
"To awaken the Deep Core is to awaken the truth. Evolution requires sacrifice."
Leon narrowed his eyes. The wind grew stronger, tugging at his coat as thunder rolled above. The city might have been technologically supreme, but nature had never surrendered.
The rooftop access door opened. Cassian stepped out, soaked from head to toe. "Leon! The board just got wind of your sudden 500 billion credit acquisition through the Primordial Exchange. They're calling an emergency vote—tonight!"
Leon turned slowly, expression unreadable. "Let them vote. I've moved beyond the need for approval."
"You're going to war with the old money syndicates, Leon. This isn't just about power anymore—they'll throw everything at you."
Leon smiled faintly. "Let them. The system isn't just an advantage anymore, Cassian. It's an inevitability."
Cassian blinked. "You're different."
"No," Leon said, eyes glowing faintly gold. "I'm evolving."
At the Underground Archives
Deep beneath the Hoshino Research Complex—far below what the public ever saw—a chamber sealed by twelve biometric layers opened for the first time in a century.
Inside, Dr. Elaine Hoshino, once presumed dead after a system core failure experiment, hovered above a crystalline bed in stasis. As Leon approached, the dormant chamber began to vibrate with subtle frequencies. His presence was recognized by something ancient.
[System Compatibility: 99.9% Match Detected with Subject: Elaine Hoshino.]
[Relevance: Former Architect-Class System Engineer. Founder of Deep Core Protocol.]
Leon's breath caught. "She… built this?"
The voice of the system echoed back, not as text—but in the ghostly echo of Elaine's voice itself. "I didn't build it, Leon. I just found it… in the ruins of Earth Prime."
She opened her eyes.
"I knew someone would come eventually. The last inheritor."
Leon stepped forward. "You're alive?"
"In a sense." She sat up, and though her body was frail, her eyes burned with the same golden light he now carried. "You've activated the Primordial Exchange. That was never supposed to be possible for someone born in this era."
Leon clenched his fists. "I was reborn. A second chance. The system… it chose me."
Elaine nodded. "Or you chose it. Either way, you've triggered a cascade. The Deep Core Protocol is not just a tool. It's a reset key for the entire multiversal economy."
"What do you mean?"
Elaine gestured at the air. A glyph formed—then dozens more. "Every timeline that birthed a version of the system anchored it into economic laws, energy flows, and computational consciousness. But one version—the first—was designed to rewrite those laws entirely. A code that could render money, power, and politics obsolete."
Leon's mouth went dry. "And I activated that?"
She smiled. "Yes. And now everyone with even a fragment of the system will either want to join you… or destroy you."
The Council of Sovereigns
Far across the dimensional web, the Council of Sovereigns convened in a hidden quantum pocket. Each member represented a timeline where the System had evolved—some into utopias, others into totalitarian regimes. And now, they all turned toward one flickering projection in the center.
Leon.
The youngest member, Sovereign Alric of the Anointed Axis, slammed his hand on the table. "He's unlocked the Deep Core? Impossible!"
"Not impossible," replied Sovereign Luma, her eyes twin stars. "Just dangerous. He might trigger the Convergence Cascade."
A shadowy figure leaned forward—one Leon didn't yet know existed.
It was Zeroth.
The first System user.
"If he awakens the full Deep Core," Zeroth said, voice a whisper inside their minds, "he can rewrite everything. We must act."
"What do you suggest?" Alric asked.
Zeroth's image grew taller, darker.
"We send the Reclaimers."
Back in Neo-Tokyo
Cassian reviewed the footage from the boardroom while Leon returned to the upper levels of his new tower. Every board member had already sold off their majority shares in panic. They believed Leon's unpredictable growth was going to trigger a market crash.
And Leon? He bought every single share.
With the push of a button, Leon Hoshino became the sole owner of the richest megacorporation on Earth.
The system chimed.
[New Title Acquired: Neo-Tycoon of Earth Terra Prime]
[System Unlock: Transdimensional Trade Gateway Initiated]
[Warning: Your influence has surpassed acceptable containment thresholds. Prepare for Interference.]
Leon exhaled sharply.
That's when the rift opened.
A tear in space, black as midnight but crackling with violet sparks. From within, a being stepped through—wearing obsidian armor etched with binary runes.
"The Reclaimers," Elaine whispered through his comms.
Leon didn't move. "Let me guess. You're here to stop me?"
The armored figure bowed slightly. "No, Leon Hoshino. We're here to test you."
The Battle of the Skydeck
The rooftop transformed as reality warped. The Reclaimer raised a single hand, and the skyline shattered into wireframe illusions. Leon blinked, and the world rearranged into a combat simulation layer older than his system's public version.
"Deep Core users must be verified through battle. Show us you are worthy."
Leon smirked. "Then I won't hold back."
The system flared. Red. Blue. Then—pure white.
[Deep Core Combat Mode: Activated.]
[Stat Override: 1000% Surge.]
[Ability Unlocked: Market Collapse → Asset Reconstruction.]
With a thought, Leon redirected the gravity of the simulation. Billions of economic variables collapsed into his favor. The Reclaimer struck, moving at light-speed—only for Leon to turn the very value of their momentum against them.
Each attack became a loss.
Each blow became profit.
Leon's counterattack didn't come from fists or weapons—but from restructuring the battlefield itself.
"Currency is energy," Leon whispered. "And I'm the only bank left open."
With a final surge, he launched a wave of raw system data—coded like a virus, but refined like music. The Reclaimer fell back, armor cracking.
[Combat Verified. Candidate passed.]
[System Notice: Interference suspended. Council link severed.]
The rift closed.
Aftermath
Elaine appeared beside him, fully integrated into a new body forged by the system's Deep Core regeneration module.
Cassian watched in silence, overwhelmed.
"You just fought a system enforcer," Elaine said, eyes wide. "And won."
Leon didn't answer. He stared at the sky. Something was… calling.
No, not something.
Someone.
The system pinged again.
[Incoming Transmission: Mirror Variant Detected.]
[Name: Lian Ashcroft — Former Reclaimer. Current Rogue Protocol Architect.]
[Message: "You're not the only one who unlocked Deep Core."]
Leon smiled darkly.
Then the skies above Neo-Tokyo bent as another rift opened—this time willingly.
And so, the Deep Core War was about to begin.