Beast Evolution Forge

Vell walked back to the girls, who were watching him with wide eyes. The fracture was getting more stable now that the researcher was gone.

"That was amazing, Master!" Ruby said, her tail wagging with excitement.

"Thanks. Let’s collect what we can and get out of here," he replied, putting his sword away. "The fracture should close on its own now."

They searched the area where the researcher had disappeared. Ada found a small black box hidden under some rocks.

"Look at this," she said, holding it up. "It has writing on it."

He took the box and examined it. "Interesting. Looks like research notes."

He opened it and found several papers inside. The writing was messy but readable.

"Fracture experiment #47... corruption concentration... reality bending..." he read a few lines. "Seems like our friend was studying these fractures for a long time."

"Does it say why?" Wren asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Not really. Just mentions something about ’finding the source’ and ’breaking through the barrier.’"

[This could be useful information. We should keep it.]

’Good idea,’ he thought, tucking the papers into his inventory.

"The corruption is almost gone," Regina said, looking around. The sky was nearly normal now, and the ground was returning to its natural color.

"Let’s head back. I think we’ve completed our first job," he said.

As they walked toward the exit, Jia suddenly stopped and sniffed the air.

"Wait. I smell something strange."

Everyone paused. Vell used his senses but couldn’t detect anything unusual.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It’s... hard to describe. Like electricity, but different."

They all turned to look at where the researcher had been. A small spark of light appeared, floating in the air. It grew larger, forming a circle about the size of a dinner plate.

"What’s that?" Ruby asked, gripping her daggers.

"Is that..." He approached the glowing circle noticing that its just a large core, the fracture core. "its just the core everyone, no need to worry."

"Phew, scared me there, I am all out of strength." Ruby said, tucking her daggers back. "Do we destroy it?"

"We could but that would be a waste." He continued looking at the core with interest. Unlike dungeon cores, this one had a strange feel to it, the mana inside it was silver and looked like it was liquid.

[Are you planning to consume it?]

’Yeah, I am curious what will happen.’ He immediately grabbed it and smirked, ’wow, so much mana.’

He felt the strange liquid-like silver mana pulsing within it. The energy emanated a peculiar vibration that made his fingertips tingle.

"What does it feel like?" Ada asked, her eyes fixed on the glowing object.

"Different from dungeon cores," he replied, turning it slowly. "The mana flows like mercury, almost alive. There’s more power here than I expected."

[Be careful. We don’t know how fracture cores differ from what you’re used to.]

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’Only one way to find out,’ he thought with a hint of excitement.

He closed his fist around the core and channeled his energy into it. The girls stepped back instinctively as silver light leaked between his fingers.

The core began to dissolve, its energy flowing into his body through his palm. Unlike the usual rush of power he felt when absorbing cores, this one entered his system like cold fire, spreading through his veins in intricate patterns.

His eyes widened. "Interesting..."

"Master?" Wren’s voice sounded concerned.

The silver energy swirled visibly beneath his skin for a moment before settling. He took a deep breath as the last of the core disappeared.

[System notification: Fracture core absorbed. Analyzing new energy signature...]

"I’m fine," he assured them, flexing his fingers. "It’s just... different. The energy has a structure I haven’t encountered before."

Regina studied him with narrowed eyes. "Your aura changed for a moment. It had silver edges."

[Analysis complete: Fracture energy contains spatial-temporal distortion properties. Potential applications unlocked: Minor Reality Anchoring.]

’Reality Anchoring? That sounds useful.’

Jia sniffed the air again. "The strange smell is gone now."

"Let’s head back," he said, looking around one last time at the healing landscape. "I need to experiment with this new energy, and we should report our findings about the researcher."

As they walked toward the fracture exit, Ruby bounced beside him. "So what did you get? New powers? Can you warp reality now?"

He chuckled. "Nothing that dramatic. But I think I might be able to stabilize small areas of distorted space. Could be useful in future fractures."

"Or for cheating at cards," Ada suggested with a sly smile.

"I heard that," he said without looking back.

The exit to the fracture appeared ahead – a shimmering vertical tear in reality that showed the normal world beyond. As they approached, he felt the new energy inside him resonate with the boundary.

"Wait," he said, holding up his hand. "Let me try something."

He reached out toward the exit, focusing on the silver energy within him. It responded eagerly, flowing to his fingertips.

With a careful gesture, he traced the edges of the tear. Silver light followed his fingers, strengthening the boundary between worlds.

"There," he said, stepping back. "That should prevent any corruption from leaking out after we leave."

Wren looked impressed. "You figured that out already?"

"Just intuition," he replied with a shrug. "The energy wants to create order from chaos. Useful trait."

One by one, they stepped through the exit, returning to the normal world. The fracture sealed itself behind them with a soft hiss, leaving only a faint silver line that quickly faded.

The forest around them looked peaceful in the afternoon sunlight. No sign remained of the corruption or the battles they fought.

"Should we camp here tonight?" Regina asked, looking up at the sky. "It’ll be dark soon."

He shook his head. "Not here. Let’s put some distance between us and where the fracture was. Just to be safe."

As they walked, he felt the new energy settling deeper into his system, integrating with his existing powers. It felt promising – another tool in his arsenal.

[We should study those research notes more carefully. If the researcher was looking for a ’source’ of the fractures, there might be more to this than random corruption events.]

