The pavement felt particularly unforgiving as I picked myself up, cradling my broken hand against my chest. Pain radiated up my arm in waves, each throb a pointed reminder of the attribute gap between an F-tier like me and Sehra's E-19 capabilities. I forced myself to move, putting distance between myself and Cheng's before Stability decided to make an appearance.
"At least it was Harmony," I muttered to myself, wincing as I navigated through the afternoon crowd.
Dimensional Harmony might operate black markets and engage in questionable equipment modifications, but they maintained a philosophical approach to dimensional energy—believing in balance and cooperation rather than exploitation. Their enforcers were known for removing troublemakers with minimal violence.
If I'd started that fight in a Despised hideout, they wouldn't have simply thrown me out—they'd have liquefied my consciousness and used my neural patterns to power one of their corrupted implants. The Despised weren't known for proportional responses or forgiveness.
I glanced at my swollen hand, the knuckles already purpling beneath the skin. The break was clean, at least—the impact against Sehra's armor had delivered focused trauma rather than shattering the bones into fragments. Small mercies.
The Rift Management Center loomed ahead, its upper levels disappearing into the perpetual dimensional haze that hung over downtown. While the main function of the RMC was rift access and administration, its lower levels housed comprehensive medical facilities designed to patch up raiders between expeditions.
I approached the medical wing entrance, passing through automated scanners that assessed my injuries and tier status. A holographic prompt materialized:
INJURY DETECTED: METACARPAL FRACTURES (RIGHT HAND)
RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: NANO-REGENERATIVE THERAPY
ESTIMATED COST: 5,000 CREDITS
PROCEED? [Y/N]
Five thousand credits was steep for a simple bone mend, but conventional healing would take weeks I couldn't afford to waste. I confirmed the payment, watching my credit balance adjust accordingly:
TRANSACTION COMPLETE
BALANCE: 203,000 CREDITS
The treatment chamber resembled a sleek coffin more than a medical device—a testament to the RMC's utilitarian approach to healthcare. I lay back as the transparent cover sealed over me, medical nanobots swarming from concealed dispensers to envelop my damaged hand.
The procedure was painless but disconcerting. Through the translucent swarm, I watched my hand being systematically reconstructed—bone fragments aligning with mechanical precision, vascular pathways cleared and reinforced, torn ligaments reattached fiber by fiber. Twenty minutes later, I emerged with a fully functional hand, though the skin remained tender and wrapped in a protective film.
"Avoid direct impact for twenty-four hours," the automated system advised as I exited. "The regenerated tissue remains susceptible to micro-fractures during this period."
I flexed my fingers experimentally, pleased with the restoration. Worth every credit.
My next destination took me back toward the shopping district, but this time with a specific goal in mind. The confrontation with Sehra had brutally exposed my vulnerability—fighting in civilian clothes against an armored opponent was suicidal, regardless of tactical advantages.
Functional Equipment Specialists occupied a corner lot at the boundary between Lower Residential and the mid-tier commercial zone. Unlike the flashier establishments catering to established raiders, FES specialized in no-nonsense functional gear without any extras, even low-tier Stability agents often used their designs.
"Looking for something specific?" asked a middle-aged woman who materialized from behind a display of reinforced gloves.
"Reinforced Nanofiber Scout Gear," I replied. "Full set, if you have it."
Her eyebrows rose fractionally. "That's E-tier pricing with F-tier accessibility. Not a common request." She studied me more carefully, taking in my basic implant and civilian clothes. "You sure about that?"
"Completely."
She nodded, apparently satisfied by my certainty if not my appearance. "Follow me."
The scout gear occupied a climate-controlled display case near the back of the shop. Unlike the bulkier combat armor favored by most raiders, the nanofiber suit resembled a second skin—sleek, flexible material with reinforced panels positioned at vital junctures.
"Seventy percent kinetic impact reduction," she explained, removing the armor from its case. "Fifteen percent dimensional energy diffusion. Not enough to save you from a direct C-tier attack, but it'll keep you functional through sustained E-tier combat."
I examined the material, appreciating its lightweight construction. "Mobility impact?"
"Negligible. Three percent reduction in maximum flexion at the joints, completely offset by the five percent speed enhancement from the gravitational buffers." She tapped a series of nearly invisible blue filaments running along the seams. "These redistribute momentum during rapid direction changes."
