They moved deeper into the chamber. Idalia could feel the energy crackling in the air, a warning that something was approaching. Yet the mana ahead didn't breathe like normal magic.

  Instead, it pulsed in measured intervals, cold and precise, as though the walls themselves were alive and listening. Strange. Mana wasn't supposed to sound like gears turning.

  "Do you feel that?" Idalia whispered, pausing to scan the walls for any sign of danger.

  "Yeah. It's like the air's charged," Kelix replied, surveying the area. "We must be getting close."

  They soon broke into a room full of light and machinery. The place was metallic and clean, filled with many colorful flashing lights, oddly resembling an over-polished cavern. Suddenly, a voice echoed through the chamber—deep, menacing, and not-familiar. "You think you can just walk in here and take whatever you like? I am disappointed in you, Kelix."

  At the center, atop a platform, a man stood before a ginormous screen, which was split into many images—one bright and shimmering with the depiction of the balcony where Idalia had fought Varos and Nyla earlier. The man remained steady and observant, his eyes never leaving the screens.

  This was unusual for Idalia, her mind struggling to make a connection. Was this a physical manifestation of [Spatial Sight], or merely a visual fluke?

  The man continued. "In my 180 years of military service, I have never been more impressed by a young warrior like you. I'm willing to overlook your transgressions, boy."

  Kelix didn't seem to accept a single word he had said, frustration was evident on his face. "Silence, Forje! Your life ends here!" He stomped forward, his lightning rod crackling to life in his hand with fierce energy. Idalia felt a rush of adrenaline as well, excited to initiate the battle.

  "Ready or not, here we come!" she growled, her tail swishing with anticipation.

  The man on the platform chuckled. "And he brought a pet. What a brave little dinosaur you are. Pawail's descendant?" He tilted his head, looking back finally. "But bravery alone won't save either of you."

  "Stop talking and start fighting!" Kelix shouted, his grip tightening on the lightning rod.

  Forje sighed. "Impatience always have been your undoing. But knowing you…"

  With a swift motion, Forje raised a hand, and the machinery around them whirred to life. Lights flashed violently, and an echoing voice boomed, "Activate defense systems!"

  Idalia spun, dazed and disoriented.

  From the walls, metal arms shot out, brandishing weapons that gleamed. Idalia ducked just in time, feeling the rush of air as a bladed arm sliced past her.

  "Kelix, watch out!" she warned, lunging forward to knock him out of the path of another attack.

  But that was unnecessary as Kelix parried the strike with a swing. "Thanks, Ida!" he grinned, and together they charged at Forje.

  "Fast as always!" Forje yelled. "Yet I control this room!" His voice echoed, but Idalia and Kelix were a team; she had his back no matter the circumstances. They fought together like one, side by side, weaving and dodging the onslaught—and Idalia salivated at crushing their target.

  "Now!" Kelix shouted, and at that moment, they unleashed their combined attack. Sparks flew as Kelix hurled the lightning rod with all his might, while Idalia let out a roaring [Atomic Burst] that filled the air with shimmering energy.

  "Take this!" they cried in unison, and their powers collided with a force that shook the very ground beneath them.

  Forje only folded his arms behind his back, expression neutral. The energy blast exploded against him.

  Idalia felt a surge of triumph. "Did we do it?"

  Kelix gasped, panting as the smoke cleared. "I think so…" His voice trailed off as he peered through the haze.

  But then, a laugh broke through the silence. The smoke slowly revealed Forje and a shimmering barrier that sizzled slightly, his face twisted into one of disappointment. "You think a little shock and flare would hurt me? How adorable!"

  The barrier flickered but held firm, reflecting light like a rainbow. Forje stepped forward, unfazed, his eyes glinting with menace. The barrier shifted with him, resembling a dome sliding across the ground.

  Idalia's heart sank. "He's… not even scratched!" She gritted her teeth, frustration bubbling up. "What do we do now?"

  "We improvise!" Kelix shot back, looking around for anything they could use. "Stay sharp! We need to keep moving!"

  Before they could react, Forje swung a hand, and the machinery whirred to life once more, launching a torrent of energy blasts toward them. Idalia dashed to the side, her claws digging into the ground as she narrowly avoided the blasts. Meanwhile, Kelix flickered and blurred across the room with the speed of a lightning bolt.

  "Split up!" she yelled. "We can't let him target us both!"

  Kelix nodded, darting to the left while Idalia dashed right, her heart racing as she zigzagged through the deadly onslaught. She could see sparks flying, hear the deafening noise of machinery roaring alive.

  "Keep him distracted!" Kelix shouted, recharging his lightning rod. "I have a plan! You target the platform!"

  "Distraction?! My specialty!"

  She dashed forward, eyes locked on Forje. "Hey, big guy!" she roared, her chest puffing with fire. "You're not so scary!"

  Forje's expression soured. He raised a hand, summoning more energy blasts. Idalia took a deep breath. "Nowhere to run!" She leapt into the air, launching into an agile flip. With a flick of her tail, she unleashed a wave of spatial energy, sending a surge toward the machinery. The machines sputtered, glitching as her energy destabilized their systems. "Gotcha!" she yelled, feeling the tide of battle shift.

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Kelix take a bold step forward. With determination etched on his face, he focused all his energy into the lightning rod, raising it high. "This ends now!" he shouted, and a crackling bolt shot into the air. The bolt twisted through the chamber, crashing down on the core of Forje's setup. Sparks flew, and the machinery began to whine ominously.

