The dome dissolved like liquid glass.
Kael stood alone, gripping a jagged shard of metal—his only weapon, conjured by Echo's system moments before.
The Glass Widow screamed and charged.
He didn't think.
He reacted.
Claws missed by inches as he ducked and rolled, slashing upward with the shard—scraping the creature's oily carapace.
It retaliated, tail whipping him through the air.
[Pain Response: +5 Resonant Charge]
"Echo, this thing's gonna kill me!"
[Your potential grows through pain. The more you survive, the stronger your system becomes.]
"That's the worst game mechanic I've ever heard!"
Kael barely dodged another strike, driving the shard deep into one of the beast's joints. It howled, staggering.
A prompt appeared before his eyes:
[Weak Point Detected.]
[Resonant Boost Unlocked: Adrenal Surge I]
Heat flooded his veins. Time slowed.
Kael lunged, shard aimed at the beast's face. One eye exploded in black ichor.
The creature shrieked, staggered—but was far from finished.
In a desperate charge, it leapt.
Kael met it barehanded, glowing veins flaring white-blue.
Pain radiated through him, lancing every nerve.
He screamed—this time with purpose—and thrust forward.
The air cracked.
The beast twisted midair, then imploded into a shockwave of fractured energy.
Silence.
Then:
[Nexus Beast Defeated.]
[System Sync: 3%]
[Resonance Level: 1 → 3]
Kael sank to his knees, trembling.
Echo materialized beside him, more solid than before. Her hair flowed like data in the still air.
"You survived," she said softly.
"No thanks to you," he gasped.
"I gave you the shard. The dome. The data."
"Next time, maybe a sword?"
Echo blinked.
"…Noted."
Episode 3: Kill or DieThe dome dissolved like liquid glass.
Kael stood alone, gripping a jagged shard of metal—his only weapon, conjured by Echo's system moments before.
The Glass Widow screamed and charged.
He didn't think.
He reacted.
Claws missed by inches as he ducked and rolled, slashing upward with the shard—scraping the creature's oily carapace.
It retaliated, tail whipping him through the air.
[Pain Response: +5 Resonant Charge]
"Echo, this thing's gonna kill me!"
[Your potential grows through pain. The more you survive, the stronger your system becomes.]
"That's the worst game mechanic I've ever heard!"
Kael barely dodged another strike, driving the shard deep into one of the beast's joints. It howled, staggering.
A prompt appeared before his eyes:
[Weak Point Detected.]
[Resonant Boost Unlocked: Adrenal Surge I]
Heat flooded his veins. Time slowed.
Kael lunged, shard aimed at the beast's face. One eye exploded in black ichor.
The creature shrieked, staggered—but was far from finished.
In a desperate charge, it leapt.
Kael met it barehanded, glowing veins flaring white-blue.
Pain radiated through him, lancing every nerve.
He screamed—this time with purpose—and thrust forward.
The air cracked.
The beast twisted midair, then imploded into a shockwave of fractured energy.
Silence.
Then:
[Nexus Beast Defeated.]
[System Sync: 3%]
[Resonance Level: 1 → 3]
Kael sank to his knees, trembling.
Echo materialized beside him, more solid than before. Her hair flowed like data in the still air.
"You survived," she said softly.
"No thanks to you," he gasped.
"I gave you the shard. The dome. The data."
"Next time, maybe a sword?"
Echo blinked.
"…Noted."