The steel door behind them closed with a deep thud, like the lid of a mechanical coffin sealing shut.

  The space in front opened into a wide, circular chamber — quiet to the point of being unnerving.

  A pale blue light glowed from two crystal keys standing motionless on a stone pedestal at the center of the room, like two eyes silently watching every breath they took.

  Ten swallowed hard.

  Lumina pressed flat against Z-69’s shoulder, her eyes half-closed from exhaustion, but her ears remained sharply upright.

  Z-69’s gaze rose toward the ceiling — a massive electronic sphere rotating slowly like a mechanical heart: the Core Eye.

  He felt the system’s attention.

  The whole Gauntlet was “watching” him through that lifeless eye.

  “Um…,” Ten whispered, “it’s too quiet.”

  Z-69 exhaled softly.

  “There are people.”

  Ten flinched.

  “Where?”

  Z-69 didn’t get the chance to answer.

  The door opposite them slammed open.

  A group of four walked in.

  Not the useless thugs from The Pit.

  Not some sloppy gangsters.

  This team was prepared:

  Light armor.

  Energy guns.

  Mechanical gauntlets.

  Plasma knives.

  And a small kid carrying a digital control board.

  The tallest one — wearing a Brute Gear exosuit as heavy as a titan’s metal skeleton — snorted when he saw Z-69.

  “So it’s you. Three of you — a silver-haired corpse, a scrawny half-dead kid, and a fox that’s barely breathing.”

  He pointed at Z-69.

  “These keys belong to us.”

  Lumina bared her fangs in fury.

  Ten shrank back behind Z-69.

  Z-69 replied calmly:

  “There are two keys. One for us. One for you. No need to fight.”

  The entire team burst into laughter.

  The guy with the energy knife pointed the glowing blade at Z-69 like pointing at merchandise.

  “No fight means no reputation. You’re strong, corpse-head. I wanna smash you so I can get my face on the posters.”

  The kid in the back smirked, fingers gliding over the control board.

  “You’ve got no idea. This Gauntlet has tons of hidden features.”

  At that one sentence, the Core Eye changed color:

  blue → yellow → red.

  A digital board lit up:

  “CORE CHAMBER:

  – Two keys.

  – Final test of Round 2.

  – Core Eye registers combat behavior.

  – No one leaves without death.

  – Handle it yourselves.”

  The floor trembled slightly.

  Energy veins lit up across the ground.

  Ten’s face went pale.

  “Z-69… the Core Eye is buffing them!”

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  Z-69 stared at the hacker kid.

  “They’re hacking the system.”

  Lumina hissed.

  “Damn rats… tweaking the algorithm to favor their own team.”

  The Brute Gear guy tilted his head back and laughed.

  “Told you. The keys are ours. You only came here… to die.”

  Z-69 answered lightly:

  “You may try.”

  And then battle erupted.

  There was no time to breathe.

  The Brute Gear exosuit lunged first — impossibly fast for something that weighed as much as a small vehicle.

  His punch tore through the air, making the entire chamber shudder.

  The ground caved slightly beneath his step.

  Z-69 blocked with the Heaven-Sundering Short Blade.

  The Brute’s sheer force pushed Z-69 backward, metal screeching under his feet.

  Ten screamed:

  “Left! He’s doing a double punch!”

  Z-69 moved instantly.

  He tilted his body just as the Brute unleashed the second strike.

  The punch blasted through empty air and slammed into the wall, sending metal shards raining down.

  The energy-knife wielder came from the flank, blade blazing red-hot as it sliced across the floor — leaving a molten line.

  He was aiming for Ten.

  Lumina shrieked inside Z-69’s mind:

  “KICK HIM!!!”

  Z-69 twisted his blade, parrying the slash.

  Violet electricity sparked, making the opponent’s weapon tremble violently and almost slip from his hand.

  The female railgunner fired from a distance.

  Her magnetic bullets pierced walls like paper.

  If they hit Ten or Lumina — instant death.

  But Lumina, despite her fatigue, bent each bullet’s trajectory with psychic force.

  “I—can’t—hold—much—longer…!” she gasped.

  The hacker kid continued typing rapidly.

  Each time he entered a command, the Core Eye executed a buff:

  – +20% speed for the Brute

  – enhanced reflexes

  – altered knife angles

  – perfect auto-aim for the railgun

  Ten clenched his fists in frustration.

  “Z-69 He’s controlling the system against you! They’re cheating!”

  Z-69 blocked another punch, replying in a low voice:

  “I know.”

  He walked forward into the storm of bullets.

  A mini-drone burst from the wall, firing an electric net toward Lumina.

  Z-69 couldn’t react in time—but Ten pulled Lumina back by instinct.

