Stone City was shrouded in dense darkness. It was midnight. This was the quietest time in the North Gate area, but for Grande, it was the loudest moment, filled with the rapid thump of his own heart.
He was fully clad in his worn Rank F Custodian uniform; the scent of chlorine and mud masked his body odor. Beneath the uniform, his muscles were taut, infused with the energy he had accumulated from the Commander Quarters' Echo Energy all day.
[Temporary Status: Physical Strength +30%. Reaction Speed +20%. Activated by Maximum Rank A Mana Echo Absorption.]
He did not walk through the main streets; he crawled through the Custodian Service Drain, a narrow tunnel beneath the fortress leading directly to the defense valve site.
He reached a small underground chamber. In front of him, the ancient Mana Defense Valve jutted out from the stone wall. It was an iron cylinder connected to an invisible network of Reverse Mana Runes that powered the gate shield. The valve was protected by a large, rusty mechanical lock.
Above, he could hear the sound of the Rank B guards changing shifts.
Ten more seconds until the 30-second delay begins.
Grande pulled out a thin steel wire from his Custodian bag, a legitimate tool used for clearing clogged drains.
He began working on the lock, his ears focused on the tiny clicking sounds. He couldn't rush. This required precision, not brute force. He imagined the lock as an enemy sword he had to parry with exact accuracy.
Click.
Twenty more seconds.
Above him, the old Rank B guard walked away. The sound of the new guard, Tarsus, a Gigantes known for his disdain for Low Ranks, walking slowly to his post.
Click-CLACK!
The lock opened.
The iron valve was now exposed. Grande took out a large Custodian wrench - again, a legitimate tool. He fitted the wrench onto the valve lever.
Time starts now: 30-second delay!
Grande twisted the valve. It moved slowly due to rust. He had to use all the shoulder strength gained from his old sword training.
CREAK!
The valve opened completely.
Throughout Stone City, the Reverse Mana Runes powering the Rank S shield were suddenly disconnected.
At the North Gate, the blue shield that was always shimmering, flickered and vanished.
Grande knew he didn't have much time. Stone City's Mana Core would quickly detect the disruption.
He had to close the valve rapidly to seal the disruption and create his escape window.
He activated the Custodian Snap Technique on the wrench, channeling all his physical strength.
SNAP!
The Rank D Snap, acknowledged as 'cleaning force,' surged into the wrench, spinning the iron valve handle with lightning speed.
BAM!
The valve was sealed shut. The disruption was locked in.
[Reverse Mana Flow Interruption: 28 Seconds Detected.]
Above, the guard Tarsus began shouting. "The shield! The shield is down! What's happening?!"
Grande wasted no time. He scrambled out of the service drain and sprinted towards the North Gate, which was now wide open.
Stone City's emergency lights began flashing, reflecting the panic that would soon spread.
Tarsus saw the figure of the Rank F Custodian running towards freedom. "You! Trash Custodian! Stop right there! I command you to obey the Rank C order!"
Tarsus tried to channel Mana.
[System Warning: Rank F Target Violating Rank C Order. Not Allowed to Use Rank C Combat Skills. Focus on Non-Lethal Apprehension.]
The Fate Rank System, in its effort to keep Low Ranks alive for labor, restricted the Commanders' attacks. Tarsus could not hit Grande with a lethal Mana strike.
Tarsus was forced to rely on a physical attack. He hurled his iron spear.
Grande dodged. He was now only a few meters from the gate's threshold. Behind him, sirens began wailing across Stone City.
Tarsus issued the final command: "I, Tarsus Rank C, order you, Custodian F, to return and clean up the mess you've made!"
This was a role-based order. The System might force him.
Grande felt a slight pull within him. The instinct of compliance, implanted by the System, tried to compel him to stop.
But Grande now had something stronger than instinct: Willpower.
"My destiny is no longer to clean up Stone City's trash," Grande yelled. "My destiny is to clean up this system of fate!"
He leaped across the threshold.
At the same instant, behind him, the Reverse Mana Runes re-engaged, and the Rank S Shield rushed back into existence.
ZZZTTT!
The shield reactivated with an ear-splitting noise, encircling Stone City once more, but it was too late.
Grande was outside.
Tarsus roared, kicking the newly sealed valve. He was forced to watch the Rank F Custodian escape into the darkness of the Wastelands.
[System Warning: Rank F Individual (Grande) Has Left Stone City Boundaries. Status: Banished. All Role Rights and Duties Revoked.]
Outside the gate, Grande fell to the ground, not from exhaustion, but from sudden liberation. He looked back at the glowing Stone City and smiled.
He was now in the Wastelands, where real monsters crawled and no Rank or law bound him.
He had lost everything: his home, his role, and his protection. But he had won the most valuable thing: The Freedom to Choose His Own Destiny.
Grande picked up his Rank F Broom and looked at it. In the Wastelands, the Power Limit no longer held absolute authority. He had no Mana, but he had the Rank D Custodian Snap Technique, and he could use it openly.
He stood up, facing the Wastelands. The light from Stone City behind him was fading. Ahead of him were only shadows and distant roars.
[Next Goal: Survival. Testing the true limits of Role Skills beyond the System's reach.]
He was no longer the Custodian of Stone City. He was Grande, seeking strength, where his Destiny was not written by stone.
He stepped into the dark wilderness, his Rank F Broom in hand.