The portal shimmered before me, its surface rippling with electric blue energy patterns that resembled circuit boards. I had specifically selected this rift based on the Network description; the D-tier that scouted it commented extreme environment.
Perfect for testing my new ability.
I checked my stats one last time:
HP 100/100, MANA 100/100, STAMINA 100/100, EXHAUSTION 0/100
My Supershock Baton felt comfortable in my grip—a significant upgrade from my old Nanosteel Blade. The reinforced mesh suit with dimensional stabilization weave hugged my body like a second skin, providing 20% damage reduction.
I stepped through the portal.
Reality shifted, and I materialized in what appeared to be a massive server farm—endless rows of quantum computing towers stretching in all directions. The ceiling pulsed with fiber-optic veins that carried data in visible light streams. The air itself felt charged with potential, tiny motes of digital particles floating like dust in sunbeams.
[E-TIER RIFT: NEXUS PROTOCOL]
Base Requirement: Reach the Central Core and stabilize the Protocol Nexus
Alternative Path: None
My Domain Engine's Hazard Sense immediately highlighted dozens of environmental dangers within my 50-meter detection radius:
Data corruption zones—patches of space where reality itself flickered between binary states, potentially corrupting organic matter into digital equivalents.
Electromagnetic pulse fields—concentrated areas that could short-circuit both equipment and neural pathways.
Quantum entanglement knots—places where matter existed in multiple states simultaneously, risking molecular disintegration upon contact.
Holographic compression waves—bands of force that could flatten three-dimensional objects into two-dimensional space.
Temporal fragmentation zones—areas where time itself processed at different computational speeds, causing potential desynchronization between body systems.
I cataloged each hazard, analyzing their patterns and potential utility. The nearest server tower hummed with unstable energy, its cooling systems failing as data corruption spread visibly through its structure.
"Let's test the waters," I muttered, moving toward a relatively stable section of flooring.
Three Digital Constructs materialized twenty meters ahead—humanoid figures composed entirely of light and code, their bodies occasionally glitching to reveal skeletal frameworks of pure energy. They moved with inhuman precision, scanning the environment with visual sensors that pulsed in rhythmic patterns.
I ducked behind a server rack, assessing options. Direct confrontation would be unwise until I understood their capabilities. The nearest environmental hazard was an electromagnetic pulse field pulsing five meters to my right.
"Create Hazard," I commanded, manifesting a data corruption zone directly in the patrol path of the Constructs. The air shimmered as reality destabilized, binary code becoming briefly visible as the corruption took hold. First Fracture Charge accumulated, triggering Reactive Fracture Tether.
My Speed surged by 50%, the world seeming to slow as my perception sharpened. The hazard detection range doubled, revealing additional dangers previously outside my awareness—including an unstable quantum processor three racks ahead, its containment field flickering.
The lead Construct stepped into the corruption zone and immediately began to glitch, its form destabilizing as conflicting code sequences attempted to resolve. The remaining two altered their patrol route, their heads swiveling with mechanical precision as they attempted to locate the source of the anomaly.
With enhanced speed, I circled behind the nearest rack, using the three-second boost to position myself advantageously. The corrupted Construct continued to malfunction, its movements becoming increasingly erratic as it fought against the hazard.
One of the remaining Constructs detected my movement, its arm transforming into what appeared to be a directed energy weapon. A beam of concentrated light sliced through the server rack I'd just vacated, melting metal and circuitry instantly.
My Supershock Baton had charged, gathering ambient dimensional energy from the rift. I stepped into view and triggered a discharge—a targeted lightning strike that arced fifteen meters to hit the armed Construct. The creature convulsed as electrical energy overloaded its systems, causing cascading failures throughout its form.
The third Construct rushed me with unexpected speed, its hands morphing into blade-like appendages that glowed with disruptive energy. I barely dodged the first strike, the blade passing close enough to raise the hairs on my arm from its electromagnetic field.
"Negate Hazard," I called out, targeting the electromagnetic pulse field nearby. The field collapsed instantly, its energy dissipating harmlessly. Second Fracture Charge accumulated, refreshing my speed boost.
