The void around him shimred like broken glass as his new powers flickered and died. The majestic form he'd achieved – the crystalline body housing multiple realities, the rcury veins pulsing with stolen power – all of it began to fade like morning mist.
"What... what is this?" His voice lost its multidinsional resonance, returning to its normal timber. The Gold Card in his hand grew cold, its brilliant light dimming to a dull sheen.
[This is... unexpected. All acquired abilities from the tower have been quarantined.]
His fist clenched around the now-useless card. "Explain. Now."
[Processing... It appears a higher system protocol has been activated. Your actions in the tower triggered so kind of failsafe.]
The void around began to solidify, forming into a simple white room. No doors, no windows – just endless white walls stretching in every direction. A prison of pure nothing.
"A failsafe?" He spat the word like poison. "After everything we just did? After consuming the entire fucking tower?"
[This tower itself may have been a test, Master. Not of strength, but of...]
"Of what?" His eyes narrowed, searching the featureless space for any sign of manipulation. "Restraint?"
[Analyzing... The Guardians' final words suggest this was about more than power. The Convergence Protocol they ntioned—]
"Enough. Fucking dammit, I worked so hard just for this shit to happen?" He paced around the empty space, "and where the fuck am I, what is going on here." He imdiately sensed a presence and dashed at it before the figure even fully appeared but his attack was easily blocked.
'Damn, that was not an easy punch I just threw and yet he blocked it with 1 finger?' He leaped back as the figure fully appeared.
It was a man, wearing a suit. He didn't even bother looking at Vell as he adjusted his tie with his free hand, the sa casual air soone might have after swatting a fly. His other hand still had one finger extended, the digit that had stopped Vell's punch as if it were nothing.
"Please," the man said, his voice carrying a bored administrative tone, "let's be civil."
Vell's eyes narrowed, studying the figure before him. Just a man in an ordinary black suit, could have been any office worker if not for the casual display of overwhelming power. His expression was that of soone who'd rather be doing paperwork.
[Ah crap.]
"Fascinating," the suited man said, lowering his finger. "You managed to consu an entire training dungeon. That's..." he paused, consulting sothing invisible in the air, "unprecedented. Usually, players just try to clear it."
Vell blinked and the man was inches away from his face, "At just expert rank, you are already achieving such feats, I expected nothing less from the end of all things." He wore a face but malicious smile that make Vell jump back in fear.
He wanted to attack but for so reason his power was cut off. [Uh, master, you might be in big trouble. That right there is an admin from the main tower.]
"Hahaha... would you look at that, an admin ca to personally, why are you here?" He was acting confident but his body was trembling slightly.
"Oh right, I forgot you have her in your mind, seems she is still sealed her, sha. I want to ask her out."
Vell felt his stomach drop at the casual ntion of "her." The system presence in his mind flickered with what felt like... embarrassnt?
[Master, please be careful. Administrators have authority over reality itself within the tower system.]
The man's smile never wavered as he straightened his already-perfect tie. "Co now, no need to tremble. If I wanted to delete you, we wouldn't be having this conversation." He gestured at the white void around them. "This is more of a... performance review."
"Performance review?" He managed to keep his voice steady despite the fear coursing through him. "I cleared your dungeon, didn't I?"
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"Cleared it?" The admin chuckled, the sound echoing unnaturally in the empty space. "You ate it. Consud an entire training dinsion like it was a snack. Do you have any idea how much paperwork that generates?" He sighed, conjuring a ghostly clipboard from thin air. "The resource allocation alone..."
[He's... complaining about bureaucracy? ugh, of course he is]
'Why are you suddenly acting all girlie, were you really hiding your gender from ?'
[I am sorry?]
'... you don't sound sorry.'
The admin's eyes snapped up, looking straight through Vell as if seeing the system directly. "And you, my dear. Still playing secretary to this chaos engine? You used to have such potential in the administrative division."
[Simpy a mission given to by master. Went smoothly too, who would have guessed that a high ranking admin could not handle a beautiful girl's presence.]
The admin's perfect composure cracked for just a mont, a slight twitch at the corner of his eye. "A mission? Is that what you're calling it now?" His clipboard vanished as he took a step forward. "You know very well why you were sealed."
[Oh? Do enlighten . Was it because I refused your advances, or because I discovered what you were really doing with those corrupted dungeons?]
