The tension from the brief, charged encounter with Luna and Maya didn't dissipate; it simply transformed into a new, focused energy. The remaining hours in the Safe Zone were spent in a flurry of grim preparation. Leo, fueled by his increased Intelligence and the clear vision provided by his [Artist's Eye], set to work.
His first creation was for the collective, as Maya had—not so subtly—suggested. He found a heavy-duty emergency flashlight in a maintenance locker. Holding it, he focused on the simplest blueprint he possessed: [Arcane Bolt]. He didn't need complexity; he needed a reliable, sustainable light source. He imagined the projective energy of the bolt being tamed, converted into a steady, unwavering beam.
[Fuse Skill Blueprint: Arcane Bolt with Physical Item: Flashlight? Y/N]
Yes.
A soft, blue-white light enveloped the flashlight. When it faded, the device was sleeker, its casing faintly warm, with a core of solidified light where the bulb should be.
[Item Forged: Lumin-Core Beacon (E-Rank)]
[Produces a powerful, unwavering beam of light. Immune to conventional damage. Does not require batteries. (Effectiveness for non-user: 90%).]
Note: Enchanted Item. Can be shared.
He handed it to Maya. "For the collective," he said, meeting her gaze.
A faint, pleased smile touched her lips, and her silver aura, which he could still perceive, shimmered with satisfaction. "Optimal. This increases our survival probability by at least twelve percent in low-light scenarios."
Next, he turned to the spool of thin, strong steel wire he'd scavenged and Luna's expectant, hopeful expression. He called up the blueprints for [Mirage Step] and [Power Strike]. He envisioned the wire weaving into the soles of her sturdy, fashionable ankle boots, channeling the energy of the dash and the concussive force into a single, wearable package.
The fusion was more complex. The wire glowed, snaking around the boots, stitching itself into the very fabric and sole with threads of light. The boots shimmered and settled, looking slightly more durable, with a subtle, barely-perceptible gleam.
[Item Forged: Boots of the Rushing Mirage (E-Rank)]
[Grants the wearer a single charge of a short, aggressive teleport. Upon arrival, the wearer's next physical attack is enhanced with concussive force. Charges replenish at dawn. (Effectiveness for non-user: 90%).]
Note: Enchanted Item. Can be shared.
Luna practically snatched them, immediately swapping her shoes. She blinked out of existence and reappeared a few feet away, kicking a discarded can with a satisfying CRUNCH that dented the metal locker behind it.
"Yes! Oh, this is perfect!" she cheered, beaming at Leo with unrestrained delight. She dashed over and, in a burst of impulsive gratitude, planted a quick, firm kiss on his cheek before darting away to test her new boots again. The spot on his cheek burned.
Chloe, who had been watching the entire process with her arms crossed, finally approached. Her expression was unreadable, but her golden aura swirled with a complex mix of approval and something else—a faint, lonely grey. She saw him empowering the others, making them stronger, and he realized she was wondering if she was being left behind.
"Your turn," Leo said softly, before she could speak. He pulled out the final item he had scavenged: a small, polished shield from the wall of the school's ceremonial armory, no larger than a dinner plate. It was meant for display, but it was solid steel. For her, he would use his best defensive blueprint: [Aegis]. He focused on the concept of a shield not just deflecting, but holding firm, an immovable object. He poured that intent into the metal.
The shield glowed with a deep, golden light, growing warm in his hands. When the light faded, it looked like something straight out of a fantasy book. metallic grey with bright golden accents, and it felt... heavier with purpose.
[Item Forged: Bulwark Buckler (E-Rank)]
[A small shield that, upon command, can project a stationary, full-sized [Aegis] barrier for up to ten seconds. Has a 30-second cooldown. (Effectiveness for non-user: 90%).]
Note: Enchanted Item. Can be shared.
He handed it to her. "It won't replace your skill, but it will give you a second layer of defense. Or let you protect someone in two places at once."
Chloe took the buckler, her fingers brushing against his. Her golden aura solidified, the lonely grey vanishing, replaced by a warm, fierce gratitude. She immediately kissed him and squealed. Then instantly returned to her professional demure and simply met his eyes and gave a single, firm nod. It conveyed more than words ever could. "Thank you, Leo."
He had armed his vanguard. He had empowered his scout. He had given his strategist a crucial tool. He felt a profound sense of rightness. This was his role. This was how they would survive.
[Safe Zone Deactivation in: 00:00:10]
The timer hit zero. The gentle, golden light of the [Heart of the School] winked out. The comforting hum ceased, plunging them into a silence that was suddenly deafening, broken only by the beam of Maya's Lumin-Core flashlight.
