I Received System to Become Dragonborn

Midnight finally came.

The facility was quieter and cloaked in a dim hush that blanketed everything like a heavy fog. Only the dull hum of ceiling lights and the faint purr of the ventilation system remained, a low constant background noise that reminded Erend how deep underground they were.

A perfect place to hide secrets of this project. Or bury them if something is happening. He was not naive, he was still thinking that after everything that happened, something must go wrong later.

He stood in the corridor near the living quarters with arms folded, leaning lightly against the cold steel wall.

His senses were tuned razor-sharp, honed by the hours he'd spent filtering the flow of emotions, whispers, and movement within the base.

He'd made no move yet. Just listened and waited for now.

And now the clock had struck midnight.

In the past twelve hours, Erend had identified ten spies scattered throughout the facility. Their cover stories ranged from engineers to junior analysts and even one posing as a medical staffer.

They each worked for different nations or corporations desperate to get their hands on anything related to the project which was the fusion of Magic and human physiology.

Some were cautious and skilled. But the others were amateurs playing a deadly game for profit.

He'd sent their names, room numbers, and details to General Lennard a few hours prior. The General's reply had been short and dry, as expected:

"Bring them to me. Don't beat them too much."

He had no time nor patience for games and asking them nicely. This wasn't about politics or money. It was about stopping threats before they grew fangs. He wasn't here to interrogate them to reveal their deed.

He was here to eliminate risk.

He slipped into motion, his steps soft but deliberate. The halls around the candidates' quarters were dimmed for the night cycle.

Metal floor panels met his boots with only a whisper of sound. His Dragonborn enhanced senses stretched ahead, reading the ripple of emotions like sonar once again.

He sensed various nerves like static electricity from one room, a pulse too fast for someone supposedly asleep from the other rooms, and suppressed adrenaline like someone trying hard not to breathe too loudly. Everything just feels the same.

He had already memorized the order. He would move through them like a cold wind. Swift, silent, and absolute. If any of them tried to run, it wouldn't matter.

He'd already studied the layout. There was nowhere to go. He would intercept before they could reach a terminal or exit point.

He wasn't alone either. He'd quietly pinged the General's most trusted soldiers stationed here. Two of them were waiting on standby a few corridors away.

They wouldn't interfere unless needed. But if one of the spies had backup stationed outside the facilities, well, they'd get to join the round-up.

Erend's hand rested on the handle of his room keycard just as he passed it. Rest would come later.

Because tonight wasn't about rest.

The ten people were about to learn what it meant to betray this project.

Erend stopped at the first door—Room 3B. Without a word, he raised his hand and knocked once.

A beat passed. Then the door clicked open.

A thin man in his mid-thirties appeared, his eyes shadowed and lips pressed in a nervous half-smile.

Behind him, the glow of a laptop screen still pulsed on the desk, flickering with lines of text and encrypted data.

His fingers twitched by his side as if deciding whether to reach for something or run.

Erend didn't give him the chance.

He stepped forward in an instant and drove his fist into the man's stomach. The spy's breath caught mid-gasp as he folded forward, consciousness draining from his face.

Erend caught his limp body before it could thud loudly to the ground.

He moved swiftly inside, shut the door, and disabled the laptop's transmission process with a few key commands.

Then, using a binding strap he stored in his belt, he tied the man's wrists behind the chair and gagged him.

He exited the room and moved to the next.

Room 4D. A woman this time. Late twenties. Glasses askew and hair slightly damp. She'd been pacing before the knock. She opened the door quickly, clearly startled.

Her eyes widened when she saw him. "Wait—"

Erend struck, palm to her chest with controlled force. She flew backward onto the bed with a muffled thud and went out cold.

He did the same procedure. Disable her laptop, bind her, secure the device.

Room by room, it continued.

In Room 5A, the spy tried to slam the door shut again when he saw Erend's smiling face, but Erend kicked it open and pinned him to the floor before he could scream.

Room 6C held a nervous-looking woman typing fast, earbuds in. She didn't even see him coming until it was too late. He just entered the room after breaking the lock. Then sent a single strike to the temple that dropped her instantly.

Room 7A. A man clutching a hidden communicator while opening his door. Erend knocked it from his hand mid-sentence, sending sparks across the floor. The man tried to struggle but one punch silenced him.

Erend shut down the communicator where there was still the last trace of transmission logs.

Room 8B. The spy attempted to use his weapon. Erend, already glowing faintly with Dragonborn aura, responded by grabbing his wrist and snapping it against the desk before knocking him unconscious.

Room 9C. Twin monitors glowed as multiple files transferred via secure lines.

Erend ripped the cables, triggered a lockdown, and laid the spy flat with a spinning elbow.

In room 10D, the spy said some desperate pleas and told Erend that he can explain. Erend didn't let him finish. The man crumpled like paper beneath his heel.

Finally, Room 11E. The last. This one stood frozen with a blade hidden behind his back. Erend didn't even blink. A flash of punch from his palm disarmed the man, and a follow-up blow left him unconscious.

Ten spies. Ten secured rooms. All laptops, drives, or devices were secured and set aside for analysis and evidence.

It was over within twenty minutes.

Not a single alarm had been raised.

Erend stood alone in the corridor once more, breathing steady. Midnight passed. The silence returned.

The threat, for now, was neutralized.

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