- Oliver -

  "This on will suit you better," unnos remarked with a sly smile.

  Yet the words seemed to drift away like echoes from a fading dream.

  Oliver's senses snapped back to reality as waves of pain coursed through his body. His khreateo give way beh him, throbbing with each attempt to stand firm. His arms ached from parrying the relentless attacks he'd endured. Around him, the guttural shouts of the Red Ork resounded—a barrage of taunts and insults aimed squarely at him.

  But his focus was elsewhere. A new notification pulsed insistently on his HUD.

  | Would you like to activate yreen Crystal?| [Yes] [No]

  "He accepted!" Oliver celebrated silently, a flicker of hope igniting within.

  He gnced up at the Red Ork advang steadily toward him, its savage grin revealing jagged teeth. Without hesitation, Oliver selected.

  [Yes]

  He braced himself, expeg his Blue Armor to dissolve and be repced by a new suit, perhaps materializing in a fsh of light. But nothing happe least, not outwardly.

  First came a bitter, metallic taste coating his mouth, followed by a crushing pressure in his chest.

  'It's ing all my strength just to activate,' Oliver thought anxiously, unsure if he could sustain whatever was ing.

  Then, excruciating pain surged through him. It felt as if thorns were pierg his hands, legs, and back. Every nerve ending screamed in agony. Merely keeping the armor active was akin to enduriless torture.

  A timer appeared on his dispy.

  | 10:00

  | 09:59

  When Oliver finally reopened his eyes, the world around him seemed sharper, more vivid. He looked down and caught his breath—the armor had transformed as if it had evolved to a higher form. It was immacute, gleaming as though untouched by any prior battle. The suit fitted perfectly to his body, every pie seamless alig.

  Though it retained a sleek and futuristic design, the armor now bore the elegance of knightly regalia. structed from a deep, shimmering greeal, it reflected light in an almost supernatural way, each pte appearing as if polished by magitricate gold filigree traced along the edges, f symbols and elegant curves that hi markings that perhaps only unnos could decipher.

  The helmet featured a sharp, opaque visor that cealed his fatirely, giving an aura of mystery. It also vely adhered to the Sn's requirement for his anonymity. Flowing behind him e of lighter green. Pointed pauldrons and intricately designed gaus exuded raw power. Every detail of the armor was meticulously crafted for both prote and style.

  "You screamed so much just to ge the color of your armor?" the Red Ork sneered, mog him with a guttural chuckle.

  Oliver met the Ork's gaze, his voice steady and low. "There's o thing I'd like to test," he murmured to himself.

  | Twin Daggers: Activate

  When Oliver raised his hands, the air around him began to subtly vibrate, charged with a tent energy waiting to burst forth. Suddenly, minute particles of Energy started to coalesce before him, f a shimmering emerald light. Gradually, two daggers materialized. The bck metal of the bdes emerged like solid shadows, adorned with brilliant green energy that cascaded like fmes along their razor-sharp edges.

  The daggers' design was aggressive, a fusion of lethal onry and mystical artifacts. Each bde was long and slightly curved, exuding a sinister elegahe hilts seemed molded perfectly to his hands, adorned with sharp, thorn-like details. A faint green mist emanated from the ons as if they were overflowing with raw power.

  As he gripped them, Oliver felt an immediate and profound e. Uhe Energy Pistol, he had struggled to grasp, these daggers felt as if they were made for him, obedient and utterly attuo his will.

  ‘Let's just do a test,’ Oliver thought, relut to unleash his full strength. Partly because he was still learning to maneuver in the new armor and partly because every movement within it brought an almost unbearable pain.

  Gritting his teeth, he made a slight movement—a mere impulse—but it was a surprise to both him and the Red Ork. He had bee immensely faster; a siep was enough to cover the distaween them.

  The Ork hastily raised both hands, attempting to block the boy's attack. Oliver slightly moved with his daggers, slig downward in a swift, fluid arc. It was enough to sever both of the Red Ork's arms.

  "RUARGH!" The Red Ork roared, a guttural mix of agony and fury.

  Oliver's eyes wide the stark differen power provided by the new armor. Without wasting a moment, he lifted his leg and delivered a powerful kick to the Ork's abdomen, sending the massive creature hurtling into one of the base's walls. The impact shattered the structure, exploding into a cloud of rubble and smoke.

  "Iing," Oliver ented as he tinued advang. The Ork appeared to have lost sciousness from the attack, but this was no time for remorse or pity. With a flick of one dagger, he swiftly decapitated the fallen foe.

