Chapter 63 — The Final Section

The mountain remained silent after the second voice disappeared.

Kael stood beneath the eastern plateau, staring at the notification.

[Bloodline Progress: 14%.]

Only one percent.

Yet something about that increase felt different.

It hadn't come from killing a stronger opponent.

It hadn't come from forging a new weapon.

It hadn't come from restoring another section of the network.

It had come from understanding.

Kael looked toward the mountain.

Three sections of the Fourth Path were now active.

One remained.

And that final section was directly connected to the Ancient Sealed Entity.

The Verdant Gale Warden hovered behind him.

“The final path is different.”

Kael nodded.

“I know.”

“It isn't merely damaged.”

Kael turned.

“Then what is it?”

The Warden's expression became serious.

“It is deliberately incomplete.”

Kael frowned.

“Deliberately?”

“Yes.”

“By whom?”

“I don't know.”

Kael looked toward the mountain.

That answer had become far too common.

But this time, there was a difference.

He could now feel the final path.

It wasn't broken in the same way as the others.

It was closed.

As though someone had intentionally disconnected it from the network.

Kael activated Network Sense.

Three crimson pathways connected to the mountain.

The fourth stopped at a dark barrier.

Behind it—

the ancient sealed entity.

Kael's eyes narrowed.

“So the final path isn't missing.”

“No.”

“It's being withheld.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

The Warden looked toward the mountain.

“To prevent the Administrator from becoming connected to the entity.”

Kael went silent.

That was the first explanation that actually made sense.

The original creators had deliberately separated the deepest section.

The Fourth Path was incomplete because completing it without preparation could give the Administrator direct access to the sealed entity.

Or worse—

give the sealed entity access to the Administrator.

Kael slowly clenched his fist.

“So restoring it isn't automatically good.”

“No.”

“It might actually be dangerous.”

“Yes.”

Kael smiled faintly.

“Good.”

The Warden looked at him.

“Good?”

“That means there's a real problem to solve.”

Kael returned with the Warden.

The Verdant Horned Basilisk remained in the outer territory.

It had agreed to hold the central node while Kael investigated the deeper path.

The mountain opened for him.

The ancient tunnels recognized the Administrator authority.

Kael descended.

Past the chamber where the Fourth Guardian had been imprisoned.

Past the transfer chamber.

Past the lower seal.

Until he reached the deepest structure he had ever seen.

A circular hall.

No chains.

No guardians.

No weapons.

Only one enormous metallic structure embedded into the floor.

At its center—

a crimson line stopped before a black barrier.

Kael approached.

The System appeared.

[Section IV of Fourth Path detected.]

[Current State: Deliberately Isolated.]

[Isolation Purpose: Unknown.]

[Direct activation: Prohibited.]

Kael frowned.

“Even the System says prohibited.”

The Warden examined the chamber.

“This is where the original Administrator made his final decision.”

Kael looked at it.

“What decision?”

The Warden shook its head.

“I don't know.”

Kael crouched beside the barrier.

The metal wasn't normal.

His Metal Sense could barely penetrate it.

He tried Darven Authority.

The barrier reacted.

But instead of opening—

it displayed three symbols.

A blade.

A hand.

An eye.

Kael stared.

“Three conditions.”

The Warden nodded.

“Probably.”

Kael thought about them.

Blade.

Weapon.

Hand.

Authority.

Eye.

Perception.

Perhaps the original Administrator had needed all three.

Kael looked at his katana.

Then his own hand.

Then the darkness beyond the barrier.

The eye.

Understanding.

Kael frowned.

“This isn't asking for power.”

“No.”

“It is asking whether I understand what I'm touching.”

The Warden nodded.

“Exactly.”

Kael placed the Darven katana onto the first symbol.

Nothing happened.

He pushed mana through it.

Still nothing.

The Warden watched.

Kael thought.

The blade symbol probably didn't represent the weapon itself.

The ancient records had called the Darven katana the blade of the first administrator.

But the deeper structure had said something else.

A weapon could carry a bloodline signature.

