Chapter 60 — The Darven Who Came Before

The eastern chamber had become completely silent.

Kael stood before the dormant Fourth Path node.

The crimson energy that had been flowing through his palm had disappeared.

The restoration sequence had stopped.

[Fourth Path restoration paused.]

[Progress: 2/4.]

[Reason: Administrator uncertainty detected.]

Kael stared at the message.

Then at the black mark embedded within the eastern node.

The voice still echoed in his mind.

You really did inherit everything.

Darian.

He knew it was him.

There was no doubt.

The older Darven had appeared before.

He had known about the Fourth Path.

He had known Kael's father.

He had understood the ancient network.

And now—

he had somehow entered the eastern section without triggering the guardian's defenses.

Kael slowly clenched his fist.

The Verdant Gale Warden watched him.

“You're angry.”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Kael looked at it.

The Warden's silver eyes remained calm.

“Anger is useful when it becomes information.”

Kael frowned.

“What does that mean?”

“You already know the answer.”

The Warden turned toward the black mark.

“Your enemy knows your inheritance.”

Kael nodded.

“He knows how I think.”

“More importantly…”

The Warden looked back at him.

“He knows what you don't know.”

That sentence struck harder than it should have.

Kael looked down.

Darian didn't merely know the network.

He knew Kael's weaknesses.

His lack of knowledge.

His assumptions.

The gaps in his father's inheritance.

And potentially—

the secrets surrounding the Darven family.

Kael had been fighting monsters that adapted to his weapons.

Now he had to deal with something worse.

An enemy who could adapt to his decisions.

Kael walked toward the eastern node again.

The Warden stopped him.

“Don't.”

Kael looked at it.

“Why?”

“You are about to make the same mistake.”

Kael frowned.

“What mistake?”

“You are trying to restore the node immediately.”

Kael stared at the black mark.

“That's what I came here to do.”

“Yes.”

“But?”

“You have not determined whether the mark is merely a message.”

Kael's eyes narrowed.

“You think it's a trap.”

“I know it is.”

Kael activated Network Sense.

The black mark appeared much clearer now.

It wasn't simply a symbol.

It was a tiny structure.

A miniature network.

Three black channels.

One crimson channel.

And at the center—

a faint Darven signature.

Kael froze.

“That isn't just an imitation.”

The Warden nodded.

“Correct.”

“It contains part of my bloodline signature.”

“Yes.”

Kael's expression hardened.

Darian had not merely copied his authority.

He had somehow acquired a sample of it.

Kael immediately pulled his hand away.

“Can he access the network through this?”

“Not completely.”

“Then what can he do?”

The Warden studied the mark.

“Observe.”

Kael's eyes narrowed.

“Only observe?”

“Perhaps.”

A pause.

“Or wait for you to connect.”

Kael looked at the node.

So Darian had embedded something that could remain dormant until Kael activated the restoration.

It would then use his own Administrator authority as a bridge.

Kael exhaled.

“Smart.”

The Warden gave him a strange look.

“You sound impressed.”

“I am.”

Kael smiled faintly.

“It's a better trap than most enemies have used against me.”

Kael crouched.

He didn't touch the black structure.

Instead, he began studying it.

Metal Sense.

Mana perception.

Network Sense.

Darven Authority.

He switched between them.

Each revealed something different.

Metal Sense showed the structure's physical shape.

Mana Sense showed its energy flow.

Network Sense showed its connection.

Darven Authority showed its imitation.

Kael combined the information.

The answer appeared.

The structure had three layers.

Outer shell.

Signal channel.

Core.

Destroying the outer shell would trigger the signal.

Destroying the core would cause a backlash through the node.

But—

the signal channel could be isolated.

Kael smiled.

“I can remove it.”

The Warden nodded.

“But don't break it.”

“I know.”

Kael placed six metal markers around the node.

They weren't weapons.

They were anchors.

He connected them with thin metal threads.

Then activated Metal Control.

The surrounding network slowed.

The black mark became isolated.

[Foreign structure containment initiated.]

Kael's eyes sharpened.

Slowly—

the black structure detached.

One millimeter.

Then another.

The mark resisted.

Kael added more mana.

The outer shell separated.

The signal channel remained.

Kael carefully lifted it away.

For several seconds—

nothing happened.

Then the black core pulsed.

A voice came from inside it.

“You learned.”

Kael froze.

Darian.

He didn't destroy the core.

He held it.

“Where are you?”

Silence.

Then:

“Closer than you think.”

Kael's expression hardened.

“Then come out.”

A quiet laugh.

“Not yet.”

The core flickered.

“You still have work to do.”

Kael tightened his grip.

“What do you want?”

The voice became quieter.

“To see whether you're worthy of what our family lost.”

The connection disappeared.

Kael stared at the dead core.

The Warden spoke.

“He wanted you to hear that.”

Kael nodded.

“I know.”

“What does it mean?”

Kael looked toward the eastern network.

“I don't know.”

He paused.

“But now I know something important.”

“What?”

“Darian doesn't want the network destroyed.”

The Warden's eyes narrowed.

“Then what does he want?”

Kael looked down at the black core.

“He wants something inside it.”

Kael stored the black core in his Space Ring.

Then he opened the inheritance archive.

His father's books.

Ancient Darven records.

Bloodline notes.

Weapon diagrams.

Family history.