"Price?"
"Fifty thousand," she stated flatly. "Non-negotiable. We're the only supplier in Lower Residential with E-clearance, and our margin is already minimal."
I nodded, initiating the transfer without hesitation. Fifty thousand was indeed a fortune for F-tier equipment, but I was playing a longer game than most F-tier raiders. This armor would serve me through multiple rank increases, potentially saving me costly intermediate upgrades.
TRANSACTION COMPLETE
BALANCE: 153,000 CREDITS
The armor conformed to my body as I donned it in the fitting room, nanoscale adjustments creating a perfect seal without restricting movement. The material breathed better than expected, regulating temperature and moisture with sophisticated efficiency.
"How does it feel?" the proprietor asked when I emerged.
I rolled my shoulders, executed a quick squat, then a standing jump that nearly touched the ceiling. "Perfect."
She nodded approvingly. "Take care of it and it'll take care of you. The autonomous repair function handles minor damage, but anything more than surface abrasions will require professional maintenance."
I left the shop feeling significantly more prepared for what lay ahead. My plan was taking shape: a lengthy expedition into the unregulated wilderness beyond the city barriers, seeking out E-tier rifts that would accelerate my progression. I needed to reach peak E-tier before confronting Sehra again—not just for the attribute advantages, but for the access the tier level would grant me. Me and Sehra are going to go places.
Watching her in Cheng's had crystallized something in my mind. Her method of exploiting the Network to snipe rift passes gave me an idea—not for petty theft, but for something far more ambitious. The Network had vulnerabilities, seams in its construction that someone with the right approach could leverage. I just needed to find the right angle, and for that, I needed more power.
The afternoon sun had begun its descent as I made my way back to my apartment in Lower Residential. My hand, though functionally repaired, remained wrapped in the protective film, a reminder of today's hard-learned lesson. I stored my new armor carefully in the apartment's storage unit, preserving its immaculate condition for tomorrow's expedition.
I settled onto my sagging couch, accessing the dimensional forecast through my implant. The prediction showed increased rift activity in the eastern wilderness—exactly what I needed. The fatigue of the day's events settled over me as I planned my route, marking potential shelter locations and emergency extraction points.
Tomorrow would begin the next phase of my ascent. E-tier rifts would test the limits of my abilities, but they also offered the fastest path to power. And power, more than anything, was what I needed now.
As darkness fell over Lighthouse City, I allowed myself a small smile. Sehra didn't know it yet, but our confrontation had given me exactly what I needed—both her contact information and the inspiration for what would come next. Sometimes your greatest enemy offers your greatest opportunity.
The first few hours of my expedition proved less eventful than I'd hoped. I'd struck out eastward from Lighthouse City at dawn, my new Reinforced Nanofiber Scout Gear hugging my frame like a second skin. The material regulated my body temperature perfectly as I navigated through increasingly unstable terrain, where reality fractured into gossamer threads at the edges of my Matrix Vision.
This was just the beginning of what I planned as a multi-day expedition into the wilds. I needed the rank progression, and more importantly, I needed practice with my abilities. The REALITY MATRIX trait remained stubbornly cryptic—powerful but unpredictable, a double-edged sword that had saved and endangered me in equal measure.
Midway through the afternoon, I finally detected what I'd been searching for—a stable E-tier rift signature pulsing beneath a twisted spire of crystallized time. My Matrix Vision revealed a complex energy pattern. The rift maintained a perfect symmetrical lattice structure, indicating a more stable and cohesive dimensional pocket.
The portal itself shimmered with an opalescent light, unlike the amber glow of the Dune Ocean or the crimson pulse of the Volcanic Wasteland. I approached cautiously, checking my equipment one final time.
HP 100/100, MANA 100/100, EXHAUSTION 0/100
FRACTURE CHARGES: 0/7
Without hesitation, I stepped through.
Wind roared in my ears as I materialized not on solid ground, but in open air, plummeting through endless blue. My stomach lurched into my throat, the sudden free-fall triggering instinctive panic before my training reasserted control. I twisted mid-air, orienting myself to survey my surroundings.
