Ch. 6 — Rhythm and Ruin
The Pattern Sharpens. The Hits Get Harder.
The room didn't give her long.
As the final echoes of the fallen Grulkin's collapse faded, the torches along the perimeter flared again—this time brighter, hotter. The floor beneath Caidyn shifted, interlocking stone slabs rearranging with quiet mechanical precision. A fresh section of the arena pulled open across from her, revealing a wider chamber cloaked in flickering red light.
[System]
Combat Gauntlet Progressing to Phase 2.
Enemy Identified: Razorclaw Vulk.
The air grew heavier.
From the far end of the chamber, the Vulk emerged—not the mindless rush of the Grulkin, but a slow, methodical prowl. Shoulder-high and corded with muscle, it moved with animal precision. Bone-like armor plates ran across its chest and forearms, but the gaps at the joints flickered—unarmored and exposed.
Essence Flow: 20/100
Caidyn's fingers hovered near her holsters, instinct pulling toward the Twin Vipers—but something in the Vulk's frame halted her.
Too heavy. That thing eats pistol fire. I need pressure.
She slung the Frostfire Marksman from her back, flipping its action open in one motion.
"Kairos," she muttered. "Pull the Corrosive Core. Now. Slot it."
"Of course," came the AI's smooth reply.
A ripple of code shimmered near her shoulder as the flame core slipped free, vanishing into Kairos's subspace. In its place, the green pulse of the Corrosive Core locked in with a click and a faint hiss of acidic pressure.
"Ammo too. Swap in the Hollow-Points."
Another flicker. The magazine ejected, caught midair by a ghost-hand, replaced instantly by the segmented clip. Her HUD confirmed the sync.
The Frostfire Marksman vibrated in her hands—heavier now, hungrier.
The Vulk charged.
She didn't run.
A sharp pivot, a low crouch, rifle up.
Breathe. Line it up.
First shot—clean into the leg. Corrosive acid burst outward from the joint, eating its way beneath the armor.
Essence Flow: 21/100
Second shot to the exposed side, staggered its momentum.
Essence Flow: 23/100
The Vulk growled in frustration, stumbling forward, and Caidyn rolled right, planted herself near the corner of the room.
The next round lined up against the creature's right clavicle—she squeezed.
Essence Flow: 25/100
The flow surged.
[System]
Essence Flow Threshold Activated: 25/100
Synergy Detected: Corrosive Core + Hollow-Point Ammo
Amplified Effect: Deep Penetration Shot
Target Armor Shred Amplified — Internal Integrity Breach Triggered.
Her rifle glowed faintly at the muzzle, pressure cycling through reinforced coils. When the trigger snapped back, the bullet tore from the barrel with a sound like tearing metal.
The round hit dead center.
A split-second later, the impact blew a ragged, fist-sized hole through the Vulk's chest. It stumbled, jerked, and dropped with a sickening thud. The acid that remained hissed against stone, curling smoke into the air.
Essence Flow: 26/100
Caidyn let her exhale out slowly, steam drifting from the rifle's barrel.
Kairos pulsed nearby, dry as ever. "So dramatic for a single shot."
"Sometimes one's enough."
Another light bloomed overhead.
[System]
Phase 2 Complete.
Preparing Phase 3: PvP Simulation
Caidyn adjusted the rifle's weight across her shoulder and walked forward without another word.
The walls shifted again, stone grinding beneath her boots as the arena rearranged itself with methodical efficiency. No dramatic fade-outs, no celebratory fanfare. Just the steady, silent movement of the Tower.
[System]
Phase 3 Initiation Imminent: PvP Simulation Arena Reset in 180 seconds.
Caidyn rolled her shoulders out slowly, letting the moment settle. Her breathing was steady. Her pulse—measured.
Essence Flow: 10/100
Back to baseline, she thought, quietly noting the drop. That's fine. I don't need the surge to keep pace—just the rhythm.
She holstered the Frostfire Marksman with a quiet clack, its core still simmering faintly. A gesture, precise and intentional, brought up the swap menu.
"Back to Twin Viper," she murmured.
"Understood," Kairos replied. "Rearming configuration: Dual Core Frame — right Cryo, left Electric."
The twin pistols clicked into her holsters on either hip, the faint hiss of elemental pressurization activating with a low harmonic note. The Cryo Core shimmered faintly cold on the right side, its outer vents frosted at the edges, while the Electric Core buzzed with soft arcs of current from the left.
