The hum of the First Beacon had settled into a steady rhythm, like a heartbeat embedded within the land. The protagonist sat by the crystalline emitter, reviewing the latest system data.
Energy Bank: 1000 / 1000 QP
Threshold Reached – Initiating Core Adaptation
Available Path: Body ▸ Blood Pulse ▸ Early I
Proceed? [Y/N]
He didn't hesitate. He confirmed.
The change began immediately.
His fog-like body rippled. Heat coiled within him, forming new strands. Not random—networks. Capillaries of condensed mist-red light spread across his being.
It pulsed. And he pulsed with it.
---
A new interface appeared, hovering in his awareness:
Bioflow System Initialized
Capillaries Formed: 14%
Pulse Cycle Sync: Pending
But something was missing.
He reached into his surroundings with Life-Sense. The world responded—not with vision, but with harmony.
He aligned his internal pulse with the subtle vibration of the mist around him.
The sync climbed:
21%… 34%… 61%…
He wasn't just energy in form anymore. He was circulation. Life in motion.
---
Without warning, the system spoke again:
Minor Flesh Trial Initiated ▸ Simulated Gravity Increase
Objective: Maintain Pulse Sync under Pressure
The air thickened. His form compressed. A downward drag pulled at his every particle.
Flow dropped to 17%.
He couldn't breathe—not in the human sense, but energetically. His pulses staggered.
His vision twisted.
He forced concentration, manually pushing energy through the blocked paths, commanding rhythm into motion.
One pulse. Then another. Then a flood.
Trial Passed
Blood Pulse (Early I) Activated
Passive Bonus: +30% Physical Energy Control
He collapsed—then rose. Stronger.
---
The world looked different.
He could now compress a burst of energy and launch it through his limbs.
He tested it—focusing a pulse into his core and releasing it into a nearby rock. The stone split cleanly.
New Skill Unlocked → "Pulse Focus Lv.1"
Description: Compress energy into a single motion burst
His limbs no longer floated—they moved with will.
---
With his Life-Sense now synced to Blood Pulse, he could see the circulatory paths of others.
The Lumin Moths revealed thermal spirals inside their wings. The Steam Salamander's fluid core shimmered in slow, rhythmic contractions.
He watched. Then whispered:
> "I don't just see energy anymore… I see life in motion."
Every beat, every shift, now meant something.
---
Hours passed. Then the system glitched—just slightly.
Anomaly Detected
Path Interference Logged
Potential: Soul Ripple at 16.4 m
Suggested Action: Avoid Interaction… or Prepare for Dual Path Awakening.
He turned slowly.
In the far mist… a flickering outline. Not fog. Not creature. Something else.
And it was watching.
---