CHAPTER 75: LET ME BREATH

Theo clicked his tongue. "Let’s not."

Before the pulse could fire, Theo pressed both palms to its chest and unleashed a focused Cryo Spike Field, ice erupting from within the creature, freezing part of the exposed core area mid-charge.

The lightning faltered. Arcs began sputtering. Theo twisted his foot, activating Granite Skin and grounded himself.

"Time to shut you down."

He pulled back his fist, coated it in a thin layer of fire and wind, and slammed it straight through the ice-encased chest, cracking through armor, ribs, and directly into the active meteorite core.

A burst of electricity surged out and then, silence.

MVoltgeist dropped, the light inside him fading in flickers. Smoke rose from his body.

[Ding! Meteorborn Voltgeist with active meteorite core eliminated]

[EXP Gained: +10,000]

[Gold Coins Gained: +1,000]

[Bonus Reward: +500 EXP, +50 Gold Coins]

[Initiating Core Absorption...]

[Extraction complete. New ability and power acquired.]

[You have acquired: Voltgeist Meteocore]

Power Type: Electric Manipulation

Unlocked Abilities:

Flashstep - Teleport a short distance with a burst of electrical energy. Can be chained up to 3 times.

Chain Shock - Launch a bolt that arcs between multiple enemies within range. Deals electrical damage and causes short paralysis.

EMP Pulse - Emit a pulse that disrupts tech-based systems and reduces energy shield duration on targets.

*

Theo stood panting lightly, the scent of ozone crackling in the air. He looked at his trembling hands, still humming with remnants of stolen voltage.

He grinned.

"This core’s a keeper."

Then he glanced at the final UMS, still breathing, barely mutating, on the ground.

"Come on," Theo said in a low, coaxing voice. "What’s taking you so long? Let’s see what you turn into."

He glanced at his wristwatch, it was already seven in the morning. Around him, torn duffel bags lay scattered on the warehouse floor, spilling physical cash, gold bars, portable safes, collectible tech, and luxury goods.

Moore Warehouse was a single-level private storage unit. Only a few security guards had been stationed, all of them now dead. These UMS were thieves. They came to rob the place.

Theo scanned the area. It was silent, save for the labored gasps of the last conscious UMS. The man in front of him, the same one who had charged at him with a knife, screaming about leaving no witnesses, now lay twitching on the floor.

"Please... h-help m-me," the man stuttered, his voice weak and ragged.

Theo clicked his tongue in annoyance. He stepped over a scorched corpse, eyes narrowing in disgust.

"Seriously?" he hissed. "You tried to kill me, and now you want help?"

He let out a dry scoff.

"Even the part of me that might’ve wanted to save you... can’t do a damn thing. You’re beyond saving."

The man’s body convulsed, muscles locking up. Veins began to glow with faint electric-blue light. Sparks flickered along his arms, crackling and hissing in bursts of unstable current.

Theo raised an eyebrow.

"Ah... finally," he muttered, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Now don’t disappoint me."

[Mutation Detected: Meteorborn Dreg (MDreg)]

Theo’s shoulders shrugged. "Tch. Waste of time."

[Mutation Complete: Meteorborn Dreg (MDreg)]

The creature barely had time to finish forming. It lunged forward with a weak snarl.

Too slow.

Theo vanished in a flicker of wind and flame, Ember Step and Aero Dash combining in a blur. He reappeared right behind it.

Silent Strike.

His hand shot forward like a blade, fingers crackling with heat and kinetic force. He drove it straight through the back of the MDreg’s skull. There was a faint pop, then silence.

The body dropped like a sack of wet rags.

[Ding! MDreg eliminated]

[Ding! +500 EXP, +50 Gold Coins, +Common Shard, +Basic Loot Crate]

Theo didn’t even glance back as the corpse sizzled on the floor.

[PURGE QUEST: "While the Iron’s Hot" - COMPLETED]

[Main Reward: Ironblood Mutation Path - Phase 1: Unbreakable Form]

A forbidden strain born from surviving the brink of death. The host’s body adapts unnaturally, turning extreme pain into raw power. Durability increases with damage taken, granting grotesque endurance and resistance.

Effect: The lower your health, the stronger your defense and pain tolerance become. Near-death triggers temporary regeneration and damage resistance.

[Ability Gained: Iron Vein Protocol]

Temporarily floods the user’s body with corrupted mineral energy, hardening muscles and bones.

Effect: Greatly boosts defense and physical attack power while active.

Drawback: Prolonged use causes internal strain. After deactivation, user may experience mild backlash and temporary numbness.

[Bonus Reward: +Abyssal Shard]

[Rare Drop Acquired: Black Code Key 1/6]

Theo smirked as the last notification faded.

[Ding! System Sync: Energy Threshold Stabilized]

[Dark System Operations: Shutting Down...]

[Offline Mode Activated - Emergency Sync Complete]

Theo’s smirk faltered. The air seemed to snap back to stillness, like a held breath finally released.

The golden glow in his right eye, unmistakable during the carnage, slowly dimmed and vanished.

Then, silence. His muscles relaxed, but his mind didn’t. Not really.

He frowned as he stood among the broken corpses and scattered riches, now meaningless. The thick smell of burnt flesh clung to the air, but all Theo could hear was his own heartbeat, no longer frenzied, but steady.

His voice dropped to a whisper, like a man speaking to his reflection in cracked glass.

"...What’s happening to me?"

He looked down at his hands. No blood. Not his, anyway. And yet, he remembered everything. Every movement. Every kill. He was the one who ended them all.

And still... it felt like someone else had been behind the wheel.

His chest ached, caught between pride and fear. He had always done the right thing, kept his head low, followed the rules, and took the hits in silence.

But when the Dark Online System came online...

He hadn’t begged. He hadn’t run. He hadn’t hesitated. He had become someone else.

Or maybe... just maybe... he had become the version of himself he had always buried deep down. The part that wanted to fight back. The part that liked the power.

Sirens whined in the distance, military ones.

Theo snapped out of it.

No time to think. Not here.

He grabbed his helmet, got on his motorcycle behind the wall, and started the engine. Smoke and dust rose as he sped away. The last bit of golden light in his eyes faded, lost in the morning haze.

******

Unknown to Theo, somewhere deep inside, the system wasn’t offline. It was waiting. Watching. Whispering.

"You finally let me breathe."