Chapter 11: Shadows in the Dark, and the Light

1. Remnants of Battle and the Hunger of Survival

The night air of Lanzhou was contaminated with the metallic scent of blood and the acrid remains of burnt Void. The banquet hall, which had been filled with brilliant lanterns and laughter just moments ago, was no longer a place of celebration.

It was a grave, dug by those who followed false beliefs and hollow gods. The stench of burning corpses stung the nostrils, but I felt nothing. To me, death was merely the permanent deletion of data.

I read a faint tremor in Wei So-yeon’s hand as she gripped my sleeve. Was it terror? Or was it awe? I had no warm words of comfort to offer her. Across my retinas, only cold holographic data flowed in an endless stream.

[Minerva: Total bio-signal termination of Wei Tae-kang and Imperial warriors confirmed.] [The lower Void frequencies lurking in Lanzhou have detected your power and are fleeing north at near-light speed.] [The rats are moving fast, Administrator.]

“They left a trail,” I muttered.

My voice was colder than the night wind.

“Young Hero... are you truly alright?” So-yeon asked, her voice trembling. “What they said... about being a 'specimen' or a 'vessel'... do you know what that really means?”

I turned my head slowly. My eyes, which had been burning with a silver-white radiance, had returned to an indifferent black.

“To them, I may have been an anomaly. But to me, they were merely impurities that needed to be purged. Lady So-yeon, if you have time to tremble, use it to reorganize the company. The traitor is gone, but wolves will soon smell the vacancy and swarm.”

I walked out to the center of the courtyard. There lay Jin Tae-kyung, his body collapsing at a cellular level after taking a direct hit from Archeon’s high-density energy. He looked like a heap of discarded rags.

“Kill... kill me... He... will find you... The true wrath of the Demon God...”

“He?”

I stopped in front of the dying man.

“Don’t worry. I’ll find him myself. I want to see with my own eyes how crude and pathetic the 'God' you worship truly is.”

Before I could even finish, Tae-kyung’s body scattered into dust. As the Void contamination vanished, the air grew eerily still.

“I will first recover the legacy sleeping within Lanzhou.”

[Minerva: Agreed. However, while the Core is fully charged, your carbon-based body’s nutritional status is at absolute zero. Simply put, you are currently a 'starving monster.'] [I strongly recommend immediate organic intake. Starvation is the least dignified ending for a Successor.]

A micro-flicker of hunger crossed my cold expression. The Archeon Core exhales infinite energy, but this frail human flesh attempts to cease function without periodic nutrients. This disparity was always unpleasant.

I turned back to the stunned Wei Myung-hwan and his daughter.

“Chief Wei.”

“Y-Yes! Advisor! Just say the word!”

“Let us eat.”

Wei Myung-hwan stared at me blankly. The hero who had just displayed heaven-shattering power had only one thing to say: 'Food.'

But soon, he laughed brightly and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Prepare everything! The Advisor is hungry! Bring the finest meat in the company!”

2. The Artisan’s Intake and the Subterranean Scan

The banquet hall, once a storm-ravaged shambles, was now filled with the savory scent of greasy meat and steaming piles of food. The head of the company had mobilized every cook to restart the feast.

I picked up a large piece of boiled pork from a massive tray and brought it to my mouth.

[Minerva: Carbohydrate and protein intake efficiency: 94%. Forcing accelerated digestion of the organs.] [Administrator, physical hunger is an inefficient pain, but the dopamine released upon satisfying it contributes to psychological stability.] [Ah, that specific cut of meat has a high fat content. Excellent fuel. Does it taste good?]

‘Be quiet.’

I continued the meal in silence. My body deconstructed every nutrient at a terrifying speed, slamming them into every single cell.

With every plate emptied, the pallor of my face vanished, replaced by a faint vitality. Between my muscles, a precise tension returned.

Wei Myung-hwan watched the scene carefully before speaking.

“Advisor, about what those Imperial scum said... Beijing is dangerous. The authority of the Emperor is absolute, and there are rumors of an incomprehensible power lurking behind the throne. Do you truly intend to go?”