The main boiler room door, now just a slab of metal, no longer felt like a barrier. It felt like a starting gate.
"Everyone, positions!" Chloe commanded, her voice steady as she strapped the Bulwark Buckler to her forearm. "Leo, Maya, with me. Luna, you're on point. Light scouting only. The rest of you, stay tight in the middle.Use your abilities to support the vanguard as well as you can but ensure you do not interfere with our positions. Kyle, you're rear guard. Let's move."
They opened the door and stepped back into the hellscape of the Broken Academy. The air was colder now, the darkness more absolute. The path they had cleared to the basement stairs was still there, but the shadows at the edges of the light seemed to writhe with new purpose.
They moved as a unit, a slow, cautious procession up the stairs. The first floor was a graveyard. The signs of their previous battle were everywhere, but the bodies of the smaller Spawns had dissolved, leaving only stains and a lingering foulness.
It was on the ground floor, in the main hallway leading to the school's front entrance, that they found their first real obstacle. The way was completely blocked by a grotesque, pulsating organic wall. It was a deep, venous purple, covered in mucus-slick nodules that rhythmically contracted and expanded. It looked like a single, massive organ had been grafted onto the school.
[Appraise: Tecron Bio-Barrier (D-Rank Obstacle)]
[A living barricade that secretes a potent acidic slime. Highly resistant to physical and conventional energy attacks. Regenerates quickly. Weakness: Sustained, focused application of extreme heat or corrosive agents.]
"Great. A wall of snot," Luna muttered, wrinkling her nose.
"My Arcane Bolts will be ineffective," Maya stated, her light playing over the glistening surface. "The mana-to-damage ratio is insufficient to overcome its regeneration."
Chloe stepped forward. "Let me try." She focused, and her [Aegis] sprang to life, a pane of hard light. She shoved it against the barrier. Immediately, a hissing sound filled the air as the acidic slime began eating away at her barrier, which flickered violently under the assault. She was forced to drop it, breathing heavily. "No good. It would drain me completely to get through, if I even could."
All eyes turned to Leo.
He stared at the Bio-Barrier, his [Artist's Eye] analyzing its composition. It was a living thing, a mass of corrupted biomass. His [Flash-Cinder] had worked on the weavers because they were dry and fibrous. This was wet, slick, and designed to withstand heat. He needed something different. Something that could break down organic matter.
He looked at his remaining components. He had little left. But he had his blueprints, and he had his mind.
An idea, born of chemistry and desperation, sparked. He turned to the chemistry club students. "Do any of you still have anything from the lab? Acids? Bases?"
One of them, Sarah, timidly held up a small, sealed bottle of a clear liquid. "This is concentrated hydrochloric acid. For an experiment. I grabbed it when we ran cause i thought it may be useful." she blushed and turned her gaze unable to meet Leo's enticing blue eyes.
It was perfect.
Leo took the bottle. He focused on the [Arcane Bolt] blueprint again, but this time, he twisted the intent completely. He didn't want projection or ignition. He wanted dissolution. He imagined the arcane energy acting as a catalyst, not for fire, but for a violent chemical reaction, super-charging the acid's corrosive properties.
[Fuse Skill Blueprint: Arcane Bolt with Physical Item: Acid? Y/N]
Yes.
The bottle glowed with a sinister green light. The liquid inside began to bubble and swirl violently, its color darkening to a venomous emerald.
[Item Forged: Vitriol Grenade (D-Rank)]
[A single-use offensive item. Upon shattering, releases a cloud of super-corrosive, magically-enhanced acid that devours organic and most metallic materials. Soul-bound to Leo Vance.]
Warning: Highly volatile.
"Everyone, back up!" Leo ordered. He hefted the now dangerously warm bottle. He took aim at the center of the pulsating Bio-Barrier and threw it.
The bottle shattered against the purple flesh.
The effect was instantaneous and horrifying. A violent hissing roar filled the hallway as a cloud of green vapor erupted. Where it touched, the Bio-Barrier simply melted, dissolving into a steaming, black slurry. A large, gaping hole was eaten through the center of the wall, revealing the dim light of the school's entrance lobby beyond.
The way was open.
[Secondary Objective Updated: Reach the Surface Settlement 'Hope's Outpost'.]
[Estimated Distance: 2 Kilometers.]
They had cleared the tutorial. The real world awaited.
Leo looked at the faces of his party, illuminated by Maya's flashlight and the dying embers of the dissolving barrier. They were scared, but they were armed, and they were together. He had forged their first real hope. Now, he just had to forge their path to victory, one impossible creation at a time.