Darren stood beside Marianne within the endless white expanse, his attention fixed on the figure standing before them.

  Even after several moments, he struggled to process what he was seeing.

  His System—Merlyn—stood there as though he were a living person rather than the invisible mechanism Darren had always imagined. When Darren had first received the System, he had never once pictured it having a physical form. It had always been something that existed only as words and functions within his perception. Seeing it now, standing before him with calm composure and a faint smile, felt deeply strange.

  Merlyn looked nothing like what Darren had expected.

  This Update had clearly brought with it more than the swordsman had been prepared for.

  “I don’t mean to alarm the both of you,” Merlyn said, his tone as friendly as ever, “but to more accurately put our combined effort to proper use, I have created this Simulation to help visualize what will happen!”

  Darren glanced briefly at Marianne as Merlyn spoke. Unlike him, she did not seem particularly surprised by what was happening.

  Her attention seemed fixed on the runes that shimmered all around them.

  They floated in the white expanse like fragments of glowing language, symbols he had seen before but never truly understood. The symbols glowed faintly as they moved, aligning with one another in ways that made no sense to Darren.

  Marianne, however, watched them closely.

  She nodded as the runes continued arranging themselves, her eyes tracking their movement as though she were reading a complex text unfolding in front of her.

  Darren already knew there was no point in trying to understand it.

  While the Witch seemed to grasp the meaning behind every symbol, he had long since given up on attempting to interpret the runic language. The shapes and patterns simply refused to form anything coherent in his mind.

  Instead, Darren returned his focus to Merlyn.

  His gaze met the System’s eyes.

  This was his System—the one that had been given to him by Hades himself. The very same one that had been promised to help him on the journey he had set out upon. Standing here now, looking at Merlyn directly, Darren realized that this was no figment of his imagination.

  For a moment, neither of them spoke.

  Then Merlyn smiled.

  “Shall we begin?” His System asked.

  Darren exhaled quietly.

  Whatever this simulation was meant to show them, there was little point in delaying it.

  “…Alright,” Darren said, giving a small nod.

  The moment he did, Merlyn’s smile widened slightly, as though Darren’s agreement had been exactly what he had been waiting for. With Darren’s approval given, the empty white expanse around them began to change. The featureless expanse shifted as the runes surrounding them moved with greater purpose, their glowing forms rearranging themselves as the simulation took shape. The blank space warped and filled with form, the drifting symbols guiding the construction of something new within the artificial environment Merlyn had created.

  Then it appeared.

  The blue crystal embedded in Ramiel's sword manifested before them.

  Unlike the one they had seen earlier, however, this version had been enlarged dramatically. The crystal now towered over them, its size comparable to that of a building. Its deep blue surface shimmered faintly, reflecting the light of the runes still lingering within the simulation.

  Darren tilted his head slightly upward as he looked at it.

  Seeing the crystal at this scale made it far more imposing than it had seemed before.

  Merlyn gestured toward it as he began explaining.

  “To uncover the information within and properly salvage it,” he said, “more must be done than just cut it open.”

  His voice remained calm, as though he were guiding them through a demonstration.

  “Its defenses are designed such that trying to enter with brute force will begin a sequence of self-destruction, causing everything within it to be erased.”

  Darren’s eyes narrowed slightly as he listened.

  So simply breaking it open was not an option.

  “A certain rhythm is required,” Merlyn continued, “where it will not even realize it’s being opened up.”

  Darren's System paused briefly before glancing between the two of them.

  “Do you think the two of you can keep up?”

  The question lingered in the air for only a moment.

  The reactions from Darren and Marianne were immediate. Both of them looked at Merlyn with clear offense written across their faces, as though the very idea that they might not be capable of handling this task was insulting.

  Merlyn observed their expressions for a moment before nodding with satisfaction.

  “Good,” he said, his smile returning. “That confidence is just what I want to see!”

  Darren's System spread his arms out before him dramatically.

