The 69th layer, the end. Will the 69th layer finally reveal the secrets of the system’s universe and my purpose in her world?
I can’t do much about my situation as long as I’m in limbo, locked away behind wires and machines – desperately trying to keep me alive as long as possible. Maybe I’ll never know what will come after this final layer, maybe I’ll die before that happens, and to be fair, I have a suspicion that the 69th layer isn’t her final job for me.
I’ve been fighting countless mobs, bosses and I’ve endured her rapid emotional changes – yes, her character is coming back. Her memory may have been wiped by a higher ‘being’ but you can’t hide one’s true identity forever, at some point in time, it will resurface – showing a person’s true colours.
The entrance to the 69th layer was… Different… It didn’t surprise me, I don’t even think anything can surprise me at this point. Sure, my emotions have been disabled, or are limited to the very essence of emotion. I do feel something though but it’s definitely not happiness. All I feel is the desire to kill but strangely enough, I don’t want to kill her.
It’s as if something is telling me that I need to hold back. Something is telling me that the real reason I’m here will reveal itself if I keep her alive long enough. It’s not like she can die, right?
—
Zane walked towards the entrance of the 69th layer, a strange aura was escaping from a few holes in the layer’s entrance door. The door itself was a grand piece of art on its own. Countless small golden statues were embedded into the door’s frame.
She really put in a lot of work into the design of it all. Sure, the previous layers had been barren and looked like a badly rendered version of your standard Mmorpg game. I could even make out assets from Immortal Legacy in the first layers. She’s outdone herself now though, if the door itself looks this good, then its contents must be even grander.
He pushed the door, using most of his strength stat buffs in the process. The door was as heavy as you’d think. It felt like she had purposely made it that way, to trigger some kind of reaction from Zane in the process of opening the door. Alas, Zane did not give in to her desires, she should’ve known that Zane isn’t the one to whine about doors.
The door slowly opened up, revealing a black void.
“What’s this? There’s nothing in here…”, Zane said, breathing heavily from the intense pushing at the door’s frame.
[It’s the final layer Zane, the 69th. I present to you the end of the Dungeon of Death, the king of layers.]
“The King of layers huh?”
Zane cautiously peered a little closer into the door’s gaping void. It felt cold. But it didn’t hurt Zane, the air was cold yet pleasant. It reminded him of enjoying a good glass of iced coke after countless hours on various games.
“What’s this all about? There’s nothing inside sys.”
[Just go in already, you’ll see the real layer soon enough.]
“The real layer?”, Zane entered the abyss.
He was surprised to see a whole different world upon entering. The cold that had once streamed from an endless void had turned into a pleasant warmth covering his entire body. He forgot how it felt, the sun shining on his skin.
The sound of small animals could be heard in the distance. An endless grass field expanded in Zane’s field of vision. It surely wasn’t the most beautiful landscape he’d seen but it was a nice change of pace.
Having spent all that time in that forsaken barren dungeon had dulled his senses. His emotional algorithm didn’t react however, he was still in a neutral stance of emotions. He did feel different but couldn’t describe the feeling itself.
[Do you like it? This is where you will prove yourself as a warrior Zane. This is my final gift to you, and the start of a new journey.]
“I need to prove myself? Haven’t I shown you my capabilities back in the lower layers? And you call the dungeon a gift?”
[Just enjoy the view Zane…]
The System was right for once, Zane looked upon the endless grass field and took some time to collect his thoughts, he felt tranquillity. That’s it! That’s what he has been feeling all along but only now does he notice. All this time, he felt pure tranquillity.
Was this his gift? The white noise caused by his emotions stripped away from his being. Was he an empty shell of a man, a weapon to fight in some ancient war? Is that what it means to be a ‘true’ warrior?
[I see that you’re finally understanding it, Zane.]
“You can read my thoughts as well?”
[No, but I can decipher your feelings from your body language.]
“Fair enough.”
[I have to tell you something Zane, I’ve been keeping this behind for a while but you should know.]
According to the System, there were 7 game-like universes like the one Zane found himself in. All of these universes had their own admin, except for the universe Zane and System were in since the System got demoted to the rank of a moderator.
Moderators usually don’t have their own universe but she was different enough to be granted another chance. She told Zane about her real name ‘Theta’ and that she had formed an alliance with an Admin named “Suad”
She told him about the “Legacy Wars”, the wars to reclaim one’s glory or to ascend to the rank of Super-Admin. Theta told Zane about his role in this battle, he had been summoned as a player, one of many.
Each admin has their own player, a human that got stuck into limbo. Humans are not picked out randomly though.
The Admins specifically search for humans with a vast knowledge of games. They test the humans, spawning them into different scenarios without weapons. The difficulty depends on the Admin hosting the universe. Suad’s player was given a starter kit, whilst Zane had nothing to start with but his grinding skills.
Theta wanted to reclaim her role as an Admin and build out her universe into one worthy of an Admin. She had failed to do so the first time. She had been greedy and lazy – being a stubborn Admin who never took any advice.
“I see… So that’s my true purpose…”
[It’s time to defeat the final boss Zane… I won’t help you this time, I’m sorr-]
“It’s fine, I’ll manage… Somehow…”