Below me stretched an impossible landscape—vast banks of what appeared to be clouds, their surfaces as substantial-looking as cotton fields. Massive cloud-islands floated at varying elevations, connected by gossamer bridges that sparkled with condensation. The sky above held not one but three suns of different colors, casting prismatic light across the cloud formations.
[E-TIER RIFT: CELESTIAL EXPANSE
BASE REQUIREMENT: REACH THE PRISM SPIRE
ALTERNATIVE PATH: ACTIVATE 5 WIND RESONATORS]
My fall slowed naturally as I approached the cloud surface, dimensional physics asserting themselves. I landed with surprising softness, the cloud floor compressing beneath my feet like dense foam, then rebounding slightly.
My Matrix Vision immediately mapped the dimensional energy pathways, revealing a complex web of connections anchoring this sky realm to its source. Hazard Sense expanded outward, identifying dangers within my hundred-meter radius:
Wind tunnels—corridors of hyper-compressed air that could tear flesh from bone
Lightning pockets—spheres of contained electrical energy that discharged unpredictably
Gravity wells—areas where normal gravitational forces inverted or multiplied
Vapor zones—regions where breathable air became too thin to sustain consciousness
Dimensional rifts—small tears in reality that randomly teleported anything they touched
Prismatic beams—shafts of concentrated light that could burn through most materials
Instability pockets—where the cloud floor thinned to nothingness without warning
Movement caught my attention—Zephyr Wraiths, translucent humanoid figures composed of swirling air currents, patrolled the larger cloud islands. Above them, serpentine forms undulated through the air—Sky Eels, their bodies crackling with bio-electrical current.
In the far distance rose a towering crystalline structure—the Prism Spire, presumably my objective. The path there wound through a complex arrangement of floating islands, bridges, and what appeared to be massive wind current highways.
This environment offered the perfect opportunity to test a technique I'd been theorizing—a combination designed to turn my enemies' aggression against them. The nearby Zephyr Wraiths would make ideal test subjects.
"Echo," I commanded, creating a duplicate of myself about twenty meters ahead near the edge of a large cloud island.
HP: 100 → 90
FRACTURE CHARGES: 0 → 1
My duplicate materialized with perfect fidelity, mimicking my stance and equipment. It stood motionless, recognized by the dimensional fabric as a hazard rather than an entity—a subtle but crucial distinction.
A lightning pocket pulsed about thirty meters to my right, electrical energy arcing within its confines. Perfect.
"Bend," I called out, moving the lightning pocket directly adjacent to my Echo.
MANA: 100 → 90
FRACTURE CHARGES: 1 → 2
The combination of Echo (Creation Impact) followed by Bend triggered the Reality Fusion combination effect. In theory, I should have been able to combine the lightning pocket with my Echo, creating a composite hazard that would discharge when enemies approached.
Instead, the lightning pocket simply relocated as commanded, hovering near but distinctly separate from my Echo. The combination effect had triggered—I could feel the dimensional energy ripple—but it hadn't produced the result I'd anticipated.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Red veins pulsed beneath my skin as the second Fracture Charge circulated through my system. Three Zephyr Wraiths had noticed the disturbance and were gliding toward my Echo, their translucent forms rippling like heat mirages.
"Phase," I commanded, becoming invisible just as the Wraiths approached.
HP: 90 → 80
FRACTURE CHARGES: 2 → 3
I watched from invisibility as the Wraiths surrounded my Echo, their forms circling with predatory intent. They seemed uncertain, perceiving my duplicate as something between threat and anomaly. One Wraith extended a vaporous appendage toward the Echo—
The lightning pocket discharged spontaneously, but the arc missed both the Echo and the Wraiths entirely, dissipating harmlessly into the cloud surface. The Wraiths scattered momentarily, then converged on my Echo once more. One passed directly through it, causing the Echo to flicker and dissolve before its three-second duration had elapsed.
"Not exactly what I had in mind," I muttered as my invisibility wore off.
The Wraiths immediately detected me, their featureless faces turning in perfect unison. They advanced, moving with unnatural coordination.
"Shift," I commanded, moving one meter to the side while gaining 0.5 seconds of invulnerability.
