Chapter 16: 16. Shards of future problems
AT THE SAME TIME
ALEXANDER
The boss floor somehow became less terrifying after lunch started, not safe, not normal. Just slightly less emotionally catastrophic. Scarlet had somehow found a clean section of stone and laid out food like we were having a peaceful picnic instead of sitting next to the corpse of a giant furnace monster. Noa was silently checking the cave entrances while eating with military efficiency. Zavier sat against a broken pillar with his arms crossed, watching the dungeon carefully like he expected the walls themselves to start fighting him personally. Rosalia sat beside me, still very close, every few minutes her eyes drifted toward my hand again and I pretended not to notice because I valued my remaining sanity.
"She is waiting."The sword hummed softly.
"I know."I said.
"Head pats increase morale."The sword said.
"I am not buffing the assassin during lunch."I said.
"Cruel."Rosalia quietly lowered her head slightly anyway.
"I HEARD THAT."I said.
"It is strange."Scarlet looked at Rosalia carefully.
"What is?"Rosalia blinked once.
"You feel dangerous."Scarlet admitted softly. "But also sad."
Silence hit the group for a moment. Rosalia looked down at the food in her hands.
"That is accurate."She said.
I suddenly felt weirdly protective again which was probably a bad sign.
"DING."The system said.
"WHY?" I physically twitched.
"SPECIAL FLOOR CLEAR REWARD DISTRIBUTION COMPLETE."The sytem said.
A large treasure chest materialized directly in front of us with enough force to crack the stone floor. Finally something normal, probably. My eyes sparkled instantly.
"YES."I shouted.
"Your excitement concerns me."Noa looked suspicious immediately.
"I LIKE MONEY."I screamed.
Scarlet carefully opened the chest. Gold coins, mana crystals, healing potions, several polished gemstones. Actual normal treasure. I almost cried.
"Oh thank god."I grabbed a gold coin emotionally. "FINALLY. A REWARD WITHOUT TRAUMA."
"Incorrect."The sword answered instantly.
"DO NOT RUIN THIS."I ordered.
Then something else appeared, a smaller black box slowly formed beside the chest and the atmosphere changed immediately. Zavier’s eyes narrowed, Rosalia stopped eating, even Scarlet’s holy aura flickered uneasily.
"I don’t like the mysterious second box."I said cautiously.
"Agreement."Noa nodded immediately.
The box slowly opened by itself, inside were fragments. Two tiny crimson black shards. Cracked, sharp, glowing faintly.
"DING."The system instantly reacted.
"I HATE THAT SOUND."I said.
"ITEM ACQUIRED: INCOMPLETE GACHA SUMMONER CARD SHARDS."The system explained.
"Excuse me."I gasped.
The fragments slowly floated upward, rotating gently in the air.
"Compatibility detected."The sword pulsed sharply.
"No."I said.
"Current shard collection progress: 2/5."The system said.
Everyone froze. Scarlet tilted her head slightly.
"So only five exist? Two out of FIVE?"I blinked.
"That is significantly less horrifying than one hundred."Noa admitted.
"I DISAGREE. FIVE WORLD ENDING MYSTERY PIECES IS STILL BAD."I shouted.
"They feel incomplete."Rosalia stared at the fragments carefully.
"THAT IS LITERALLY WHAT THEY ARE."I said.
Zavier slowly stood up as his expression had become serious again. Very serious.
"I have seen records about these."He said quietly.
"Every time you say that my life gets worse."I immediately pointed at him.
"The original this boss gacha summoner card was never fully finished."Zavier ignored me completely. "The creator attempted to divide its core into five adaptive shards."
"Why divide it?"Scarlet frowned softly.
Zavier stared at the floating shards for several long seconds before finally answering Scarlet.
"Because one complete card would be too dangerous."He explained.
The atmosphere changed instantly, even the dungeon somehow felt quieter.
"I KNEW IT. I KNEW THE EVIL ROCKS WERE EVIL."I pointed aggressively at the floating fragments.
"They are not rocks."The sword corrected immediately.
"I WILL THROW YOU INTO A VOLCANO."I said angrily.
"What exactly are they?"Scarlet looked between the shards carefully.
"An unfinished summoner card that was never meant to fully exist."Zavier crossed his arms slowly.
