The heavy door groaned open with a final lurch, revealing a long, dark corridor of steel and dust. Every surface was coated in grime. Rust trailed like veins across the walls, and dim emergency lights flickered sporadically above.
Robin's nose wrinkled. "This place hasn't been touched in decades…"
Karl said nothing.
But inside, he felt that familiar pull again—an invisible tether guiding him deeper.
Not that Robin noticed. She moved cautiously beside him, her sharp eyes scanning every corner with a scholar's curiosity and a fugitive's wariness.
The facility was silent, but the silence felt… loaded.
Watching.
They passed through narrow halls lined with shattered glass and broken terminals. Robin stopped occasionally to examine strange symbols on the walls—old scientific scripts, half-erased schematics, and references to something called Project Whisper.
"This was an experimental site," she muttered. "But not military. Civilian-scientific—maybe archaeohistory?"
Karl raised an eyebrow. "What would history researchers want with a secret base?"
Robin flipped open her book, comparing symbols. "Maybe they were hiding what they found."
Karl didn't answer. He could feel the mission objective shifting.
Mission Update: Explore Sub-Level 3Locate Main VaultBonus Objective: Avoid activating any alarms
They reached a stairwell. The descent was long. The lower they went, the colder it became. Even Robin seemed to sense it now—an ancient tension coiling around them like mist.
Sub-Level 3 was worse.
Ceiling panels hung loose. The floor was cracked. At the far end stood a reinforced steel vault door with faded insignias—three concentric circles and a crimson triangle at the centre.
Robin frowned. "This symbol… It's not from any known kingdom."
Karl stepped forward.
The vault reacted immediately. Lights along the edge flickered to life. A deep hum echoed through the corridor.
Robin jumped back. "Did you touch something?!"
"No." Karl's voice was low. "It's responding… on its own."
He didn't mention the soft glow that pulsed beneath his skin. The System recognised this place. It had waited for him.
The door hissed and split open.
Air escaped like a whisper.
Inside was a domed chamber filled with ruined data cores, strange glass pods, and a single pedestal in the centre, on which rested a sealed box made of obsidian-like metal.
Robin whispered, "Is this the Vault?"
Karl approached slowly.
The box pulsed faintly with energy. His hand hovered over it.
Mission Objective CompleteReward: +1 Rare TicketBonus Objective In Progress…
Robin took a step closer. "Are you sure we should—"
BOOM.
Alarms flared to life. Red lights flashed. The whole room shook.
Karl's eyes widened. "Shit."
Alert: Vault Breach DetectedSecurity Protocols Engaged. Containment Releasing.
Robin screamed as one of the broken pods burst open. A skeletal humanoid figure, covered in biomechanical armour, stumbled out, growling in a garbled, ancient tongue.
Karl stepped forward immediately, fists raised.
Two more pods hissed open behind it.
"Robin, get back!"
The creatures attacked with sudden speed. Karl intercepted the first with a clean uppercut, his fist wrapped in black Haki. The monster flew backwards into a wall, but the others kept coming.
Robin ducked behind a console, heart pounding.
Karl gritted his teeth and let go—his body glowing faintly with power as he launched a spinning kick that cracked the skull of the second creature.
Skill Upgraded: Martial Flow – Tier II+10% Damage+Improved Reflexes
One more enemy remained, faster than the rest.
It lunged at him with a blade-like arm, slashing wildly.
Karl caught it mid-swing, muscles straining.
With a roar, he crushed the arm and drove his knee into its chest. The creature spasmed and collapsed.
Silence fell.
Smoke drifted through the vault.
Robin slowly emerged. "What the hell were those things…?"
Karl knelt beside one of the corpses, frowning. "Not human. Not anymore."
Robin stared at the obsidian box, still intact. "This thing caused all of it."
She turned to him. "What are you going to do with it?"
Karl looked down at it, the faint hum now quieter… waiting.
He didn't know. But it felt important.
Too important to leave behind.
Later, they left the facility behind.
The island's skies were darkening again. Storm clouds gathered far on the horizon.
Robin wrapped her arms around herself. "You're going to open it someday, aren't you?"
Karl didn't look at her. "Only when I'm ready."
Or when the System demanded it.
Mission Outcome:
• Located in an ancient vault
• Survived containment breach
• Retrieved mysterious relic
• Avoided fatal detection
Rewards:
• +1 Rare Ticket
• +1 Legendary Ticket (Bonus Objective)
• Skill Upgrade: Martial Flow – Tier II
• +2 Stat Points
Gacha Balance:
• 3 Rare Tickets
• 1 Legendary Ticket
• 2 Uncommon Tickets