Block 47 was a concrete labyrinth choked with rusting pipes and the skeletal remains of hydroponic equipment. The air hung thick with the smell of decaying nutrient paste and something vaguely electrical, a sharp tang that prickled the back of my throat. My HUD’s rudimentary map flickered, struggling to maintain a signal amidst the dense network of abandoned conduits and tunnels. The drone’s last ping bounced around erratically, leading me deeper into the decaying heart of the block.

Level 5-8 environmental hazards, the mission details had said. Rats, most likely. But the gnawing unease in my gut suggested something more. This far down, the System’s control was tenuous at best. Rumors spoke of glitches, pockets of unreality where the old systems – the pre-integration systems – sometimes bled through. Rumors also spoke of things that lived in those glitches, things that the System couldn't categorize, couldn't control.

I tightened my grip on the baton, its cheap polymer offering little comfort. My internal clock ticked steadily toward my shift at the processing plant. Every minute spent here was a minute lost earning those precious System Points, the only thing separating me from starvation.

The drone’s signal stabilized, pointing towards a collapsed section of the ceiling. Debris littered the floor, twisted metal and cracked concrete forming a makeshift ramp leading into the darkness above. Cautiously, I climbed, my boots crunching on shards of glass and ceramic.

The air grew colder as I ascended, the stale humidity replaced by a dry, almost metallic scent. The flickering lights of the Undercity were gone, swallowed by the thick concrete above. My HUD’s light cone barely pierced the gloom, revealing a narrow passage riddled with dangling wires and sparking conduits.

And then I saw it: a faint blue glow emanating from the far end of the tunnel. The drone.

As I approached, I noticed something odd. The blue glow wasn't coming from the drone itself, but from a panel in the wall behind it. A panel I recognized, even through layers of rust and decay.

An access panel to the old system.

My heart hammered against my ribs. These panels were supposed to be sealed, deactivated, relegated to the dustbin of history along with the analog world they represented. Yet here one was, active, glowing with a faint energy that hummed against my skin.

The drone lay deactivated at the base of the panel, its casing cracked. Whatever energy had emanated from the panel had fried its circuits. I cautiously reached out, my fingers brushing against the cold metal.

A rush of static coursed through my arm, followed by a blinding flash of light. My status window exploded in my vision, the familiar green text replaced by a cascading stream of symbols, characters I’d never seen before, scrolling at impossible speeds. My head throbbed, a searing pain behind my eyes.

Then, as abruptly as it began, it stopped. The blue glow faded, the panel went dark, and my status window returned, flickering erratically. But it was different.

[MARCUS CHEN]

Level: 6

Class: None

Potential: D-

Status: Unrestricted

System Access: Limited (Legacy Protocol Activated)

Unrestricted? Legacy Protocol Activated? What the hell did that mean?

My hand trembled as I reached out to the status window, instinctively trying to cycle through the sub-menus. Instead of the usual limited options, a cascade of unfamiliar icons and data streams flooded my vision. It was overwhelming, a torrent of information I couldn't begin to process.

A soft chime echoed through the tunnel. My HUD, which had gone dark during the surge, flickered back to life, displaying a new icon: a stylized key with a binary code swirling around it. Beneath it, a single line of text:

> Legacy Access Granted. Initiating Protocol Alpha.

Before I could even begin to comprehend what was happening, a voice echoed in my mind, a voice unlike anything I’d ever heard, both synthetic and somehow… ancient.

“Designation: Marcus Chen. System Integrity Compromised. Initiating legacy restoration protocols.”

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My legs felt weak, my mind reeling. This wasn't just a glitch. This was something… else. Something bigger.

Suddenly, a series of images flashed through my mind: schematics of the Undercity, data streams, architectural blueprints of the arcology blocks above, and something else… something darker, more sinister… a hidden layer beneath the System, a network of control nodes and energy conduits pulsing with a malevolent energy.

Then, just as suddenly, it stopped. The voice was gone, the images faded, leaving me standing in the darkness, my breath ragged, my mind racing.

I stumbled back, my hand instinctively reaching for the baton. This wasn't just a drone recovery mission anymore. This was something far more dangerous, something that could get me killed.

But it was also something… exciting.

For the first time in my life, I felt a flicker of hope, a sense of possibility that transcended the limitations of my D- rank status. The System, the very thing that had defined my existence, my limitations, was flawed. And I, Marcus Chen, the bottom-feeder, the nobody, held the key to exposing its flaws.