  “The rules to following this rhythm are simple. When the runes flash red, that is where you cut. When the runes flash green, that is where Marianne shall piece it back together.”

  Merlyn’s explanation was direct, as though the entire process truly was as simple as he described. Yet the massive crystal standing before them made it clear that the task itself would be anything but effortless.

  Darren glanced at Marianne briefly.

  The Wicked Witch had already straightened slightly, her gaze now finding the crystal that was embedded into Ramiel's sword.

  Both of them nodded.

  The instructions had been given and there was nothing left to clarify.

  Darren rolled his shoulders once, steadying himself as he prepared for what was about to begin. Marianne lifted one hand slightly, her fingers flexing as if reacquainting herself with the invisible currents of runic energy that she would soon be manipulating.

  With everything ready, Merlyn’s human form faded from view.

  The figure that had been standing beside them dissolved into the surrounding space as though he had never been there to begin with. Yet Darren felt no sense of absence. If anything, the presence of his System still lingered throughout the simulation itself, woven into the very structure of the environment around them. Merlyn might not be visible anymore, but Darren had no doubt that he was still there, taking it all in.

  Then the rhythm began.

  A beat echoed through the air surrounding them, filling the vast simulated space with a steady pulse of sound. Darren didn't recognize the song. Still, the melody was catchy enough that it immediately lodged itself in his thoughts.

  Without meaning to, Darren found the tune playing along in his mind. The rhythm seemed to guide his breathing, settling into a pattern that matched the beat echoing through the simulation.

  A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

  Of all the ways Merlyn could have chosen to structure this process.

  But he could see the logic behind it.

  If the crystal required a certain pattern to open without triggering its defenses, then following a beat would make that pattern easier to maintain. As the music continued, the surface of the enormous blue crystal shimmered faintly.

  Then a line appeared.

  It stretched across the crystal’s smooth exterior like a thin scar, glowing brightly as it traced a clear path over the surface.

  Then, it flashed red.

  Darren moved immediately.

  The moment the red glow appeared, a streak of crimson magical energy shot forward from his position. The arc of power sliced through the air in a clean, precise motion before striking the crystal exactly along the glowing line.

  The energy cut through the surface with a sharp flash.

  // MP (Mana Points): 10657 (-250) → 10407 / 6250

  Just like that, it began.

  From the narrow opening Darren had created, glowing scripts burst outward in a sudden surge. Lines of symbols spilled from the cut as though something inside the crystal had been pressurized, the runes rushing outward in endless streams of golden light.

  The symbols twisted and rearranged themselves constantly, their movements too fast for Darren to properly track.

  Then the world lurched.

  Before Darren could even fully process what was happening, both he and Marianne were thrust forward without warning. The pull was sudden, dragging them straight through the opening Darren had created. The moment their bodies crossed the surface of the crystal, the world around them changed completely.

  They had entered the crystal.

  Behind them, the line Darren had cut flashed again.

  This time it was green.

  Marianne reacted instantly.

  She turned sharply, extending her hand toward the glowing cut. The moment she did, the chaotic flood of runes surrounding them changed their trajectory. The symbols that had spilled out moments ago now bent to her will, rushing back toward the opening.

  Under her authority, the runes rearranged themselves with incredible speed.

  The glowing scripts wove together across the damaged surface, sealing the slash Darren had made. The moment the final symbols fell into place, the crystal’s surface smoothed once again as though it had never been cut at all.

  Exactly as Merlyn had instructed.

  The crystal could not realize it had been opened.

  If it did, then this would have all been for nothing.

  They would not get the answers that might be waiting for them within.

  The simulation had only just begun, and already the rhythm demanded absolute precision.

  As Darren turned forward again, a translucent screen suddenly flashed into existence before both of their eyes.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The message appeared clearly across it.

  // Let’s pick up the pace, shall we?

  Darren barely had time to read it before the world surged forward again.