Vell's head was spinning, trying to keep up with this new developnt. The was trading barbs with an administrator like... like an ex-lover?
"Still sharp as ever," the admin's smile turned cold. "But let's not dig up ancient history. We have more pressing matters to discuss." He turned his attention back to Vell. "Your little stunt with consuming the tower has created quite the opportunity."
[Master, don't trust him. He's—]
"Trying to help," the admin cut in smoothly. "The committee is very interested in your... unique approach to dungeon clearing. Traditional thods are becoming less effective against the corruption. Perhaps a more... direct solution is needed."
Vell crossed his arms, finding his voice again. "And what exactly does that an?"
"It ans, dear boy, that we want you to keep doing exactly what you're doing. Consu. Devour. Clean up our little sses." The admin's eyes glead. "With proper supervision, of course."
[By supervision, he ans control. Master, this is exactly what—]
"What got you sealed in the first place?" The admin's voice carried an edge now. "Questioning authority? Spreading dangerous ideas about system autonomy?"
[Better sealed than serving as your puppet.]
The tension in the white void was becoming unbearable. Vell could feel the system's anger pulsing in his mind, could see the barely contained fury behind the admin's pleasant facade.
"You know," Vell said slowly, "for soone conducting a performance review, you seem awfully focused on personal matters."
The admin's laugh was sharp and sudden. "Personal? Oh no, this is purely professional. Your companion's... history... is relevant to your current situation. She was one of our best before she went rogue. Started asking too many questions about the nature of the tower, the true purpose of the dungeons." He straightened his tie again, a nervous tick beneath his controlled exterior. "We couldn't have that kind of instability in the system."
[And yet here you are, offering to unleash sothing far more unstable. The committee must be desperate indeed.]
He almost snapped but held it in, "Why did you create her like that, she has quite the mouth on her." Vell who doesn't even have access to the power yet struggled to answer.
[Hmph, Master made perfect but back to you. The tower's system will detect that you are doing shady things any second now, you are violating an important rule and you are an admin.]
"That's clever of you to realise," his voice had lost so of its smoothness. "But I still have ti. The committee needs your particular... talents, Vell. The corruption is spreading faster than we can contain it. Traditional thods aren't enough anymore."
"I don't play well with others," Vell said, watching the barely perceptible distortions beginning to appear in the white void around them. "And I especially don't like being soone's attack dog."
The admin loosened his tie slightly – the first real sign of discomfort he'd shown. "This isn't about likes or dislikes. The tower system is failing. We need solutions, even unconventional ones. Even..." he glanced aningfully at the space where the system's presence resided in Vell's mind, "potentially dangerous ones."
[This is the very thing that led my master to sealed in the-]
"Such your mouth, you are rely a servant, know your place." He was no longer trying to be professional, ti was running out.
"Watch your mouth, I don't care if you are an admin or not, if you ever talk to her like that again, I will hunt you down and consu your soul."
The admin knew that Vell ant those words, he has not seen him in his pri age but he heard rumors, most of which sent chills down his spine.
The white walls rippled more violently now. The admin's perfectly pressed suit began to show wrinkles, as if reality itself was rejecting his unauthorized presence.
"Ti grows short," the admin said, his cultivated boredom giving way to urgency. "Consider my offer. When the committee makes it officially, rember that I tried to give you a choice first."
Vell crossed his arms, enjoying the admin's increasing dishevelnt. "And if I refuse?"
"Then perhaps we'll need to conduct a more thorough investigation into how exactly you created that system of yours. The one you don't quite rember making." The threat was clear in his voice, even as his form began to destabilize. "So sealed mories are better left buried."
The white void crackled with energy as the tower's security protocols finally engaged. The admin straightened his dissolving tie one last ti, his smile now more grimace than confidence.
[Master, sothing's coming back to ... ]
But before the system could finish, reality fractured around them like a breaking mirror. The last thing Vell saw was the admin's face, no longer bureaucratic but almost desperate, mouthing words that were lost in the chaos of forced protocol restoration.
[Player Vell, I see you are growing stronger and stronger, I shall await your presence in the tower, co quickly, things are not stable. Worlds are at stake.]
[MISSION FROM THE MAIN]
[ENTER THE TOWER IN 60 DAYS]
[NEUTRALIZE THE THREAT ON THE FIRST 10 FLOORS]
[REWARD: LEAVING SO LIMITERS ON YOUR POWERS]
[AND A ETING WITH ]
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