  "I told you you were dreaming," Oliver said coldly.

  The remaining Orks turo run, unwilling to tinue fighting. They ran and stumbled over their owheir eyes filled with fear as they looked at Oliver.

  ‘That's right, run!’ Oliver thought as he cked the stamina to speak the words.

  However, he couldn't let the Orks escape knowing his identity. As quickly as he had elimihe Red Ork, with each step, he seemed to teleport beside the Orks and sliced them in two with a flick of his dagger.

  Moments ter, no one except Oliver and the elves were left alive in the hangar.

  Finally, exhaustion washed over him, but he stood firm. The new armor had pushed his abilities to unforesees, yet the searing pain it inflicted was a stant reminder of its cost. He knew he couldn't maintain this power for long.

  Yet Oliver allowed himself a brief respite, pting the path ahead.

  ‘Let’s rest just for a while.’ Oliver cluded.

  [Deactivate]

  | You have 09:21 remaining before recharging.

  Upon realizing he could expend the remainder of his charge before needing to recharge, Oliver felt a surge of relief. His arman to disie, the shimmering ptes dissolving into the air like mist. Without its support, he colpsed onto the cold, hard ground. Gritting his teeth, he began to crawl toward the wall, eaent sending jolts of agony through his battered body.

  Wherever he moved, blood trails marked his path—a stark crimson trast against the stone floor. His arms and legs were slick with it as if his very pores were leaking blood.

  ‘Is this just the effect of using the armor?’ Oliver wondered, pressing his back against the rough stone wall.

  He closed his eyes momentarily, attempting to steady his ragged breathing. Suddenly, his HUD flickered with new notifications, pulling his attention back.

  | New Achievement pleted

  | New Achievement pleted

  | Oh! You survived?!| Defeat a Red Ork| [Click to Redeem]

  | unnos is AWAKE!| Awaken that who sleeps| [New System Unlocked]

  | Synization System Unlocked| Monitor how your synization evolves with each of your Crystals.

  His gaze sharpe the st message. Synization Status fshed before him.

  | Synization Status| ??84% [Ext]| ??1% [Critical]

  Underh, more details appeared.

  | Low Synization Effects| - It will increase the cost of using a Crystal.| - It will make it painful or impossible to wear a Ranger Armor.| - You ot extract the maximum power from that crystal.

  Oliver's eyes wide the grim statistics regarding his synization with the Green Crystal. "Right. unnos expihat using it would be hard since I'm not an Elf. I just didn't expect that much." he spoke aloud, a knot f in his stomach.

  He tapped on the [Critical] indicator, prompting additional information.

  | ??1% [CRITICAL]| To improve synization with the Green Crystal, you must:| - Grow;| - Evolve;| - Improve your Energy trol proficy;

  ‘Well, at least those are things I o do anyway,’ Oliver thought, trying to find a silver lining.

  Just then, three more notifications lit up his HUD.

  | You got a new Glitch

  | You got a new Glitch

  | You got a new Glitch

  "Damn it! Three new glitches," Oliver cursed under his breath.

  He accessed the glitches menu, and the details unfolded before him.

  | Glitches| [Too Muformation]| [As long as I see]

  | [A Timed Power] - [Only when using the Green Crystal]| You only use yreen Crystal for 10 minutes.| You pause its use, but recharging is impossible while any charge remains.

  | [Our Secret] - [Only when using the Green Crystal]| No other Human or Ork must discover that a human is using a Green Crystal.| Penalty: Destru of the Green Crystal.

  | [Oliver the Battery] - [Only when using the Green Crystal]| Upoing yreen Crystal, you must i 168 hours of your Energy produ to recharge it.

  Oliver let his head rest against the stone wall, finally allowing himself a moment to process the barrage of new information. Every inch of his body screamed in protest, muscles ag, wounds searing.

  “Great,” he muttered sarcastically. “As if things weren't hard enough.”

  Footsteps echoed softly. With effort, Oliver lifted his gaze to see four Elves approag cautiously. Their once-brilliant attire was tattered, their faces etched with deep scars. The eldest among them stepped forward, his movements slow and deliberate. He sank down beside Oliver, l his head until it nearly touched the ground, tears welling in his eyes.

  "Thank you, thank you so much," the Elf whispered, his voice den with emotion. "I thought I would die in the Orks' prison. We've been imprisoned for decades."

  GCLopes