Chapter 13 – Descent into the Unknown
Dawn arrived like a whisper.
Not with light, but with pressure.
The mana in the air twisted violently—dense, sharp, almost alive. It coiled through the ruins like smoke, sinking into cracks, rising in tendrils. Birds had long since fled the area. No sound stirred but the hum of energy.
Auther stood at the rim of the sinkhole.
And it was no longer a sinkhole.
It had become… something else.
A gate.
Floating just a meter above the ground was a shimmering tear in space, ringed by glowing golden runes. The glyphs rotated slowly in opposite directions, layered with geometric complexity that stung the eyes. Within the ring, shadows churned in an oily fog, and violet light pulsed like a heartbeat from a great beast sleeping beyond.
The gate breathed.
Every few seconds, the mana would contract inward, then exhale outward in a silent burst.
[Mini-Gate Formed: Rank – F to E]
[Clear Condition: Eliminate Dungeon Core Guardian]
[Time Limit: 3 Hours]
[Warning: Exceeding time limit will trigger gate destabilization]
Auther took one final breath, activating Starwave Breathing. His internal mana aligned with the air around him, smoothing the sharpest pressure spikes.
He wasn't ready.
He was never going to be fully ready.
But he was as prepared as he could be.
He stepped forward—and vanished.
---
▓▓▓ Entering Gate ▓▓▓
The first thing he noticed was the silence.
No wind. No echo. Just the sound of his own footsteps.
He stood inside what looked like a warped underground temple. The air was stale and thick with mana, so much so that it glowed faintly blue in the air like fog.
The walls were made of dark stone, twisted and cracked, glowing with faint lines of gold. Arcane symbols lined the ceiling in a language that made his skin crawl.
The ground was uneven, formed from broken slabs and carved platforms, as if the dungeon had been half-formed, like a memory of a place that never fully existed.
Auther summoned his Mana Edge to light the area with a faint glow, the blade humming softly at his side.
He stepped forward.
A glyph underfoot flashed.
He immediately jumped back.
CRACK.
A bolt of mana arced from the wall and scorched the stone where he'd just been. Smoke drifted from the impact zone.
"Traps," he muttered. "Mana-activated glyphs."
He crouched, observing the floor carefully now.
There—patterns on the edges of some tiles. Not quite visible at first glance, but slightly brighter, the mana lines subtly pulsing.
He activated Enhanced Hearing and Reflex Boost, slowing his perception as he began weaving between the unstable tiles.
Twice he nearly triggered another bolt, but his honed reflexes and careful awareness pulled him back just in time.
Fifteen minutes in, and the environment was already trying to kill him.
Perfect.
---
The temple hall opened into a wide chamber.
Six pillars stood in a rough circle around a cracked, floating crystal embedded in the air, slowly spinning. Around it were five shadowy figures—beasts, hunched and twitching with raw energy. Their skin was dark, almost bark-like, and long crystalline spikes jutted from their arms and backs.
Mana Golems.
Three of them were Rank F3. Two… F4.
The one in the center?
Rank E1.
Auther's pupils constricted.
He barely had enough strength to handle F4s one at a time. E1? That was a different class of problem.
But he didn't need to fight them all.
He needed a strategy.
He backed up, taking cover behind a pillar.
He reviewed his skill list.
Offensive:
Mana Edge (F3)
Burst Step (F4)
Piercing Mana Spike (F5)
Control:
Mana Flow Regulation (F5)
Starwave Breathing (F7)
Support:
Lesser Flesh Knitting (F4)
Reflex Boost (F4)
Reinforced Frame (F4)
Enhanced Hearing (F4)
Fighting Mastery (F3)
Thirteen points remained.
Just enough to make one more useful utility or distraction skill.
He thought fast.
---
[Skill Creation – Open]
Name: Phantom Echo
Description: "Condense mana into a clone-like illusion that mimics user's shape and movement pattern for 3 seconds before exploding into noise and light. No damage. Pure distraction."
[Rank: F5 – Cost: 12 Points]
Perfect.
He confirmed.
---
[Skill Created: Phantom Echo (F5)]
[Skill Points Remaining: 1]
---
Auther focused mana and created the echo.
A shimmer appeared beside him—vague, humanoid, blurry but distinct enough to draw the eye. He tapped it and sent it running toward the golems.
The crystal beasts all twitched, heads turning sharply toward the echo.
Auther grinned and Burst Stepped to the far left, dashing behind another column.
The echo danced for two more seconds, then—
FLASH.
A blinding burst of light and crackling noise.
The golems howled, flinching.
Auther sprang forward, targeting the nearest F3 golem, already disoriented.
Mana Edge activated.
His blade sliced across its knee joint with a precise horizontal cut.
Crack.
The leg buckled, forcing the creature down. Before it could recover, he thrust Piercing Mana Spike through the back of its neck.
Shards of mana and crystal exploded outward.
One down.
The others were now fully alerted.
The two F4 golems advanced, launching sharp mana projectiles from the crystalline spines on their backs.
Auther ducked and rolled behind another pillar.
The shards struck the column, blowing chunks of stone in every direction.
His cloak was torn, and his shoulder burned from a grazing hit.
He activated Flesh Knitting, closing the shallow wound in seconds.
Too close.
If they hit him dead on, he'd be skewered.
He had to isolate them.
He used another Phantom Echo, sending it right into their path again.
As they focused on the echo, he leapt onto a half-broken pillar and jumped from it onto the back of a golem, driving his Mana Edge into the base of its neck.
It screamed in a garbled, mechanical tone.
The other turned, but Auther kicked off the first golem's collapsing body and slammed into the second mid-turn.
He shoved the last remaining Mana Spike into its throat and let gravity do the rest.
It fell, twitching.
Silence returned.
---
He dropped to one knee, breathing heavily, mana core surging from Starwave Breathing as it stabilized his recovery.
He checked his body—tired, bruised, but intact.
Only one enemy remained.
The E1 Mana Golem, standing still at the center of the room, silent and unmoving.
Like it was watching.
It hadn't attacked yet.
That… unsettled him.
Suddenly, its head rotated toward him.
And it spoke.
A voice like cracking stone and broken circuits echoed through the room.
> "IDENTITY: UNKNOWN. RECORD: NULL. TRAIT: ADAPTIVE."
"JUDGMENT: WORTHY OF TEST."
It raised its arm.
Mana surged. Crystals vibrated.
And the core crystal behind it pulsed like a heartbeat, sending a wave of pressure crashing through the chamber.
Auther felt it like a punch to the lungs.
The real fight was about to begin.
He smiled.
Heart racing.
"I'm ready."