> Location: Outer Ring — Abandoned Factory Outpost, South of Mist Forest
Z3RO advanced cautiously between the rusty ruins of an old factory submerged in vegetation. The metal walls, covered in moss and torn cables, vibrated with a barely audible rumble.
His drone, B.I.T., circled slowly around him, its sensors on high alert.
> "Energy anomaly detected. Imminent spatio-temporal instability."
Z3RO raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not done with the mobs yet, and now you're talking about a dimensional rift?"
A metallic howl cut him off. Then another.
He spun around with a start.
> Hostiles Detected — Race: Steel Lupus
Description: Cybernetic wolves powered by corrupted plasma cores.
Three creatures, with glistening metallic fur and piercing red eyes, emerged from a ripped vent. Their fangs gleamed with white-hot steel.
Z3RO narrowly dodged the first charge, sliding across a cracked slab. He activated Micro-Drone Scan.
> Weak point: Cervical junction – Overheating detected – Body susceptible to EMP charges.
— Perfect.
He threw a Gravitational Grenade, which exploded silently, pinning two of the wolves to the ground in a gravitational distortion. The third attacked him from the side, lightly scratching him on the shoulder.
— Bad choice.
Z3RO activated Energy Overload, and an azure-blue electrical wave erupted from his fist, electrocuting the beast in a spasm of fried circuits.
The other two tried to break free, but B.I.T. dove, releasing a supporting blast on their visual sensors.
A series of rapid flashes.
Three mechanical bodies on the ground.
Deadly silence.
> +320 EXP gained. Loot: 2 Corrupted Cores, 1 Unstable Circuit Panel, 1 Steel Jaws.
Z3RO exhaled, wiped his temple. Then he saw it.
In the center of the factory: an unstable portal, floating between two energy coils, flickering like a bad holographic image. The air around it vibrated.
> Anomaly confirmed: Unstable portal of unknown type. Multiple destinations possible. High probability of corruption.
Z3RO approached, fascinated.
—Either I get rich… or I crash the server.
He activated a marker beacon in his interface, adding a note:
> Portal - To be analyzed later. Probably related to the Genesis Core quests. High risk.
He turned back, but took one last look.
The portal was vibrating with a dark, almost organic energy.
—This game... it's not just a game.
✦ End of Chapter 7
Next chapter: "Hakaijin — The Hunt for the Phantom Saber"