The Fissure's Whisper

  His shiny new Core lit up, as he struck out northeast.

  Jimmy smiled as he caught one last accusatory glare from Dan as he bent light around to his eyes.

  My FOV is impressive.

  Ethereal Qi flickered through his channels, body growing slightly lighter, as he drew ever closer to his affinity.

  The passive production is the real game-changer

  I don’t need to be so stingy anymore.

  He utilized his trait Elastic Sinews, letting his ligaments and tendons absorb the chaotic stress of the climb, transforming the brutal ascent into a fluid, effortless glide.

  Muscles coiled and sprang, as he bounded from ridge to ridge.

  His mind processed the flashing terrain with ease, no trip or stumble slowed his pace.

  Breath whisked, cool and smooth.

  I am starting to feel.. More than human.

  He scouted the area, Molecular Sensing bringing a soft glow to his eyes.

  The quiet solitude of the surrounding wilds finally gave his mind room to breathe.

  With my innate talents, combined with the bonuses from my Core…

  Add in Light illusions…

  I am starting to have a real path to power-

  Jimmy’s blistering pace slowed to a stop.

  What.

  The.

  Hell.

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  “Why…?”

  His head hung low, hands running through his hair.

  Tired path progression? Since when? How many tiers? When did I become tier II?

  When I finished my Core?

  The system just… DECIDED? Without telling me?

  …Or did it just apply a label?

  “Why… are you being SO PURPOSELY OBTUSE!”

  He glared at the sky, wild eyes frantically searching for an answer.

  He took a deep breath of fresh mountain air, Light bouncing through his channels.

  Calm.

  Need to factor in this new data.

  “...Then I need to figure out what else YOU WILL NOT TELL US!”

  Breathe, damnit.

  His frustration faded into the background as the newest revelation bounced around his head.

  The miles passed under his feet, and after a few hours, the landscape fractured abruptly.

  He crested a final, jagged peak, and dropped into a concealed position behind a crumbling rock pillar.

  Below him, the ground fell away into a small, desolate valley.

  The bottom was choked with shattered rock.

  In the center lay a ragged, open fissure—a deep mouth into the earth.

  A gentle, sloping path of compressed gravel led directly down into the darkness.

  Jimmy channeled his Qi Sensing to maximum range, pushing his perception to its limits.

  The feedback was complex: it was immense, static, and violently dense, feeling heavy and fundamental.

  Like pure earth…

  Overriding the cold stone, however, was a subtle, intense heat.

  It radiated from the depths, creating a haze in the surrounding air.

  "This is it," Jimmy muttered, "Another Nexus Dungeon. It's radiating a pure foundational power mixed with thermal energy."

  He confirmed that no biological creatures were visible.

  Possibly the intensity of the Qi and the hostile environment prohibits life?

  He settled in, gleaning any information he could from the violent, barren landscape.

  After nearly twenty minutes, he was getting ready to move closer, when something finally happened.

  A pile of dark, chunky debris near the fissure's mouth suddenly began to vibrate and compact.

  With a grinding scrape, the mass rose to form a crude, unsettlingly human shape.

  A bulky, nine-foot figure composed entirely of hardened earth and gravel.

  As it moved, Jimmy’s enhanced vision noted the faint refraction as heat shimmered off its dense surface.

  The hot air rose on updrafts, bringing to his nose the smell of baked stone and sulfur.

  Soon, he spotted others.

  The largest was indeed the nine-foot brute, moving with slow deliberation.

  Smallest, at five feet, was slightly more nimble, but still wasn't winning any races.

  "They are formations—Elementals," he analyzed.

  "Guardians of the Dungeon."

  This is it. Toughness and raw earth-based power.

  Useful for Dan.

  He thoughtfully tapped his chin.

  Also… I wonder… if anyone in the group would like some more heat?

  He chuckled to himself.

  Jimmy spent the next ten minutes meticulously examining the elementals below.

  Plotting avenues of approach and possible methods of attack.

  Arranging his pieces.

  He secured his bow, knowing the mission was complete.

  “I need to get back and let them know what I have found, and what I've learned.”

  He broke out into a crooked smile.

  “Then beat Dan’s ass in chess.”