  But something felt wrong—

  "Idalia! Move!" Kelix cried, crashing his shoulder against hers. Idalia slid across the floor, groaning. But Kelix's cry was cut short when a large, gaping hole appeared in his chest.

  He dropped with a thud. Idalia's eyes widened in confusion, her head swiveling from him to Forje as she barely processed what had happened. It was then that she noticed the L-shaped weapon in the horrible man's grip, the barrel burning with a strange, orange fire.

  Strangely, the man's nose was bleeding, the scent wafting, warm and delicious to Idalia's nostrils. Forje wiped it away and spoke. "These rounds draw on my life force. I never thought I'd spend one on an Apexial-born." He looked at the fallen body on the floor, and sighed. "All that promise—wasted on protecting a beast."

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "Waste?" The word slashed across Idalia's heartstrings, however she didn't choose to strike Forje down. Not yet.

  Instead, she dashed toward her friend. She nudged Kelix several times, her vision tunneled and uncaring of the danger around her. "Get up, Kelix!"

  No response.

  Idalia felt the world spin, her heart pounding in frustration. She could see the blood pooling beneath her friend, and panic clawed at her throat. "Kelix! Please, you have to be okay!"

  But there was no answer. Only the ominous hum of machinery echoed in the background, and Forje's undeserved breathing made her skin crawl.

  She glared at him, and the man returned her gaze with scorn before saying, "What did you expect? You think you can just waltz in here and challenge me? How na?ve."

  Idalia's chest tightened. No! She refused to let despair take hold. She was a warrior, a protector. She had to do something.

  "Kelix, I need you!" she cried, tears pricking her eyes. "I can't do this without you!"

  Again, nothing. Not until the status bloomed before her eyes in that instant. She read the bold, intimidating words, half hopeful.

  When she glanced back at Forje, his smirk twisted into something darker, feeding on her fury. She hated it—hated him—the weapon that had taken away her friend and was now directed at her.

  Then the trigger was pulled. Silent. Inevitable. The bullet flew.

  In that moment of desperation, Idalia felt a spark within her.

  She didn't want to leave this world without a fight.

  So her [Spatial Sight] activated.

  Because to die like Kelix wasn't an option. To die without knowing how it would feel to evolve? She scorned it!

  "No! I won't let you win!" she shouted.

  In her desperate concentration, she focused all her will on the thin, orange projectile that spun, slow and steady toward her—now approaching in slow motion like the moment Rassith's claws had struck.

  Soon, it would hit her.

  But what if she could claim it for herself?

  A small portal opened before her eyes, and the projectile slipped through it. Then she focused intently on Forje's lungs—how she wished she could strike them.

  Yet somehow she could see them, orange and bright with [Spatial Sight]. Suddenly, she heard a howl—Forje's pained cry.

  Unbelievable. It became a struggle to process what had happened when she saw him stagger to one knee, clutching his bleeding chest.

  "You insignificant beast! How did you—"

  Her heart raced as she realized that she had turned the tide, even if only a little. Forje was weakened, but he was still dangerous. She couldn't let up now; not after what he had done to Kelix!

  "You're not invincible, Forje! You're just a man hiding behind machines and tricks!"

  Forje glared up at her, his expression warped with rage. "Insolent creature."

  His hand burned with the heat of that strange fire—this thing called Sinastral energy—and his wound became cauterized. Then he gestured with a finger, making the motion that said, "Come at me, beast."

  Her mind whirled, rage eroding her feral reason, and with abandon, she charged, tears streaming down her face.

  "You took my friend away! I hate you!"

  The man, her terrible prey, drew a long dagger made of fire from his waist and assumed an odd stance. But Idalia didn't care; all she wanted was to bite, claw, and stomp him to smithereens! However, something about Forje's expression made her spine tingle with chills. It was a twisted grin, as if he were expecting her.

  "Good, little Rex! I will be sure to tear apart the rest of your pride once I am done with you! Show me that fury! You want revenge right?!"

  Yes! Of course.

  But… Not yet. She stared at the glowing text hovering in front of her, caution flickering through the haze of rage.

  [Displaying A Hidden Evolution Path]

  Liorex proto–Harbrinrex

  (“Disastrous Tyrannosaurus”)

  From the depths of fractured spacetime, a tyrant awakens, one who can unmake destiny or rewrite it in rage. This power cannot be claimed without loss: the heart must first be broken by the fall of the cherished...

  Her pulse pounded in her ears, when every line on the screen frustratingly seared itself into her vision.

  "The heart must first be broken..."

  Her gaze fell to Kelix's still form. His chest no longer moved. The smell of blood and metal filled her lungs.

  For a moment, she couldn't breathe.

  Then the voice of her system whispered in her skull:

  [Conditions Met.]

  Evolve?

  Warning: Instability Risk – 95.9%

  Her legs trembled, halting. She understood what it meant—the cost, the danger, the possibility she'd lose herself completely.

  But as Forje's smug voice cut through the machinery's hum—"What are you waiting for?"— something inside her snapped back into focus.

  "Screw your warnings." She pressed her claw against the glowing prompt.

  [Evolution Confirmed.]

  System Girl [Error: Consciousness Not Found]

  Death isn't a game over. For Ana, it's a server transfer.

  Once a game tester, she's now a System AI forced to guide incompetent heroes through lethal worlds. But every time her User dies, she keeps the upgrades and gets a new host in a new reality.

  Tired of being a tutorial for the universe's biggest losers, this rogue System has a new goal: absorb enough power to stop patching the game and start rewriting the code of reality itself.