I used the enhanced mobility to circle the Construct, analyzing its attack patterns. It adapted quickly, predicting my movements with increasing accuracy. A glancing blow caught my shoulder, the energy blade slicing through my mesh suit despite its reinforcement.
HP: 95/100
The pain was sharp but manageable. I needed to end this quickly. My Supershock Baton was still recharging—thirty more seconds before it could discharge again. I feinted left, then rolled right as the Construct committed to its attack, momentarily exposing its back.
With precise timing, I drove my baton into its central mass. Even without the discharge function, the weapon conducted my own kinetic energy efficiently, transferring force directly into the Construct's core systems. It staggered forward, temporarily destabilized.
"Invert Hazard," I commanded, targeting the quantum entanglement knot ten meters ahead. The hazard reversed its properties, changing from a destructive force to a stabilizing one. The Construct, still recovering from my strike, stepped directly into the inverted hazard.
The effect was immediate and catastrophic—a being made of fluctuating digital states forced into quantum stability. The Construct froze mid-motion, its form crystalizing into a single quantum state. Cracks spread across its surface like fracturing glass before it shattered completely, fragments dissolving into data particles.
Third Fracture Charge accumulated. The air shuddered violently as reality tore open. The three Fracture Charges consumed themselves, creating a chaotic dimensional fracture that pulled something utterly foreign into this technological environment—a living forest.
Massive trees erupted from the server room floor, their roots tearing through metal and circuitry as they sought purchase. Leaves unfurled with impossible speed, creating a canopy that blocked the fiber-optic ceiling. The trees weren't ordinary—they pulsed with bioluminescent energy, their bark shifting colors like mood rings.
EXHAUSTION: 15/100
I stared in disbelief as the dimensional forest continued to spread, creating a jarring juxtaposition against the technological landscape. Where organic matter met digital infrastructure, strange hybrid zones formed—trees with circuit patterns running through their bark, leaves that displayed scrolling code sequences.
My Supershock Baton had recharged. I gripped it tightly as I assessed the new terrain. The forest had disrupted the rift's native hazards, creating unpredictable interactions between biological and technological systems. My Domain Engine struggled to categorize the new hybrid hazards, their properties fluctuating as they evolved.
I pressed forward, navigating between massive tree trunks and damaged server towers. The path ahead narrowed, forcing me into a corridor where holographic compression waves swept back and forth like deadly pendulums. Each wave could potentially flatten me into two dimensions—not a death I was eager to experience.
The corridor stretched twenty meters, with six compression waves moving in alternating patterns. Timing would be everything. I studied their rhythm, calculating the narrow windows where safe passage existed.
"This looks like a job for my new trick," I muttered.
I focused on the nearest holographic compression wave, recalling the strategies I had come up with for Hazard Conduit. The ability would attach the hazard to me as an aura, affecting everything within ten meters. With the compression waves moving in predictable patterns, becoming the hazard would give me control over the timing.
STAMINA: 100/100
"Hazard Conduit," I commanded, focusing on the nearest compression wave.
The sensation was immediate and disorienting—like being turned inside out while remaining whole. The compression wave detached from its original position and attached itself to me, creating a visible aura of distorted space approximately ten meters in diameter. The hazard's non-damaging effects were reduced by 80% for me, but I could feel a constant 10% of the original damage ticking against my health.
HP: 94/100
The power was intoxicating. I moved forward, my compression wave aura flattening everything it touched—server racks collapsed into paper-thin sheets, fallen debris compressed into two-dimensional versions of themselves. The remaining compression waves continued their patterns, but I could now move through them without fear, my own aura interacting with theirs in ways that canceled out their effects.
HP: 93/100
The constant damage was manageable but noticeable. I'd need to remove the conduit before it drained too much health, and only Consume Hazard could remove the effect.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
I reached the end of the corridor and found myself facing a vast circular chamber dominated by a massive quantum processor—the Protocol Nexus. Surrounding it were twelve Advanced Constructs, their forms more sophisticated than the basic versions I'd encountered earlier. They moved with fluid grace, their digital bodies incorporating elements of the dimensional forest—branches and leaves interwoven with circuitry and code.