Each pistol synced to her HUD in sequence. Ready. Waiting.
This combination wasn't meant to dominate a single enemy with raw damage—it was made for disruption, slowing, stunning, controlling space and pace.
Not just speed, she reminded herself. Precision. Timing.
The room finished calibrating. The floor re-locked. The lights dimmed to a low, hostile red.
A countdown blinked into view, framed in digital blue:
[System]
PvP Trial — Combatant Upload Stabilizing...
Loadout Lock-In Confirmed.
Standby: 5… 4… 3…
She rolled her neck, fingers flexing once over each grip.
Let's see who they think can take me.
The Feykin reappeared in a blur of motion—ricocheting between cover angles like light bending through glass.
Caidyn tracked the movement carefully, her eyes narrowing with each pulse of light. Fast. Too fast for clean shots—but momentum always cracks somewhere.
She feinted left, baited the pivot, then twisted her torso mid-slide and opened fire.
Cryo on the right. Electric on the left.
The twin bursts caught the Feykin as they flickered from shadow to shimmer. The Cryo slowed them, flash-freezing into the outer muscle line, and the Electric followed with a crackling jolt that overloaded their blink-buffer. For a breath, they froze—not from damage, but from system confusion.
Stunned.
Essence Flow: 25/100
Now.
Caidyn didn't hesitate.
The Twin Vipers disappeared into holsters with a snap, and her hand swept behind her back to the bulk waiting there—familiar, heavy, and eager to roar.
The Modified Heavy Suppressor slammed into her grip with a magnetic hiss. The violet glow of the Gravity Core ran like veins through the length of the barrel and under the reinforced heat vents—less fire, more force.
[System Notice]
Weapon Detected: Heavy Suppressor (Gravity Variant)
Synergy Detected: Gravity Core + Gatling Frame
Effect: Gravity Field Intensity scales with sustained hits. Potency increases per strike. Prolonged bursts apply severe movement impairment.
Kairos didn't even comment this time.
She braced low. The Feykin was already trying to shake off the stun, twisting back into motion.
Caidyn pulled the trigger.
The barrels spun with a deep, bassy growl—louder than before, slower than her pistol fire, but each shot had weight. The kind that rewrote the air itself.
The first few rounds clipped the Feykin, and the field started small—barely a hiccup in gravity, a tremble under their boots.
The next hits dragged at their ankles. The micro-pulls deepened, each round adding to a growing singularity. Dust curled inward. Loose fragments hovered for a second too long.
By the fifth shot—
—the Feykin was fighting not just bullets, but mass.
Their dodge timing staggered. Their limbs strained.
Essence Flow: 34/100
Good, Caidyn thought, stepping forward to keep pressure high. You can run fast. But gravity doesn't care.
The suppressor howled.
With every hit, the singularity zone thickened—no explosion, no flash. Just weight. Invisible and undeniable. Every slug tightened its grip, dragging the space around it into clenched fists.
The Feykin threw a blink-glyph. It sparked against the ground, but failed to activate fast enough—too much pressure.
Essence Flow: 41/100
They tried to pivot.
Couldn't.
The gravity field had grown too dense.
They were locked down, caught in her rhythm.
And Caidyn kept shooting.
The suppressor's steady, grinding roar filled the arena as Caidyn poured every ounce of rhythm and focus into each successive shot. The gravity field pulsed and deepened with each round, wrapping tighter around the Feykin's legs and core.
Their movements grew sluggish, their blinks faltering, until every attempt to break free felt like pushing against a tide of invisible weight.
Essence Flow: 45/100
Caidyn's breath evened. Her hands didn't waver.
She fired again. The gravity well surged with a shuddering pulse that rippled outward—stronger, denser.
The air itself seemed to resist the Feykin's every step.
Essence Flow: 50/100
[System Notification]
Synergy Effect Upgraded: Gravity Core + Gatling Frame
Activation Triggered.
Target Immobilization and Forced Displacement Engaged.
Note: PvP Simulation — No fatalities. Full physical feedback enabled.
Suddenly, the pull became a violent shove.
The gravity singularity snapped like a stretched cord, then recoiled, launching the Feykin backward with brutal force.
They collided with the far wall, cracking the surface with a resounding impact that echoed through the arena.