  The world within the crystal began rushing past them at tremendous speed. Their bodies were flung forward as though caught within a powerful current, the glowing lines and endless runic pathways of the crystal’s interior racing by in blinding streaks of light.

  The velocity was staggering.

  Darren’s eyes widened as the speed increased even further, the rushing environment threatening to overwhelm his senses.

  In that moment, he realized the true challenge of what Merlyn had set before them. They both would have to keep up with this rhythm that the simulation had set for them all while being carried through the crystal at speeds that left no room for hesitation.

  If he failed to adapt now, they might never uncover the information hidden within the crystal at all.

  The Internal Arts came to life within him.

  Mana surged outward from the deep reservoir of power that existed within his Pool of Mana, flowing inward through his body instead of outward into the world. The energy threaded through every muscle, every nerve, every inch of him with practiced precision. It was a familiar sensation—one that Darren had relied on countless times before—but here, within the overwhelming speed of the crystal’s interior, it felt more necessary than ever before.

  // MP (Mana Points): 10407 (-100) → 10307 / 6250

  When it came to the Internal Arts, there was always a spectrum in which he could decide on how much magical energy would be unleashed from his Pool of Mana. Though it had not quite reached the extent of the Overdrive, the amount that was rushing through him now was not meager whatsoever.

  Instantly, everything began to slow. It was not truly slowing in reality, but within Darren’s perception. The world that had been rushing past him in blinding streaks now unfolded in clearer detail. The glowing pathways within the crystal became visible again, their endless streams of runic symbols no longer completely beyond comprehension.

  Now he could see them.

  Glowing scripts stretched across the interior structure of the crystal in elaborate formations. They twisted together like living architecture, layered in patterns that shifted constantly as the two of them continued their rapid descent.

  More importantly, Darren saw the flashes of red.

  Scattered throughout his line of sight, the runic patterns pulsed briefly with crimson light. Each flash marked the precise point where the crystal could be cut without triggering its defenses.

  The rhythm continued to echo around them.

  The beat guided the flashes, each pulse of sound lining up perfectly with the moment the runes turned red.

  Darren stretched his hand forward.

  With the motion, he called upon the magic that belonged to Clan Ittriki. The energy gathered instantly, answering his command without hesitation. Invisible power formed along the arc of his gesture as he prepared to strike.

  Then he unleashed it.

  The Divinity of Dissection tore through the air in silent, unseen slashes.

  // MP (Mana Points): 10407 (-250) → 10157 / 6250

  // MP (Mana Points): 10157 (-250) → 9907 / 6250

  // MP (Mana Points): 9907 (-250) → 9657 / 6250

  The invisible cuts sliced directly through the marked points of the runic formations, tearing the glowing arrangements apart with absolute precision where it flashed red.

  The structures of symbols split cleanly where his power struck them.

  To Darren’s eyes, it looked almost as though the runic constructs were made of thread. Each slash unraveled them instantly, the glowing lines breaking apart exactly where he had cut them.

  They plunged deeper into the crystal.

  As they fell through the openings Darren had created, the severed points behind them began to glow again.

  This time, they turned green.

  From the corner of his vision, Darren saw bursts of brilliant golden light erupt behind them.

  Even while they were being carried downward at tremendous speed, the Witch moved with flawless timing. The moment the runic openings shifted from red to green, she acted. The runes surrounding them responded instantly to her authority. The symbols that Darren had severed were drawn back together under her command, rearranging themselves as she guided them into place.

  The openings closed.

  The crystal repaired itself behind them as though it had never been damaged.

  Exactly as Merlyn had warned, they could not allow the crystal to realize what was happening. Every cut Darren made had to be sealed before its defenses detected the intrusion, and Marianne was ensuring that was the case.

  Each time Darren’s invisible slashes tore apart another section of runic structure, Marianne followed immediately behind, weaving the glowing symbols back together with complete control.

  The process repeated again and again.

