The ruins behind them were silent.

  The team moved carefully, boots scraping against cracked stone, each step echoing faintly in the fog

  that still clung to the broken city. None of them spoke. Not after a fight like that. Not after thirty-two

  Rift Howlers.

  By the time they reached the portal platform, exhaustion had stripped away everything but instinct.

  Bash keyed the sequence, the energy ring flaring to life around them. The world folded in on itself, a

  flash of white swallowing the ruins whole.

  When their vision cleared, they stood inside the Ark again. The sterile lighting felt almost alien after so

  much darkness. The hum of machinery, the scent of recycled air, it all seemed wrong after the humidity

  and dust of the ruins.

  S-C’s interface pinged softly inside Bash’s head.

  “Transit complete. Elapsed time: twenty-two hours, forty-one minutes. Debrief protocol active.”

  They went through the motions automatically, dropping gear, recording vitals, listing combat findings.

  The Nexus staff moved around them in practiced silence, taking readings, cataloging fragments,

  logging kill counts.

  When that was done, each of them stepped up to the interface alcoves for memory synchronization. A

  faint blue field enveloped them as the Nexus linked directly linked into them. For a moment, the world

  blurred, static hum, light distortion, a sense of being peeled apart and reassembled one thought at a

  time.

  S-C’s voice filtered through the interference, soft and deliberate.

  “Cognitive integrity confirmed. Combat data upload complete.”

  A pause, then a quieter note that almost slipped past him.

  “Synchronization stable. No issues detected.”

  Bash let out a slow breath as the connection faded, the hum receding from his bones. The faint

  afterimage of blue lingered behind his eyes, the kind that stayed even after the light was gone.

  The field dissolved, leaving exhaustion in its wake. No one spoke. They simply filed through to the

  next checkpoint, shadows under the white light.

  By the time they were dismissed, the Ark’s chronometers read 02:13.

  They had been gone almost a full day.

  The Nexus attendants handed over their logged spoils, two hundred sixty-four Tier-Two beast

  fragments, neatly sealed and humming faintly within pouches. The weight of the collection wasn’t just

  physical; it was proof they were finally punching above their class.

  Rixor gave a low whistle as he tucked one of the canisters under his arm. “Now we’re talking,” he said

  with a grin. “Finally starting to see fragments that actually mean something.”

  Nyra smirked. “Guess we’re moving up in the world.”

  Bash didn’t reply. He just nodded once, eyes already distant, mind still half in the ruins.

  The cafeteria was nearly empty when they stopped there on the way back to their dorms. A few other

  teams sat scattered among the tables, most staring blankly into their trays. Bash’s group slumped

  around a single table, armor scuffed, eyes heavy.

  “We’re ahead of schedule,” Bash said finally, his voice low but steady. “That run gave us two high value essences in one trip, Blink Step and Still Veil. That’s twice what we planned for.”

  Rixor gave a tired grin. “So what, we’re overachievers now?”

  “More like efficient,” Nyra muttered, stirring at her food.

  Bash nodded. “If we keep this pace, we’ll have plenty of time left before the tournament. Six abilities

  remain on the list. Sixteen days including today. If we manage another double, we’ll finish plenty early

  enough for everyone to farm a core of their choosing.”

  That got a few approving looks, even if no one had the strength to smile.

  Taren set down her utensils, leaning back. The faint glow of healing still clung to her palms as she

  quietly sent one last pulse toward Liora’s shoulder. “You’re still bleeding internally. Don’t argue.”

  Liora winced, then nodded. “Wasn’t planning to.”

  They ate what they could, mostly in silence. When the trays were cleared, Bash stood, stretching his

  shoulders. “Get some rest. Full recovery day tomorrow, or should I say today.”

  The group dispersed toward the dorms. Taren lingered behind, still moving from one teammate to

  another, her touch faintly warm as she forced the last of their injuries closed.

  By the time Bash reached his quarters, exhaustion had settled into his bones. He dropped onto his bunk,

  armor half-off, staring at the ceiling.

  S-C’s voice cut softly into his thoughts.

  “Next portal recommendations available.”

  He sighed. “Go ahead.”

  “Highest probability for new resonance acquisition: Alchemy, 0.1 percent chance to absorb essence.

  Following that, Soul Rend and Reincarnate, each approximately 0.0001 percent chance to absorb.

  Time, Space, and Gravity are also potential, but limited to a single domain.”

  Bash rubbed his eyes. “And that domain?”

  S-C’s voice came through clear and measured in his mind.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Portal two-one-three.”

  A brief pause followed, like she was cross-referencing a dozen data points at once.