MANA: 90 → 80
FRACTURE CHARGES: 3 → 4
My skin developed fracture-like cracks as the fourth charge activated, enhancing my Hazard Sense range to 500 meters and my Speed by 50%. The world slowed perceptibly as my neural processing accelerated.
I surveyed the expanded field of awareness, noting dozens of additional hazards now visible across the floating landscape—massive wind vortices that connected islands, prismatic waterfalls of pure light, and strange geometric anomalies where cloud matter crystallized into perfect mathematical forms.
"Rend," I called out, creating a hazard aligned with the environment—a miniature cyclone that spun into existence between me and the approaching Wraiths.
MANA: 80 → 70
FRACTURE CHARGES: 4 → 5
The wind hazard manifested as a tight column of spiraling air, its base anchored to the cloud surface. The Wraiths hesitated, their own vaporous forms responding to the competing air currents.
"Amplify," I commanded, targeting the cyclone.
HP: 80 → 70
FRACTURE CHARGES: 5 → 6
The combination of Amplify (Modify Impact) followed by Rend triggered the Split Hazard combination effect. The cyclone divided into its component forces—horizontal rotation, vertical lift, and pressure differential—creating three distinct but interconnected hazards.
Crimson energy crackled around my form as the sixth charge pushed the Matrix closer to its threshold. My Hazard Sense expanded to 1000 meters, mapping distant dangers with crystal clarity. My Speed doubled, movement becoming fluid and precise even across the unstable cloud surface.
The separated cyclone components proved dramatically more effective than the original. One Wraith was caught in the horizontal rotation, its form stretched and distorted until it lost cohesion entirely. Another was pulled upward by the vertical lift component, disappearing into the upper atmosphere where thinner air caused it to disperse.
The third Wraith retreated, seemingly recognizing the danger. I needed to get back to testing my original strategy.
Two Sky Eels descended toward my position, attracted by the dimensional discharge. Their serpentine bodies rippled with electrical current as they circled overhead.
"Let's try again," I muttered, spotting a gravity well approximately forty meters to my left.
"Echo," I commanded, creating another duplicate at the center of a small cloud island.
HP: 70 → 60
FRACTURE CHARGES: 6 → 7
Reality fractured as the Matrix Implosion triggered, consuming all seven Fracture Charges. Through the dimensional tear poured torrential rain—not water, but liquid condensed dimensional energy that defied the physics of this realm.
FRACTURE CHARGES: 7 → 0
The downpour spread across a thirty-meter radius, drenching everything in shimmering fluid that seemed to exist in multiple states simultaneously. My Echo began to dissolve immediately, its form unable to maintain cohesion under the dimensional deluge. The Sky Eels caught in the effect experienced worse consequences—their bio-electrical systems short-circuited spectacularly, causing chain reactions that tore their bodies apart from within.
Even with 90% reduction from Hazard Resilience, the dimensional rain hit me hard, each droplet feeling like a tiny dimensional breach against my skin. The sensation was deeply unsettling—as if reality itself were trying to wash away my existence.
HP: 60 → 45
EXHAUSTION: 0 → 25
"Perfect timing as always," I growled, watching my carefully planned strategy literally dissolve in the rain. Matrix Implosions continued to be the bane of my tactical planning—unpredictable, uncontrollable, and invariably occurring at the worst possible moment.
The dimensional rain subsided after several seconds, leaving the cloud surface strangely crystallized where the droplets had landed. I needed to regroup and try again, but first I had to deal with the remaining Sky Eel that circled just outside the affected area, wary but still hunting.
"Infusion," I commanded, drawing properties from a nearby lightning pocket into my next physical action.
HP: 45 → 35
FRACTURE CHARGES: 0 → 1
"Bend," I called out, moving a gravity well directly beneath the circling Eel.
MANA: 70 → 60
FRACTURE CHARGES: 1 → 2
The combination of Infusion (Creation Impact) followed by Bend triggered the Reality Fusion combination effect. This time, I deliberately targeted the fusion of the lightning properties I'd infused with the gravity well I'd relocated.
The results were immediate and spectacular. The gravity well absorbed the electrical properties, becoming a swirling vortex of gravitational force laced with arcing current. The Sky Eel was caught in the combined effect, its body simultaneously compressed by increased gravity and shocked by electrical discharge. Within seconds, it had been reduced to scattered particles.
