Conner didn't make it two steps past the library door before a voice cut him off.
"Not this time."
Katie stood by the stairwell, arms crossed, jacket zipped high against the morning chill. Joey leaned against the wall behind her, looking less stern and more like he'd drawn the short straw to play backup.
Conner paused. "I wasn't going far."
"Doesn't matter," Katie said. "We're organizing a run. Same group as before. You're not going solo again."
"I scout better alone."
"And we survive better together," Joey added. "C'mon, man. Teamwork, all that."
Conner didn't argue. Not out loud. But as he fell into step with the others, his fingers twitched slightly against the grip of his bow. Something about being stopped rubbed him wrong. Still, he went with them.
Katie had already pulled together the original expedition group. Neive was there, her eyes a little more alert today, standing beside a quiet, nervous kid named Greg who kept fidgeting with a pipe like it was going to turn into a sword. A few others joined, but they stayed quiet.
Their target this time wasn't food. It was information.
They made their way east.
The mana in the air felt thicker here—almost humid. The sky above this part of campus pulsed faintly with violet light, feeding down into the structure Conner had seen before.
The floating disk still hovered silently, inscribed with faint runes.
No one went near it yet.
"We scout the area around it," Katie said, voice low but clear. "No touching the thing. Not until we know what it does."
Everyone nodded.
They spread out into small pairs, watching each other's backs.
Conner moved near the front. Neive walked beside him this time, her summon—a glowing stalkhound—padding quietly along.
Then it hit.
[System Alert: Enemy Detected – Mana-Bleached Creeper (Lv. 4)]
[Threat Level: Medium]
The thing dropped from a tree—a vine-wrapped husk with spiny limbs and glowing blue eyes. It shrieked as it landed.
Katie reacted instantly. Ice bloomed under her feet, sliding forward like a wall and catching the monster in mid-leap. The thing froze solid, its body locking up in a jagged block of frost.
Joey was already moving, wrench raised.
[Enemy Defeated – EXP Gained]
The creature shattered under the blow, cracking into pieces.
But that wasn't it.
The pieces didn't vanish. Not like before.
They glowed.
And then—
[New Material Acquired: Creeper Resin (Common)]
[New Material Acquired: Bleached Core Fragment (Uncommon)]
A sharp chime echoed in everyone's minds.
[Crafting System Unlocked – Material Analysis Complete]
[New Menu: Crafting]
Everyone stopped. The system screen blinked open, showing new categories—Weapon Enhancement, Armor Binding, Consumable Fusion.
"What… the hell?" Joey muttered, staring at the resin chunk in his palm. "Is this… crafting?"
Katie picked up a crystal sliver from the ground, inspecting it like a chemist with a scalpel. "Looks like we've been wasting drops."
"Or the system didn't let us collect until now," Conner said.
Neive crouched beside one of the other corpses. Her summon stood guard as she carefully touched the residue.
Another prompt popped up:
[Combine 2x Resin + 1x Root Bark?]
[Result: Improvised Grip Reinforcement | +1 Agility]
She looked up. "This is going to change everything."
They kept moving, careful now, eyes not just on the threats—but on the materials left behind.
Another creature came from behind a wall—this one taller, shaped like a warped deer but covered in fungus. It moved fast.
Greg panicked and threw his pipe. It bounced off harmlessly.
Conner stepped forward, Scope Eye glowing.
[Target Locked | Range: Close | Bonus Accuracy: +15%]
He fired.
The arrow hit the creature's leg and sent it stumbling just long enough for Joey and another student to take it down.
[EXP Gained – Level Up: Conner Hayes – Level 5]
[Trait Progress: 7%]
Again, materials dropped.
Fungal Hide. Mycelium Cluster.
The group moved like scavengers now, picking pieces from the broken world, checking menus, whispering suggestions. No one had mastered the system yet—but they were learning.
By the time they returned, they had a pile of useful salvage and three more confirmed drops tied to monster types.
• Vines boosted Strength when used on bracers.
• Resin could harden armor.
• Cores could be fused into weapons—though no one had tried yet.
But the bigger takeaway wasn't just the loot.
It was where the monsters had come from.
The closer they got to the floating structure, the more aggressive and evolved the creatures became.
And they were all coming from that direction.
Even Neive noticed it. "They're not wandering. They're leaking."
"Like a portal?" Joey asked.
"Or a gate," Conner said. "Something's pushing them out."
Katie stayed quiet for a long moment. Then she said: "Next time, we'll need a plan."
That night, back at the library, the mood was restless.
Some people were excited about the materials. A few even managed to reinforce their weapons and clothes.
But Conner sat upstairs, reviewing his panel again.
[Level 5]
[Stat Points Unused: 25]
[Trait Progress: 7% – Hollow Marksmanship (F)]
Still holding.
Still waiting.
The system was opening itself up—but it wasn't showing its full hand.
And now that structure… it wasn't just strange.
