The descent was slow, agonizing, and terrifying. Kevin, dangling like a broken puppet, was a dead weight. His initial panic had subsided into a terrified, whimpering obedience.
"Vance, please, my hands are slipping! I can't hold on!" Kevin pleaded, his voice thin and strained.
Elias, with his superior grip and focus, was the only thing keeping them both from a forty-story plunge. He was using the System's blue overlay to find every slight imperfection in the building's facade—every ledge, every decorative groove—to slow their momentum.
"Stop whining, Kevin. Your System is a 'Bladesman,' isn't it? Focus your energy. Reinforce your grip," Elias commanded, his voice sharp.
"I... I don't know how! It just makes the blade! I can't control it!"
Elias sighed internally. The brute force Systems were often given to those with little mental discipline. They were powerful, but unintelligent. A perfect contrast to his own.
He checked his System Energy. SE: 55/100. He had enough for one more small Blueprint.
"System, Blueprint Generation. Structure Type: Temporary Handhold," Elias muttered.
[Blueprint Generated: Temporary Handhold (Tier 1)]
Required Materials:
• Structural Steel: 2 units
• System Energy (SE): 5
Function: Creates a small, reinforced steel spike capable of supporting a single person's weight for a short duration.
He executed the Blueprint, applying the energy to a small, barely visible crack in the concrete facade near Kevin's dangling hand. A small, black steel spike, no bigger than a finger, instantly solidified in the concrete.
"Kevin! Grab the spike! Now!"
Kevin, driven by pure terror, lunged and secured his hand around the spike. The relief on his face was immediate.
"Thank you, Vance! Thank you!"
"Don't thank me. You owe me 2 units of Structural Steel and 5 SE. Now, focus. We're almost at the first major setback."
The "setback" was the 10th floor sky bridge connecting their building to the adjacent tower. It was a massive, glass-enclosed walkway, and it was currently swarming with the winged creatures that had been driven off by the falling gargoyle.
Elias knew he couldn't rappel past them. He needed to get inside.
"Kevin, you have a blade. I need you to cut a hole in the glass wall of the sky bridge on my mark. Can you do that?"
"Cut glass? Yes! My blade can cut anything!" Kevin's voice was suddenly filled with the confidence of his System.
"Good. On my count. Three... Two... One... Mark!"
As Elias swung them both towards the glass wall, Kevin unleashed a wild, desperate slash. The energy blade hit the reinforced glass with a blinding flash, carving a jagged, man-sized hole.
They swung through the opening and landed hard on the marble floor of the sky bridge. The winged creatures shrieked, their attention immediately drawn to the two intruders.
Elias was already moving. He grabbed a heavy, decorative marble planter.
"Kevin! Cover me! Keep them back!"
Kevin, energized by the fight, roared and began swinging his energy blade, keeping the creatures at bay.
Elias didn't waste a second. He placed his hands on the marble planter.
"System, Blueprint Generation. Structure Type: Barricade."
[Blueprint Generated: Emergency Barricade (Tier 1)]
Required Materials:
• Reinforced Concrete (Grade 4): 10 units
• Structural Steel: 5 units
• Office Furniture (Mixed): 20 units
• System Energy (SE): 15
Function: Creates a temporary, reinforced wall capable of withstanding low-level monster attacks.
He executed the Blueprint, applying the energy to the planter and the surrounding office desks. The materials list on his screen plummeted. The planter and desks instantly fused, hardening into a solid, reinforced wall that blocked the entrance to the sky bridge.
[Emergency Barricade (Tier 1) Complete.]
Structural Integrity: +15%
Passive Skill [Structural Integrity (Lvl 1)] Applied: Total +16% Durability.
System Energy (SE): 35/100
Kevin stopped swinging, panting heavily, staring at the newly formed wall. The creatures slammed into it, but it held firm.
"Vance... you built a wall," Kevin whispered, awe replacing terror.
"I'm the Architect, Kevin. Now, we find the next exit. And you're going to help me gather materials."
Elias had not only survived the descent but had secured a temporary safe zone and gained a powerful, if simple-minded, bodyguard. The first step of his ascent was complete. He was no longer just an architect; he was a builder of destiny.