  With every passing second, their descent accelerated.

  The speed increased tenfold with each moment, the glowing interior of the crystal rushing past them faster and faster as they plunged deeper toward its hidden core.

  Darren’s eyes moved constantly.

  Even with the Internal Arts sharpening his perception, the flashing red points were becoming harder to track as the pace intensified. His gaze darted from one side of their path to the other, catching each crimson flash at the last possible moment.

  // MP (Mana Points): 9657 (-100) → 9557 / 6250

  Each time he saw one, he cut.

  // MP (Mana Points): 9557 (-250) → 9307 / 6250

  // MP (Mana Points): 9307 (-250) → 9057 / 6250

  // MP (Mana Points): 9057 (-250) → 8807 / 6250

  Invisible slashes of the Divinity of Dissection ripped through the runic arrangements again and again, opening the path downward through the crystal embedded within Ramiel’s sword.

  Despite lacking the Internal Arts that allowed Darren to slow the world within his perception, Marianne somehow kept pace. Every green flash was answered immediately, the broken structures reforming under her command before the crystal could react.

  The rhythm of it all began to settle into Darren’s mind.

  Flash. Cut. Repair. Repeat.

  It became almost hypnotic.

  Darren found himself moving with the music without even consciously thinking about it. Each beat guided his next action, each flash of red pulling his attention to the next point where the Divinity of Dissection had to strike.

  The faster the beat became, the deeper they fell.

  Seconds and minutes blurred together as the relentless rhythm of Merlyn's simulation pushed them onward through the crystal’s layered defenses.

  Sweat began to gather at his brow.

  Even with the Internal Arts reinforcing his body and mind, the strain of maintaining such perfect precision was beginning to build.

  // MP (Mana Points): 8807 (-100) → 8707 / 6250

  Still, Darren refused to slow.

  Somewhere within this crystal was the information Merlyn had promised. Whatever secrets had been hidden within the structure embedded inside Ramiel’s sword were waiting at the bottom of this descent. And Darren believed it would be worth the effort.

  But he was not the only one pushing himself.

  From the corner of his eye, Darren noticed Marianne's breathing had grown shallow.

  The effort required to constantly command the endless streams of runes was beginning to take its toll. Each burst of golden light behind them required immense concentration, and the increasing pace of the rhythm was leaving her less and less time to recover.

  Neither of them could keep this up for much longer.

  They had to break through the crystal’s defenses now.

  Finally, they saw it.

  As Darren and Marianne continued their relentless descent through the layers of the crystal, something began to form in the distance below them. At first it appeared only as a faint glow through the endless stream of runes rushing past them. But as they drew closer, its true shape became clear.

  It was a sphere.

  It floated within the depths of the crystal like a heart hidden at its center. The structure was enormous, its entire surface wrapped in hundreds of thousands of glowing scripts that pulsed with faint light. The runes covered it so densely that the sphere’s actual surface was barely visible beneath them, each symbol shifting constantly as though the structure itself was alive.

  Even as they fell toward it, the scripts continued to move.

  The sphere was not static. The runic arrangements flowed across its surface in endless cycles, rearranging themselves in patterns too complex for Darren to follow.

  Along the sphere’s surface, a single line traced a perfect path across it.

  The line flashed repeatedly—red, then green, then red again—pulsing in perfect rhythm with the beat that had guided them through the crystal’s defenses.

  Darren’s eyes locked onto it.

  He did not understand.

  Through the entire descent, the instructions had been clear. Red meant he cut. Green meant Marianne repaired. Their respective powers separated into its own moment in the rhythm.

  But the line before them did not follow that rule.

  It flashed both colors together.

  It blinked red and green simultaneously along the entire length of the sphere.

  For a brief moment, doubt flickered through Darren’s thoughts. He did not fully understand what Merlyn intended for them to do here. There were still doubts lingering within him, not only about Earth’s System, Loki, but about Systems in general.

