Chapter 6: The Echo in the Static
The return to the surface felt like emerging from a tomb. The air in the condemned mall was still stale, but compared to the cloying, rot-heavy atmosphere of the Sunken Catacombs, it felt like a mountain breeze. Ren led the way, his hand still tingling from the phantom weight of the silver blade that had vanished back into light the moment they crossed the threshold of the gate.
Behind him, Elena and Mia walked in a daze. The golden cord between them was quiet now, humming at a low frequency that felt less like a leash and more like a heartbeat.
"We need to move," Ren whispered, his eyes scanning the shadows of the mall basement. "The mana signature from that boss kill was loud. If there are any high-rank sensors nearby, they'll be heading this way to see who cleared a D-rank gate in a District 9 slum."
Elena pulled her hood back over her silver hair, her movements stiff. "My father's trackers use a specific frequency for 'S-Rank potential' detection. If I used even a fraction of that staff's power inside, they already have a localized grid."
"Then we don't go back the way we came," Ren said. He led them through a service tunnel, his [TETHERED SENSE] helping him navigate the pitch-black corridor.
By the time they reached the street level, the sun was dipping below the horizon, painting the jagged skyline of Seoul in bruised purples and burnt oranges. They looked like three more scavengers heading home after a long day of picking through the ruins—exactly the camouflage they needed.
They reached the apartment building just as the streetlights began to flicker to life. The climb up the four flights of stairs was silent, the only sound the synchronized thud of their boots on the rotting wood. When Ren finally pushed the door open to Apartment 4B and locked the deadbolt, the tension in the room finally snapped.
Mia collapsed onto the edge of the oversized bed, her breath hitching. "We... we actually did it. I hit that thing. I felt the bone break under my hammer." She looked at her hands, which were still stained with green ichor and stone dust. "I'm a blacksmith's daughter. I'm not supposed to be... whatever that was."
Elena stood by the window, her back to them. She was looking at her reflection in the dark glass. "The staff," she murmured. "It didn't just channel my mana. It multiplied it. It felt like... like the world was listening to me. That shouldn't be possible at Level 5."
Ren sat at the wobbly kitchen table, opening the System interface. The blue light cast long, flickering shadows against the peeling wallpaper.
[CURRENT STATUS]
Primary User: Ren Kaelen (Level 5)
Secondary User: Elena Valentine (Level 5)
Tertiary User: Mia Han (Level 5)
Shared Balance: 31,500 Credits
"Level 5," Ren noted, his voice tired. "Most hunters take a month to hit Level 5. We did it in two hours. The Shared Growth bonus isn't a boost—it's an accelerator."
He scrolled through the notifications, but then he stopped. A new icon was flashing in the corner of his vision. It wasn't the standard blue of the System. It was a deep, ancient gold, similar to the color of the cord.
"Do you see this?" Ren asked.
Elena and Mia stood up, moving closer. As they entered the 'Harmonious Proximity' radius, the notification expanded, projecting a message into the center of the room.
[A MESSAGE FROM THE WEAVERS OF FATE]
"The first pebble has been cast. The ripples are noticed. You have claimed the Sovereign's tools, but the throne is still empty. Be warned: Prosperity attracts the hungry. The first 'Trial of the Bloodline' will commence in 48 hours."
"Trial of the Bloodline?" Mia whispered, her face going pale. "What does that mean?"
"It means we aren't the only ones with a System," Ren said, his jaw tightening. "Or at least, we aren't the only ones being watched by whatever gave us this."
Elena's violet eyes sharpened. "My family always spoke of the 'Original Gates'—the ones that appeared a century ago. They said the first S-Ranks didn't just awaken; they were chosen. If this is a 'Trial,' it means we are being tested for something far larger than just clearing dungeons."
Suddenly, the apartment's buzzer rang—a harsh, buzzing sound that made all three of them jump.
Ren froze. No one ever buzzed 4B. The few people he knew in the building usually just yelled through the door or knocked. He looked at the golden cord. It was vibrating, but not in warning. It was a rhythmic, expectant pulse.
"Elena, get back," Ren whispered, his hand going to where the silver hilt usually manifested. "Mia, behind the partition."
Ren walked to the door and peered through the tiny, scratched peephole. Standing in the dim, flickering light of the hallway was a man he didn't recognize. He was old, dressed in a suit that looked older than the building, and he was holding a simple, brown paper bag that smelled... like fresh, expensive bread.
The man looked directly into the peephole, as if he could see Ren's eye on the other side. He smiled, a gentle, knowing expression.
"It's rude to keep an old messenger waiting in a drafty hallway, Master Kaelen," the man said, his voice smooth and cultured. "I've brought the first delivery for the Sovereigns. And I believe the Lady Valentine would prefer this brand of tea over the tap water you've been serving."
Ren felt a chill run down his spine. The [TETHERED SENSE] didn't ping the man as an enemy. It pinged him as... part of the zone.
"Who are you?" Ren asked, his hand on the lock but not turning it.
"A servant of the legacy you haven't yet built," the man replied. "You may call me Silas. And I suggest you open the door. The Valentine enforcers just entered the lobby, and they aren't here for tea."
Elena's breath hitched behind Ren. "They found us."
"Not yet," Silas said through the wood. "But they will in thirty seconds if you don't let me in to mask the mana signature of that golden rope you're all wearing."
Ren looked at Elena. She gave a curt, desperate nod. Ren turned the lock and pulled the door open.