  “Essence-heavy environment. Compatible with Alchemy and Soul Rend signatures. Estimated one-

  percent probability of encounter.”

  Bash exhaled slowly. One percent. Not much at 1%.”

  Taren frowned. “Alchemy’s 0.1 percent chance to absorb. That’s not… good odds.”

  “It’s better than zero,” Nyra countered, sipping her drink.

  Calen looked up. “And Reincarnate?”

  S-C’s voice hummed faintly in Bash’s mind, audible only to him.

  “Reincarnation signatures are random. Cannot be targeted.”

  Bash relayed the gist. “We can’t go hunting for that one, it shows up where it wants. But Soul Rend,

  that we can chase.”

  Rixor gave a nod. “Then 213 it is.”

  “Tomorrow,” Bash confirmed. “Today’s for recovery.”

  Taren was already making her rounds again, palm glowing as she touched each of them in turn, her

  ability humming quietly with each connection. “Don’t get used to me doing this every meal,” she

  warned, half-smiling.

  Darik chuckled. “We wouldn’t dream of it.”

  They finished their food, quiet but content, and drifted back to their quarters early. The day passed in

  rare calm.

  That night, Bash lay on his bunk, staring into the dark. The hum of the Ark’s systems was a low rhythm

  beneath the silence.

  “S-C,” he said quietly. “That evolution thing you mentioned. Explain it.”

  “Every ability,” she began, “is governed by a core. Each core can evolve nine times after acquisition,

  ten stages in total. Users with multiple abilities possess multiple cores. Every core collects essence.

  Those essences can be redirected, strengthening one core over another. It’s a matter of distribution.”

  He frowned. “So if someone has four abilities, they can focus all of it into one and supercharge it?”

  “Correct. Though synergy between abilities increases exponentially when used in combination, like

  Fire and Wind in the Prism Swarm. The resonance curve doubles every integrated tier.”

  He nodded slowly, processing. “And that’s why Taren’s healing can’t reach range yet?”

  “Exactly. Her core hasn’t evolved far enough. Once it does, she’ll be capable of ranged healing.”

  Bash exhaled. “Alright… then how do you evolve a core?”

  “Essence absorption. But realize, lower-tier essences stop contributing past a certain point. You’ll need

  higher classifications as your evolution progresses. The cost increases non-linearly.”

  He turned onto his side, staring at the faint light above the door. “Makes sense.”

  A pause, then: “What about those percentages you keep quoting? We were told Blink and Veil had a

  three percent chance. We fought five battles and hit both. That’s… forty percent. Feels off.”

  “Incorrect interpretation,” S-C replied evenly. “You encountered just under two thousand five hundred

  beasts in total. Of those, thirty-three were of Blink or Veil type. Your true encounter rate was 1.3

  percent.”

  Bash blinked. “So it’s based on total beasts, not battles.”

  “Precisely,” S-C confirmed.

  “Based on previous data, calculations are derived from total beasts killed, not engagement count.

  Statistical accuracy improves with larger sample sizes.”

  Bash nodded faintly. So not per battle, per corpse. That made sense, in a grim way.

  Silence settled again, the steady thrum of machinery filling the void.

  Then S-C spoke once more, her tone shifting.

  “I believe I now understand your relic more fully.”

  Bash’s eyes opened. “Let’s hear it.”

  “A compact crystalline relic that passively multiplies all offensive strikes,” she began, her cadence

  clinical. “Each attack has a ten-percent base chance to generate two resonance echoes, each dealing

  sixty percent of the original damage at the same impact point. For every unique damage type you’ve

  been struck by during a battle, the activation chance increases by eight percent, up to fifty. Each new

  damage type adds one additional echo carrying that same elemental resonance, up to five echoes total.

  All echoes negate thorns and reflect-type feedback and restore one percent of your maximum vitality

  per echo upon summoning. Fully passive.”

  Bash’s brow furrowed. “And the healing?”

  “Unconfirmed. The restoration values are inferred. My sensory integration is incomplete due to initial

  synchronization errors, glitch residual. But my model confidence exceeds ninety percent.”

  He let out a quiet breath. “Good enough for me.”, but after everything they’d faced, it sounded almost

  generous.

  He pushed himself upright, exhaling slowly. “Then that’s where we go next. After we rest.”

  The following morning, the cafeteria was alive again. The smell of synthetic coffee and steam-baked

  rations hung in the air. The team looked better, barely. Rixor still moved stiffly, and Calen had a fresh

  scar across his jaw that hadn’t fully healed despite Taren’s efforts.

  “Portal 213,” Bash said between bites. “Alchemy and Soul Rend. Best odds we’ll get