The maglev train hummed beneath Kaito's boots as it cut through the neon haze of the lower districts. Behind him, the Obsidian Tower was just a dark needle piercing the clouds.
[LEVEL 1 REACHED.]
[REWARD: SEALED SCROLL OF THE WHIRLPOOL DETECTED IN INVENTORY.]
Kaito sat in the shadows of a cargo container, breathing hard. "System, open the scroll," he whispered.
[PROCESSING... UNSEALING ANCIENT DATA...]
Suddenly, Kaito's vision was flooded with golden symbols. He wasn't just reading code; he was seeing memories of a village hidden in the eddies of time, of warriors who wore red spirals on their backs.
[NEW SKILL LEARNED: GALE PALM (RANK-D)]
[DESCRIPTION: BY FOCUSING CHAKRA INTO THE PALM, THE USER RELEASES A POWERFUL GUST OF WIND. CAN BE USED FOR ATTACK OR MOBILITY.]
"Gale Palm?" Kaito looked at his right hand. He could feel the air around his fingers starting to vibrate. It wasn't electricity from the city's grid; it was pure, raw nature energy.
Suddenly, the train lurched. The screech of metal on metal echoed through the tunnel.
[WARNING: SYSTEM INTERFERENCE DETECTED. ENFORCERS HAVE TRACKED THE TRAIN'S DATA TRAIL.]
A holographic screen projected from the train's ceiling. A woman with short, obsidian hair and eyes like cold steel appeared. "Subject Kaito. You have stolen proprietary Administrator code. This train is now under lockdown. Surrender the artifact, or the carriage will be detached."
"They don't give up, do they?" Kaito stood up.
At the end of the carriage, the heavy steel doors hissed open. Three Enforcers in black tactical gear stepped out. They weren't droids; they were humans enhanced with combat chips. Their swords glowed with thermal heat.
"Drop the card, kid," the lead Enforcer said, his voice distorted by his helmet. "You're playing with powers you don't understand."
Kaito felt the Gale Palm charging in his hand. The blue glow was brighter now, spinning like a miniature cyclone.
"I understand one thing," Kaito said, his silver hair casting a shadow over his eyes. "The simulation is over. I'm rewriting the rules now."
The Enforcers rushed forward, their thermal blades cutting through the air. Kaito didn't run. He lunged forward, thrusting his palm toward the floor.
"Gale Palm!"
BOOM!
A massive blast of wind erupted from Kaito's hand. The force was so strong it shattered the reinforced glass of the train windows and sent the three Enforcers flying backward like ragdolls.
[CHAKRA: 15/100. WARNING: LOW ENERGY.]
Kaito gasped for air. The wind hadn't just pushed them; it had created a vacuum that stalled the train's engines. He saw his chance.
"System," Kaito said, looking at the city slums approaching fast. "Mark a safe zone. We're going underground."
[CALCULATING ESCAPE ROUTE... DIVE NOW.]
Without hesitation, Kaito leaped through the shattered window, disappearing into the dark, rainy abyss of Neo-Tokyo.