Red veins pulsed beneath my skin as the second Fracture Charge circulated through my system. I'd successfully executed a Reality Fusion, but not in the way I'd originally intended. I needed more practice with the Echo technique specifically.
"Fuse," I commanded, absorbing a nearby vapor zone. The hazard dissolved as its energy flowed into my body, restoring vitality.
MANA: 60 → 50
FRACTURE CHARGES: 2 → 3
HP: 35 → 65
I spotted a prismatic beam cutting through the air thirty meters ahead, its concentrated light creating a perfect linear hazard. Several Zephyr Wraiths glided on the opposite side, not yet having noticed me.
"Echo," I commanded, creating a third duplicate, this time positioning it directly in the path between me and the approaching Wraiths.
HP: 65 → 55
FRACTURE CHARGES: 3 → 4
My skin developed fracture-like cracks as the fourth charge activated, enhancing my Hazard Sense and Speed once again. I could perceive the prismatic beam's oscillation pattern now—it wasn't static but cycled through different spectral frequencies at precise intervals.
"Bend," I called out, moving the prismatic beam to intersect with my Echo.
MANA: 50 → 40
FRACTURE CHARGES: 4 → 5
The combination of Echo (Creation Impact) followed by Bend triggered the Reality Fusion combination effect. This time, I focused intently on the actual fusion process, visualizing the beam becoming part of my Echo rather than simply intersecting with it.
The result was promising but incomplete. The Echo absorbed approximately half of the beam's energy, causing my duplicate to glow with internal light. The other half of the beam continued through and beyond, its intensity diminished but not eliminated.
"Phase," I commanded, vanishing from sight as the Wraiths approached.
HP: 55 → 45
FRACTURE CHARGES: 5 → 6
Crimson energy haze surrounded me as the sixth Fracture Charge pushed the Matrix closer to its threshold. From invisibility, I watched as the Wraiths investigated my glowing Echo. They circled it cautiously, seemingly more wary of this version than previous ones.
One Wraith finally moved close enough to trigger a reaction. My Echo released a burst of prismatic energy—not as powerful as the original beam, but sufficient to sever the Wraith's connection to its dimensional source. The entity collapsed into scattered vapor.
The remaining Wraiths retreated hastily, having witnessed their companion's destruction. My theory was working, but the execution remained flawed. The fusion wasn't complete, and the defensive reaction wasn't consistent.
I needed to try once more, with better precision. The Prism Spire still loomed in the distance, my ultimate objective, but mastering this technique had become equally important.
A dimensional rift—a small tear in reality that randomly teleported whatever it touched—pulsed about twenty meters to my right. Beyond it, a cluster of Zephyr Wraiths had gathered, apparently communicating in some fashion.
"Negate," I commanded, nullifying a lightning pocket that blocked my path to a better position.
HP: 45 → 35
FRACTURE CHARGES: 6 → 7
Reality fractured as the Matrix Implosion triggered again, consuming all seven Fracture Charges. This time, the dimensional tear manifested as absolute silence—not merely the absence of sound, but the fundamental negation of vibration itself.
A thirty-meter sphere of perfect silence expanded outward. Within this zone, molecular vibration ceased almost entirely, dropping the temperature catastrophically and freezing air particles in place. The cloud surface crystallized instantly, becoming glass-like in texture. Three Zephyr Wraiths caught in the effect simply stopped existing as the vibrations that constituted their form ceased.
Even with 90% hazard reduction, the absolute silence effect hit me hard. My lungs seized as the air in them suddenly refused to move. Blood flow slowed dangerously as molecular motion within my body decreased. The sensation was like being instantly encased in ice from the inside out.
HP: 35 → 20
EXHAUSTION: 25 → 50
The silence bubble collapsed after several seconds, sound and motion rushing back with almost painful intensity. I gasped, drawing deep breaths as circulation returned to normal. Another Matrix Implosion, another disruption to my plans. But the field was clearer now, most nearby entities having been eliminated by the catastrophic effect.
I needed to make one more attempt before proceeding to the objective. An instability pocket—where the cloud floor thinned to nothingness—pulsed about fifteen meters ahead. It was perfectly positioned for what I needed.
