While the base slept, someone was tossing and turning. The weight of tomorrow's decision felt like a boulder on Katie's chest. Finally, she threw on a thin long-sleeved cardigan and wandered out. At the escalator, she bumped into Lawson.
"Hi, Katie? Still up?" Lawson looked up from his work. "The Weapon Forge is active. If you want to sharpen your blades, it's open."
"Um... yeah..." Katie's voice was barely a squeak.
"Still worrying?" Lawson stopped working and looked her in the eye. "You always get insomnia when something's on your mind. Come on. Let's get some air."
Lawson reached out and took her hand.
The movement was swift and decisive—shot through with that signature "bossy" confidence—but his palm was unexpectedly warm against her skin.
Katie's heart skipped a beat, a familiar flutter she hadn't felt in years.
It was high school all over again; Lawson was still the same boy who hid a fierce, bone-deep protectiveness under a brash, loud-mouthed exterior.
They stood together on the high terrace, silhouettes against the horizon of a scarred and broken town.
"Hey," Lawson said, breaking the silence. His voice was lower now, cutting through the stillness.
"Why did you hesitate that day while you were linking the armor? And now... with the Master Request from the girls. What's holding you back?"
Katie looked down, her shoes tracing the cracks in the stone floor.
"I'm afraid, Lawson. I'm afraid of ending up like this—of dying on the front lines before I ever really lived. I still have things I want to do. I have dreams."
"Your dream to be a doctor, right?" Lawson interjected.
He didn't look away from the horizon. "To save lives. Not that designer path your mother tried to force on you."
He turned to her then, his voice rising with a sudden, infectious surge of power.
"The rookies out there? They're lost. They need guidance in this apocalypse.
They need a 'doctor' to heal them, to keep them whole. You need to soar for them, {Moon Swift}!" He stepped closer, his presence commanding.
"As long as I am still standing in this broken world, I will protect everyone who needs it. And that includes you, Katie. Always."
"Lawson… I…"
Under the cold shimmer of the starlight, the love Katie had suppressed for years surged like a tidal wave.
The fear of the war, the weight of the armor—it all faded. She took a deep breath, her fingers trembling as they traced the railing.
"Lawson... actually, I want to stay by your—"
Right as the confession hovered on the tip of her tongue, Lawson's "defense mechanism" hit a brick wall.
He suddenly jerked back, crossing his arms over his chest as a violent shiver racked his frame.
"Sss—! Damn!" he hissed, teeth chattering as he broke the spell.
"This night wind is like a literal knife! Forget the monsters, I'm gonna freeze to death. I knew I should've worn the heavy coat!"
The atmosphere shattered. The words "stay by your side" were choked back.
Katie stared at the man who had just ruined the mood. "Y-yeah, it is cold... Haha... ha..."
Oblivious to his narrow escape from a romance subplot, Lawson pulled out a dark gold item with a complex barcode.
"Eye of Omnipotence - Essence Certificate! Scan it. It allows you to read all stats, attributes, and real-time statuses of allies and enemies."
Ping! Mastery Learned: [Eye of Omnipotence]!
"Soar to your heart's content, {Moon Swift}!" Lawson patted her shoulder.
Katie felt a sense of liberation.
Lawson might be a 'Steel Straight Man' of the highest order.
She thought, but my 'Capture Plan' has only just begun.
Suddenly, Lawson's phone emitted a loud, high-pitched alert.
He looked at the screen and froze, his face pale with disbelief. The screen on Lawson's phone flashed with unprecedented brilliance:
[EXCLUSIVE HIDDEN MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! CLICK TO CLAIM REWARDS!]
"A hidden mission? I've played this for ten years—I've never even heard of hidden mission in this game!" Lawson's breath hitched as he tapped for details.
[TYPE: ARMOR SMITH EXCLUSIVE HIDDEN MISSION]
[Objective: Demonstrate the true capacity of an Armor Smith by unselfishly transferring your own Mastery (1/1)]
Rewards Granted:
[Armor Smith Exclusive Secret Skill: Grace of the Armor God.]
[Armor Smith Exclusive Secret Skill: Divine Aura of the Armor God.]
A blinding blue light pulsed through Lawson's body.
On his phone interface, a new golden tab appeared:
[SECRET SKILL LIST].
"Lawson? What happened? Your eyes... they're terrifying right now," Katie asked, stepping back in concern.
"I finished a hidden quest. I got Armor Smith Secret Skills. This... this defies everything I know about the game logic," Lawson muttered. "I need Ester. Now."
"Ester! Ester! Get out here!"
"What is it now... brother Lawson, you're interrupting my beauty sleep..." Ester shimmered into existence, leaning lazily against the wall and rubbing her eyes. Lawson pointed frantically at his screen.
Ester squinted at the tablet, her fingers flying across the screen as she input commands. Suddenly, her drowsy expression vanished. "Uh... what? This... this is actually happening!?"
"The System has recognized your act of transferring a precious Mastery—and your outstanding command during the raid—as proof that you possess the 'vessel' to advance into a God-Tier Armor Smith. Thus, the System has opened exclusive, game-breaking skills for you. Use them to explore this world."
"So the System actually creates new rules in real-time based on my actions?" Lawson breathed.
"I told you, System Master is very generous!" Ester yawned again, her form fading back into the void.
"Good deeds bring rewards. Explanation over, I'm going back to bed..."
Lawson's heart hammered against his ribs as he tapped the skill descriptions.
[SECRET SKILL: DIVINE AURA OF THE ARMOR GOD]
[Effect: Upon activation, all armored allies within range receive a 150% power boost.]
"With this... can I actually join you guys on the front lines?" Lawson gripped his fist in excitement.
"No way! It's too dangerous!" Katie objected immediately.
"You don't have defensive armor! No matter how strong your buffs are, you're still just flesh and blood!"
"Wait, look at the other one. The System wouldn't give me a death sentence."
[SECRET SKILL: GRACE OF THE ARMOR GOD]
[Effect: Upon activation, the Armor Smith is shielded by supreme divine power. A nano-protective layer instantly creates an Absolute Barrier, making the user immune to all forms of damage.]
Katie stared at the screen, her jaw dropping. "That's literally 'God Mode'. You're not an Armor Smith anymore; you're a Game Manager with a cheat code!"
"If I were an Admin, I would've changed my class to Warrior years ago instead of sweating over these metal scraps," Lawson joked, though his eyes sparkled.
"But you've achieved half your dream, Lawson," Katie whispered.
"You can finally stand beside us."