The mountain path wound like a frozen serpent, each step crunching underfoot. The mist was thinner here, but colder—sharp with the sting of ancient silence. Jun felt the terrain pressing in, every breath requiring more focus. His breath rhythm changed without instruction: slower, deeper, as if drawn to the mountain's sleeping core.
Cultivation Branch Path: Glacial Pulse Node Affinity: Passive Resonance Detected
The notifications no longer chimed like before. These new ones were more primal—less UI, more intuition. It was like the system begrudgingly acknowledged his Rootless progression, translating alien mechanics into faint whispers on the wind.
He took a seat beneath a jutting icicle-covered arch and began to meditate. As he did, strange patterns formed around him, glyphs traced in ice across stone.
New Breath Technique Discovered: Glacial Pulse - First Form: Still Heart
He froze.
Literally.
His breath slowed to the point of near stasis. His thoughts decoupled from his body, floating. A vast stillness enveloped his spirit. The world outside dimmed, and a voice echoed—not system generated, but human.
"You're early," it said.
Jun opened his inner eye.
New Character: Mei—Legacy Guardian
A woman sat cross-legged opposite him. Pale skin, silver robes rippling in a wind that wasn't there. Her eyes glowed with the faint blue light of the mountain's root network.
??? has initiated Soul Sync Protocol WARNING: This interface is deprecated and may cause instability.
"I'm Mei," she said softly. "First of the Legacy Guardians. We were meant to teach those who passed the Nine Shrines."
Jun furrowed his brow. "You mean the Breath Shrines?"
"Yes. Before the system was imposed, we were cultivators, not players. We used the Breath to shape the world, not bend to it. You've awakened part of that code."
She reached out and tapped his forehead.
Spiritual Imprint Gained: Glacial Vein Memory Fragment (Incomplete)
Real World | Power Struggles
Meanwhile, in Tokyo, things were unraveling.
Sora stormed into NexSoul's underground dev center, slamming a datapad onto the meeting table.
"You lied," she snapped at the Lead Systems Architect.
The man blinked. "About what?"
"This." She expanded Jun's real-time activity feed. "He accessed Glacial Breath Protocol. It's not just buried code—it's active infrastructure. Rootless isn't a glitch. It's a suppressed mode."
There was silence.
The lead leaned back. "You have no idea what you're waking up. That code was part of Project Origin. It's not a feature—it's a myth engine. We had to bury it to control progression curves."
Minase added, "Well, it's awake now."
Back in the Game | Game Functions Awakening
As Mei stood, her presence dimmed.
"You'll need to master three Breath Forms of Glacial Pulse before I can teach you the next seal," she said. "But beware—the Echoes are watching you now."
"Echoes?"
"Players who failed the Rootless path. They linger as corrupted memory… and some still remember who they were."
Jun's interface pinged.
New Game System Unlocked: Memory Duel Description: Rootless may challenge Echoes to reclaim forgotten Breath Techniques. Victory grants unique Imprints or Path Keys.
The air trembled. Jun turned.
A player, no—an Echo—descended the ridge. His armor bore system sigils, cracked and bleeding glitch particles.
Echo: Lian the Bound Flame Memory State: Fractured Power Level: Unknown
"You have what was once mine," Lian growled.
Memory Duel Initiated
The battle erupted without countdown or visual cue. Jun barely dodged a flaming sweep, the heat real despite the cold. He countered with his breath-infused steps, slipping between ice and wind.
As they fought, memories surged—Lian's former self training at the Breath Shrines, betrayed by the Admins who reprogrammed the world.
Jun exhaled, locking his stance.
Still Heart Activated Enemy Qi Disruption: +17%
Lian stumbled. Jun surged forward, striking with a burst of silent force.
The Echo cracked.
And then, dissolved.
Victory: Spiritual Fragment Acquired Breath Technique: Flame Spiral Breath (Incomplete)
He fell to one knee, exhausted.
Side Functions | Depth of Game Revealed
As the mist lifted, a new panel opened—one that hadn't existed before.
Rootless Codex [BETA]:
Breath Techniques: 3/99
Spiritual Imprints: 2/5 Active
Shrine Progress: 1/9
Echoes Defeated: 1
Legacy Affinity: Low (1%)
It wasn't XP. It wasn't level. It was progression of self.
And deeper still, the UI pulsed with a hidden tab:
Faction Discovery: Rootkeepers Hidden Channel Request Pending Approval...
Final Revelation
As night fell over the mountain, Jun found a small cave and sat to recover. The cold stone embraced him. He reviewed the Flame Spiral Fragment—just a spark, but enough to guess its form.
He realized then: this wasn't about balance, or skill cooldowns.
It was about inheritance. About forgotten paths and remembered truths. About becoming something the system feared:
A cultivator who played not to win, but to understand.
And understanding, as he was learning, was power.