One detected me immediately, alerting the others with a burst of binary code that manifested as visible light pulses. Three Advanced Constructs broke from the formation, moving to intercept me.
My compression wave aura remained active, ticking away at my health but providing a powerful defensive and offensive tool. The nearest Construct entered my aura's range and immediately began to compress, its three-dimensional form struggling against the flattening force.
HP: 92/100
"Amplify Hazard," I commanded, tripling the intensity of my compression wave aura. The effect was immediate—my aura expanded slightly and intensified dramatically, the compression force becoming nearly irresistible within its range. First Fracture Charge accumulated, triggering Reactive Fracture Tether.
With enhanced speed, I circled the approaching Constructs, using my aura like a weapon. The Advanced Construct caught in my amplified field compressed completely, becoming a two-dimensional representation of itself that fluttered to the ground like paper. The others adjusted their approach, maintaining distance while firing energy projectiles from outside my aura's range. I began to feel the compression waves effect starting to affect me as well, but the 80% effect reduction was working overtime.
One projectile struck my shoulder, burning through the mesh suit and searing flesh. The pain was intense but focused—a precise, cauterizing wound rather than blunt trauma.
HP: 82/100
EXHAUSTION: 25/100
My Supershock Baton had recharged. I aimed carefully and discharged a lightning strike at the nearest Advanced Construct. The electrical energy arced through the air, striking its target with devastating precision. The Construct convulsed as system failures cascaded through its form, but it didn't collapse entirely—tougher than the basic versions.
The chamber's architecture provided limited cover—mostly data terminals and holographic projectors. I ducked behind a terminal as energy projectiles continued to rain down. My compression wave aura flattened the terminal gradually, reducing my cover with each passing second.
HP: 81/100
"Invert Hazard," I called out, targeting a temporal fragmentation zone near the chamber's edge. The zone reversed its properties, changing from an area of desynchronized time to one of perfect synchronization. Second Fracture Charge accumulated, refreshing my speed boost.
I needed a better understanding of my Hazard Conduit's capabilities. The constant health drain was manageable but would become problematic in extended combat. The compression wave aura was effective against individual targets but less useful against ranged attackers. I needed to switch to a different hazard.
"Consume Hazard," I commanded, absorbing the compression wave aura. The hazard dissipated as its energy flowed into me, restoring vital resources. Third Fracture Charge accumulated.
Reality fractured once again as three charges consumed themselves. This time, the dimensional tear pulled in an ocean fragment—a massive volume of salt water that poured into the chamber like a horizontal waterfall. The water spread rapidly, shorting out electronics and creating electrical discharge patterns across the floor as circuits overloaded.
The sudden flood caught several Advanced Constructs unprepared, their systems malfunctioning as salt water interfered with their operational parameters. The dimensional forest reacted violently to the water, trees absorbing the liquid and growing at accelerated rates, branches extending to create new obstacles throughout the chamber.
I climbed onto a floating debris piece, surveying the chaotic battlefield. The Protocol Nexus remained operational despite the water, protected by emergency containment fields. The remaining Advanced Constructs had adapted to the flooding, some hovering above the water's surface while others moved through it with fish-like efficiency.
My Supershock Baton had recharged again. I discharged another lightning strike at the water's surface, creating a devastating chain reaction as electricity conducted through the salt water. Three Advanced Constructs caught in the water convulsed and deactivated, their systems overloaded beyond recovery capability.
The water level continued to rise, now approaching my improvised floating platform. The chamber's electronic systems sparked and failed in cascading patterns, creating expanding electromagnetic pulse fields as power conduits ruptured.
I spotted a particularly intense electromagnetic pulse field forming near a cluster of Advanced Constructs. This was my chance to test Hazard Conduit with a different environmental hazard.
"Hazard Conduit," I commanded, focusing on the electromagnetic pulse field.