It was spawning things.
He closed the screen and looked out the window.
The violet glow was brighter tonight.
The next day started early.
People weren't sleeping in anymore. Not when the air felt heavier with each hour, and the barrier over the campus kept pulsing like a countdown no one could read.
Joey had already claimed one of the old workshop rooms behind the library. The workbench was scorched, the walls blackened, but he didn't care.
Conner walked in to find him hunched over a long pipe, slowly heating the end with his bare hand.
Well—not bare.
Joey's hand glowed faintly, wrapped in swirling red light, like lava coiled around his skin without burning it.
"Morning," Joey said, not looking up. "I'm inventing stuff. Don't distract me."
"You're melting a chair leg."
"Shaping a chair leg."
He held it up. The end of the pipe had been flattened and curled into a rough axe-head. Still jagged, but sharp enough to do damage. It was glowing orange where the metal bent.
Conner crossed his arms. "So what—your Trait lets you heat things?"
Joey grinned. "Infernal Engineer. A-Rank. I can manipulate heated metal in small amounts. Not full bending or anything, but I can twist and reshape things if I keep my focus."
"Limit?"
Joey winced. "MP burn is brutal. If I try to melt anything too thick, it kicks back hard. Headache, nausea, feels like I swallowed a kettle."
Conner raised an eyebrow. "And you're still doing it."
"Obviously," Joey said. "It's awesome."
He set the pipe-axe aside, letting it cool slowly in a bucket of water that hissed on contact.
"Once I get better," he said, "I think I'll be able to forge stuff. Like, full-on gear. Weapons, armor. Maybe even traps."
Conner gave him a look. "You going to make grenades?"
Joey smiled. "Only if you're not standing next to me."
Out in the courtyard, Katie stood near a target wall she'd built from frozen crates. Her hair was tied back, coat sleeves rolled up, and the air around her was cold enough to make your breath visible.
She raised her hand, palm open, and focused.
A long spike of ice formed in the air, hovering like a spear. It wobbled at first, then stabilized—sharpening to a lethal point.
Her brow furrowed. She flicked her wrist.
The spike shot forward, punching a hole straight through one of the crates.
It shattered on impact, spraying shards across the ground.
She staggered slightly.
"Still too much drain," she muttered.
Conner stepped up beside her. "New trick?"
"Ice Structure Casting," she said. "I can create small weapons in mid-air. Spikes, blades, maybe shields eventually."
"How's the control?"
She showed him her hand—trembling slightly. "Cost is high. And if I lose focus for even a second, it breaks apart."
"But you can aim it."
"Barely."
She walked over to a new crate, pressing her hand against it. The surface instantly froze.
"My Trait gives me control," she said. "But no stability yet. It's like trying to sculpt with water. You can't rush it."
"Still," Conner said. "It's A-rank. You'll get there."
Katie gave him a look. "Yeah. If I don't drain myself dry trying."
Neive sat cross-legged in the shade of the east hall, her summon crouched in front of her—a wolf-shaped creature with glowing patterns across its shoulders.
But the patterns were new.
Faint lines had formed, almost like armor plates. Its shape was slightly leaner, more refined. Its eyes shone brighter.
Conner watched as she placed her hand on its back and closed her eyes.
The summon shimmered.
The glow intensified, the form pulsing gently—then shrinking, then widening, like it was adjusting itself.
After a moment, Neive exhaled and slumped back against the wall.
"That takes so much mana," she said, rubbing her temples.
"What are you doing to it?" Conner asked.
"Modifying the form. If I focus long enough and burn enough MP, I can change small parts of the summon—armor, speed, durability."
"Limits?"
"One summon at a time," she said. "And every adjustment fades after a while unless I stabilize it again."
She looked down at the glowing creature. "But eventually… I think I'll be able to design them from scratch."
Conner stared at her. "That's… terrifying."
She smiled faintly. "I'm aware."
By afternoon, the group gathered near the edge of the eastern courtyard—where the structure still floated, untouched.
They'd all upgraded in small ways. Joey had reshaped the axe. Katie had lined her gloves with frost-hardened resin to help channel her casting. Neive's summon now wore a faint mana-infused collar made from bleached core fragments.
Conner hadn't changed anything.
He still carried the same makeshift bow. Still hadn't spent a single stat point.
But the Scope Eye pulsed faintly now whenever he looked at the structure.
[Unknown Structure – Proximity Threshold Met]
[Interact Option: Available]
The others felt it too.
They stood in a loose circle, the energy in the air growing sharper, more alert.
Joey shifted his grip on the axe. "So… we touching this thing or what?"
Conner stepped forward. Just enough to feel the static against his skin.
Katie narrowed her eyes. "Whatever this is… we can't unsee it after."
Neive said nothing. Her summon stood tense, like it already sensed what was coming.
Conner reached out his hand.
And stopped.
[Interact – Confirm Y/N]
He didn't press it.
Not yet.