Lorn stepped out of the Outpost Village and into the suffocating, silent expanse of the Abandoned Zone, Sector 26. He immediately activated Ruin Tread, ensuring silent, stable footing over the rubble.
His training began immediately. He kept the weakest skill, Gate Warden's Brace (F-Rank), active continuously. The negligible Aether-Flow from the Eternal Core was enough to train it non-stop, hour after hour, pushing the mastery beyond any normal limit.
After three hours of relentless, silent traversal, the Omni-Mimicry system delivered a silent, crucial notification:
[SKILL MASTERY REACHED: GATE WARDEN'S BRACE (F-RANK) 100% ]
[INITIATING OMNI-MIMICRY FORCED RANK ASCENSION: F > E]
[SKILL UPGRADED: GATE WARDEN'S BRACE (E-RANK)]
Effect: The passive defense is now fully reflexive and reinforced. It applies a permanent, low-level Aether-Flow layer beneath the skin, offering true, minor resistance to non-magical blunt force.
Lorn gasped, not from exhaustion, but from the internal shock. He felt the Aether-Flow in his body—which was typically an unbound river—coalesce into a thin, stabilizing net just beneath his skin. His body felt instantly denser, heavier, and undeniably stronger, though his physique remained the same. He was still Tier Zero, but his first skill was now E-Rank.
A piece of rusted rebar he accidentally kicked barely registered a feeling. He was now protected by a power level above his own formal Tier.
Lorn navigated by the shattered remains of highway signs, heading toward the coordinates of the old Hydro-Electric plant. The terrain grew worse.
He encountered his first active threat: two gaunt Wraith-Kind (Hounds). He immediately initiated Runner's Break to gain distance, knowing his pipe-weapon was useless.
He held out his hand and focused the entirety of his available effort on the F-Rank Spark. He held the green charge, feeding it continuously with the Eternal Core's flow. The continuous supply of power accelerated the mastery process.
After nearly two hours of desperate, repetitive practice—a cycle of use and instantaneous Aether-Flow repair—the system responded once more.
[SKILL MASTERY REACHED: F-RANK SPARK (F-RANK) 100% ]
[INITIATING OMNI-MIMICRY FORCED RANK ASCENSION: F >E]
[SKILL UPGRADED: AETHER SHOCK (E-RANK)]
Effect: Discharge is now instantly focused, using minimum Aether-Flow. The stun effect is replaced by a concentrated energy shock, capable of crippling a low-level **Wraith-Kind** limb upon direct contact.
Lorn stopped, testing the new skill. He held out his finger; the energy that formed was no longer a sickly green spark, but a concentrated, pale blue-green bolt, crackling with silent, contained power. It was clean, efficient, and lethal to F-Rank threats. His offensive capability had just jumped an entire rank.
With two core skills officially E-Rank, Lorn focused on efficiency. He used Scrap Recognition and Ruin Tread to maintain silence and speed.
He reached Sector 26 roughly six hours into his mission. The Hydro-Electric plant was a vast, skeletal ruin half-submerged in black, stagnant water. The air here was heavy, thick with corruption—residual Aether-Flow tainted by the Void.
He checked his wrist—only two hours remained before the gate would lock. He had to move fast, using every mastered trick he possessed, because he could feel the cold, heavy atmosphere of the deep zone pressing in around him. This was where the Wraiths hunted, and where the elusive Demons began to tread.
To be Continued...