STAMINA: 75 → 25/100
The electromagnetic energy detached from its origin point and surrounded me in a crackling aura of blue-white electricity. Unlike the compression wave, this hazard was dynamic—pulses of electromagnetic energy radiating outward in rhythmic waves. Each pulse drained my health slightly, the trade-off for wielding such power.
HP: 99/100
I directed my new electromagnetic aura toward the nearest Advanced Constructs. The effect was immediate and satisfying—their systems failed as electromagnetic pulses disrupted their operational parameters. Two collapsed instantly, their forms dissolving into scattered data fragments. The others retreated, maintaining distance from my disruptive field.
HP: 98/100
The water level stabilized as the dimensional tear began to seal, having discharged its foreign element into this reality. I waded through waist-deep water toward the Protocol Nexus, my electromagnetic aura creating a path as nearby systems failed in my presence.
HP: 97/100
Four Advanced Constructs remained, now coordinating their attacks with calculated precision. They positioned themselves at cardinal points around me, preparing synchronized energy discharges. I needed to reach the Nexus before they could execute their attack.
"Create Hazard," I commanded, manifesting a quantum entanglement knot directly in my path. The space shimmered as matter began existing in multiple states simultaneously. First Fracture Charge accumulated, triggering Reactive Fracture Tether.
With enhanced speed, I charged toward the Nexus, my electromagnetic aura disrupting systems as I passed. The Advanced Constructs fired simultaneously, their energy beams converging on my position. I rolled forward, narrowly avoiding the brunt of the attack, but one beam caught my leg, burning through mesh and flesh.
HP: 87/100
EXHAUSTION: 55/100
I reached the quantum entanglement knot and passed through it, my electromagnetic aura interacting with the hazard in unexpected ways. The entanglement properties amplified my aura's effects, creating a cascading failure that spread outward at exponential rates. Systems throughout the chamber began to fail as the amplified electromagnetic pulse propagated.
HP: 86/100
The Protocol Nexus loomed before me, its containment field still active despite the surrounding chaos. According to the rift requirements, I needed to stabilize it, not destroy it. The Nexus's interface pulsed with error messages, its quantum processing capabilities compromised by the environmental disruptions.
My electromagnetic aura was causing additional instability. I needed to remove it before attempting to stabilize the Nexus.
"Consume Hazard," I commanded, absorbing the electromagnetic field. The aura dissipated as its energy flowed into me, restoring resources. Second Fracture Charge accumulated, refreshing my speed boost.
With enhanced speed, I accessed the Nexus interface, my wrist implant wirelessly transmitting code as it initiated stabilization protocols. The remaining Advanced Constructs converged on my position, determined to prevent me from completing the process.
My Supershock Baton had recharged. I discharged another lightning strike at the nearest Construct, the electrical energy temporarily disrupting its systems and buying precious seconds.
The stabilization protocol required continuous input for thirty seconds, I couldn't leave the interface without aborting the process. The Advanced Constructs would reach me before completion.
"Negate Hazard," I called out, targeting a data corruption zone forming within the Nexus itself. The corruption dissipated instantly, accelerating the stabilization process. Third Fracture Charge accumulated.
Reality fractured for the third time, more violently than before. This dimensional tear pulled through something completely alien to both technological and natural environments—a gravitational anomaly. Suddenly, gravity within the chamber reversed completely, sending water, debris, and Constructs flying toward the ceiling.
I anchored myself to the Nexus interface, fighting against the upward pull as I continued the stabilization sequence. The ceiling—now the floor from the perspective of the reversed gravity—wasn't designed to support the water's weight. Structural integrity alarms blared as fractures began to form.
EXHAUSTION: 75/100
I needed to act quickly, both to complete the stabilization and to prepare for the inevitable ceiling collapse. I activated a Rejuvenator, its energy coursing through me and pushing back the crushing exhaustion, also zeroing my Stamina which wasn’t ideal. I would have to wait for it to slowly regenerate or use Consume Hazard soon.
EXHAUSTION: 75 → 25/100
STAMINA: 50 → 0/100
The Advanced Constructs struggled against the reversed gravity, their movement patterns disrupted by the unexpected change. I continued working on the Nexus interface, the stabilization protocol now 70% complete.