Kael looked at the family crest.

His bloodline flowed into the sword.

The crest glowed.

The first symbol activated.

[Legacy Armament recognized.]

Kael's eyes narrowed.

The chamber displayed a memory.

A human stood in front of the same structure.

The first administrator.

He placed a sword into the same position.

But instead of activating the path—

he withdrew it.

A voice echoed:

“The blade is for correction.”

The memory disappeared.

Kael understood.

The blade did not open the path.

It gave him the ability to correct the path.

He removed his sword.

The first symbol remained active.

The second symbol waited.

Kael placed his palm against the second symbol.

The chamber immediately reacted.

[Administrator signature detected.]

Crimson energy flowed into the structure.

The second symbol activated.

But then—

the System flashed.

[Warning.]

[Administrator authority exceeds safe synchronization.]

Kael immediately pulled his hand away.

“What?”

The Warden moved closer.

“Your authority is too strong?”

“No.”

Kael stared at the display.

“It says my authority is exceeding safe synchronization.”

The Warden's expression changed.

“That means the network is trying to give you more authority than you requested.”

Kael's eyes narrowed.

Why?

He tested again.

The same thing happened.

His bloodline entered the structure.

The network responded.

But instead of simply connecting—

it began flowing backward into him.

Kael immediately severed the connection.

The pressure disappeared.

His breathing became heavy.

The Warden looked concerned.

“The Core.”

Kael turned.

“What?”

“The deepest Core is reacting to you.”

Kael's eyes narrowed.

“So the final path doesn't simply connect to the network.”

“No.”

“It connects to the Core.”

“Yes.”

That explained why the path had been isolated.

The Core wasn't simply an energy source.

It was the authority source.

And it was trying to recognize Kael.

The ancient structure was attempting to determine whether Kael should have access to it.

Kael stepped back.

“Then I don't activate the Core.”

The Warden nodded.

“Not yet.”

Kael looked at the final symbol.

An eye.

Perception.

Understanding.

He activated Network Sense.

The chamber transformed.

The black barrier disappeared from his perception.

Instead, Kael saw thousands of lines.

Most were crimson.

Some green.

Some black.

But one thing stood out.

A thin golden line.

It connected the deepest Core—

to the Ancient Sealed Entity.

Kael's expression hardened.

There.

The truth.

The Core wasn't merely connected to the network.

It was connected to the entity.

The ancient seal had three layers.

The territorial network.

The Core.

The entity.

The final Fourth Path would connect the Administrator to all three.

Kael immediately understood why the original Administrator had stopped.

A single mistake could create a direct connection between himself and the entity.

Kael opened his eyes.

“I understand.”

The third symbol activated.

[Administrator comprehension recognized.]

[Three conditions fulfilled.]

Kael expected the final barrier to disappear.

It didn't.

Instead—

another notification appeared.

[Section IV remains inaccessible.]

[Reason: Insufficient separation between Administrator and Ancient Sealed Entity.]

Kael frowned.

“So I understand it, but I still can't activate it.”

The Warden nodded.

“You need a buffer.”

Kael immediately remembered the three Territory Lord Cores.

He opened his Space Ring.

The remains of the Blackthorn Core.

Ironhide Core.

Ashen Core.

Only fragments remained.

But the Warden's eyes sharpened.

“Yes.”

Kael looked at the remnants.

“These can separate the connection?”

“Temporarily.”

“How long?”

“Long enough.”

Kael smiled.

“Then we have our answer.”

Kael removed the three cores.

He placed them around the deepest structure.

One at the north.

One south.

One east.

A triangular formation.

The same three Lords that had once controlled independent territories would now serve a different purpose.

Not power.

Separation.

Kael connected them with mithril.

Then reinforced the paths with adamantite.

Finally—

he added the unknown dark-silver metal he had used for AR-04.

The structure began glowing.

[Temporary Core Buffer detected.]

[Purpose: Prevent direct Administrator–Entity synchronization.]

[Stability: 11%.]

Kael frowned.

“Eleven?”

The Warden answered.

