The air shifted the moment we stepped through the reactivated gateway. The faint hum of the system thrummed beneath my boots, a low vibration that seemed to sync with my heartbeat. Dust motes floated lazily in the amber glow, traced by faint, pulsing lines of corrupted code that snaked across the walls like veins.
I motioned forward, fingers brushing the edge of my Vanguard gauntlet. "Stay close, Trace. I'll take point."
He smirked from behind, the crimson tint of his cybernetic lens scanning every shadow. "Lead the way, old man. Just don't trip over a ghost from Season Twelve."
I ignored the jab, focusing on the floor tiles. Nothing had reset—not a single hologram, not a single dead spawn. My previous kills, the scorched marks on the walls, even the faint residual glow of the DLQ Flame Lotus… all exactly where I'd left them a year ago. The dungeon felt frozen in time, a tomb of unfinished business.
The corridors stretched ahead, narrow and dim, lighting uneven as if the system had only half-remembered this section of the map. The metallic scent of static hung in the air, mingling with the subtle tang of ozone I'd learned to associate with danger.
"Looks… untouched," I muttered, almost to myself. A memory flickered in my mind—long nights running this same path, scanning for traps, reading enemy spawn points, recalibrating my loadout on the fly.
Trace tilted his head, noting my pause. "You've been here before," he said, a grin tugging at his lips. "So I get to ride shotgun while the legend clears the path?"
"Exactly," I said, flexing my fingers around the handle of my rifle. "You're not here to babysit. I'm the key in this dungeon, and you're the solution—remember? Cover my six if things go sideways. This is my lane."
The first room opened before us like a maw, its walls carved with half-rendered runes pulsing in faint red light. I stepped inside, boots making barely a sound, every sense straining. The tiles beneath me bore the marks of my previous passage—scorched lines, impact craters, faint trails of corrupted code. Part of me wanted to reach out, confirm they were real.
Trace followed, fingers brushing the interface on his wristband, holograms blooming between us. "Sensors show the same enemy spawn points as last time. And… the loot drop you left is still here," he said, eyes widening.
I glanced down. There it was—the DLQ Flame Lotus, resting just in front of the vault entrance. My chest tightened. I grabbed it, a grin tugging my lips. "Here it is… after a year!"
He raised an eyebrow. "Feels like we're stepping into a time capsule, huh?"
I led the way through the twisted corridors, Vanguard instincts kicking in. Every corner measured, every shadow a potential threat. My neural interface hummed softly, syncing with my armor's adaptive systems, sending subtle vibrations when something was off. Trace mirrored my movements, eyes flicking constantly, his lens flaring faintly as he scanned for code anomalies.
We reached a junction. I paused, hand raised. "Left path leads to a choke point we cleared last time. Right path… leads to the vault. That's our target."
Trace's lens pulsed. "You sure you want to take point? Advantage or not, this isn't a stroll down memory lane."
I exhaled slowly, the weight of memory pressing down. "I'm sure. You're the Cipher. Your hacks and translation skills are useless if we don't reach the vault. I'll take the lead. Just… keep an eye on me."
He chuckled softly, low and echoing against the metallic walls. "Lead the way, old timer."
I unequipped my rifle, stowing it in inventory, and gripped the DLQ Flame Lotus, feeling the hum of the armor beneath me, the faint glow of the system tracing the walls. Every step forward was a reminder: this dungeon hadn't forgiven, it hadn't moved on—and neither had I.
"So this dungeon… it's been left open since Season Twelve. A year later, and no one else has set foot here. Guess we're the first to finish it."
He tilted his head, lens pulsing faintly red. "First? That's… insane. No one even knew it still existed."
I shrugged, the corners of my mouth twitching. "Not my problem. Just means we have the advantage. Follow my lead—watch my back, Cipher."
We stepped closer to the vault. The system notification flickered in front of us, pulsing crimson:
"CIPHER REQUIRED."
Trace's cybernetic eye glowed, scanning the prompt. "Well, that's where I take action right?" He gave a crooked grin.
As soon as Trace's presence was detected, the vault responded. The steel plates shuddered, glowing lines tracing along their seams. Slowly, impossibly, they retracted—but the space beyond wasn't a vault at all. The door slid open to reveal a vast chamber, dimly lit, with half-deployed training rigs scattered around. Targets, obstacle courses, and long-abandoned drones hung frozen mid-motion.
Trace whistled softly. "Not exactly what I expected. Feels… like a trap."
I grinned, adrenaline tightening my chest. "Exactly what I expected. Season Twelve didn't build softballs." I stepped inside cautiously, the DLQ humming faintly in my hands, sensing the ambient system energy.
The training facility stretched wide, its walls streaked with faded target holograms and cracked metal panels. The air smelled faintly of burnt circuits and static, carrying the subtle tang of ozone that always made my reflexes sharper.
Trace mirrored my movements, fingers brushing his wristband, pulling up scans. "Hidden boss detected. Not in any official logs. Looks like… part of the dungeon's secret challenge."
