Jace landed hard.
The air was thick—like syrup and smoke. He coughed, rolled onto his side, and pushed himself up slowly. All around him, red lightning flickered through a sky painted with jagged, ink-dark clouds. The ground beneath him wasn't earth—it was some kind of stone, fractured and veined with molten crimson.
> [Location: Dimensional Rift – Origin Layer 01]
[Status: Spatial Integrity – Unstable]
[Archive Node Present: Scanning for Key Signatures…]
He looked around. He stood on a broken bridge leading to nowhere, suspended in the void. In the distance were floating islands—some held ruins, others glowed faintly with crystal structures. At the far edge of the nearest platform, a large obelisk hovered, humming.
The air felt electric. Every breath tasted like iron.
Jace checked the system's log.
> [Warning: Rift has no direct exit point. Escape contingent on Trial Completion.]
[Objective: Locate the Archive Key]
[Bonus Objective: Survive Hostile Riftwalkers – Estimated Power: C+ Tier and Higher]
He sighed. "So, another death trap. Lovely."
He picked up a fallen stone rod nearby—a broken piece of statue—and used it as a makeshift staff. He didn't have his blade anymore, and the Guardian fight had cost him more stamina than he'd realized.
Every few steps, the system pinged softly, mapping the terrain.
> [Mini-Map Updated]
[Enemy Presence: 3 signatures detected – Hostile – Tracking You]
He froze.
A shimmer to his left.
Then another, directly above him.
He dove instinctively, and a rift tore open in midair—spitting out a figure cloaked in shadows, arms like blades, no eyes, only fangs.
A Riftwalker.
It let out a shrill cry and lunged.
Jace activated Shadow Blink, teleporting behind a crumbling stone pillar. The beast slammed into the platform where he'd stood, exploding the stone outward.
He ducked and moved, letting Blood Instinct surge through him.
> [Blood Instinct – Active: Reflexes Enhanced]
[3 Targets – Converging]
[Recommendation: Trigger Pulse Shift – Chance of Evade Success: 73%]
He triggered Pulse Shift.
Time slowed.
A crimson burst radiated from his chest, throwing the lead Riftwalker back and staggering the other two mid-ambush. He darted forward, grabbed a jagged metal fragment, and slashed at the creature's torso.
Blood—if it could be called that—splashed black and steaming.
It howled and dissolved into smoke.
One down.
Two more came barreling forward, moving in disjointed, spider-like jerks. Their claws scraped lightning from the stone.
Jace ran, heart pounding.
He reached the obelisk and slammed a hand against it.
> [Interfacing…]
[Archive Lock Recognized – Bearer Verified]
[Unlocking Trial Key – Warning: Incoming Entities Detected]
A massive rift tore open above.
The last two Riftwalkers merged into one.
Bigger. Meaner. Smarter.
> [Riftwalker Alpha – Tier B-]
[New Objective: Survive or Slay Within Time Limit – 2 Minutes]
The new creature roared.
And charged.
Jace took a breath and lowered his stance.
He wasn't ready.
But he'd fight anyway.
Jace spun left as the Riftwalker Alpha's claws sliced past his ribs, just narrowly missing vital organs. The beast was faster than the previous ones—smarter too. Its body was a grotesque fusion of the other Riftwalkers, now armored in shimmering plates of void crystal and etched with pulsing red veins.
> [Health -12%]
[Warning: Internal Bruising Detected – Right Side]
He staggered behind a broken spire, gritting his teeth as pain shot up his torso. The moment he ducked into cover, the system chimed again.
> [Tactical Suggestion: Use environment – unstable terrain detected above target's approach path.]
He looked up.
A jagged overhang of floating debris—held together by flickering energy strands—hovered above the arena floor.
"Alright," Jace muttered. "Let's make it fall."
The Riftwalker let out a blood-chilling hiss and darted forward again, this time moving in a zigzag pattern that made it hard to track. Jace activated Echo Sight, and red trails lit the creature's projected path just seconds ahead of its real motion.
He blinked behind the monster using Shadow Blink, then immediately bolted for the crumbling support column holding up the overhang.
The Riftwalker shrieked and turned—
Jace slashed at the support with his stolen shard blade, then slammed a nearby crystal fragment into the base as the system pinged:
> [Detonator Crystal Inserted – Countdown: 5… 4…]
The Riftwalker charged.
> [3…]
Jace sprinted toward the far edge of the platform, lungs burning.
> [2…]
The beast jumped, fangs bared.
> [1…]
He dove.
> [Detonation.]
The explosion ripped through the underside of the platform, shattering the support beam and sending the entire upper ridge crashing down. The Riftwalker screamed as hundreds of tons of debris collapsed over its body, burying it beneath molten stone and flaming wreckage.
