novelraw Chapter 73: Beaten and Battered!
Chapter 73: Beaten and Battered!
A notification chimed in his Databand.
[Minor Construct Destroyed: +5 EXP]
[Minor Construct Destroyed: +5 EXP]
[Total EXP Gained: 10 EXP]
[Level 5: 1660/1700 EXP]
Daniel stared at the number. "Ten experience points?" he muttered. He shook his head in disbelief. "That’s it? For all that work?"
It was the penalty for being high level. Killing weak enemies gave almost nothing now. He felt a wave of disappointment, but he quickly pushed it away.
"It’s not about the points," he reminded himself. "It’s about survival." He had made it through the gauntlet without a scratch.
He had proven that he could outsmart the system. That was worth more than points.
Daniel took a moment to recover. He activated [Energy Siphon]. He closed his eyes and let the skill do its work. He could feel the residual energy from the destroyed turrets and the leaking conduit flowing toward him.
Once he was fully recovered, he climbed the final stretch of the ramp.
The humming sound was gone, replaced by an absolute silence. He reached the top. The ramp ended at a large, circular door.
It was made of the same white metal as the walls, but it had a single, glowing blue circle in the center.
The Primary Control Center was very quiet, which made Daniel feel nervous. Daniel stood at the entrance of the room, breathing hard after running all the way up the ramp.
The wireframe map in his mind, projected by the assimilated shard, flickered and died. It had done its job, he was already at the end of the line.
He stepped into the Central Hub. It was a massive, domed chamber that looked more like a cathedral built for machines than a control room.
The walls were seamless and black, absorbing the light, while the floor was smooth and white, reflecting the stars swirling beyond the massive glass windows.
The console sat at the center of the room, bathing everything in cold white light.
It was sleek, untouched by time, and showed no sign of ever being used.
"Too quiet," Daniel whispered, the sound of his own voice startling him. He gripped his Twin Fang daggers tighter.
There were no guards. There were no turrets hanging from the ceiling. It felt wrong because every other inch of the Astral Verge had been crawling with threats.
Why would the most important room be empty?
He walked toward the center, his boots clicking sharply on the white tiles. The silence pressed against his ears, heavy and thick. He reached the console.
A single slot waited in the center, shaped perfectly for the Omega Shard he carried. Daniel reached into his voidpocket and pulled out the heavy, pyramid-shaped key.
It hummed in his hand, vibrating in sync with the room’s hidden energy. "Time to end this," he muttered.
He reached out to place the key in the slot, but his hand stopped inches away. His [Omnivision] flared violently. It wasn’t a warning of something approaching, it was a warning of something already there.
The floor beneath the console opened. The white tiles retracted with a hiss, revealing a dark pit beneath the platform. A low mechanical growl rose from below, vibrating through Daniel’s boots.
A massive platform ascended from the pit. Standing upon it was a nightmare of engineering.
It towered over Daniel, standing at least Nine feet tall. Its armor was made of white ceramic plates with gold edges, polished until it shone.
Its head was a smooth, aerodynamic helmet with a V-shaped visor that suddenly ignited with a blinding red light. On its right arm, a huge cannon hummed with heat, the barrel wide enough to fit a human head.
On its left wrist, metal shards floated around like a deadly orbit.
Daniel raised his left arm, his heart hammering against his ribs as the text scrolled across his vision.
[Omega Hub Guardian (Level 7 Peak Elite)] [Stats: Extreme Strength, Extreme Defense, High Agility, High Spirit.]
[Abilities: [Plasma Cannon], [Kinetic Shard Storm], [Adaptive Omega Shield].]
[Threat Assessment: Maximum. The final line of defense. Capable of immense destruction. Avoid the cannon at all costs.]
"Level 7," Daniel breathed, stepping back. "Peak Elite." This was a monster two levels above him. It was the apex predator of the entire phase.
The Guardian didn’t waste time with intimidation. It raised its right arm. The air in the room instantly grew hot as the Plasma Cannon began to charge.
A high-pitched whine climbed in frequency, painful to the ears.
"Move!"
His instincts flared, alerting him instantly. He launched himself into the air.
[Active Skill: Shadowsteps]!
His agility tripled instantly. Daniel pushed off the floor with explosive force, twisting his body in a corkscrew motion as he leaped toward the wall.
KWAA-KOOM!
A beam of white energy erupted from the cannon. It hit the spot where Daniel had been standing a microsecond ago.
The floor where Daniel had been was scorched. The beam melted a trench through the thick metal plating, leaving behind a glowing, molten mark.
The heat hit Daniel’s back as he slammed into the wall. Daniel didn’t stop, he used his [Wall Adhesion] to grip the vertical surface, running sideways along the curve of the dome.
"That shit is crazy," Daniel thought, sweat stinging his eyes. "If that beam touches me, I’m smoked."
He needed to test its defenses. While running along the wall, he unslung his Skyreaver Bow. He didn’t have solid footing, but his enhanced agility helped.
He drew an arrow, infused it with [Mana Bolt], and fired as he ran.
TWANG!
The purple arrow cut through the air, heading for the red eye slit.
The purple arrow flew straight for the red eye.
Immediately, a golden, honeycomb-patterned barrier flickered into existence inches from the Guardian’s armor.
FIIZZZ!
The magical arrow hit the [Adaptive Omega Shield] and dissolved. There was no explosion, no crack. The energy was simply eaten by the shield.
"Magic is useless," Daniel cursed, leaping off the wall and landing in a roll. He came up sprinting.
"I have to get inside that shield." He dropped the bow and drew his daggers. He zig-zagged across the floor, closing the distance.
The Guardian tracked him with mechanical precision. It raised its left arm. The floating shards around its wrist spun faster.
"[Kinetic Shard Storm]!"
Dozens of sharp, metal projectiles shot out from the device. They didn’t fly in a straight line, they curved towards him, closing in fast.
"Shield!" Daniel shouted, raising his left hand.
He cast his [Energy Shield], creating a blue hexagon barrier in front of him while he kept running.
CLANG! CRACK! CRACK!
The shards slammed into his defense. They were heavy, hitting with the force of bullets. His shield cracked under the assault, spiderwebs of light spreading across the surface.
One shard punched through the barrier. It grazed Daniel’s ribs, tearing through his vest and drawing blood.
Daniel gritted his teeth against the pain.
He let the shield break and used his last bit of momentum to slide under the metal storm.