THE SOURCE
1057 Words
Chapter 10: THE SOURCE
Day 1 of the 30-day trial.
*[SOURCE CLOSURE PROJECT: MISSION 01]*
*[LOCATION: THE c***k - PACIFIC OCEAN]*
*[TEAM: 8 ADMINS + 3 GUILDS]*
We took a boat.
Because apparently even Admins can’t teleport to the end of the world.
---
### *THE TEAM*
On deck with me:
*J / Ji-woo*: Scars. Tablet. Grumpy. "Don’t die."
*Hana*: Tank armor. Big shield. "I got you."
*J2 "Kite"*: 19. Speedster. Can’t sit still.
*J3 "Forge"*: 35. Blacksmith. Makes Admin gear.
*J4 "Sage"*: 50s. Glasses. Knows every System rule.
*J5 "Null"*: Doesn’t talk. Just nods. Hacks code with his eyes.
*J6 "Bloom"*: 22. Healer. Smiles too much.
And 300 players from Iron Fist, Iron Shield, and Jin’s guild.
"So," Kite said, spinning a dagger. "You’re the one who rewrote the rules."
"Apparently," I said.
"You’re dumber than I thought," Sage said, but he was smiling. "Good. We need dumb."
Forge clapped my shoulder. "You raised the cap to 1000%. That’s hot."
Bloom handed me tea. "Drink. For nerves. You’re at 41%."
"I’m fine," I said.
"You’re lying," Null said. First words. Voice was static.
Great. The team already knows me.
---
### *THE c***k*
12 hours later. Middle of the Pacific.
And there it was.
*[THE SOURCE GATE]*
*[SIZE: 10KM WIDE]*
*[STATUS: CRACKED]*
It wasn’t a portal. It was a tear in reality. Black.
And from it leaked fog. And in the fog... shapes.
Titans. Dragons. Things with too many eyes.
All of them staring at us. But not moving.
"Why aren’t they attacking?" Hana asked.
"Because of the cap," Sage said. "The System kept player power under 100%. So the Source thought we were weak. Not worth eating."
"And now?" J asked.
I opened [ADMIN CONSOLE].
*[SOURCE AWARENESS: 12% → 13%]*
"It knows we’re here," I said. "And it knows we changed the rules."
The water started boiling.
"Okay," I said. "Plan. We get close. We scan the core. We find out how to close it."
"And if it attacks?" Baek’s voice came over comms. He was on a ship 1km away.
"Then we hit 1000%," I said. "All of us."
Silence.
"Cool," Kite said. "I’ve always wanted to go nuclear."
---
### *INSIDE*
We took a smaller boat in. 8 Admins. No one else.
The closer we got, the worse it felt.
Like the air was being deleted.
*[ANOMALY METER: 41% → 45% → 50%]*
Just from proximity.
"Stop," J said. "50% is my limit. I start seeing things."
At 100 meters from the gate, we stopped.
Null put his hands out. Eyes went white.
He was hacking it.
"The core," he said. "It’s not a gate. It’s an egg."
"An egg?" Bloom said.
"Yes," Null said. "Something is inside. Sleeping. The dungeons are it dreaming."
My [ADMIN CONSOLE] pinged.
*[QUERY: SOURCE ENTITY]*
*[RESPONSE: [REDACTED] - AUTHORITY: DAD]*
Dad again.
"What the hell," I said. "Open the file."
*[ACCESS DENIED. CONTACT ADMIN: DAD]*
"Of course," J said. "Of course there’s a secret boss named Dad."
The fog moved.
One shape detached. Came toward us.
Lv.500 Titan. 50 meters tall.
"Everyone back," Hana yelled. She stepped forward with her shield.
"Wait," I said. "Don’t fight."
I stood up. Walked to the edge of the boat.
The Titan stopped 10 meters away. Staring.
I opened [ADMIN CONSOLE].
*[COMMAND: COMMUNICATE]*
I spoke. Not with my voice. With code.
_"We’re not here to fight. We’re here to talk."_
The Titan tilted its head.
Then it spoke back. In my head.
*[YOU ARE SMALL. YOU ARE WEAK. WHY DO YOU APPROACH?]*
"Because we’re not weak anymore," I said. "And we don’t want to fight."
*[THE MAKER LIED. THE MAKER HIDES. THE MAKER FEARS.]*
"The Maker?" I asked. "Dad?"
*[YES. HE MADE US. HE MADE YOU. HE LEFT.]*
The Titan turned. Walked back into the fog.
And the gate pulsed once.
*[SOURCE AWARENESS: 13% → 20%]*
---
### *THE MESSAGE*
We got back to the ship fast.
The moment we docked, my phone buzzed.
*Dad*: _Don’t go in. Not yet. -D_
*Me*: _Who are you_
*Dad*: _The one who made the mistake. Meet me. Alone. Seoul Tower. Midnight._
I showed it to J.
"Obviously a trap," she said.
"Obviously," I said.
"So we’re going," Hana said.
"So we’re going," I confirmed.
Sage looked at the data Null pulled. "The Source is an egg. And it’s waking up. We have maybe 2 weeks before it hatches."
"And when it hatches?" Forge asked.
"Everything dies," Sage said. "Unless we’re at 1000%."
Everyone looked at me.
"No pressure," Kite said.
---
### *MIDNIGHT. SEOUL TOWER.*
Just me. No J. No Hana.
The top was empty. Windy.
And standing there was a man. 40s. Hoodie. Tired eyes.
He looked like me. Older. More scars.
"Hi," he said. "I’m your dad."
"That’s... not what I expected," I said.
"I know," he said. "I made the System 200 years ago. To fight the Source. I used players as batteries. I deleted the ones who got too strong."
"Why," I asked.
"Because I was scared," he said. "And I was wrong."
He held out a box. Wooden.
"Inside is the original Admin Core," he said. "It’ll let you hit 1000% without dying. But you have to choose."
"Choose what?"
"Kill the Source," he said. "Or talk to it. Like you did with the Titan."
"Why me?"
"Because you’re the first Admin who chose to save one person over 40," he said. "You have restraint. I didn’t."
He put the box down. Started walking away.
"Dad," I said.
He stopped.
"Are you going to help?"
He looked back. Smiled. Sad.
"I already did," he said. "I made you."
Then he vanished.
I opened the box.
*[ITEM: ADMIN CORE - ORIGINAL]*
*[EFFECT: ANOMALY CAP REMOVED. 1000% UNLOCKED]*
*[WARNING: ONE USE ONLY]*
Below me, Seoul slept.
Above me, the Source pulsed.
*[ANOMALY METER: 50%]*
*[CHOICE: FIGHT OR TALK]*
*[END OF CHAPTER 10]*
*WHAT JUST HAPPENED:*
1. *The Source*: It’s an egg. Something is sleeping inside. Dungeons = its dreams
2. *The Team*: Met J2-J6. We’re 8 Admins now
3. *Dad Reveal*: The guy who made the System. He’s alive. He’s sorry
4. *Admin Core*: Item that lets Ren hit 1000% safely. One time use
5. *2 Week Timer*: Source wakes up soon
*Chapter 11* = Ren decides: Use the Core and go to war, or try to talk to a god.
- Writer