He had read much of the material.

But not all of it.

There were thousands of pages.

And now he had a specific question.

Darian Darven.

Kael searched the family records.

Nothing.

Again.

Nothing.

He changed the search.

Unknown branch.

Still nothing.

Ancient administrator.

Nothing.

Then—

one result.

A damaged document.

Its title was almost impossible to read.

DARVEN—[UNRECOVERED] BRANCH

Kael's eyes sharpened.

He opened it.

Only fragments remained.

“The primary line…”

Missing.

“…the secondary branch was tasked with…”

Missing.

“…forbidden from approaching the Fifth…”

Missing.

Most of the document was destroyed.

But one line remained intact.

Kael read it twice.

“Should another Darven awaken before the primary heir, the two must never be allowed to reach the Core simultaneously.”

Kael's expression changed.

“Core?”

The Guardian leaned closer.

“What?”

Kael showed it the document.

The Guardian read the remaining words.

Its expression hardened.

“The ancient Core.”

Kael looked at it.

“You know what this means?”

“I know what it could mean.”

“What?”

“The network has a central authority.”

Kael frowned.

“Beyond the Fourth Path?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

The Guardian looked toward the mountain.

“Below the sealed chamber.”

Kael's eyes narrowed.

The same place connected to the ancient entity.

Again.

Everything returned to that place.

Kael continued searching.

Eventually he found another damaged record.

Not about Darian.

About the first administrator.

The writing was old.

Some sections were unreadable.

But one sentence remained.

“The Administrator must never seek the Core.”

Kael stopped.

That didn't make sense.

Why would the person responsible for maintaining the network be forbidden from accessing its central Core?

He read the next surviving sentence.

“The Core does not obey authority.”

Another line.

“It creates authority.”

Kael's eyes widened.

The Guardian immediately understood.

“The Core isn't a weapon.”

Kael shook his head.

“No.”

He looked toward the mountain.

“It's the source of the rules.”

The Warden's expression became serious.

“If Darian is searching for it…”

Kael finished the thought.

“…then he may not want to control the network.”

He may want to change the rules governing it.

That was far more dangerous.

The Eastern Guardian suddenly raised its head.

Kael turned.

“What?”

The Warden's wings spread.

“Something has entered the territory.”

Kael activated Network Sense.

A red signature appeared.

Then another.

Then four.

Kael's expression hardened.

[Foreign signatures detected.]

[Number: 7.]

[Levels: 34–40.]

[Origin: Unknown.]

The Warden looked toward the eastern forest.

“They came while you were examining the archive.”

Kael picked up PR-02.

“Darian's people?”

The Warden shook its head.

“No.”

“You're sure?”

“Yes.”

“Then who?”

The Warden's silver eyes narrowed.

“I don't know.”

That answer concerned Kael.

The enemies appeared on the network map.

But they weren't moving toward the node.

They were moving toward something else.

Kael followed their route.

His expression changed.

“They're going east.”

The Warden looked at him.

“Toward what?”

Kael zoomed in.

Beyond the eastern guardian territory—

there was another structure.

One Kael had never detected.

It was hidden outside the normal network.

Ancient.

Massive.

And—

unconnected.

Kael stared.

“That's strange.”

“What?”

“The network doesn't reach it.”

The Warden looked at the map.

“Then why are they going there?”

Kael didn't answer.

He had already started moving.

The seven intruders were fast.

Kael and the Warden followed from above the trees.

The intruders eventually reached a wide clearing.

At first, nothing appeared.

Then one of them placed a black metallic disc on the ground.

The earth moved.

A huge stone structure rose from beneath it.

Kael stopped.

Ancient pillars.

A sealed entrance.

Four enormous statues.

And above the entrance—

the Darven crest.

Kael's eyes widened.

“That wasn't in the inheritance records.”

The Warden stared.

“It wasn't part of the network.”

Kael stepped closer.

A System notification appeared.

[Ancient Darven Structure detected.]

[Classification: Unknown.]

[Network connection: None.]

[Bloodline compatibility: 99%.]

Kael froze.

Ninety-nine percent.

Higher than almost everything else.

The seven intruders turned.

Their leader smiled.

“We knew you'd follow.”

Kael raised PR-02.

“What is this place?”

The leader didn't answer.

Instead, he looked toward the structure.

Then—

he stepped aside.

The sealed entrance began opening.

A deep crimson light appeared inside.

Kael's Darven katana vibrated.

The family crest glowed.

The System flashed rapidly.

[Ancient Darven signature detected.]

[Original lineage authority detected.]

[Bloodline memory resonance detected.]

Then—

one final notification appeared.

[WARNING]

[This structure predates the Darven family.]

Kael's eyes widened.

Predates the family.

Then what built it?

The entrance opened completely.

Inside stood a single enormous throne.

Empty.

Above it was a symbol Kael had never seen before.

A circle.

Four paths.

And in the center—

a human eye.

The seven intruders stepped aside.

A voice came from the darkness.

Not Darian.

Not the ancient entity.

Something older.

“So.”

The crimson eye above the throne opened.

“The new Administrator has finally arrived.”

Kael tightened his grip around the katana.

The Eastern Guardian moved beside him.

And deep beneath the mountain—

the ancient sealed entity suddenly became silent.

For the first time since Kael had awakened—

it did not speak.

It was listening.