Chapter 12: The Guardian's Embrace and a Desperate Gambit
The spectral guardian, the Gate Echo, pulsed with a malevolent blue light, its form solidifying with each passing second. Its elongated arm, a shimmering extension of pure malice, remained pointed at Minwoo. The air in the cavern grew heavy, suffocating, as if the mountain itself held its breath.
"Min… what is that thing? We can't fight that…" Yuna's whisper was raw with terror, her body trembling beside him. Her injured leg throbbed in protest, a minor discomfort compared to the icy grip of fear around her heart.
Minwoo's mind raced, a torrent of information from his past life flashing through his thoughts. Gate Echoes were rare, unpredictable manifestations of severe gate instability. They weren't creatures in the traditional sense; they were concentrations of chaotic energy, reflections of the very 'fracture' they guarded. Their spectral nature made them immune or highly resistant to conventional physical attacks.
[Enemy Name: Gate Echo (Spectral Guardian)]
[Level: 10]
[HP: ??? (Immune to Physical Attacks)]
[Description: A manifestation of chaotic gate energy. Highly resistant to physical damage. Vulnerable to spiritual or energy-based attacks.]
His hunter's steel dagger, despite its quality, was less than useless against it. His Shadow Bolt skill, the very ability designed to counter such entities, remained locked, a cruel taunt from the system. He was a Level 1 hunter with the memories of a Level 95 Shadowmage, but his current reality was painfully, fatally different. He had no skills, no raw stats to match this monstrosity. The only thing he had was his knowledge, his strategic mind, and a single, desperate idea forming in the chaos.
"Stay behind me," Minwoo commanded, his voice surprisingly steady despite the tremor in his hands. He pushed Yuna further back, shielding her with his body. His eyes never left the Gate Echo, searching for any weakness, any pattern in its malevolent pulsing.
The spectral guardian let out a low, vibrating hum that resonated deep in their bones, a sound of pure, ancient power. It began to drift forward, its burning blue eyes fixed on Minwoo, a silent predator closing in on its prey.
Think, Minwoo, think! His past self, the seasoned Shadowmage, would have effortlessly banished this echo with a single spell. But that was then. This was now. He was stripped bare, his power gone, relying solely on cunning.
The Shadowheart Ore pulsed behind the guardian, a dark, enticing beacon of power. It was his only hope. It held the key to completing the Moonlight Sword, the weapon he desperately needed. He had to get to it.
He took a slow, deliberate breath, the cold, metallic air filling his lungs. "Yuna, when I tell you, run for the entrance of this cavern. Don't look back. Don't stop."
Yuna's eyes widened in alarm. "What? No! Minwoo, what are you going to do?"
"Trust me," he gritted out, his gaze locked on the approaching spectral guardian. He couldn't afford to explain. He didn't even know if his crazy plan would work. He just knew it was their only shot.
The Gate Echo was now only a few meters away, its chilling presence making the air crackle. Minwoo could feel the drain of his own life force, a subtle weakness seeping into him from the guardian's mere proximity. He couldn't withstand its aura for long, let alone a direct attack.
[Effect: Aura of Dread – Minwoo's current HP is being drained by 1 per second due to proximity to Gate Echo.]
Now!
Without warning, Minwoo lunged, not at the Gate Echo, but past it. He feigned a direct attack, drawing the guardian's spectral gaze entirely to himself. As the Gate Echo focused its attention, a surge of chaotic energy emanating from it, Minwoo twisted his body, throwing himself to the side, a desperate, clumsy dodge. He wasn't aiming to hit it, only to distract.
The Gate Echo emitted a piercing, silent shriek, a wave of cold energy washing over Minwoo as he narrowly avoided a shimmering, spectral claw that materialized where he had been standing a split second before. It wasn't a physical blow, but a soul-chilling touch that sent a jolt of pain through his very being, draining a noticeable chunk of his meager health.
[Minwoo's HP: 9/10]
"NOW, YUNA!" he roared, ignoring the burning sensation in his chest.
Yuna, paralyzed for a moment by the sheer audacity of his move, snapped out of her trance. Her eyes darted from the attacking guardian to Minwoo, then to the tunnel entrance. She took a deep, shaky breath and, despite her injured leg, turned and began to hobble as fast as she could towards the dark maw of the tunnel they had come from.
Minwoo didn't watch her go. His full attention was on the Gate Echo, which had now turned its ethereal form fully towards him, its burning blue eyes narrowing with malevolent intent. It floated closer, radiating an almost palpable anger.
His plan was simple, desperate, and relied entirely on a hidden aspect of the Gate Echoes known only to high-level hunters and researchers of the Tower. They were tied to the Fracture, to the Shadowheart Ore itself. They were guardians, yes, but also manifestations of the ore's volatile energy. And that energy, if provoked just right, could be turned back on itself.
He had no way to attack it directly, but he could manipulate its focus, its connection to the source.
Minwoo scrambled backward, keeping the Gate Echo between himself and the Shadowheart Ore. He needed to get close to the ore without directly engaging the guardian. He needed to make the guardian's power backfire.
The Gate Echo extended both of its shimmering arms, and the air around it solidified into twin spectral blades, crackling with dark energy. It was preparing a direct, devastating attack.
Minwoo knew this was his moment. He had to risk everything.
As the Gate Echo lunged, its spectral blades whistling through the air, Minwoo didn't dodge. Instead, with a raw, primal scream, he threw himself towards the Shadowheart Ore, using the momentum of the guardian's attack to propel him. He wasn't attacking the guardian; he was using it.
The Gate Echo shrieked, a sound that seemed to tear at the very fabric of the cavern, as Minwoo slid under its spectral attack, his hand outstretched towards the pulsating, dark-red crystal. The guardian's blades cleaved through the air where Minwoo had been, narrowly missing him, and instead slammed into the ground just behind the Shadowheart Ore.
There was a deafening CRACK.
The cavern lit up with a blinding flash of dark-blue energy. The Shadowheart Ore vibrated violently, its dark luminescence flaring. The Gate Echo, caught in the backwash of its own attack striking the source of its being, recoiled, its spectral form flickering wildly, losing coherence. It let out another silent, agonizing shriek as its connection to the fracture was momentarily overloaded, destabilized by the raw energy feedback.
In that fleeting moment of vulnerability, Minwoo reached out, his fingers closing around the cold, unnervingly smooth surface of the Shadowheart Ore.
The instant his skin touched the crystal, a searing pain shot through him, as if he had grasped a chunk of frozen fire. The air around him shimmered with dark-blue energy, flowing from the ore into his hand, up his arm, and into his very core.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE!]
SHADOWHEART ORE ACQUIRED!
URGENT MISSION: SHADOWHEART ORE ACQUIRED - OBJECTIVE: RETRIEVE 'SHADOWHEART ORE' (EAST MOUNTAIN) - COMPLETE!
The Gate Echo shrieked one last, fading time, its form dissolving into wisps of dark smoke that were quickly absorbed back into the pulsing, obsidian-like growths. It was gone, banished not by strength, but by a precise, desperate manipulation of its own chaotic essence.
Minwoo gasped, clutching the Shadowheart Ore tightly. The pain was excruciating, but beneath it, a strange, exhilarating power surged through him. He could feel something within him shift, awaken. This wasn't a level-up, not yet, but a clear step towards what he once was.
He looked down at his hand, the dark-red crystal pulsing with a faint, internal light, the air still humming with residual energy. He had done it. He had the Shadowheart Ore.
Now, he just had to get out of here. And find Yuna.