I put down my chopsticks and looked out the window.

“There is something I must find here. Until I have it, Beijing and the Demon God mean nothing.”

“In Lanzhou? Our company has been rooted here for decades, but I’ve never heard of any special treasures or secret scriptures. Are you looking for an ancient tomb?”

My gaze drifted toward the rear of the courtyard, toward an old, dried-up well hidden among overgrown weeds.

“It is not far. The mystery that has slept for millennia is right beneath your feet.”

Wei So-yeon’s eyes widened.

“Here? But all I see is a withered old well.”

[Minerva: Geological scanning complete. Detecting artificial alloy structures and micro-frequencies at a depth of 45 meters.] [88.4% probability of it being an Archeon ‘Sub-Calculation Module.’ Currently in hibernation mode.] [Congratulations, Administrator. You’ve found my friend... or rather, my upgrade kit.]

‘A Sub-Module. Is the one in my head not enough?’

[Minerva: How rude. It won't just expand my functions; it is the decisive tool that will allow you to refactor this primitive world’s technology into Archeon logic.] [To use a metaphor, you’ve been watching a grainy black-and-white TV, and you’re finally ready to plug in a 4K monitor.]

‘I have no idea what you mean...’

My eyes narrowed. While I could crush Void mutants with my bare hands, I desperately needed the Archeon Essence to face the 'true ones' waiting in Beijing.

3. The Silver Labyrinth Beneath the Well

Deep night fell after the meal. Wei Myung-hwan and the warriors had retired to their quarters, but So-yeon remained, watching my back from a distance.

I stood before the mossy, old well. To the eye, it was a common water source. But my vision had already pierced the surface, seeing the metallic abyss below.

[Minerva: Depth 45 meters. Special frequency detected. An Archeon bio-metric lock is active beneath the water line.] [Your genetic code is required. Jump in. The water is cold enough to wake you up, I promise.]

I threw myself into the well without hesitation.

“Young Hero!”

I heard So-yeon’s short scream behind me, but I didn't care. As I submerged into the icy water, a silver-white sphere formed around my body.

It was a sub-aquatic protection field generated by the Archeon Core.

Reaching the bottom, just as Minerva predicted, a blue radiance began to pulse between the ancient stones of the wall. I placed my palm against the light.

[Matching data... Genetic sequence confirmed. Archeon Successor verified.] [Activating bulkhead release protocol.]

Rumble—!

The rocks at the bottom rearranged into a geometric pattern, revealing a massive passage. The water was held back by an invisible force, and I stepped into a silver labyrinth of silent metal.

“Is this the place?”

The walls were made of a smooth, silver alloy. Despite the passage of thousands of years, not a single speck of dust settled here. This space was fundamentally different from any tomb or cave in the Murim. It was cold, precise, and absolute.

[Minerva: The signal from the Sub-Module 'Aegis' is growing.] [But beware, Administrator. The security protocols protecting the legacy are still active.] [Just because the master has arrived doesn't mean the guard dogs will wag their tails.]

At the end of the hall, mechanical constructs with glowing red eyes began to crawl out, one by one. They weren't living things. They were 'Mechanic Guardians' forged from Archeon technology.

Silver-white sparks flickered within my indifferent eyes.

“Is this a trial, or a rejection?”

[Minerva: It is a verification of your qualification as a Successor.] [Archeon’s power is only permitted to the strong who can master it.] [How perfect. The materials to forge your weapons are walking straight toward you. Break them, and use their parts for your gear.]

[Destruction, after all, is the mother of creation.]

I clenched my fist. The Archeon Core roared, pouring energy into my veins.

An overwhelming destructive power— something the martial arts of man could never hope to mimic— was ready to explode within the silent, metallic labyrinth.

‘Fine. I’ll break them all as I go.’

I took a steady step toward the first Guardian.

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Hello readers!

After the chaos in Lanzhou,
Mu Jin finally finds the hidden legacy beneath the city.

But Archeon technology was never meant to be easily inherited.

Some doors only open after a trial.

chaos comes something simple.

Sometimes all a warrior really needs… is food.