“The materials alone aren't enough.”

Kael looked at the structure.

“What is missing?”

The Warden stared at him.

“Your bloodline.”

Kael placed his palm against the center.

Crimson energy spread outward.

The buffer stabilised.

[Stability: 28%.]

Kael pushed harder.

41%.

The chamber shook.

53%.

The black barrier trembled.

67%.

Then—

the Ancient Sealed Entity noticed.

The entire mountain shook.

THOOM.

Kael froze.

The Warden raised its weapon.

A voice emerged from beyond the black barrier.

“Administrator.”

Kael didn't move.

The voice was calm.

Almost amused.

“You are approaching the Core.”

Kael stared at the barrier.

“Yes.”

Silence.

Then:

“Why?”

Kael answered honestly.

“To understand it.”

The entity laughed.

“That is what the first one said.”

Kael's eyes narrowed.

“The first Administrator.”

“Yes.”

“What did he do?”

Silence.

Then—

“He touched the Core.”

Kael waited.

“And learned why it should never be touched.”

The voice disappeared.

Kael's expression hardened.

The Warden whispered:

“Do not let it manipulate your curiosity.”

Kael nodded.

“I won't.”

The buffer reached 74%.

Then—

the structure activated.

A circular platform rose from the floor.

At its center was a small crystal.

Not large.

Not impressive.

But Kael immediately sensed it.

Power.

More than the three Territory Lords.

More than the guardians.

More than anything he had encountered outside the Legendary Beast realm.

The System could not analyze it.

Instead:

[Ancient Core detected.]

[Grade: ???]

[Authority: ???]

[Origin: Unknown]

[Direct interaction prohibited.]

Kael stared.

The Core pulsed.

Once.

Twice.

The crimson energy in his hand responded.

The bloodline wanted to connect.

Kael resisted.

The Core pulsed again.

His entire arm went numb.

The System flashed.

[Bloodline resonance: 14%.]

The number changed.

14.1%.

Kael's eyes widened.

Then—

14.3%.

The Core was increasing his Bloodline Progress simply by being near him.

But Kael immediately noticed the danger.

The more the bloodline rose—

the stronger the Core's pull became.

He stepped back.

The resonance stopped.

The Warden nodded.

“Good.”

Kael looked at him.

“What?”

“You resisted.”

“Was that the test?”

“No.”

The Warden looked toward the Core.

“That was the temptation.”

A black crack suddenly appeared in the wall.

Kael spun.

The same foreign network signature appeared.

But this time—

it wasn't alone.

Three signatures.

Then five.

Then ten.

Kael's expression hardened.

“They followed us.”

The Warden spread its wings.

“Severance Order?”

Kael activated Network Sense.

He shook his head.

“No.”

The signatures were different.

No standard formation.

No coordinated human network.

Something else had entered the deepest chamber.

The black crack widened.

Dark figures emerged.

Their bodies were thin.

Their armor incomplete.

Their movements unnatural.

The System activated.

[Unknown Network-Born Entity detected.]

[Level: ???]

[Grade: Commander+]

[Origin: Foreign Network.]

[Quantity: 11.]

Kael's eyes narrowed.

“They're not humans.”

The Warden raised its weapon.

“No.”

The first creature moved.

Kael fired.

BANG!

The round struck it.

Instead of falling—

its body split apart.

Two smaller creatures emerged.

Kael's expression changed.

“Great.”

The Warden glanced at him.

“Do you have a plan?”

Kael raised AR-04.

A crimson light ran through the weapon.

“Not yet.”

The creatures charged.

Kael smiled.

“But I have eleven problems.”

He activated Darven Armament.

PR-02.

AR-03V.

AR-04.

The three weapons rose.

The deepest chamber became a battlefield.

And behind Kael—

the Ancient Core continued pulsing.

THOOM.

Once.

THOOM.

Twice.

Something beneath the seal was listening.

And Kael realized the next stage of the Fourth Path would not be unlocked by reaching twenty percent.

It would be unlocked by surviving the thing the network itself had created.