The mist thinned, pulled backward as if inhaled by something deeper inside the chamber.The metal floor beneath them shifted silently, plates rearranging in a pattern too deliberate to be mechanical.
The simulation was preparing its next phase.
Jarek wiped sweat from his brow, still staring at Elias as though trying to understand what he had just witnessed.
"Where did you learn to move like that?" he demanded.
Elias didn't answer.Instead, he stepped past him, eyes fixed on the shifting terrain.
Aria followed a moment later.Her footsteps were soft, but her presence cut cleanly through the air.
"Your movements," she said quietly."Precise. Efficient. You conserved momentum perfectly."
Jarek snorted."He got lucky. That's it."
Aria ignored him.
Her attention stayed on Elias, eyes narrowing slightly—as if she were trying to peel back layers without touching them.
Elias met her gaze briefly.
"For constructs, it was enough," he said calmly.
Enough.
Not more.
Not impressive.
Just enough.
Aria watched him for another heartbeat, then turned away.But the look she had given him lingered—sharp, studying, far too perceptive for comfort.
The floor locked into a new configuration.Three corridors extended from their position, each one carved from dark metal, lit by dim runic strips.
Above them, text shimmered into existence.
Rift Simulation — Phase TwoObjective: Reach the Faultline CoreTime Limit: 20 minutes
A subtle vibration traveled through the chamber—slow at first, then rising into a low hum that crawled up their bones.
Jarek swore under his breath.
"What the hell is a Faultline Core?"
Aria answered first.
"It's a rupture point," she said."A place where mana density reaches critical instability. Simulated, but dangerous. If we're too slow, the chamber destabilizes."
"In other words," Elias added, "the ceiling collapses."
Jarek blinked."…Oh."
Then the lights flickered.
A thin crack spidered across the ceiling above the left corridor.Metal groaned.
Aria pointed toward the middle path."This one. The mana flow converges there."
Jarek frowned."How do you know—"
"Because I'm not blind."
Jarek muttered something under his breath and followed reluctantly.
The corridor pressed in around them—narrow, dim, every sound amplified.Their footsteps echoed like distant drums.
A sudden clang rang out ahead.
Jarek jumped.Elias didn't.
Aria placed a hand on the wall, her eyes glowing faintly.
"Something's moving," she whispered."Forward. Large. Multiple signatures."
Elias moved to the front.
Jarek grabbed his shoulder immediately.
"Woah. Wait. Why are you—"
Elias looked at him with quiet, unshakable calm.
"You're loud," he said."You telegraph every step. The enemies will hear you first. And they will swarm you."
Jarek froze.
Aria blinked—just once, but it was enough to show her surprise.
Elias stepped past them both, maintaining a pace that was neither fast nor slow.Just steady.Controlled.
Ahead, the corridor opened into a larger chamber—dim blue lights pulsing along the walls like a heartbeat.
Shapes shifted within the darkness.
Aria inhaled sharply.
"Not constructs," she murmured.
Jarek squinted."What are they then?"
Elias already knew.
The System confirmed it a second later.
Spiritual Aberrations detectedSemi-sentient. Adaptive behavior present.Danger level: Elevated
Long, twisted forms slid out of the darkness—creatures born from corrupted mana, their bodies flickering between physical and spectral states.
Aberrations.
Simulation or not, these things were lethal.
The largest one screeched, its voice grinding like broken metal.They converged instantly.
Jarek roared and rushed forward.
"Finally—something I can smash!"
He slammed his fist into the nearest aberration.His punch connected—barely.
The creature's body rippled, absorbing part of the impact, and countered with a backhand swipe that sent Jarek staggering.
Aria moved with cold, analytical precision.Her hand glowed with a faint temporal shimmer.She stepped aside a heartbeat before an aberration struck, dodging an attack she had already seen.
Her palm hit its jaw.Time bent.The creature jerked violently, disoriented.
Elias entered the fray without hesitation.
No flashy technique.No spells.Just a clean, direct strike to the center of the creature's throat.
His shard of metal slid in with surgical efficiency.
The aberration dissolved into fragments of dissolved mana.
Another System message appeared.
Spiritual fragment absorbedReflex enhancement integrated
A slight current of sharpened focus rushed through his limbs.
Aria caught the movement.
Her eyes narrowed.
Not suspicion.
Curiosity.
He dispatched the second aberration with a calculated pivot, using its own momentum against it.The third lunged.He met it with a quiet step forward and a rising knee strike—clean, fast, lethal.
Dust blew across the chamber.
Jarek stared at him, dumbfounded.
"…What are you?"
Elias wiped his blade on his sleeve.
"For now," he said softly, "your teammate."
Aria's gaze lingered on him a moment longer.
Then she looked ahead.
"The Faultline Core is close," she said."Prepare yourselves."
But as she spoke, the chamber trembled.Metal twisted.Lights burned a violent crimson.
A new message carved itself sharply into Elias's vision.
Boss entity generatedFaultline Guardian — Tier C
A towering shape pulled itself from the far wall, armored in jagged plates of black metal, eyes glowing with unstable mana.
Jarek took a step back."Oh no. Nope. That's a real boss."
Aria's voice dropped to a quiet whisper.
"…This shouldn't appear in a D-rank simulation."
Elias shifted his weight.
His heartbeat slowed.
The Guardian roared.
Opportunity.
Growth.
Experience.
His fingers tightened around the metal shard.
The sovereign inside him stirred.