Krrrrrrrraaak!
The two streams of energy collided with such force that the air inside the used-goods shop warped. The cold blue light from the Game Master's 'Data Purge' magic circle clashed with the mysterious black-violet flames of the 'Dark Forge,' making the wooden counter and the item shelves around them shudder as dust filled the air.
The Players standing in line outside the shop stared at one another in shock. They could feel the immense pressure in the air and see flashes of light leaking through the seams of the wooden door, but no one could cross the threshold. It was as though an invisible barrier blocked their way.
"What the hell...?! You can't delete the data?!"
GM-04 spoke in a synthetic voice that showed signs of confusion for the first time. His holographic blue eyes widened beneath his glasses as he watched the blue program bars slowly get swallowed and eroded piece by piece by Sean's purple aura.
"It's not just that we can't delete it..." GM-01, standing beside him, said tensely. "The basic command code of our System is being 'translated' into raw material energy for this NPC!"
Sean clenched his teeth. Large beads of sweat trickled along his face as a wave of searing heat surged through his veins. Burning through all his gold coins and materials to withstand the data-deletion command had placed a considerable strain on his body, but the result was even more astonishing!
A black System window glowing red popped up in front of Sean, displaying a completely unprecedented warning!
[ Supreme authority code structure detected (Admin Code) ] [ Successfully absorbed and analyzed the Game Master's data structure! ] [ The 'Dark Merchant Forge' skill has gained a massive amount of experience -> Upgraded to Lv. 2! ] [ New function unlocked: 'Code Corruption' - Directly intervene in and modify the stats of anything governed by the game's rules! ]
"Since you see me as nothing more than a 'glitch'..." Sean slowly raised his head. His brown eyes now shimmered with a mysterious purple aura, and the corner of his mouth curled into the knowing smile of someone holding all the cards. "Then I'll show you exactly what this glitch can do to Game Masters like you!"
Sean extended his right hand toward GM-04 and pointed at the holographic characters and numbers floating around him.
Ping—!
[ Function activated: 'Code Corruption' ] [ Target: GM-04 command runner ] [ Modifying stat: 'Existential Persistence' -> Converting state into dark-type materials! ]
"Aaaaaaagh!"
GM-04 let out a shriek! His body, clad in a spotless white suit, began to disintegrate into swirling blue-and-black motes of light. The data-deletion magic circle beneath Sean's feet vanished in an instant. GM-04 tried to press the Force Log Out button, but his hand turned into motes of light that were violently sucked into Sean's palm!
"You... you reversed the armor code! How did you modify admin code into an item?!" GM-01 shouted in panic. He had never encountered an NPC—or any program in the game Atheria—that could extract GM code and turn it into materials before!
"Fall back! We need to report this to the main server System—!" GM-01 waved his hand, intending to open a dimensional teleportation zone and escape.
But Sean gave him no chance! He lightly flicked his right hand, gathering all the motes of light extracted from GM-04's body and combining them with the magic core and remaining scrap metal in his inventory. He smelted everything together at an incredible speed!
Bang!
A huge round shield made of gleaming silver metal, decorated with a warped golden eye symbol and a deep purple aura, dropped onto the wooden counter with a thunderous crash!
[ Synthesis successful! You received: 'Extracted Admin Judgment Shield (A-rank - Prohibited Item)' ] [ Properties: Defense +450, Magic Defense +380, Passive Skill: 'Absolute Domain' - Creates a barrier that reflects 100% of attacks and System interference for 5 seconds ]
"A-rank... A-rank?!" GM-01 stared at the shield in front of him, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets!
A-rank weapons and equipment were national-treasure-grade items that should only appear near the end of the game or drop from supreme warlord-class bosses. Yet this trash-merchant NPC had forged one from the Game Master's own body parts—with his bare hands!
"Where do you think you're going, Game Master...?" Sean picked up the 'Extracted Admin Judgment Shield' in one hand. The immense intimidation radiating from the A-rank equipment spread across the area, leaving GM-01 unable to move his legs.
"You... What the hell do you want?!" GM-01 asked through clenched teeth, fear in his voice.
Sean slowly walked toward GM-01 and stopped in front of him, wearing a faint smile that was cold to the core.
"Go back and tell your higher-ups..." Sean said softly, but with overwhelming force. "This entire area of Paldia City... is my 'black market.' If you want this city to remain peaceful and keep the Players from completely losing their minds... don't even think about meddling here or trying to delete me a second time."
"And most importantly..." Sean lightly tapped the A-rank shield with one finger. "If you send someone else next time... I won't just forge a shield. I'll craft every last one of you into an 'S-rank armor set' and wear it myself!"
GM-01's face turned corpse-pale. He said nothing more, hurriedly pressed the warp button, and fled the shop in a panic!
When peace and quiet returned to the shop, Sean let out a soft sigh as he looked at the A-rank shield in his hand and the newly upgraded skill status bar. His eyes gleamed with absolute confidence.
In his first battle against the Game Masters... he had won. And now, he was ready to ascend and truly become the one pulling the strings of this world!