The ceiling began to give way, massive chunks breaking off and "falling" upward into the original floor. Water poured through the gaps, creating a bizarre upside-down waterfall effect. The dimensional forest trees, still growing throughout the chamber, bent against the new gravitational direction, their roots straining to maintain purchase.
The stabilization protocol reached 90% as the Advanced Constructs regained control, adapting to the reversed gravity. They moved along the ceiling with magnetic precision, converging on my position once more.
"Create Hazard," I commanded, manifesting a holographic compression wave in their path. The space distorted as the wave formed, threatening to flatten anything in its path. First Fracture Charge accumulated, triggering Reactive Fracture Tether.
With enhanced speed, I completed the final stabilization sequence just as the Advanced Constructs reached the edge of my created hazard. The Protocol Nexus hummed with renewed stability, its quantum processes realigning into optimal patterns.
The chamber shuddered as dimensional integrity began to restore itself. The reversed gravity fluctuated, creating momentary zero-G pockets throughout the space. The Advanced Constructs, caught in one such pocket, fired desperately at my position.
An energy beam struck my back as I turned, burning through reinforced mesh and searing flesh across my shoulder blades.
HP: 80/100
EXHAUSTION: 35/100
With the Nexus stabilized, the extraction point materialized near my position, pulsing with the same electric blue energy as the entrance portal. The gravitational anomaly began to fade, normal physics gradually reasserting throughout the chamber.
"Invert Hazard," I called out, targeting the zero-G pocket containing the Advanced Constructs. The zone inverted, changing from zero gravity to crushing hypergravity. The Constructs collapsed under their own suddenly multiplied weight, their forms compressing beyond operational parameters. Second Fracture Charge accumulated, refreshing my speed boost.
I sprinted toward the extraction point as the chamber continued to destabilize around me. The dimensional forest began to fade, trees dissolving into data particles as they returned to their native reality. The salt water drained through newly formed dimensional fissures, restoring the technological environment to its original state.
The Protocol Nexus pulsed with stable energy, its processes returning to optimal efficiency as the rift's environment normalized. I reached the extraction point just as the last Advanced Construct collapsed under its own weight, the hypergravity zone destroying its structural integrity.
Reality shifted as the extraction protocols engaged, returning me to the Rift Management Center.
[RIFT CLEARED: NEXUS PROTOCOL]
SURVIVAL RATE: 100% (SOLO)
CONTRIBUTION: VOLT (100%)
LEVEL: 10 → 11
E-tier cores × 1 = 999cr
Quantum Data Fragments 23 × 120cr = 2,760cr
Advanced Construct Remnants 8 × 175cr = 1,400cr
Dimensional Hybrid Samples 5 × 250cr = 1,250cr
Protocol Stabilizers 2 × 500cr = 1,000cr
BASE TOTAL: 7,409cr
SOLO BONUS (×10): 74,090cr
I materialized in the extraction chamber, my body humming with residual dimensional energy. The medical drones immediately swarmed, analyzing and treating the burns across my shoulder and back. I hardly noticed them, my mind already processing what I'd learned about Hazard Conduit.
The ability was as versatile as I had thought. Different hazards created different auras, each with unique strategic applications. The compression wave had excelled at close-range combat, while the electromagnetic pulse had disrupted systems across wider areas. The health drain was manageable with proper timing of Consume Hazard, which not only removed the conduit but restored resources in the process.
More importantly, I'd discovered that the conduit could interact with other hazards in unexpected ways, creating amplification effects like what happened with the quantum entanglement knot. The possibilities for combining different environmental manipulations were virtually limitless.
As the medical drones finished their work, I reviewed the credit transfer to my account. Another successful solo clear, another step toward my goal. I'd need better equipment for future E-tier rifts—the burns on my back testified to that—but the principles remained the same: move faster, think faster, use the environment itself as my primary weapon.
I almost forgot to allocate my attribute.
+1 to SPEED: 10 → 11
There you go.
