The node pulsed again.
It wasn't like before.
Now it had rhythm—slower, but deliberate. Like it was aware they were still watching.
Still undecided.
Conner stood closest, his Scope Eye flickering with lines of detection across the floor and the veins of energy spilling from the node.
He wasn't moving.
He was reading.
Behind him, the others were watching him. Waiting.
Katie finally broke the silence.
"We can't leave it like this, Conner. Even if we walk away, this instability will stay behind. It'll poison the whole floor."
Conner didn't turn. "Agreed. But if we rush it, it could collapse and take us all with it."
Joey stepped forward, arms crossed tight. "Then we break it. Smash the damn thing and let the floor reset. Worst case, we get a few burns and limp to Floor 6."
Neive's summon let out a soft growl beside her. "Or best case, we trigger something we weren't meant to survive."
Luc nodded slowly. "We still don't know what this node actually is. Every other floor had monsters or traps. This one has... a choice."
Conner finally looked up.
"I think it's watching."
Katie blinked. "The node?"
"No. The dungeon. It's not trying to kill us here. Not directly. It's trying to see what we'll do with something that's broken, but still alive."
Joey shook his head. "That sounds way too philosophical for a room that's tried to explode half our party."
But Conner kept his gaze fixed on the pulsing core. "What if this isn't just a trap or a reward? What if it's a message?"
They circled the node carefully, each keeping a distance.
The energy bleeding from it was no longer hostile. It was... curious. Conner could feel it with his new skill—Pulse Reading tingling against his skin like static.
He crouched low and placed one hand near the base. The stone was warm. The pulse reached his fingertips, synced for a moment—and then the System chimed:
[Interaction Opportunity Detected: Unstable Node]Options Available:
[Stabilize] – Infuse controlled mana. May alter floor dynamics. Requires discipline and fine control.[Shatter] – Force collapse. High risk. May awaken hidden mechanisms.[Absorb Fragment] – Incomplete. Trait-specific results possible. Only available to qualifying user.[Bypass] – Leave untouched. Node may remain unstable for future parties.
Warning: Choice may affect dungeon temperament, future drop tables, and hidden systems.
Joey let out a slow breath. "You've got to be kidding me. Now we're negotiating with the dungeon?"
Katie stepped closer. "If we stabilize it, maybe the whole floor shifts. If the System's giving us this option, then this is more than a gimmick."
Neive crossed her arms. "And if we break it?"
"Something wakes up," Luc said. "I don't know why, but... I feel it."
Conner didn't answer right away.
The option that stood out most wasn't the obvious one.
[Absorb Fragment].
His trait—the only one that could evolve—had synced with this node somehow. That option wasn't offered to anyone else.
He didn't tell the others that yet.
Not yet.
"I want to try something first," he said. "Just let me work."
He stepped forward. The room dimmed slightly. The pulses grew slower, more focused.
He placed both hands on the base of the node and let out a quiet breath.
Mana pushed back.
But this time—it wasn't wild.
It was waiting.
Conner's hands hovered just above the unstable mana node.
The energy twisted and writhed like it was trying to escape its own center. Every pulse beat like a heart under pressure—unfocused, scattered, begging for form.
He didn't force his mana in.
He aligned it.
Matched rhythm for rhythm. Breath for breath.
The system didn't push back.
It whispered.
[Stabilization Attempt Detected…][User Mana Signature: Compatible – 91% Match][Absorption Sequence Unlocked]
Warning: Trait Path Divergence will initiate upon successful absorption.
Joey took a half-step forward. "Conner… is it working?"
"Yeah," he said quietly. "But something else is starting."
The moment he pushed his mana deeper, the room darkened.
Everyone around him faded—voices dulled, figures blurring into silhouettes.
He wasn't alone.
But he wasn't here anymore.
The System surged:
[Unique Evolution Trait Detected: Arcane Bow Insight – D Rank][Legacy Compatibility: Confirmed][Trait Divergence Paths Available:]
1. Path of the Architect
"Shape the battlefield. Empower the many. Control the whole."
Overlay maps
Environmental augments
Party-wide buffs and suppression fields
Legacy Style: Strategos of the Core[Path Stability: 100%][Instinctive Rejection Registered]
Conner saw himself above the fight—guiding others like pieces on a board. Calm. Commanding. Distant.
And he knew instantly:
This isn't me.
2. Path of the Finder
"See what others buried. Learn what they forgot. Witness what's to come."
Echo vision of past warriors
Glimpses of future system structures
Trait inheritance from ancient classes
Legacy Style: Witness of Threads[Path Stability: 87%]
He stood in an ancient field, arrows scattered in the grass, voices from the past whispering through ruins. Ahead, shadows of future warriors trained with weapons he hadn't seen yet.
Knowledge. So much knowledge.
But then his thoughts cut sharp:
If I'm not strong enough to win—what's the point of knowing it all?
3. Path of the Stalker
"See the lines before they draw blood. Cut before they swing. Hide in the truth of motion."
Trajectory Insight: See movement 2 seconds ahead
Phantom Rhythm: Stealth bonus in mana-dense zones
Dual Form Mastery: Bow and blade link strikes
Late-stage: Future Sight (combat), Ghoststep
Legacy Style: The Hollow Arrow[Path Stability: 92%][Instinctive Draw Registered]
He saw nothing—just silence.
Then a flash: a figure leaping from shadow to ledge, bow twisting mid-draw into a blade, slicing once before vanishing again.
No flash.
No glory.
Just results.
Conner exhaled slowly.
And let the vision fade.
The node calmed.
Its pulses aligned—slow, deep, steady.
The color shifted from chaotic red to a gentle silver-blue. The room warmed.
The others rushed toward him.
"It's stable," Katie said, wide-eyed. "You actually did it."
Joey smirked. "No explosion. Always a good sign."
Luc looked at the now-pulsing node. "What... even is it now?"
"Not a bomb," Conner said. "More like a memory. A choice."
The System pinged one last time—privately.
[Trait Divergence Path Recorded: Awaiting Final Commitment][Path of the Stalker – Initial Compatibility Established]Further evolution will proceed upon significant combat alignment.
Conner said nothing.
But he looked down at his bow… and then at the sword sheathed across his back.
He didn't need the System to tell him what was coming.
He already knew.