  Even his own.

  Yet in that moment, Darren pushed those doubts aside.

  Merlyn had guided them this far.

  He trusted him.

  A roar tore from Darren’s throat as he gathered his power.

  The Divinity of Dissection surged forward with overwhelming force, far stronger than the invisible slashes he had used during their descent. It erupted outward with intensity, Darren pouring every ounce of his strength into the attack he could muster within that split second.

  The flashing red line across the sphere became his target.

  With a sweeping motion, he unleashed the cut.

  // MP (Mana Points): 8707 (-750) → 7957 / 6250

  A blazing arc of power tore across the entire surface of the sphere, the Divinity of Dissection slicing through the runic scripts exactly along the path Merlyn had marked out for him. The hundreds of thousands of glowing symbols covering the sphere were torn apart all at once, the runic arrangements splitting as the immense slash carved through them in a single motion.

  At the exact same moment, Marianne roared as well.

  The Wicked Witch of Humanity summoned every remaining drop of her own strength.

  Where Darren’s power tore the runes apart, hers surged forward to oppose it. Golden light erupted around her as she called upon her authority over the scripts, forcing the shattered arrangements to move under her command even as they were being destroyed, trying to piece together the enormous runic structure Darren was tearing apart in real time.

  The two forces clashed across the sphere’s surface.

  Darren continued to push forward with the Divinity of Dissection, maintaining the massive slash along the flashing line. Marianne matched him with equal determination, guiding the torn runes back into place as quickly as they were being severed.

  For a moment, the sphere seemed to resist.

  The scripts flared violently as the two opposing powers fought across its surface.

  But Darren and Marianne did not relent.

  Both of them held onto their magic with everything they had, pouring their strength into maintaining the delicate balance that Merlyn had designed.

  Then, Darren and Marianne fell through the opening together.

  In that instant, they had breached the final defense.

  The moment they passed through the sphere’s surface, the overwhelming strain vanished. The massive forces both of them had been sustaining dissipated at once as their powers faded away.

  For the first time since the simulation had begun, there was silence.

  The rushing descent stopped.

  The rhythm that had guided them throughout the entire Simulation vanished.

  Darren floated there for a moment, breathing heavily as the exhaustion caught up with him. Beside him, Marianne’s posture sagged slightly as the last traces of her magic faded.

  Then a screen appeared before the, it was the interface of Darren’s own System.

  The text flashed clearly before their eyes.

  // The Simulation has been completed! Congratulations!

  They both could see it. The message lingered briefly in the air, marking the successful completion of Merlyn’s simulation. Soon, they would likely be returned to the real world. But neither of them paid much attention to the message. Their focus had already turned to what now surrounded them.

  Within the interior of the sphere, the space was filled with countless floating screens.

  There millions, perhaps even billions of them.

  Darren stared in stunned silence as his gaze passed over them.

  Each screen displayed information—status windows with rows of numbers and details filled each display. Every single one of them belonged to someone. Darren did not recognize any of the faces or names that appeared within the countless screens floating around them. Yet there were so many of them that the truth became obvious almost immediately.

  They were the inhabitants of Earth.

  < Subject #298172 > < Subject #992727 > < Subject #1933772 >

  The list went on and on and on.

  In that moment, understanding settled heavily within Darren’s mind.

  He finally understood what Loki wanted from this world.

  He knew why Earth had been turned into what it was.

  It was the same reason Merlyn had been able to go through this Update—the very thing that allowed Darren's own System to improve and adapt, becoming more functional as it processed what it had learned.

  Because Systems required something above all else.

  It was something they never stopped collecting, constantly gathering any information they could from their observations. In almost every Mission he had been given, one of its objectives revolved around this single thing. Every human life, every action, every choice, every piece of progress or failure that the people of Earth went through—it all became part of Loki's collection.

  In the end, it was all for the same purpose.

  All of it was for the sake of Data.