"I'm hunting materials," Alvian corrected. "But ghosts are a bonus."

He looked at the blast doors. They were sealed with complex runic locks.

"The Syndicate," Seraphina said, her voice turning grim. "My agents tracked a mana conduit bypass. They're siphoning energy from the Molten Core directly to the Undercroft. This is the junction point."

Alvian's eyes glowed with a predatory light. The "Shared Secret" George mentioned. The Syndicate wasn't just building Subject Zero; they were powering it by draining the Academy's foundations.

"Then we have a common enemy," Alvian said, equipping his [Lance of the Void Winter]. "You disable the siphon. I take the Core."

"And the Guardian?" Seraphina asked, nodding at the doors. "The readings inside are spiking. It's big."

Alvian spun the lance, the violet frost trailing in the air.

"Big targets are just bigger loot tables," Alvian said. "Open the door, Seraphina."

Seraphina stared at him for a second, then shook her head with a smirk.

"You really are an Anomaly."

She moved to the console. The hunt continued.

The blast doors of the Central Foundry groaned, a sound like the earth itself crying out in pain. Layers of rust and ancient wards shattered as Seraphina manipulated the console with her master override key.

"Thump... Thump..."

A rhythmic vibration echoed from within, shaking dust from the ceiling. It wasn't a heartbeat. It was a pump.

"That's the siphon," Seraphina hissed, her daggers drawn. "They're pumping liquid mana straight out of the ley lines."

The doors slid open enough for them to slip through.

Inside, the Foundry was a cathedral of fire. The center of the room was dominated by a massive, spherical containment unit suspended over a pit of white-hot magma. Thick, black cables—modern, Syndicate-tech—were drilled into the containment unit, pulsating with a sickening violet light as they drew energy away.

Standing guard around the siphon were not monsters, but people.

[Target: Syndicate Magma-Trooper]

[Level: 37]

[Status: Elite / Enhanced]

Twelve of them. They wore heavy, heat-resistant power armor fueled by the very magma they stood over. They wielded flamethrowers and thermal axes.

"Intruders!" a trooper shouted, his voice amplified by his helmet. "Protect the extraction point! Protocol Omega!"

"They know we're here," Seraphina said, tensing. "Twelve elites. Plus the environmental hazard."

"You take the left flank," Alvian ordered, his voice calm. "Disable the cables. I'll clear the trash."

"You're taking six elites head-on?" Seraphina asked, skeptical.

"No," Alvian said. "I'm taking twelve."

He activated [Klaus's Upgrade].

[Ding! Blessing Active.]

"[Runic Aegis +2]."

Fourteen runes materialized, spinning violently around him.

Alvian charged.

The troopers opened fire. Streams of liquid fire and thermal bolts slammed into Alvian.

"block. block. block."

The runes intercepted everything.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

[Reactive Force Triggered!]

[-2,500!] [-2,500!]

The reflected damage tore through the troopers' armor. Alvian didn't stop. He barreled into the center of their formation.

"[Frost Descent +2]."

He slammed his hand onto the metal grating of the floor.

"FREEZE."

The blessing doubled the effect. A supernova of absolute zero cold exploded in the center of the volcano. The thermal shock was catastrophic. The troopers' super-heated armor instantly cooled, contracting violently.

"CRACK! SNAP!"

Metal warped. Glass visors shattered. The troopers screamed as their suits became crushing prisons.

[Crippling Frost Applied.]

[Speed Reduced by 80%.]

"Now, Seraphina!" Alvian roared.

Seraphina didn't waste the opening. She moved like a shadow through the frozen hellscape Alvian had created. She darted to the cables, her daggers flashing.

"Slash! Sever!"

She cut the intake lines. Mana spewed out, volatile and uncontrolled.

Alvian capitalized on the chaos. He spun his lance, decapitating two frozen troopers in a single swing.

"Inefficient," Alvian muttered, watching a trooper try to crawl away. He stomped on the trooper's back.

[-12,000!]

The battle was over in thirty seconds. Twelve elites, dismantled.

Seraphina stood by the severed cables, panting slightly. She looked at the carnage, then at Alvian.

"You fight like a Raid Boss," she said, wiping oil from her cheek. "It's terrifying."

"It's necessary," Alvian replied. He walked over to the console connected to the cables. "Let's see where this goes."

He hacked the terminal using his Anomaly clearance.

[Trace Complete.]

[Destination: Sector Zero - The Blind Spot.]

[Energy Allocation: Subject Zero Growth Cycle.]

[Status: 85% Complete.]

"Eighty-five percent," Alvian read aloud. "They're accelerating the growth."

"Subject Zero," Seraphina whispered, looking at the screen. "It's a Chimera, Alvian. I saw the files. They're splicing Demon God DNA with... human hosts."

Alvian froze. Human hosts.

"The missing students," Alvian realized. "From the start of the semester."

"Yes," Seraphina's eyes were hard. "They aren't just building a monster. They're building an army of possessed students. And Subject Zero... it's the Commander."

Alvian clenched his fist. The Syndicate wasn't just greedy. They were defiling the very essence of humanity.

"We need to stop it," Seraphina said. "But we can't get into the Blind Spot yet."

"We will," Alvian said. "But first, I need my armor."

He pointed to the central containment unit. Now that the cables were cut, the sphere was opening.

From within the sphere, a blinding light emerged. The [Essence of the Molten Star]. But it wasn't unguarded.

The magma beneath the platform began to rise. A massive hand, made of molten iron and ancient slag, gripped the edge of the walkway.

[Boss Detected: The Molten Warden]

[Level: 40]

[Status: Awakened / Enraged]

A colossus pulled itself from the pit. It was twenty feet tall, a living siege engine of fire and metal. Its chest cavity burned with the intensity of a sun.

"INTRUDERS... MUST... BURN..."

Seraphina stepped back, her daggers looking like toothpicks against the giant.

"Alvian," she warned. "Physical attacks won't work. He's liquid metal. He'll just reform."

Alvian stepped forward, the [Lance of the Void Winter] humming in his hand.

"Liquid metal solidifies if you get it cold enough," Alvian said, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "And I brought the winter."

He looked at Seraphina.

"Go. Secure the data. I'll handle the toaster."

"Don't die," Seraphina said. She vanished into the shadows.

Alvian stood alone against the Warden. He checked his mana. Full.

"Level 40," Alvian noted. "Finally. A proper warm-up."

He channeled his mana into the lance. The violet frost turned black.

"Void Frost," Alvian whispered. "Let's see if you can heal from this."

He charged.

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