’Agreed. Something tells me this is just the beginning.’

Ruby’s excited voice broke into his thoughts. "So, what’s our next job? Something with more monsters? Or maybe a dungeon this time?"

He smiled despite himself. "Let’s survive the report on this one first. Then we’ll see what comes next."

[Well done, you are more impressive than I thought]

’So you finally show up huh? where are my rewards?’

[What would you like?]

’This does not count for the reward. I want to know more about this Reality Anchoring. What exactly can it do?’

[Reality Anchoring is a rare ability even among tower climbers. It allows you to stabilize areas where reality has been distorted or damaged, essentially creating pockets of normalcy within chaos. At your current level - Minor Reality Anchoring - you can reinforce weakened dimensional boundaries and prevent corruption spread.]

’And at higher levels?’

[At higher levels, you could create stable zones within fractures that follow normal physical laws, regardless of the corruption outside. Eventually, you might even temporarily rewrite local reality rules - similar to what the researcher was attempting, but with more... finesse.]

He considered this as they continued walking through the forest. ’Useful for defense, then. But what about offense?’

[Clever question.] The tower’s voice held a hint of amusement. [Think about it - if you can anchor reality against someone trying to distort it, you can also counter reality-bending abilities. The researcher’s floating trick? You could have simply anchored gravity back to normal.]

’So it’s a counter to other reality manipulators.’

[Exactly. And those are becoming more common as the fractures spread. Few have your particular talent for adaptation, however.]

Ruby glanced back at Vell, noticing his thoughtful expression. "Are you talking to yourself again?"

"Something like that," he replied. "Just thinking about our next steps."

[As for your reward...] The tower’s voice returned. [I’ve accelerated the integration of the fracture energy. You should find Reality Anchoring more intuitive now. And there’s something else you might appreciate.]

He felt a slight shift in his awareness, like a new sense awakening.

[You can now detect fracture energy at a greater distance. Useful for finding cores... or avoiding trouble.] Stay connected via novelbuddy

’That’s actually helpful. Thanks.’

[Don’t thank me yet. Your absorption of the fracture core hasn’t gone unnoticed. There are... entities... that pay attention to such things.]

’Meaning?’

[Meaning your path just became more interesting.]

The conversation faded as Regina called out from ahead. "There’s a clearing up ahead. Good place to make camp."

He pushed the tower’s cryptic warning aside for now. "Perfect. Let’s set up before dark."

But as they entered the clearing, his new sense tingled faintly. Somewhere, far beyond their current position, something had noticed him. Something that understood what he has done.

And it was curious.

---

Later that evening

’There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask,’ he thought as he helped set up camp, his movements automatic while his mind focused on the conversation. ’You forced me into the tower. What’s really going on here? What’s your actual purpose?’

There was a pause, longer than usual, before the tower responded.

[Perceptive question. I was wondering when you’d ask directly.]

’And I’m wondering when you’ll answer directly,’ he countered, arranging firewood while keeping his expression neutral so the girls wouldn’t notice his internal conversation.

[The tower...] Another pause. [The tower isn’t just a structure or a challenge. It’s a containment system.]

His hands stilled momentarily. ’Containing what?’

[The fractures aren’t random phenomena. They’re symptoms of something larger breaking through - something that was sealed away long ago. The tower was built as both a prison and a filter.]

’A filter for what?’ He pressed, resuming his work to avoid suspicion.

[For finding those capable of maintaining the seals when the original builders are gone. The tests, the floors, the challenges - they’re all designed to identify and strengthen potential guardians.]

He glanced at the girls setting up their bedrolls, unaware of the conversation. ’So you dragged me in because...?’

[Because you have a particular resonance with the tower’s energy. Few do. Those who can absorb and integrate multiple types of energy are exceedingly rare. The fracture core you just consumed? Most climbers would have been corrupted instantly.]

’And the researcher? Was he a failed candidate?’

[Worse. He was a successful one who chose to study the prison rather than protect it. He discovered that the barriers between dimensions can be weaponized.]

He frowned slightly. ’You’re still not telling me everything. What’s really breaking through? What’s on the other side?’

The tower’s response came with an unusual heaviness. [That’s the question that corrupted the researcher. But I can tell you this: the fractures are increasing in frequency and strength. Whatever is pushing from the other side is getting stronger, or the barriers are getting weaker. Possibly both.]

’So I’m not really climbing a tower, I’m being trained to become what? A dimensional security guard?’

[If you want to be reductive about it.] The tower seemed almost amused. [But consider this: with each floor you clear, with each core you absorb, you gain abilities few others possess. Reality Anchoring is just the beginning. The question isn’t whether you’re being used, Vell. It’s whether our goals align.]

Ruby called over from the other side of the camp. "Master, the fire’s ready!"

He looked up, putting the conversation on hold. "Coming." He stood, brushing dirt from his hands.

’We’ll continue this later,’ he promised silently. ’I want to know exactly what I’m fighting against. And for.’

[Fair enough. I will unlock some of your sealed skills now. Stay safe, the tower is a dangerous place.]

As he joined the others around the campfire, the weight of the tower’s revelations settled on him. The fractures, the researcher’s obsession with "finding the source" - it was all connected to something much bigger than a simple climbing challenge.

And somehow, he was now at the center of it all.

’fucking hell, what did i get myself into.’