With the Scrap Golem reduced to actual scrap and Daniel feeling freshly leveled up to Level 3, the junkyard cavern felt slightly less threatening. Slightly.
The ominous symbol he'd found still felt heavy in his pouch, a reminder that he was trespassing in someone else's dangerous playground.
Nyx, sensing the immediate threat was gone, poked her head out, sniffed the oily air, wrinkled her nose, and promptly retreated back into the pouch's relative safety. Smart pup.
His partial map, gained from the control shard, showed the hidden passage continuing beyond this cavern.
According to the flickering lines, it led towards a cluster of smaller chambers deeper within the labyrinth's underbelly.
Maybe more control shards? Or maybe just more junk robots? Only one way to find out.
He checked his status. Level 3. Attributes boosted again (Strength ~103, Vitality ~113, Agility ~121, Spirit ~43, Adaptability ~35).
Five free attribute points waiting. He decided to save them for now, see what challenges Level 3 threw at him before specializing further.
His charges were nearly full (19/20). He had plenty of firepower.
He moved into the next section of the passage. The environment changed subtly. Less raw junk, more organized… decay.
Metal panels lined the walls, some sparking, others dented and scarred. Pipes ran along the ceiling, dripping unknown fluids that sizzled faintly on the floor.
The air hummed louder here, the energy feeling more active, less dormant.
His [Aura Sense+] tingled. Not a big signature like the Golem, but multiple small ones zipping around ahead. Fast. Very fast!
He slowed, activating [Ghoststeps+] and peering cautiously around a bend.
The passage opened into a wider area that looked like some kind of dilapidated control room.
Broken consoles lined the walls, screens cracked and dark. In the center, a large, cylindrical structure pulsed with the familiar blue labyrinth energy.
And flitting around it, like angry metal hornets, were about a dozen small, hovering drones.
They were sphere-shaped, maybe the size of his head, with multiple whirring rotors and a single, glowing red sensor eye on the front.
They zipped back and forth, patrolling the room in seemingly random patterns.
Daniel scanned one.
[Labyrinth Scavenger Drone - Mk. I]
Level: 2
Stats: Very Low Strength, Low Vitality, Extremely High Agility, Low Spirit (Networked Intelligence).
Abilities: [Laser Dart], [Evasive Maneuvers], [Swarm Tactics]
Threat Assessment: Fragile but Fast and Annoying. Attacks are weak individually but dangerous in groups. Difficult to hit.
Level 2 drones. Fast, hard to hit, weak attacks but likely painful in swarms. Looked like the labyrinth's pest control.
Fighting them with daggers seemed like trying to swat flies with a sledgehammer. This was a job for his bow.
He stayed hidden behind the corner, using it as cover. He nocked an arrow on his D-grade bow.
Aiming at these fast-moving targets would be tricky, even with his high Agility. He took a breath, focused, and led his shot slightly.
Twang!
The arrow flew true. It hit one of the drones mid-zip.
Clink-Pop!
The arrow pierced the thin metal casing. The drone sparked erratically, wobbled in the air, then dropped to the floor with a pathetic little fizzle.
[You have slain: Labyrinth Scavenger Drone (Level 2)]
[EXP Gained: 30]
[Level 3: 36/800 EXP] (Level 3 needs more EXP!)
The other drones instantly reacted. Their red eyes all swiveled towards his position.
With synchronized whirring sounds, they darted towards him, firing thin beams of red light – [Laser Darts]!
Pew! Pew! Pew!
Daniel ducked back behind the corner as laser bolts scorched the wall where his head had been.
Okay, they were faster than he thought, and their targeting was instant. Swarm tactics indeed.
He couldn't just peek and shoot. He needed a better plan. He glanced at his mini-map.
The control room had multiple entry/exit points shown. Maybe he could distract them?
He quickly fired a [Mana Bolt+] down the opposite corridor, hitting the far wall with a loud FZZZT!
As expected, about half the drones instantly zipped off to investigate the noise. That split their numbers.
He focused on the remaining six drones patrolling near him. He needed to take them out fast before the others came back.
He activated [Ghoststeps+], burst from cover, and fired his bow as rapidly as he could.
Twang! Twang! Twang!
His enhanced speed and reflexes allowed him to track and shoot two drones down before the others reacted. They fired laser darts back.
Daniel weaved and dodged, the red beams singing past him. The wind shrieked around his dodging form. He fired again, hitting a third drone.
Pew!
A laser dart grazed his arm. It stung, burning through his fatigue fabric, but his high Vitality and the minor defense of the cloth stopped it from doing real damage.
Still, annoying.
He dropped the bow, too slow for this close-range chaos, and drew his Twin Fang daggers.
He activated [Venomous Strike+] just for kicks, though poison probably wouldn't affect robots.
He lunged, using his incredible Agility to close the distance instantly.
