Arthur sat on the floor of the hallway, clutching the red Core Fragment. The physical toll of the "Sanctuary Edit" was immense—his lungs burned, and a thin line of blood leaked from his ear.
But as the second fragment merged with the first in his palm, the world didn't just return to normal. It shattered and reformed.
[CORE FRAGMENT 2/7 ASSIMILATED]
• Access Level: 3 (Architect Candidate)
• Ability Unlocked: The Architect's Eyes (Passive)
Arthur looked up, and he nearly screamed.
The walls of the apartment were no longer just brick and plaster. They were layers of code, some ancient and stable, others flickering with "System Debt." But the most jarring change was when he looked at Sarah and Elena as they ran toward him.
[The Vision of Truth]
Above Sarah's head, a floating box of data materialized:
NAME: Sarah Vance (The Iron Widow)
CLASS: Guardian (Tier 2)
HP: 88% (Fatigue: High)
LOYALTY: 92% (Locked: Eternal)
FATE: Currently fighting a scripted death in 2027.
He turned his gaze to Elena:
NAME: Elena (The Watcher)
CLASS: Chrono-Agent (Unknown Tier)
HP: 100%
LOYALTY: 45% (Condition: Curiosity)
HIDDEN TRUTH: Has a 'Kill Order' for the Architect in her subconscious.
Arthur blinked, trying to clear his vision, but the data remained. He looked out the window at the city. Every pedestrian was a name and a set of stats. Every car was a velocity vector. Every building had a "Structural Integrity" percentage.
"Arthur? You're staring again," Sarah said, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "Your eyes... they aren't violet anymore. They're gold."
"I can see it all, Sarah," Arthur whispered. "I can see the strings."
[The Hunt for the Third Fragment]
The Architect's Eyes didn't just show people; they showed the System Map. A golden line pulse across the floor, leading out of the apartment and toward the North—into the heart of the city's financial district.
"The third fragment is moving," Arthur said, standing up. His movements were now strangely precise, his mind calculating the exact amount of force needed to rise. "Someone has already claimed it."
"Who?" Elena asked, her hand moving to her daggers as she noticed Arthur's cold, analytical stare.
Arthur looked through the walls, his vision piercing the concrete.
TARGET DETECTED: Julian Thorne (Senior)
STATUS: RECONSTRUCTED
CURRENT POSITION: Thorne Tower Vaults
"The Senator," Arthur growled. "The System didn't just let him go; it 'Optimized' him. He's the vessel for the Third Fragment."
[The First Bug]
As they stepped out of the building, the Architect's Eyes flashed a red warning.
[WARNING: SYSTEM BUG DETECTED IN IMMEDIATE VICINITY]
A stray dog was standing in the middle of the street. To a normal person, it was just a mangy mutt. To Arthur, it was a mess of jagged, black pixels. Its "Name" box was just a series of glitched symbols.
"Don't go near it," Arthur commanded.
The dog's jaw unhinged, stretching three feet wide, revealing rows of chrome teeth. It wasn't an animal; it was a "Glitch Hunter" sent to track the scent of the fragments.
"Sarah, don't waste bullets," Arthur said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Its physical defense is 99%. Its weakness is the 'Delete' key on its left flank."
Arthur didn't even move. He used Phantom Grip, but instead of a hand, he formed a needle-thin spear of violet light. With the precision of a surgeon, he struck the exact pixel that represented the bug's "End Task" command.
The creature didn't die; it simply stopped existing. No blood, no body. Just a hole in the air that quickly sealed.
[The Throne Awaits]
Arthur turned toward the Thorne Tower, the tallest building in the city. Through his new eyes, the tower looked like a giant antenna, broadcasting the System's will to the entire region.
"We're going to Thorne Tower," Arthur said. "And we aren't sneaking in this time."
"Arthur," Elena said, stopping him. "The more you use those eyes, the less 'human' you become. You're starting to talk like him."
Arthur looked at Elena. For a second, he saw the exact mathematical probability of her betraying him in the next hour: 12.4%.
"Humanity didn't save the world in 2025, Elena," Arthur said, his golden eyes glowing with a cold, terrifying light. "Maybe the only way to beat the Architect is to become a better one."
[NEW QUEST: THE CORPORATE RAID]
• Objective: Infiltrate Thorne Tower.
• Hidden Objective: Assassinate Julian Thorne (Senior).
• Reward: Level 4 Access / 'Reality Delete' Unlocked.
Arthur stepped into the car, his mind already calculating the 1,402 ways the next hour could end.