I exhaled slowly, letting the hum of my armor sync with my breathing. "So… we're playing catch-up with a system that's been waiting for us. Great."
Trace gave a small smirk. "Don't worry. Last time we checked, our flight will depart in forty-five minutes."
I shook my head, scanning the room. "I don't know how many minutes have passed already, but I guess we'll have to clear this quick."
The first movement caught my eye—a shadow flickering across the far side of the room. The boss emerged, a towering construct of twisted metal and corrupted code, its limbs jointed like broken hydraulics, eyes glowing a harsh amber. Its voice rasped through the chamber in distorted tones, unintelligible at first, but Trace's interface began translating it automatically.
"Protocol acknowledged. Intruders: terminate or assimilate."
I tightened my grip on the DLQ, crouching low behind a half-collapsed obstacle course. "Assimilate? Lovely. Let's see what kind of reception they have for guests."
The boss lunged, its massive frame moving faster than its size should allow. Sparks erupted where its limbs struck the floor, sending shards of corrupted code scattering like falling glass. I rolled to the side, DLQ firing in controlled bursts, the hum of the rounds slicing through the dim air.
Trace darted to a flank, wristband glowing, projecting a digital net that disrupted the boss's sensors. "Watch the left servo! It's recalibrating!"
I pivoted, unleashing a rapid volley, watching as the boss staggered, its amber eyes flickering. Its voice boomed again, the translation from Trace filling the air:
"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. REWARD: UNKNOWN. PROGRESSION: INITIATED."
My pulse spiked. "So, this is it. The secret. The system has been holding this since Season Twelve… and we just woke it up."
Trace's grin was sharp, lens glowing crimson. "Let's fucking go old man! Let's make history!"
I nodded, adrenaline and memory intertwining, every mark on the floor, every shadow, every faint line of corrupted code guiding my steps. This was no longer just a dungeon—it was a reckoning.
Trace darted to my left flank, fingers moving over his wristband in a blur. A holographic net unfurled from his device, rippling through the air toward the boss. "Sensors disrupted! Servo motors are recalibrating!" he shouted.
I pivoted, DLQ humming louder in my grip. Controlled bursts lit the floor in flashes of red and gold, each round shearing through corrupted code and fragments of metal. Sparks flew, scattering across the chamber like fractured neon. The boss staggered, the amber glow of its eyes flickering, but it didn't slow. Its joints hissed with hydraulic pressure as it reared again.
"Watch the right limb!" I yelled, rolling to the side as its massive arm slammed down. The ground shuddered, tiles cracking beneath the impact. I pushed forward, using the chaos as cover, the DLQ tracing arcs of light along the edges of the room.
Trace's voice cut through the hum. "Its left eye sensor is exposed—now's the window!"
I twisted my body mid-roll, squeezing the trigger. The energy rounds connected, searing the jointed eye. Sparks sprayed outward, painting the walls in streaks of red and gold. The boss let out a distorted, grinding roar, jerking back. Its corrupted code flickered, revealing weak points I hadn't noticed before.
"Good hit," Trace called, his grin audible even in his voice. "Keep it moving! Don't let it settle."
I lunged behind another obstacle, feeling the armor shiver with each pulse of the system. My chest tightened—not with fear, but with focus. Every mark on the floor, every flicker of corrupted code, every reflective glint became a guide. The DLQ hummed louder, almost as if it recognized the target.
The boss surged forward again, faster this time. I rolled beneath its swinging arm, flames of distorted code spraying past my helmet. I fired in short bursts, the hum of the DLQ slicing through the chamber's tense silence.
"Trace, flank left! Distract it!" I shouted, hearing the whir of his holographic projections rippling across the room.
He responded instantly, weaving between flickers of light. His wristband projected a cascade of digital snares that wrapped around one of the boss's legs, sparks popping where metal met virtual energy. The construct faltered, teetering on unsteady servos.
I leapt, vaulting over a broken console, DLQ aimed at the core beneath its chest plating. The hum intensified, resonating through my forearms. One controlled burst—red and gold energy converging—and the armor panel beneath its chest fractured. Sparks erupted in a radiant bloom. The boss roared, staggering backward, amber eyes wavering.
"Almost there!" Trace's voice rang in my earpiece, crisp and electric. "Hit the core again—synchronized strike!"
I braced myself, taking the distance, focusing. Every line of corrupted code, every flicker of the floor beneath my boots, every twitch of the boss's movement fed into the rhythm. The DLQ surged in my hands as I unleashed the final volley.
The impact reverberated through the chamber. The boss froze mid-step, its systems glitching violently. Sparks rained down from its frame. Then, with a deafening, distorted screech, it collapsed, pieces of corrupted code dispersing like mist into the air. Amber light flickered one last time before fading to darkness.
I exhaled slowly, lowering the DLQ. The chamber fell silent, the hum of the system easing into a steady, low thrum. Trace appeared beside me, a wide grin cutting across his face, lens flickering crimson.