"That sentence somehow made things worse."I admitted.
"You said unfinished."Noa narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Because the completed version woul automatically classify as SSS-Rank."Zavier nodded once.
Even Rosalia stopped moving.
"Excuse me?"I whispered weakly.
"DING. SSS-RANK POSSIBILITY CONFIRMED."The system chimed happily.
"I NEED THIS SYSTEM TO STOP ENJOYING MY SUFFERING." I groaned.
"There are only a handful of confirmed SSS-ranked beings in recorded history..." Scarlet blinked rapidly.
"Correct."Zavier answered calmly. "And none of them were summon cards."
"What happens if all five combine?"Noa stared at the shards carefully now.
Nobody answered immediately. That was horrifying.
"Why is nobody talking?"I slowly looked toward Zavier.
"Nobody knows."Zavier exhaled once.
"The card was split before it could stabilize completely."Zavier continued. "But the fragments still seek each other naturally."
The crimson black shards pulsed softly in the air. Like they heard him.
"Stop doing ominous things."I immediately pointed at them.
"They feel alive."Rosalia quietly watched the shards.
"Nope."I stood up instantly. "No. Absolutely not. I reject living gambling."
"Warning: resonance increasing."The sword vibrated uneasily in my hand.
"I DIDN’T EVEN TOUCH THEM."I said angrily.
"The dangerous part isn’t the completed card itself."Zavier’s expression darkened slightly.
"There is a MORE dangerous part?"I stared at him.
"The completed summon." He said.
"Summon?"Scarlet slowly looked up.
"When all five shards combine, the card doesn’t create a normal summon."Zavier nodded once. "It is an SSS rank creature."
No matter that Zavier told me about it moments earlier, my body still reacted to it. As soon as he said that, I felt how my head suddenly begin to spin and I lost consciousness. The last words I heard before that were Scarlet and Rosalia screaming my name. Darkness swallowed everything, not peaceful darkness either, the uncomfortable kind. The kind that felt alive. Somewhere far away, I could hear voices echoing around me like they were underwater.
"Master!"
"Summoner!"
"DING."
The sound cracked through the darkness unnaturally loud. Except this time the system sounded wrong. Distorted. Glitching.
"D...ng." Static exploded across my vision even though my eyes weren’t open.
Fragments of red error text flickered through the void.
"WARNING. SSS-RANK PATHWAY..."The message distorted violently. "INCOMPL..."
Another glitch. Like something was interfering with it. Then the system voice returned again, lower than before. Not emotionless anymore, urgent.
"Emergency protocol activated."The system said.
Outside my fading consciousness, I barely heard movement.
"His mana is becoming unstable!"Scarlet’s voice shook.
"Heartbeat accelerating again."Noa answered immediately.
"Fix him."Rosalia’s voice came next, quieter but far more dangerous.
The temperature around them dropped sharply. Even unconscious, I somehow felt bad for whoever she was threatening.
"Nobody touch the shards."Zavier’s voice cut through the panic calmly.
"D...ng."The system glitched again. "Priority update."
Static flooded the air. Then suddenly every system window across the dungeon turned red. Even Scarlet froze.
"What is happening?"She whispered.
A new message forced itself into existence above my unconscious body. Not transparent blue anymore. Black, cracked.
"Dungeon synchronization exceeding acceptable limits."The system said.
"I dislike that sentence."Rosalia immediately tightened her grip on me.
"Can he survive this?"Noa looked toward Zavier sharply.
Zavier stayed silent for two seconds too long. That was answer enough, then the system spoke again, this time every word echoed unnaturally through the boss floor.
"Transport host immediately."The system ordered. Static screamed across the cave walls.
"Recommended location: Adventurer Guild." Another glitch. "Healer intervention required."
"His body temperature is rising."Scarlet carefully touched my forehead and immediately paled.
Rosalia slowly stood while carrying me effortlessly in her arms. That somehow shocked everyone despite the current crisis.
"We are leaving."Her crimson eyes narrowed dangerously. "Now."
Then the dungeon trembled far below the ruined boss floor something answered the shards. A deep metallic sound echoed upward through the darkness like chains moving, slowly, awakening.
"That’s impossible."Zavier’s expression changed instantly.
"Warning."The system flickered one final time. "Additional entity responding to incomplete card. Leave. Now."