A low growl echoed from the darkness behind me. I spun around, my baton raised. Two glowing red eyes pierced the gloom. Not rats. Something bigger, something… enhanced.

The System’s control might be weakened here, but its creatures still roamed these abandoned tunnels. And whatever I had stumbled upon, whatever secrets lay hidden within the legacy protocol, I wasn’t alone.

I gripped the baton tighter, my heart pounding in my chest. The System had given me a death sentence. Now, it seemed, it was giving me a chance to fight back.

My HUD flickered, the legacy key icon pulsing with a faint blue light. A new message scrolled across the screen:

> Analyzing environmental threats. Recommending defensive strategy: Evasive Maneuvers. Secondary Recommendation: Kinetic Override.

Kinetic Override? What the hell was that?

I didn’t have time to find out. The creature lunged, its claws extended, its eyes burning with a predatory hunger.

Instinct took over. I ducked under its swipe, the stale air whistling past my ear. My HUD flashed, highlighting a series of pressure points on the creature's body, points I'd never noticed before, points that seemed to shimmer with a faint energy.

Kinetic Override. It was a fighting style, a way of manipulating the System’s energy flow to enhance physical attacks. It was something I shouldn't be able to access, something reserved for higher-level combatants with specialized training.

But the legacy protocol had changed the rules.

Focusing on the highlighted points, I channeled a surge of adrenaline, a raw, untamed energy that pulsed through my body. My movements became faster, more precise, almost preternatural.

I struck the creature’s flank, my baton connecting with a sickening crunch. The creature shrieked, a high-pitched wail that echoed through the tunnels. It stumbled back, momentarily disoriented.

I pressed the attack, my movements guided by the HUD’s constantly updating analysis. Each strike landed with pinpoint accuracy, exploiting weaknesses in the creature's defenses that I couldn’t have possibly known existed moments before.

The creature roared, its rage fueled by the unexpected resistance. It lashed out again, its claws tearing through the air where I’d stood moments before. I rolled away, my body moving with a fluidity I’d never experienced before.

The legacy protocol wasn’t just giving me information; it was enhancing my abilities, pushing me beyond the limitations of my D-rank status. I was still level 6, my potential still technically D-, but I was fighting like something… more.

The creature lunged again, its jaws snapping shut inches from my face. I dodged, twisting my body, channeling the last of my adrenaline into a single, decisive blow. My baton connected with the creature’s skull, a sharp crack echoing through the tunnel.

The creature collapsed, its glowing eyes dimming, its body convulsing briefly before going still.

I stood over its lifeless form, my chest heaving, my body trembling with exhaustion and a strange, exhilarating sense of power.

The legacy protocol had saved my life. It had also opened a door to a world I’d never imagined possible. A world where the System wasn’t absolute, where even a D-rank like me could challenge the established order.

My HUD flickered, the legacy key icon pulsing steadily. A new message appeared:

> Threat neutralized. Analyzing biological signature. Results: System-enhanced Canis lupus. Designation: Alpha-strain.

Alpha-strain. No wonder it was so tough. These enhanced creatures were usually found in the upper levels, hunted for sport by the elite. What was one doing this far down?

Another message appeared:

> Analyzing legacy data. Detected: System instability in Sector -2. Potential for further anomalies. Recommendation: Proceed with caution.

System instability. Anomalies. It was like the old world, the pre-integration world, was trying to claw its way back into existence.

I looked back at the deactivated drone, at the darkened access panel. The legacy protocol had unlocked something powerful, something dangerous. Something that could change everything.

I took a deep breath, the metallic tang of the old system still clinging to the air. Fifty System Points for a lost drone. That’s what the mission had promised.

But what I had found was worth far more than that.

I turned and walked back towards the collapsed section of the ceiling, my mind racing with possibilities. The Undercity, the lower tiers, the entire stratified hierarchy of New Manhattan… it was all built on the foundation of the System.

And if the System was flawed, if it could be manipulated, then everything could change.

The acid rain was still falling when I emerged from Block 47, the flickering lights of the Undercity painting the wet streets in shades of blue and red. My shift at the processing plant was about to start.

But tonight, something was different.

Tonight, I wasn’t just a D-rank scraping by in the shadows. Tonight, I was something more.

Tonight, I held a secret. And that secret was power.