Jace tumbled across the ground, rolled once, and came to a halt.
Silence.
Then:
> [Riftwalker Alpha Defeated – Tier B-]
[+ 900 XP]
[Core Obtained – Rift Essence Crystal – Grade B-]
[Vault Key Recovered – Obsidian Echo]
A glowing shard rose from the wreckage, hovering just inches above the scorched stone. Jace dragged himself upright, limping toward it.
The moment his hand touched the shard, warmth surged through his veins—followed by a vision.
A blood-red battlefield. An army of Riftwalkers—marching not as beasts, but as soldiers. Behind them stood a throne of bone and fire.
And on it, a humanoid figure with a skull-like helm... staring directly at Jace.
"You wear my Archive," the voice growled in his mind. "But you are no heir."
The vision shattered.
> [Key Accepted – Vault Thread: Obsidian Echo Unlocked]
[Accessing New Archive Function – Skill Fusion Tier 1]
Jace stumbled back, panting, but grinning.
Whatever this place was, it wasn't just trying to kill him.
It was making him stronger.
The platform shuddered beneath Jace's feet as the last remnants of the collapsed arena settled. Somewhere in the distance, the distorted sky cracked like glass and rearranged itself. The Rift was shifting.
> [Trial Complete – 100%]
[Dimensional Stability: Restored Temporarily]
[Portal Access Opening… Estimated Time: 3 Minutes]
Jace dropped to one knee beside the shard. Its glow had softened, and now the black stone looked inert—yet he could still feel it pulsing faintly in his palm.
> [New Feature Available: Skill Fusion – Tier 1]
[Requirements: 2 Compatible Active Skills – Equal or Adjacent Level]
[Warning: Fusion Is Irreversible]
He opened the menu.
> [Available Fusion Candidate Pair:
– Shadow Blink Lv.1
– Blood Instinct Lv.1]
[Estimated Result: Phantom Surge Lv.1]
[Effect: Short-range teleport while active; gain 10% movement speed and temporary invulnerability for 1 second. Cooldown: 18 seconds]
Jace stared.
The idea of giving up both those skills was nerve-wracking. But the synergy? Too good to ignore.
"Alright. Let's do it."
He selected the option.
> [Confirming Fusion…]
[Fusing…]
The two icons melted into each other on the interface. A new glyph pulsed red, then stabilized.
> [Phantom Surge Lv.1 Acquired]
[Skill Slot 1 – Updated]
Jace stood.
A sharp chill coursed through him—not painful, but awakening. His limbs tingled with new energy. The shadows around him seemed lighter, more elastic. He focused on a nearby ledge and triggered the new skill.
Time warped.
Jace vanished and reappeared in a snap, further than before—but this time, he felt the void bend around him. His feet barely touched the surface before reality corrected itself.
"Whoa," he whispered. "That… felt like cheating."
Before he could admire it further, the platform groaned again. A crack spread down the center, and a new notification blinked:
> [Warning: Rift Instability Resuming. Portal Opens in 90 Seconds.]
The structure holding this layer together was beginning to collapse again.
Jace activated the system map. A golden indicator marked the exit. He moved quickly, weaving through fallen pillars and smoking craters.
The voices returned just before he reached the exit gate.
Faint whispers in a language he didn't understand. Not from the system. Not from himself.
From… something else.
He turned, heart thudding.
A figure stood across the broken bridge behind him. Tall. Shrouded in tattered red robes. Its face was a skull of obsidian, glowing veins tracing the edges of its bone.
It didn't move. Didn't speak.
It only watched.
Then the system screamed:
> [ENTITY CLASS: ??? – NOT RECOGNIZED – ESCAPE ADVISED]
[Priority Override: Emergency Exit Initiated]
A pulse of energy pushed Jace backward.
The portal ignited.
And the world snapped out of existence.
---
He fell onto solid ground.
Grass.
Air.
Stars above.
A clean, crisp breeze hit his face like a slap. He gasped, heart still racing.
He was back. Near the ruins outside Zone 5W. The Rift was gone. Only a scorched stone circle marked where the portal had opened.
> [Trial Completed – Archive Updated]
[Core Acquired: Riftwalker Alpha – Fusion Component Stored]
[System Rank Up – Tier 2 Access Granted]
[New Feature: Vault Shop Expanded | System Upgrades Available]
He collapsed backward, breathing heavily.
Then he laughed.
"I'm not just surviving anymore," he said aloud to the stars.
"I'm winning."
And for the first time since awakening his ability, Jace felt like he might actually have a future.