Smoke curled from the craters where once stood towers of steel and glass. Qin Yu moved silently through the hollow remains of the city, every step echoing in a world that felt like it had already died. Whatever Blue Star had once been — it was a graveyard now.
He passed corpses.
Some human, some demon. Most unrecognizable.
**\[Warning: Host remains in a Zone-5 Death Region. Prolonged exposure may result in forced combat events.]**
Qin Yu scoffed. "Combat's already found me."
Still, he kept moving. His system was evolving, but so were his enemies. First a demon. Then an Observer. Now a Collector that self-destructed.
Someone — or something — wanted his system **gone** before it matured.
He wouldn't give them the chance.
---
**\[New Mission Triggered]**
**Mainline Thread: The Fallen Spire**
• Objective: Investigate the Spire Ruins at Grid Coordinate X:089-Y:222
• Reward: Core Upgrade or Skill Evolution Opportunity
• Risk Level: A-Class (Demonic Rift Active)
---
He pulled up the map.
There it was — a broken tower just ahead, one of the last major power structures in the old city. Once a government defense node. Now, according to the system, it was sitting on top of a **demonic rift**.
A rift meant unstable reality. It also meant energy — and if there was energy, there was a chance for his **Black Hole Authority** to grow stronger.
Qin Yu moved.
---
As he approached the Spire, the air changed.
The wind reversed direction. Loose stones hovered. Gravity twisted subtly — heavier in some places, lighter in others. Time felt **off**, as though the sun should have moved, but didn't.
At the foot of the tower, a figure knelt.
Not a demon. Not a human.
A **Watcher**.
The creature's skin was translucent, covered in glowing runes that shifted like oil over water. It had no eyes, only a central glyph where a face should be.
When Qin Yu stepped closer, the Watcher stirred.
"You carry the Core of Collapse…" it said, its voice like a chorus. "The Singularity… awakens."
Qin Yu raised his fists. "Friend or foe?"
The Watcher didn't answer. Instead, it extended a hand, and the space around its palm **ripped open** — not into a void, but into **stars**. A cosmos inside a fracture.
"This is a test."
---
**\[Boss Encounter: Rift Watcher – Guardian of the Spire]**
**Level: 28**
**Type: Dimensional Construct**
**Abilities: Graviton Spike, Chrono Displacement, Reality Echo**
---
Without warning, the Watcher attacked.
A spike of compacted gravity shot toward Qin Yu. He dodged — barely — feeling the air bend around the projectile. The ground behind him collapsed inwards like it had been hit by a meteor.
**Void Step!**
He blinked behind the Watcher mid-charge. *Gravitational Pulse!* — the burst forced the construct off-balance.
He followed up with **Micro Singularity**, planting it right under the Watcher's feet. The dark orb devoured debris and twisted light.
The Watcher shattered… and then **reformed**, as if turning back time.
"Great," Qin Yu muttered. "This one cheats."
---
But something flickered inside him.
The mark on his palm glowed.
The system surged.
**\[Black Hole Authority Resonating with Rift Energy...]**
**Skill Fusion Available: Micro Singularity + Gravitational Pulse = *Singularity Vortex (Lv. 1)* unlocked.**
> **Singularity Vortex (Lv. 1):**
> Creates a high-density gravitational vortex that pulls in and crushes everything within a 10-meter radius for 4 seconds. Cooldown: 3 minutes. High risk to surroundings.
---
The Watcher raised its hand for a second strike.
Qin Yu raised his.
"Let's see you rewind from this."
**Singularity Vortex!**
The sky screamed.
The air was ripped away. The world *bent*. The Watcher was **dragged inward**, twisting and warping — its runes shattered like glass. Light and mass folded, and for a second, even **sound** disappeared.
Then — silence.
Qin Yu dropped to one knee. Blood leaked from his nose. His body felt like it had been crushed from the inside.
But the Watcher was gone.
---
**\[Boss Defeated: Rift Watcher]**
**System Upgrade: Gravitational Core Tree Level Increased**
**Reward: Authority Point +1 | Core Capacity Expanded**
---
From the center of the ruins, a small, floating orb rose from the stone. Black, cracked, humming with power.
**\[You have acquired: Core Fragment – Singularity Node I]**
The power surged into him. Deeper. Heavier. **Realer.**
Qin Yu stood up slowly, gazing into the depths of the broken Spire.
"If this is just the beginning…" he murmured, "then I can't afford to hold back."
---
End of Chapter 5