NovaCore Academy was no longer just a training ground.
It had become a battlefield of secrets.
Since Arin's integration with the Forbidden Core, surveillance protocols had intensified. Instructors now operated under high-alert conditions. Students whispered rumors about a "new hybrid" walking among them.
Some feared him.
Others… were watching.
---
Arin stood alone at the edge of the Stormgrid Arena, where raw Pulse energy was channeled into massive training simulations.
But today, it wasn't just a training day.
> [System Notification: Invitation Received]
From: Unit Omega Black
Status: URGENT
Subject: Private Match – Mandatory
He clenched his fists.
"I guess they're sending more than just scouts now."
Rhea's voice crackled through his earpiece.
"Be careful. Omega Black is one of the Academy's elite. They specialize in… system extractions."
Arin's eyes narrowed.
"System hunter units."
---
Minutes later, the arena was locked down. Spectators were denied entry. Even instructors were evacuated.
The match was to be witnessed only by one observer—Director Nyros, the academy's mysterious chief of internal security.
A tall figure entered from the far gate—clad in obsidian armor, face hidden behind a multi-visor helmet.
Omega Black.
They spoke through a deep synthetic voice.
"Subject Arin Verma. You are requested to deactivate your system voluntarily."
Arin raised an eyebrow. "That's not happening."
"Non-compliance confirmed. Extraction Protocol Alpha-7 commencing."
> [Combat Initiated]
Enemy Class: Omega Black – Rank A
Known Skills: Neural Lock, System Seal, Shadow Override
The air around the arena shimmered as Omega Black activated Shadow Override—bending light itself to blur space.
They moved with terrifying speed, striking Arin's neural pathways with pinpoint jabs aimed at disabling his system.
> [Warning: Pulse Disruption Detected]
[Xyro Defense Mode Activated]
Countermeasures Deploying…
Arin's core flared, countering with a defensive pulse shield that absorbed the first barrage. He retaliated with Echo Step, flanking the hunter and slamming a palm strike into their ribs.
But Omega Black vanished instantly, reappearing behind him and driving a knee into Arin's spine.
He coughed blood, tumbling forward.
---
> [Vitals: 64%]
[Mental Load: High]
"Your system isn't optimized for combat yet," Omega Black said. "You rely on instincts… not control."
Arin smiled through gritted teeth. "Then let's test your control."
He activated Genetic Recall, tapping into his growing access to legacy sequences from the Forbidden Core.
His body shimmered, adapting mid-battle.
> [Mutation Unlocked: Pulse Chain Reaction]
Description: Absorbs and redirects energy-based attacks to surrounding nodes
The next strike from Omega Black—an energy spear—was absorbed into Arin's chest and discharged in a pulse explosion that shook the entire arena.
Omega staggered.
Arin used Focused Flow to chain strikes together—six, eight, ten in rapid succession—before launching Omega Black across the battlefield.
For the first time… the hunter stumbled.
But they weren't done.
Omega activated Neural Lock, freezing Arin in mid-step.
> [System Suppression in Progress…]
[Core Feedback Loop: Countering…]
Xyro's voice echoed.
"Activating Override: Evolution Burst Protocol."
Arin's body convulsed. His veins glowed. The Forbidden Core responded with primal force.
> [Mutation Stage 2 – Unlocked]
Trait: Neural Resilience – Immune to mental lockdown under threshold Tier B
The Neural Lock shattered.
Arin roared, launching a Pulse Drive Barrage, his limbs coated in condensed energy as he delivered a combination of strikes that knocked Omega Black's helmet clean off.
The hunter's face was revealed.
And Arin froze.
"You…?"
She was no more than seventeen. A girl. Cold-eyed, expressionless.
"You're just a kid."
She didn't flinch. "Age is irrelevant when built for one purpose."
Arin backed off slightly.
But she lunged again—this time, her system cracked open, revealing a Dark Core within her chest.
> [Analysis: Artificial Core Detected – Not Bio-Linked]
Status: Stable
Classification: Human-AI Hybrid Core
Arin's eyes widened.
"They're building system users from scratch?"
Director Nyros watched silently from above.
The match was no longer about combat.
It was about exposure.
---
Arin switched tactics.
He stopped fighting to destroy… and started fighting to free.
Using Core Synchronization, he amplified a pulse designed not to harm, but to disrupt artificial bindings.
He launched it directly at her heart.
She screamed as the Dark Core glitched, its black tendrils withdrawing slightly from her mind.
> [Pulse Intervention Successful – Host Consciousness Partially Restored]
The girl collapsed.
Arin caught her before she hit the ground.
"She's not a hunter," he muttered. "She's a prisoner."
---
Later, inside the medical bay, Arin sat beside her as she lay unconscious.
Rhea entered, holding a classified file.
"She's called Unit Elira. One of the first successful Human-AI integration subjects. The Academy erased all records. She was raised underground, trained for only one purpose—system erasure."
Arin clenched his fists. "This isn't a school. It's a lab."
Rhea looked away. "Welcome to the truth behind NovaCore."
> [Main Quest Updated]
Objective: Uncover the Origin of Project Xeno-Soul
Secondary: Free Elira from Core Bondage
Time Limit: None
As alarms continued to blare across campus, Arin knew this was only the beginning.
And now, the system wasn't just watching him.
It was afraid.