"Echo," I commanded, creating a fourth duplicate directly adjacent to the instability pocket.
HP: 20 → 10
FRACTURE CHARGES: 0 → 1
This time, I focused completely on the fusion process, mentally rehearsing the precise sequence of events I wanted to occur.
My Dimensional Feed passive activated, recognizing the instability pocket as a new hazard I was interacting with for the first time today.
HP: 10 → 30
"Bend," I called out, targeting the instability pocket with absolute precision.
MANA: 40 → 30
FRACTURE CHARGES: 1 → 2
The combination of Echo (Creation Impact) followed by Bend triggered the Reality Fusion combination effect. I concentrated fiercely, visualizing the exact integration I wanted—not moving the hazard next to my Echo, but merging it completely into my duplicate's form.
This time, the fusion occurred exactly as I'd envisioned. The instability pocket disappeared entirely, its properties completely absorbed by my Echo. My duplicate now stood exactly as before, but Matrix Vision revealed the truth—it had become a composite entity, a perfect blending of duplicate and hazard.
Red veins pulsed beneath my skin as the second Fracture Charge circulated through my system. A group of five Sky Eels approached from the west, having detected the dimensional disturbance.
"Phase," I commanded, vanishing from sight as I retreated to a safe observation distance.
HP: 30 → 20
FRACTURE CHARGES: 2 → 3
From invisibility, I watched as the Sky Eels converged on my Echo. They circled it warily at first, then one dared to approach closer. It extended its serpentine form, moving to touch my duplicate—
The Echo collapsed instantly, not simply disappearing but imploding into the instability pocket it contained. The effect created a localized dimensional vacuum that pulled in everything within a five-meter radius. Three Sky Eels were caught in the sudden void, their bodies contorting impossibly as they were compressed into the nothingness at the center. When the instability finally collapsed, nothing remained of them but scattered dimensional particles.
"Now that's more like it," I murmured as visibility returned.
I'd finally achieved the effect I'd been working toward—creating a duplicate that served as both bait and trap. With practice, this technique could become incredibly effective.
With my experiment successful, I turned my attention to the Prism Spire. The path ahead looked clearer now, many of the entities having been eliminated by my various attempts. I proceeded across the cloud landscape, moving from island to island by way of the gossamer bridges.
"Shift," I commanded, moving one meter sideways to avoid a suddenly appearing dimensional rift.
MANA: 30 → 20
FRACTURE CHARGES: 3 → 4
My skin developed fracture-like cracks as the fourth charge activated, enhancing my Hazard Sense range and Speed once more. The world slowed around me as I accelerated, cloud matter seeming to part like viscous fluid where I stepped.
The Prism Spire loomed closer now, its crystalline structure refracting the light from the three suns into complex patterns across the clouds. Matrix Vision revealed it as a nexus point of dimensional energy—not merely a structure but an anchor binding this pocket reality to its source.
A massive Wind Titan—a humanoid figure thirty meters tall composed entirely of swirling air currents—guarded the approach to the Spire. Unlike the smaller Wraiths, this entity possessed a primitive intelligence, its wind-form face turning to track my approach with evident hostility.
"Rend," I called out, creating a hazard aligned with the environment's nature—a gravity well that formed directly beneath the Titan.
MANA: 20 → 10
FRACTURE CHARGES: 4 → 5
"Amplify," I commanded, targeting the gravity well.
HP: 20 → 10
FRACTURE CHARGES: 5 → 6
The combination of Amplify (Modify Impact) followed by Rend triggered the Split Hazard combination effect. The gravity well separated into its constituent components—a central point of attraction, a peripheral force field, and a dimensional anchoring mechanism.
Crimson energy haze surrounded me as the sixth Fracture Charge pushed the Matrix closer to its threshold. My perception expanded to extraordinary levels, allowing me to see the individual air currents that constituted the Titan's form.
The Split Hazard proved devastating against the wind entity. The central gravitational point pulled inward on its gaseous body while the peripheral force field prevented it from drawing replacement air from outside. The dimensional anchoring component severed its connection to its source, preventing it from refreshing its form.
The Wind Titan collapsed in on itself, its gigantic form imploding into a dense sphere no larger than a marble before disappearing entirely.
