Chapter Thirty-Two: The Turning Point

Ferrin paid no heed to Eluca’s complaints. As he vaulted up to the sixth floor, he immediately sensed a chilling aura rapidly receding down the corridor, fleeing toward the opposite side. This presence was hardly unexpected for Ferrin—it was the same he’d detected while unraveling the spatial barrier between the fourth and fifth floors. That had convinced him that something was orchestrating these events from the shadows, rather than the energy core itself acting on its own.

It seemed luck was on their side.

“Found it! Delin, let’s move!”

Sensing the aura withdrawing at speed, Ferrin gave the order without hesitation. He dashed after it, following the direction in which it was escaping.

The passage was pitch-black and dimly lit, illuminated only by the cold glare of emergency lights. The corridor appeared empty; Ferrin didn’t bother worrying about possible ambushes hidden in the side rooms. He pushed his speed to its absolute limit—under the flickering lights, his figure became a blur, a succession of afterimages flashing past before vanishing into darkness.

It’s just ahead!

Ferrin sensed the dense energy signature close by. The corners of his mouth curled into a smile. The target was within reach; only a single door separated him from his quarry.

Suddenly, as Ferrin and Delin approached the end of the corridor, ready to burst into the room, a cacophony of screeching metal erupted. Fireproof isolation doors dropped rapidly, sealing Ferrin and Delin off from their goal.

“Oh? Using your head after all, are you…”

Though he’d stepped into a trap and was now completely surrounded, Ferrin’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. In fact, he stole a glance at the time indicator in the lower right corner before him.

At that moment, the minute hand ticked forward, aligning with the hour and second hands, all pointing straight up. Immediately, a brilliant blue glow—a current of electricity—flashed across his vision. The icon that had just dimmed lit up again.

[Blade of Ruin (0/3)] —> [Blade of Ruin (3/3)]

Blade of Ruin, activate.

With a thought, the scalpel in Ferrin’s hand was once again shrouded in a dim, pitch-black aura. He gripped the scalpel tightly, swiftly traced a circle on the wall beside him, then pressed gently against it. The thick wall crumbled, a round section falling away like a giant slice of cake, sending up dust and gusts of air. Ferrin rolled through the hole, silent and unseen, then raised his eyes to look ahead.

Unlike the darkness outside, the room before him was ablaze with light. Racks of servers and mainframes, arranged as neatly as bookshelves, filled the space. Countless cables crisscrossed, woven in a pattern like a spider’s web. Everywhere, streams of numbers and letters cascaded downward like waterfalls—green as running water—flowing from the ceiling along the walls and guided by the cables in specific directions.

It was reminiscent of the virtual world from The Matrix.

Yet Ferrin’s attention was not drawn to the flowing data, but to the strange and peculiar object at the center of the server room.

A tall cylinder stood there, its surface resembling a prayer wheel. Dense white and golden data runes flickered across it. Even without focusing, he could feel the powerful, mysterious energy overflowing from within—an energy that altered the world, now manifesting before Ferrin in this form.

The Node.

Ferrin raised his head slowly, scrutinizing the Node. He squinted, gazing upward—where, at the top of the Node, a bizarre entity stared back at him. It looked as if it had been constructed from 3D modeling, but lacked any skin or texture, composed only of bright, simple lines outlining its body and limbs, making it seem like a creation from a virtual world. Its two eyes glowed white, wide open, fixed on Ferrin and Delin.

“There’s a saying…”

Meeting the creature’s gaze, Ferrin smiled faintly. He removed his hat, lifted his chin, and addressed the monster.

“There was no path, but as people walk, a road appears. I’ll admit, your trap is clever. But the pity is… we never planned to use the door.”

“Raaah—!!”

Perhaps sensing Ferrin’s sarcasm, the light creature let out an enraged roar. It hunched and contracted its body, vanishing in a blink as a point of light before Ferrin’s eyes.

Spatial transfer?

Ferrin was caught off guard, but instantly a warning surged through his body. Almost simultaneously, Delin’s voice rang in his mind.

(Master, behind you!)

“Hmph!”

Ferrin’s response was swift. At Delin’s warning, he rolled forward, and at the same moment, a sharp “thud” sounded beside him. Turning, Ferrin saw a sword of pure light withdrawing from the spot where he’d just stood. The once solid floor now sported a black hole the size of a palm. Looking up, Ferrin realized the creature had appeared behind him, its right arm—composed of light—transformed into a long sword.

“Hyaa!”

At that instant, Delin sprang into action. Before the light creature could retract its sword, she appeared behind it, raised her spiked club high, and brought it down with force.

“Boom!”

With Delin’s attack, Ferrin felt the entire server room shake. The spot struck by the club bulged and exploded, leaving a huge crater. Unfortunately, Delin’s blow didn’t land—the creature had vanished again, folding its body and disappearing the moment she attacked.

Is it a spatial transfer ability? That’s troublesome.

Wind swept past Ferrin’s head. He quickly dodged sideways, narrowly avoiding the creature’s sword as it stabbed again. Ferrin’s eyes flashed coldly; he spun his right hand, and the scalpel traced a black shadow, slicing the creature behind him cleanly in two.

“Gaaah—!!”

The sharp blade cut through the creature, splitting it apart. But to Ferrin’s surprise, it let out a shrill scream, then leapt backward—and its sundered body fused together once more.

Not quite like the Hulk after all…

(What now, Master?)

Delin had reached Ferrin’s side, gripping her spiked club, her expression grave as she asked. Ferrin pondered, then glanced at his skill icon.

[Blade of Ruin] had only one use left… Slicing its body alone wouldn’t suffice, so…

“We’ll have to destroy its core.”

He spoke, resolute.