  The net hit the ground, crackling violently.

  Ten gasped for breath.

  “I could… feel it! Heat built up under the floor… I knew it would shoot!”

  Z-69 looked at him for a brief moment — the kind of silent acknowledgment that carried weight.

  Ten felt his heart jolt.

  Right then—The Brute’s metal fist crashed into Z-69’s chest.

  A blow strong enough to dent titanium armor.

  Z-69 flew backward, stabbing his blade into the floor to stabilize.

  Purple cracks spread along his torso.

  His wrist band flashed red like a siren.

  He grunted.

  “I must maintain control…I cannot… lose myself.”

  With visible effort, he pushed down the rising energy in his body.

  His breath sharpened.

  His eyes focused.

  He stared at the Brute Gear.

  “To fight you… I alone am enough.”

  Silence.

  Even the opposing team hesitated.

  Even the hacker kid paused mid-command.

  Z-69 had just forcibly suppressed The Hunger.

  Lumina gasped:

  “You… controlled it?!”

  Z-69 didn’t reply.

  But Ten saw something in his eyes.

  Something not cold like a monster.

  But effort.

  Strain.

  A desperate desire to hold onto humanity.

  Ten clenched his small fists.

  Then — he saw it.

  Not with eyes.

  Not with senses.

  But with something else.

  A “weak point.”

  The hacker kid stood directly beside the energy channel grooves.

  Every time he typed, the grooves changed color.

  Meaning he was synced with the Core Eye.

  If the source was cut—

  “He’ll lose control of the system!” Ten realized.

  He dashed forward.

  Lumina screamed:

  “TEN!!! DON’T YOU DARE!!!

  But Ten didn’t stop.

  The energy-knife wielder lunged for him.

  Z-69 saw.

  He abandoned the Brute and blasted forward like lightning.

  The energy blade was inches from Ten’s throat—SMACK!

  Z-69 slapped the hacker kid across the face.

  One hit.

  Clean.

  Perfect.

  The kid flew backward, knocked out instantly.

  The Core Eye glitched for a moment, spinning wildly—then its color reverted from red → yellow → blue.

  Buffs vanished.

  The enemy team staggered.

  Speed dropped.

  Accuracy dropped.

  Reaction time lagged.

  Ten gasped, clutching his chest, but smiling softly:

  “Y-you saved me again… third time…”

  Z-69 said:

  “Do not stand near energy conduits.”

  Ten nodded, looking embarrassed.

  “…I know.”

  Without buffs, the battle flipped completely.

  Z-69 slid beneath the Brute Gear’s arm and slashed the joint.

  Armor cracked.

  The exosuit’s elbow split in half.

  The Brute roared, losing balance.

  The railgunner fired a frantic barrage, but Lumina, regaining a bit of strength, sent a psychic burst that blurred her sight—making all shots miss.

  The energy-knife wielder charged forward—Ten hurled Lumina into his face.

  “MEOW— I MEAN—GRRR!!!”

  Lumina screeched as she collided with his head.

  He stumbled backward, arms flailing.

  Z-69 finished him with a clean slash to the arm, knocking him unconscious.

  Finally, the Brute collapsed to the floor, defeated.

  The Core Eye announced:

  “Opponent team: KO. Criteria complete.”

  The circular room fell silent.

  Z-69 exhaled once.

  Ten slumped, exhausted, but Z-69 caught him.

  Lumina crawled weakly onto Z-69’s shoulder.

  Z-69 walked toward the pedestal.

  The two crystal keys glowed on the stone surface — serene, dangerous, beautiful.

  He picked one up.

  Purple light from his hand merged with the key’s blue glow, forming a strange swirling color — like lightning trapped beneath deep ocean water.

  Ten stared at the second key.

  “I… I get to take this one?”

  “Yes.” Z-69 handed it to him. “You saw traps. You guided me through the maze. You protected Lumina. You lived to reach this point.”

  Ten’s cheeks flushed pink as he lowered his head, hiding the proud, relieved smile.

  Lumina collapsed on Z-69’s shoulder with a groan.

  “I’m tired… but I still want to keep going…”

  Z-69 turned toward the exit door.

  It opened slowly.

  Beyond it lay a larger, brighter space — filled with the sound of crowds, loudspeakers, and the metallic scent of a grand arena.

  A loudspeaker blared overhead:

  “Contestant Z-69. Contestant Ten. You have qualified for Round 3: THE ARENA — DUEL MATCH.”

  Z-69 spun his short blade once.

  “Let’s go.”

  The Core Room door slammed shut behind them, pushing all three into the next trial — where blades, abilities, and lives would be judged in minutes.