Lucian leapt back, landing softly. He snapped his fingers.
[Spatial Lock] again—this time on the floor below them.
The ground warped.
One of the sentinels’ legs buckled. It staggered—just for a second.
Enough.
Lucian spun forward—dragged his foot along the floor—drew a circle mid-air and flung it.
[Temporal Slow – Double Layer]
The field expanded like a bubble.
Both sentinels froze mid-lunge.
Lucian stepped into the field.
A calm breath.
Three strikes—each at a different angle.
Neck. Core. Back.
He left the field.
Time resumed.
The sentinels burst apart.
Dust settled.
Lucian cracked his knuckles. "Too easy."
— — —
Floor One — Final Gate
He reached a heavy door. Covered in iron symbols. Locked in place by a ring of energy.
A screen blinked.
[Mini-Boss: Corrupted Beastcaller – Class D+]
[Optional: Clear for bonus reward. Continue to Floor 2 otherwise.]
Lucian smiled.
"I’m clearing everything."
He pushed open the gate.
Inside was a circular arena—old, cracked, soaked in old blood.
And standing in the center was a hunched creature. Massive. Antlers of bone. Chains wrapped around its limbs. Behind it, cages lined the walls. Dozens. Something moved inside each.
The creature raised its head—and howled.
The cages exploded.
Monsters flooded the arena.
"Of course."
Lucian exhaled, rolled his shoulders.
Then vanished.
[Fold Step – Multi-Blink Mode]
He zigzagged across the arena in seconds—striking, vanishing, striking again.
Creatures howled and burst into blood mist.
But they kept coming.
The Beastcaller roared, and a wave of sound shattered the stone.
Lucian dropped low, riding the shockwave like a surfer riding a tide.
His hands lit with mana.
He snapped both fingers.
[Spatial Lock – Arena Compression Mode]
The walls of the room twisted inward. Space buckled. The enemies had less room to move.
Then he raised his hand.
[Temporal Slow – Field Cast]
Everything slowed.
Lucian began walking forward—slicing, stabbing, crushing.
Time resumed.