Chapter 14 – Trial by Crystal
The Guardian moved.
One step.
That's all it took to shake the entire chamber.
Its armored feet cracked the stone floor beneath it, each movement accompanied by the low hum of building energy. Dozens of jagged crystals protruded from its arms and shoulders, glowing with condensed mana.
Auther's breath caught in his throat.
The Guardian was a full rank above him—E1—its body forged from dense mana-formed crystal, laced with gold-etched glyphs, and eyes burning with artificial intellect. It was larger than the others—nearly three meters tall—and unlike them, it wasn't mindless.
It had judged him.
And it had found him worthy of a test.
The golem raised a hand.
> "Initiating combat protocol. Adaptive pressure test."
The world screamed.
A wave of mana exploded from its core, so dense and overwhelming that Auther had to immediately activate Reinforced Frame and Starwave Breathing just to remain standing.
His bones creaked under the weight of that pressure.
This wasn't just raw strength.
It was intelligent pressure. Controlled mana designed to simulate a real high-level Awakener's suppression field.
"Shit—!"
The golem didn't give him time to think.
It vanished in a blur of light—moved, not teleported—and appeared directly in front of him.
Auther barely managed to cross his arms as a massive backhand slammed into his guard.
He flew backward like a ragdoll.
He smashed through a stone pillar, tumbled over the floor, and coughed blood as he skidded to a stop.
Pain bloomed across his chest. A cracked rib at least.
Lesser Flesh Knitting activated instinctively, mending the internal tear as mana flowed in from Starwave Breathing.
"Fast. Strong. Coordinated," he muttered, wiping blood from his mouth. "I can't block. I can't trade."
He had to adapt.
He activated Burst Step, darting to the right just as a lance of crystal shot past where he stood, impaling the wall.
The Guardian rotated smoothly, palm extended. Dozens of small shards hovered in the air behind it, forming a rotating halo.
Then they launched.
Auther moved—fast. He weaved through the spinning darts, rolling, leaping over a broken platform, letting two slam into his shoulder and thigh as Reinforced Frame absorbed the brunt.
He took cover behind a fallen column, breathing hard.
He opened the Skill Creation menu mid-fight.
> I need an edge. Something that can interrupt that control or buy me time.
He had 1 skill point left.
Not enough.
Unless…
Unless he sacrificed a skill.
He hesitated—then removed Piercing Mana Spike.
It had served him well, but it was limited, and the damage output wasn't cutting it anymore.
+10 Skill Points Recovered. Total: 11.
He started writing.
---
Name: Disrupting Pulse
Description: "Release a small burst of unstable mana in a 2-meter radius around the user. Disrupts mana constructs, weakens control fields, and causes momentary interruption of spells or active mana formations."
[Rank: F4 – Cost: 11 Points]
He slammed the confirm button.
---
[Skill Created: Disrupting Pulse (F4)]
[Skill Points Remaining: 0]
---
The Guardian moved again—closing the distance with terrifying speed.
Auther lunged forward instead of retreating, getting inside its swing range.
The golem tried to grab him.
He activated Disrupting Pulse.
A shockwave of static mana pulsed from his body, rippling out like a crack in glass.
The Guardian's crystal arm twitched mid-swing.
The glowing constructs around its body flickered.
For a second—it staggered.
Auther leapt onto its arm, ran up its shoulder, and jumped toward its core.
Mana Edge flared.
He stabbed directly into the glyph circling the center crystal—
CRACK!
A spiderweb of damage spread from the impact.
The Guardian roared—its voice glitching, like a broken machine.
It backhanded him off its chest and sent him tumbling again, this time cracking his elbow.
Pain flared—but he was smiling.
"Found it…"
The glyph on its core wasn't just decoration.
It was the binding rune holding the mana construct together.
If he shattered it—he'd win.
But it wouldn't fall for that again.
The Guardian's aura expanded, pushing out with a second wave of mana suppression.
Auther staggered as his vision blurred.
The pressure was breaking his mana flow—his limbs slowed, mana refused to circulate.
But even through that crushing weight, he stood.
He activated Phantom Echo and sent the illusion circling behind the boss.
It didn't work this time.
The Guardian scanned and ignored it.
"Adaptive AI," Auther muttered. "Of course it won't fall for the same trick twice."
It fired another barrage.
Auther rolled, dashing through the debris, channeling everything into speed.
He threw Phantom Echo again—but this time, made two in succession.
The Guardian turned toward the first—instinct.
And for a split second—its core was exposed.
Auther dashed with everything he had left.
Burst Step → Reflex Boost → Reinforced Frame.
He took a crystal spike through the side—but pushed through.
Then—leapt, twisted mid-air—
And slammed Mana Edge into the core again.
The glyph shattered.
The Guardian froze.
Its eyes flickered.
Its crystal armor cracked down the center, glowing light bleeding through.
> "TEST—COMPLETE…"
It knelt slowly.
And then—it collapsed.
Shards of mana exploded into the air like shattered glass.
The crystal core floated upward, glowing softly.
And the runes in the chamber began to dim.
---
[Dungeon Cleared.]
[Dungeon Core Retrieved: Mana Crystal (Rank: E1)]
[Optional Loot: 1x Crystal Weapon, 1x Energy Technique]
[Bonus: Enemy One Rank Higher – +10 Skill Points]
[Perfect Kill Bonus – +3 Points]
[Total Gained: +13 Points]
---
Auther dropped to one knee, gasping for air.
His arm bled freely. His side burned.
But the pain didn't matter.
He'd done it.
He stood amidst broken crystal and fallen enemies.
And in his palm…
Was the first real treasure of his journey.
A glowing orb, dense with high-quality mana—the dungeon core.
And beside it, wrapped in crystal casing, was a thin manual etched with glowing script.
---
[Acquired Skill Book: "Energy Activation – Basic Form"]
---
Auther's eyes widened.
This was it.
The key.
The method used to absorb mana cores, crystals, and ambient energy into oneself.
Energy Activation—the path to true growth.
He clutched it to his chest and let out a shaky breath.
"Finally..."
The gate behind him shimmered.
The dungeon was closing.
He turned and stepped through—back into the ruins of Ashveil.
---
The sky was darker now.
Clouds had gathered, distant thunder rolling through the sky.
But Auther didn't care.
He held the core.
He held the technique.
And he had survived his first dungeon.
From here…
His journey truly began.