He slashed upwards, catching one drone with a dagger tip. Clang! Sparks flew, but the C+ blade cut through the casing.
The drone crashed. Two left. They zipped around him erratically, firing lasers. He spun, dodged, slashed.
It was like fighting hyperactive metal mosquitoes. Finally, he managed to swat the last two out of the air.
[You have slain: Labyrinth Scavenger Drone (Level 2)] x5
[EXP Gained: 150]
[Level 3: 186/800 EXP]
He quickly scanned the area. The other drones were returning from investigating the mana bolt distraction.
Six more angry metal hornets zipped towards him. He sighed. This was getting repetitive.
He decided to try something different. He activated [Kinetic Hammer], shockwave mode and slammed his fist into the floor as they approached.
WHUMP!
The kinetic blast erupted outwards. The fragile drones were caught in the wave.
They were thrown back violently, slamming into walls and consoles, sparking and breaking apart. Silence fell.
[You have slain: Labyrinth Scavenger Drone (Level 2)] x6
[EXP Gained: 180]
[Level 3: 366/800 EXP]
"Much easier," Daniel noted. Physical force worked well against fragile flyers.
With the drones cleared, he examined the control room.
Most consoles were dead, shattered screens and burned-out circuits. The central cylinder pulsed steadily, seemingly undamaged.
Was this related to the control shards? He touched it, tried to scan it, but got nothing. It seemed inert, maybe just a power conduit.
Then he spotted something else, tucked behind a fallen console near the far wall.
It wasn't junk or a drone part. It was another Nexus Interface, just like his own, but its screen was cracked and dark, and the band was torn.
Someone else had been here!
He picked it up carefully. It felt cold. No life signature associated with it, the owner was long gone.
Could he get anything from it? He tried focusing his intent.
[Target Acquired: Damaged Nexus Interface (Non-Functional).]
[Attempting Data Extraction via Soul Assimilation (Requires charge)...]
Data extraction? Interesting. He had plenty of charges now (around 18/20 after killing the drones and waiting a bit).
"Yes," he confirmed.
Energy flowed, different again, cold, electronic, fragmented.
[Data Extraction Successful.]
[Gain: Minor insight into Labyrinth Network Protocols (Passive understanding boost).]
[Recovered Partial Log Fragment:]
"...walls shift... traps everywhere... Golem almost got me... followed protocol, used the bypass conduit... heading towards the Central Core... hope the rumors are true... power source... maybe enough to get home... damn these drones... signal weak... log end--"
[Assimilation Charge Consumed (17/20 Remaining).]
Daniel read the fragmented log entry, his eyes widening slightly.
Central Core? Power source? Bypass conduit? This wasn't just a random recruit; this person knew something about the labyrinth's layout and purpose.
They had likely been trapped here, maybe trying to harness the labyrinth's energy. And they mentioned the Golem and the drones, confirming they came this way before him.
What happened to them? Did they reach the Core? Or did something else get them?
He looked around the room again. Near the damaged interface, almost hidden under fallen debris, was another dull grey pyramid crystal.
A second Labyrinth Control Shard! This one must have been dropped by the unlucky recruit.
He quickly picked it up and assimilated it.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Labyrinth Control Shard (Fragment).]
[Gain: Spirit +0.5]
[Gain: Enhanced Attunement to Labyrinth Energy.]
[Labyrinth Sector Map Updated! Significant Area Revealed. Central Core location partially pinpointed. Bypass Conduit Route Marked.]
[Assimilation Charge Consumed (16/20 Remaining).]
His internal map expanded dramatically! It now showed a complex network of passages, chambers, and conduits converging towards a large, central area marked simply as 'CORE'.
It also highlighted a specific route marked 'Bypass Conduit', likely the path the previous recruit took. This was invaluable information.
He had plenty of charges left. Time for another upgrade.
His bow felt much better at D-grade, but could it reach C? He focused his intent on the bow again.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Reinforced Shard-Tip Bow (D-Grade).]
[Item Enhanced: Reinforced Shard-Tip Bow upgraded to D+-Grade.]
[New Stats: Attack +140, Energy Channeling Further Optimized, Draw Strength Perfectly Matched to User.]
[Assimilation Charge Consumed (15/20 Remaining).]
D+ grade. Still not C, but the optimization and perfect match to his strength meant it would perform significantly better. Good enough.
Daniel stood in the wrecked control room, the updated map glowing in his mind.
He now had a destination, the Central Core and a potential route via the bypass conduit.
It was likely dangerous, the path someone else had seemingly failed to survive.
But it also promised answers, and maybe, incredible power. He glanced back the way he came.
Retreating through the shifting maze felt pointless now. Forward, towards the Core, seemed like the only real option.
He gripped his daggers, checked Nyx (who was sleeping soundly, oblivious to the robot carnage), and headed towards the entrance of the Bypass Conduit marked on his map.
The labyrinth was getting deeper, stranger, and much more interesting.