The air grew heavier the deeper they went. A sickly green mist clung to the labyrinth walls, distorting vision and thickening every breath.
"This is bad terrain," Ellen muttered, blade half-drawn."Low visibility, muffled acoustics. Perfect for an ambush."
Mia crouched by a broken statue, her fingers tracing the moss-coated stone. "And the moss is still fresh. Something's alive down here."
Noct tightened his grip on his sword. "I'll scout the forward sector with an array. Cover me."
He stepped forward and activated a Vector Field Array, overlaying the space in front of them with shimmering numerical lines. He adjusted a formula mid-air:
Speed(x) = Distance / Time
He slowed his breathing, feeding Ather into the equation. Numbers spiraled around his eyes as the formula formed a translucent wave that pulsed forward through the mist.
Ping.
The wave hit something.
Movement.
Fast.
Heavy.
Ellen surged forward without hesitation. "Formations! Now!"
The mist exploded as a monstrous centipede-like beast—six meters long, plated in bone and shadow—burst through the corridor wall. Its head resembled a cracked skull, and its shriek warped the air like a banshee's scream.
[Category: Mid-Class Mini-Boss]
Name: Gravebore Carapent]
Mia launched first, twin daggers flashing. Noct watched her slash and twist mid-air, her movements erratic yet precise—like a phantom driven by rhythm and instinct.
Ellen dashed in from the side, her strikes surgical, calculated—but not cold. Every cut was meant to cripple.
Noct stayed back at first, forming an Array Circle in front of him.
Force = Mass x Acceleration
Multiplier Edge. He embedded the formula into his sword and charged.
The Gravebore whipped around, tail lashing toward him. Noct activated Division Blink, splitting his coordinates and reappearing behind it, blade coming down in a clean arc.
Sparks flew.
The creature screeched.
Pain stabbed into his skull from mental overuse—too many active equations at once.
He grit his teeth. "Not yet…"
The Gravebore spun—tail aimed for Mia now. She didn't see it.
Noct launched himself between them, forming an emergency Sequence Dash to intercept.
The tail slammed into his side—but just before it hit, he triggered a recursive Pi-Flux Buffer within a micro-array.
BOOM.
The feedback exploded outward. Noct was flung back, skidding across the stone—but so was the Gravebore, limbs flailing.
Ellen took the chance. One clean vertical strike—right down the center of its skull.
The beast collapsed, twitching once… then still.
Silence.
Mia approached, raising a brow. "That thing almost cut you in half."
Noct sat up slowly, clutching his ribs. "Still… alive."
She laughed. "You're either insane or suicidal. I like it."
Ellen said nothing at first. Then finally:
"...Good job."
Those two words meant more than he'd admit.
From the Gravebore's remains, Noct pulled something faintly glowing.
A blade.
But not just any blade.
[Item Acquired: Serrated Phasefang]
Type: Short Sword
Effect: Aether-conductive weapon that delivers serrated damage. On critical strikes, it emits a phase burst that disrupts monster muscle coordination for 2 seconds. Ideal for fast, precise combatants.
Noct turned it over, noting the delicate balance and the faint violet shimmer dancing along the serrated edge.
"A short sword?" Mia tilted her head, intrigued. "You planning on going dual-wield?"
"Maybe," Noct said, sliding it into his belt. "Not much choice if I'm the one who keeps drawing aggro."
Ellen gave the blade a glance, then nodded in approval. "That weapon suits your style. Precise. Calculated. Ruthless."
Noct didn't reply. But in his mind, he was already calculating strike vectors and integration formulas to enhance the weapon's performance.
The deeper they went, the more dangerous it became.
And now… he had teeth.