Chapter 43: Cache and Cores
Ryan took a moment to catch his breath, the thrill of victory and his new Level 7 power humming through him. He had spent maybe ten minutes, tops, inside the Time-Locked Vault, and it had been the most intense ten minutes of his new life.
But now, the scary part was over. The Legendary Guardian was a pile of scrap, and the rest of the Vault was his to explore.
He walked toward the sealed Precursor armory that his Neural Map had pointed out. The door was massive, made of the same dark, seamless metal as everything else in the Vault.
It looked like it could withstand a bomb. A complex, glowing panel next to the door was likely the lock. In the past, he would have been stumped. But now, he had a new trick up his sleeve.
He focused on his new B-Tier talent, "Chrono-Manipulation." He reached out with his mind and gently targeted the ancient locking mechanism. He didn’t try to force it or hack it. Instead, he used his ability to subtly "slow" the flow of time around the lock’s internal security chronometers.
To the lock’s ancient computer brain, it seemed as if no time had passed at all, so its age-locked security protocols, which were designed to keep it sealed for millennia, were tricked into thinking everything was fine.
He then applied a gentle touch of "Haste" to the door’s opening mechanism.
With a soft, satisfying hiss, the age-old seals disengaged. The massive door slid open silently, revealing the treasures within.
Ryan’s jaw dropped slightly. The armory was huge, and it was immaculately organized. Racks upon racks stretched into the darkness, and on every single shelf sat rows of "Precursor Power Cores."