Vaelen, the corrupted mage, unleashed a torrent of dark energy, the air in the hidden chamber growing heavy and oppressive. Shadows writhed and coalesced, forming sharp tendrils that lashed out at Kaito.
"You cannot stop me, anomaly!" Vaelen shrieked, his eyes glowing with malevolent power. "This kingdom will fall, and I will rise!"
Kaito, however, remained calm. He analyzed Vaelen's code, his Debug Mode highlighting the corrupted spells and the source of his power – the pulsating dark crystal behind him.
[Object: Vaelen]
[Level: 200]
[Class: Corrupted Mage]
[Alignment: Evil]
[Corruption Source: Shadow Amplification Crystal]
"A Shadow Amplification Crystal, huh?" Kaito murmured. "Explains the power boost."
He dodged the incoming shadow tendrils with practiced ease, his movements fluid and precise. He summoned his earth elemental staff, slamming it against the ground. A wave of earth magic erupted, forming a protective barrier between him and Vaelen.
"Your petty magic won't save you!" Vaelen roared, channeling more power into his attacks. The shadows intensified, becoming more aggressive, tearing at Kaito's barrier.
Kaito knew he couldn't just defend. He needed to disable the source of Vaelen's power and rewrite his corrupted code. He focused on the Shadow Amplification Crystal.
[Object: Shadow Amplification Crystal]
[Properties: Corrupted Energy Amplification, Shadow Affinity]
[Status: Active]
He then edited its status.
[Object: Shadow Amplification Crystal]
[Properties: Corrupted Energy Amplification, Shadow Affinity]
[Status: Inactive]
As soon as the crystal's status changed, its pulsating dark energy flickered and died down. Vaelen staggered, his flow of power abruptly cut off. The shadows around him weakened, losing their sharp edges.
"What?! What did you do?" Vaelen sputtered, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Just a little debugging," Kaito replied, a smirk playing on his lips. "Your power source has been... deactivated."
Now that Vaelen's amplified power was gone, his true level of 200 felt significantly less threatening. Kaito focused on Vaelen's corrupted code, the lines of dark energy that twisted his spells and fueled his malice.
He began to rewrite it, replacing the corrupted commands with stable, neutral code. It was a delicate process, like defusing a volatile program. Each line of rewritten code caused Vaelen to twitch and groan, his corrupted aura flickering.
[Object: Vaelen]
[Corruption Source: None]
[Alignment: Neutral]
As the last lines of corrupted code were overwritten, Vaelen collapsed, his body convulsing. The dark energy that clung to him dissipated, leaving him looking pale and disoriented.
He slowly sat up, his eyes no longer glowing with malice, but filled with confusion and a hint of fear. "Where... where am I? What happened?"
"You were under the influence of corrupted magic," Kaito explained, lowering his staff. "It made you do some bad things."
Vaelen looked around the chamber, his gaze falling on the now inert crystal. He seemed to recognize it, a flicker of understanding crossing his face, followed by a wave of despair.
"The crystal... I... I don't remember..." he stammered, clutching his head. "I just felt... so angry. So powerful. I wanted to make everyone suffer."
Kaito felt a pang of something akin to pity. The corruption had twisted Vaelen, turning his despair into a weapon.
"It wasn't you," Kaito said gently. "The corruption amplified your negative emotions, turned them into something destructive."
Just then, the chamber doors burst open, and the royal guards, followed by the queen and the recovered King Theron, rushed in. They stared at Vaelen, who was now slumped on the floor, looking more pathetic than menacing.
"What happened here?" King Theron asked, his voice still weak but regaining its regal tone.
Kaito explained everything – the corrupted orb, the hidden passage, and Vaelen's manipulation by the Shadow Amplification Crystal. He showed them the now inert crystal, explaining its corrupting influence.
King Theron listened intently, his expression shifting from anger to understanding. He looked at Vaelen, who was now weeping softly, his face buried in his hands.
"So, he was a victim as well," the king murmured.
"The code of despair can be a powerful thing," Kaito said. "But it can also be rewritten."
The king turned to his guards. "Take him into custody. He will be given a fair trial. We need to understand how this corruption took root in our kingdom."
As the guards led a remorseful Vaelen away, King Theron turned to Kaito, his eyes filled with gratitude. "You have saved my life, stranger. And perhaps, the future of my kingdom. What is your name?"
"I am Kaito," he replied. "Just someone who's good at fixing things."
"Kaito," the king repeated. "You have my eternal gratitude. Ask anything of me, and it shall be yours."
Kaito thought for a moment. "Actually, there is something. I need access to the royal archives, specifically any information you have on the system's core code and any past instances of corruption."
King Theron nodded without hesitation. "It shall be done. You have earned it."
As Kaito was led towards the royal archives, he knew his quest to understand the true nature of Elysian Fields had just begun. He had debugged a corrupted mage and saved a king, but the system's deeper secrets still eluded him. And he had a feeling that the Administrator's forced logout was only a temporary setback. The code was still fighting back.