"Not bad, old man," he said, letting out a long breath. "I didn't think you'd actually—"
"—kill it?" I finished for him, shaking my head with a grin. "I told you. Old meta habits die hard."
The boss collapsed with a final, grinding roar, pieces of its frame sparking as corrupted code scattered like digital embers across the floor. I lowered the DLQ Flame Lotus slightly, letting my shoulders relax for the first time since entering this chamber. But even as the hum of my armor settled into a steady rhythm, I sensed… something.
The air shivered. The shadows warped. Then—static, sharp and electric, filled the chamber. The remnants of the boss' form flickered and reassembled, its amber eyes burning brighter than before. A voice rolled out, deep and resonant, distorted yet undeniably authoritative.
"Intruders… you have survived…"
Trace's lens flared crimson as he instinctively interfaced with the residual code. His fingers flew across his wristband, digital streams weaving into his neural feed. "It's speaking," he said, voice tight. "Give me a second—I can translate."
I didn't move, letting the boss' holographic remnants solidify just enough to understand the presence. Sparks danced along its collapsed limbs, flickering across the walls, shadows twitching unnaturally.
Trace's voice broke through, calm and precise: "It says… 'By defeating me, you have awakened the seal of the continents. Every land now stirs, and creatures of legend shall rise, the mythical creatures of their homelands.'"
I blinked, letting the words settle. "Wait… you mean… folklore? Myths?"
"Exactly," Trace replied, tone tight with disbelief. "It's… triggering continental events. This isn't just a dungeon boss—it's a system-level guardian. Killing it just changed the entire global meta."
I stepped forward cautiously, DLQ humming in response to the ambient energy. "So… what happens now?"
Trace glanced around, interface flickering as he pulled live data from the surrounding system. "System-wide broadcast. This is huge." He paused, his lens widening. "Hold on. Players worldwide… they're seeing it."
A sudden pulse of light filled the chamber, and through my visor, the HUD exploded with notifications, glowing text and holograms cascading like a waterfall:
Global System Announcement:
[Congratulations! Drumstickkk and TraceZero have cleared the first Continental Event in COD: VR.]
[Players worldwide are now eligible to participate in continental events.]
[Top-tier rewards, including Awakened Class access, are now available for qualified players.]
I let out a low whistle. "Awakened Classes… huh?" I muttered, turning to Trace. "And what's that?"
Trace smirked, his lens reflecting amber streaks across the walls. "That's… a subclass. Optional evolution for classes. Think of it like branching your class tree. We're the first players to unlock it. The first. Ever."
I swallowed, feeling the weight of it. This wasn't just personal accomplishment—it was a ripple through the entire game. Players across Eurasis, Pacifica, even distant servers in Neo America and the Outlands would now be hunting these events, chasing the rewards, evolving classes in ways no one had dared before.
The boss' holographic remnants pulsed one last time, its voice faint now, almost reverent. Trace translated again:
"Your strength has not only survived… it has awakened potential. Classes may now evolve. Legends may rise. Choose wisely, for the future watches."
I gripped the DLQ tighter, feeling the pulse of system energy flowing beneath the chamber's floor.
"So, it's not just us anymore," I said. "Other players… they're about to wake up. This changes everything."
Trace tilted his head, a crooked grin spreading across his face. "Everything? Yeah. This… this is epoch-level stuff. Classes evolving, mythical creatures spawning… we just broke the meta, old man."
I exhaled slowly, letting the hum of the system resonate through my armor. "Then let's make sure we set the standard. If subclasses are unlocked… I want to be ready for whatever comes next."
Trace's grin sharpened, lens flaring crimson. "Already ahead of you. I'm analyzing potential subclass synergies right now. You'll have options that most players won't even see for weeks."
The chamber pulsed once more, golden lines tracing the floors, walls, and ceiling as though acknowledging our victory. I let my gaze linger on the DLQ Flame Lotus, now glowing warmly in my hands. It had survived the hidden dungeon, just like we had.
Then I looked at Trace, and for the first time, I decided to open up. "I just want to use these events to help me find out about the signal I found out in Neo Singapore," I said quietly. "I didn't tell anyone before, but I think I can trust you."
Trace's expression softened, the usual smirk fading. "Signal? You mean… something outside the system?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "Something's been echoing in the background since Season Twelve. And I think these events… they're connected."
He glanced at the shimmering vault door, then back at me. "Then we follow it. Wherever it leads."
"Exactly." I turned toward the exit, holstering the DLQ as the chamber lights dimmed. "Trace, let's get out. I have something important to talk about with you in flight."
He grinned again, half-serious now. "Copy that, old timer. Lead the way."
We walked toward the fading light at the end of the corridor, leaving behind the fragments of the forgotten boss and stepping into the unknown. Outside, the digital world trembled—myths awakening, continents stirring.
Erica, I'm coming, my love.