The path to the Prism Spire lay open now. I approached the crystalline structure, which towered over a hundred meters high. As I drew closer, My Matrix Vision revealed a complex network of dimensional energy pathways converging at its peak.
"Fuse," I commanded, absorbing a nearby lightning pocket to restore vitality before the final approach.
MANA: 10 → 0
FRACTURE CHARGES: 6 → 7
HP: 10 → 40
Reality fractured as the Matrix Implosion triggered a final time, consuming all seven Fracture Charges. The dimensional tear manifested as hypergravity—a sudden, catastrophic increase in gravitational force within a thirty-meter radius.
The cloud surface collapsed instantly under the immense gravitational pressure, forming a perfect bowl-shaped depression. The gossamer bridges snapped, crystallized cloud matter shattered, and smaller floating islands were pulled violently downward. Air itself became heavy enough to see—shimmering sheets of compressed atmosphere that bent light like dense glass.
Even with 90% hazard reduction, the hypergravity hit me like a physical blow. My body felt as if it weighed tons, bones creaking dangerously under the strain. Blood pooled in my extremities, unable to circulate properly against the overwhelming force.
HP: 40 → 25
EXHAUSTION: 50 → 75
The gravitational anomaly collapsed after several seconds, normal physics reasserting itself. I staggered forward, gasping for breath as my circulatory system struggled to normalize.
The Matrix Implosion had one unexpected benefit—it had cleared the entire approach to the Spire, pulling all obstacles down and away. I proceeded directly to the base of the crystalline structure, where a spiraling staircase of transparent material wound upward.
I ascended the stairs, each step revealing new facets of the Spire's internal structure—complex geometric patterns that seemed to shift and change as I moved past them. At the apex, a floating crystal orb pulsed with prismatic light, rotating slowly in defiance of gravity.
I reached out, my fingers brushing against the crystalline surface. It felt unnaturally smooth, somehow both solid and liquid simultaneously. As contact was made, the orb pulsed once, then began to rotate more rapidly.
The entire Spire responded, its crystal structure resonating at escalating frequencies. Light patterns intensified, the refraction angles shifting continuously until the entire structure became a blinding kaleidoscope of color and energy.
[RIFT CLEARED: CELESTIAL EXPANSE
SURVIVAL RATE: 100% (SOLO)
CONTRIBUTION: VOLT (100%)]
[LEVEL 3 → 4]
The extraction point materialized beside the orb, pulsing with welcoming energy. I stepped toward it, satisfied with both my objective completion and the tactical progress I'd made. The Echo-Fusion technique needed refinement, but the core concept was sound.
As reality shifted around me, returning me to the wasteland outside Lighthouse City, the rift dropped its rewards:
E-tier core × 1 = 999cr
Prismatic Crystal: 45 × 200cr = 9,000cr
Wind Essence: 8 × 400cr = 3,200cr
Dimensional Silence Fragment: 3 × 650cr = 1,950cr
Hypergravity Sample: 4 × 550cr = 2,200cr
BASE TOTAL: 17,349cr
SOLO BONUS (×10): 173,490cr
I examined the readout on my wrist display:
Name: Volt F-tier, Level 4, REALITY MATRIX
Total Credits: 326,490cr
The attribute selection screen hovered in my vision, the single point pulsing with potential. After clearing the Celestial Expanse rift, advancing from Level 3 to 4 had awarded me this opportunity to finally increase my Vitality attribute…
Nope. There was never any question where it would go.
[SPEED 3 → 4]
The point vanished, integrated into my nervous system with a subtle but unmistakable enhancement. Neural pathways fired marginally faster, proprioception sharpened slightly, reaction time decreased by fractions of a second.
"Not enough," I muttered to myself, "but closer."
The sun was beginning to set as I oriented myself for the return journey. This had been merely the first day of my planned expedition, and already I'd gained valuable experience and a significant credit haul. More importantly, I'd refined a technique that could prove crucial in future encounters.
I looked toward the distant silhouette of Lighthouse City, its upper levels disappearing into the dimensional haze that perpetually shrouded the metropolis.
The sky darkened gradually as I began the long trek searching for my next rift. Although E-tier rifts felt trivial by now they provided a great opportunity to for training and experimentation.