The figure slumped, breathless, sliding down the wall in a stunned heap.
KO.
Caidyn exhaled slowly, the hum of the suppressor fading as the system confirmed her victory.
Though the arena was silent now, the pain—the full weight of that brutal throw—was hers to feel just as sharply.
The final impact echoed through the arena as the Feykin crumpled against the wall—knocked out cold but very much alive. The system's rules for the PvP simulation were strict: no fatalities, only the raw sting of every hit registered in full.
Caidyn eased her grip on the Heavy Suppressor, Essence Flow stabilizing back to a calm 20 points.
Her wrist HUD flickered insistently.
[System Notification]
Trial Complete: Floor 3 Combat Gauntlet
Base Rewards Delivered.
Bonus Rewards Activated: Overkill Achieved Three Times.
Overkill Summary:
• Overkill on Vulk Opponent
• Double Overkill on PvP Opponent — sheer damage output exceeded thresholds twice.
Extra Rewards Granted.
A cascade of new data flooded her inventory:
• Total Gold Awarded: 500 units (including bonus)
• Experience Points Awarded: 80 XP (including bonus) — Level Up Achieved: Level 3
• Stat Points Gained: 5
• Skill Points Gained: 2
• New Weapon Component Added: Rare Rarity Body Component
— Anti-Armor Assault Rifle Frame
The sleek outline of the new body component shimmered on her HUD, optimized for piercing armored targets with enhanced damage output. Though untested, it promised a new edge in combat.
Simultaneously, another notification appeared:
[System Notification]
Skill Selection Unlocked.
You may now spend Skill Points to acquire one or more of the following new skills:
Modular Overclock — Temporarily amplify the effect of a chosen modular weapon part mid-combat.
Shadowstep Surge — A swift shadow-infused dash that increases movement speed and boosts the next attack's damage.
Lucky Volley — Rapid-fire elemental bullet burst with increased critical chance and random elemental effects, boosting rare drop rates.
Elemental Cascade Protocol — Activate a dual-mode elemental firing system that cycles through cores and ammo types based on AI tactical input or a custom preset sequence.
Caidyn paused, weighing the possibilities, aware that her choice here could shape how she mastered the climb ahead.
Exiting the telepad, the arena's harsh fluorescent glow faded into the familiar muted light of the Tower lobby.
She moved with steady purpose through the exit corridor, muscles still humming with adrenaline and anticipation.
Outside, the cool air greeted her—a quiet reminder that the climb was far from over.
Her mind was already focused forward, toward new trials, new challenges, and the next step in her ascent.
The hum of the Tower faded behind her as Caidyn stepped onto the transport platform, the cool metal beneath her feet a steady contrast to the whirl of thoughts swirling in her mind. The cityscape stretched ahead, blurred slightly by the setting sun's glow, but her focus remained sharp—locked on the skill options still pulsing softly on her HUD.
Four skill points waited like a quiet promise.
The glowing list of abilities flickered in her vision:
Modular Overclock — 1 Skill Point
Shadowstep Surge — 1 Skill Point
Lucky Volley — 2 Skill Points
Elemental Cascade Protocol — 2 Skill Points
The rhythm of the city's bustle and the steady motion of the transport created a meditative space, one where decision and strategy melded seamlessly.
Lucky Volley, she thought, with its rapid-fire elemental bursts and critical strike boost—perfect to push my offense to a new level. Two points, but worth every second of consideration.
Shadowstep Surge called to her next—swift, shadow-infused movement, a dance between defense and attack. One point, a smart investment.
The others—the promise of Modular Overclock and the tactical depth of Elemental Cascade Protocol—waited patiently, like unopened doors on a long corridor.
Her fingers brushed the interface in quiet resolve.
Spend some, save some.
She locked in Lucky Volley first, the HUD confirming the cost of two points as the skill folded into her arsenal.
Next, she chose Shadowstep Surge, spending one more.
One skill point remained—safe, like a card held close for when the stakes were higher.
The transport hummed softly beneath her feet, carrying her steadily homeward.
Outside the window, the city lights blinked awake, but inside, a sense of calm resolve settled.
The climb isn't about reckless leaps, she mused, but steady steps, measured and sure.
By the time the platform reached her stop, Caidyn's mind was already charting the path ahead—skills sharpened, reserves intact, and determination unwavering.