The pressure was immediately crushing—the dungeon's systemic panic reacting to the new power of the Arbiter. The low, rhythmic thump-thump-thump that had been a distant tremor was now a deafening, grinding pulse. The air wasn't just cold; it was wrong. It felt like the physics of the dungeon were unraveling around him in the main corridor.
The scattered corpses of the Grotesque Hounds, which had been passive loot just moments ago, were now twitching, agitated by the turbulent energy. The leftover, residual Mana in the chamber was no longer inert; it was coiling and condensing, actively tearing the dungeon fabric apart.
$$Dungeon Status Update: Critical Instability. Localized Mana Breakdown Detected. Initiate Escape Protocol.$$
The Codex didn't tell him what to do; it showed him. His enhanced Perception revealed the Reality Threads themselves—the physical laws of the dungeon—twisting into knotted snarls where the mana flow was collapsing. It was a premature Dungeon Break, localized but deadly.
"Damn the Silver Spears," Akira grit his teeth, the knowledge of the greedy hunters fueling his desperation. His job was safe salvage; now it was a sprint for his life.
His goal was immediate: Out. The thickest Threads of Safety pointed toward the entrance. He ran, guided by the silver lines of least resistance, moving faster than his current Agility should have allowed.
The floor of the main tunnel bucked. Sections of stone floor slammed up, forming jagged, three-meter obstacles. A reinforced slab shot out directly in front of him, sealing the corridor.
Not stuck. He instinctively channeled his new Shadow Mana. The energy felt cold, thin, and foreign, but it obeyed.
$$Skill: Shadow Step (Lvl 1) Activated. Cost: 5 Mana per second$$
The shadows wrapped around him, making him insubstantial. He dashed straight toward the slab. The Shadow Step allowed him to phase through the solid rock, feeling a strange, cold pressure rather than impact.
He landed on the other side, staggering. The skill cost was immediate and heavy. He instinctively checked his internal interface. Mana: 8/13. He canceled the skill immediately.
"Okay. Shadow Step is a sprint, not a marathon."
The Grotto was full of obstacles, and now, three Sludge Crawlers—monsters formed from residual gunk—oozed out of a crack in the wall, blocking the safe path.
He couldn't afford more Mana. He took a deep breath, focusing on the thick, sluggish threads woven into the Crawlers. He feinted left, drew the lead Crawler, and slammed his elbow into the brittle spot the threads highlighted.
The creature wobbled. He was outmatched, so he reached for his instant advantage: Soul Echo.
$$Unique Skill: Soul Echo. Current Stacks: 1 (Grotesque Hound - Malice)$$
He whispered, "Use Soul Echo: Malice."
A cold, sharp wave of rage and cruelty washed over him. His movements became sharp and vicious. The Crawlers recoiled. Fueled by the raw Malice, his Shadow Strike slammed into the second Crawler.
The darkness hit with concentrated hatred. The Sludge Crawler evaporated instantly, leaving behind a small Mana Stone and a shimmering Soul Fragment. The Malice faded, leaving Akira trembling.
He quickly absorbed the fragment.
$$Soul Echo Stack Gained: +1 (Sludge Crawler - Slowness)$$
He turned to the final Crawler, which was lunging. He focused the Slowness fragment on the monster's Agility Thread. The creature's movements dragged. Akira easily dodged, delivering a solid kick that crumpled the creature, allowing him to bypass it entirely.
$$Trial Progress: System Adaptation Confirmed. Host utilized Soul Echo dynamically.$$
Akira continued his sprint through a network of narrow, collapsing tunnels. He ran for minutes, guided solely by the Reality Threads.
The labyrinth opened into a vast, cold cavern. In the center stood a mini-boss: a Grotto Overseer—a towering humanoid carved from the living stone of the dungeon. It was blocking the only exit.
Akira immediately checked his internal interface: Mana was low (4/13). His Vitality was holding, but he was exhausted.
The Overseer raised a massive stone fist.
He realized his opportunity: Affinity Fusion. The Overseer's Mana Veins pulsed with a dense Earth Affinity.
He channeled his Shadow Mana outward, trying to pull on the ambient, dark, heavy stability of the dungeon's living rock.
$$Host Attempting Affinity Synthesis. Proceeding with Temporary Synthesis: Shadow + Stone (Ambient Mana)$$
$$Hybrid Affinity Created: Earthen Shroud (Temporary). (Shadow + Stone)$$
Akira felt heavier, but impossibly solid. He channeled the Earthen Shroud into a shield. The Overseer's fist crashed down. The impact was bone-jarring, throwing him back, but the Earthen Shroud held. Vitality dropped to 4/7.
He went on the offensive, channeling the dense power into his fists, aiming for the Reality Thread running through its knees. He slammed his hand, fueled by his final Malice stack. The Earthen Shroud amplified his blow. The kneecap shattered, and the Overseer crashed down.
It dissolved, leaving behind a massive Mana Stone and a glowing Soul Fragment.
$$Trial Complete: Physical Adaptation. Host utilized Affinity Synthesis under duress.$$
$$Reward: Soul Force +1. Affinity: Shadow (Level 3).$$
$$New Attribute: Endurance +3(For survival under extreme exhaustion).$$
Akira absorbed the fragment instantly. Overseer - Stability. He quickly checked his updated key stats: Endurance 3, Soul Force 6.
He finally reached the dungeon exit in the city square. The Dungeon Break had begun in earnest. Chaos Ghouls were staggering out.
Akira ducked behind a derelict bus. He focused his Perception outward, tracing the Thread of Safety leading toward his residential district. He saw the Silver Spears hunter team finally emerging, preparing to fight.
Akira knew he couldn't help. His Mana was spent. He turned and bolted down the alley. My primary Trial is survival for her.
The Arbiter's Codex had pushed him to the brink, demanding ruthless, adaptive survival. He was bound by the threads.
He would survive. And he would get strong enough that no Dungeon Break would ever touch his family again.