Daniel stood at the entrance to the Bypass Conduit.
The hidden passage his map showed looked less like a secret shortcut and more like the building's messy basement.
Instead of smooth, pulsing stone walls like the main labyrinth, this tunnel was lined with bundles of thick cables, rusty pipes leaking strange goo, and flickering junction boxes that sparked occasionally.
The air hummed much louder here, and it felt warmer, like being near a big engine.
The floor was a metal grating, and he could see more pipes and wires running underneath.
It smelled like hot metal, burnt dust, and that weird leaky goo.
Nyx whined again from her pouch. "Yeah, doesn't look friendly," Daniel agreed quietly.
But the map clearly showed this conduit snaking directly towards the area marked 'CORE'.
The previous explorer came this way. Maybe it was safer than the main labyrinth paths, even if it looked like it was falling apart.
He activated [Ghoststeps+], his boots making no sound on the metal grating.
He moved carefully, keeping his C+ daggers ready. His [Aura Sense+] felt the energy in here differently.
It wasn't pushing back like the main walls; it felt like it was flowing with him, maybe because of the 'attunement' he got from the control shards.
His sense reached out further again, back to its normal 40-meter range, which was a relief.
He walked for about five minutes, the conduit twisting downwards.
He passed several side tunnels, also filled with pipes and wires, but his map showed the main conduit heading straight.
He noticed scorch marks on the walls in places, and sometimes the metal grating floor was buckled or warped, like something heavy had fought here.
Signs of the previous explorer's passage, and their fights.
Then, his [Aura Sense+] picked up movement ahead. Not the heavy drag of a Golem or the click-clack of a Crawler.
This felt… slippery? Like blobs of energy sliding through the air.
There were maybe five or six of them, darting around a section where a big pipe was leaking crackling blue energy, the same energy as the labyrinth walls and the Golem's core.
He slowed down, peeking around a corner covered in sparking wires (he made sure not to touch them).
He saw them. They looked like jellyfish made of pure blue static electricity, maybe half a meter wide, floating silently in the air.
They didn't have eyes or mouths, just crackling blue bodies that drifted towards the leaking pipe, seeming to 'drink' the energy leaking out.
Daniel scanned one.
[Energy Leech - Conduit Vermin]
Level: 2
Stats: Abysmal Strength, Very Low Vitality, High Agility (Floating), Moderate Spirit.
Abilities: [Energy Drain (Contact)], [Static Burst (Area)], [Phase Shift (Short Dodge)]
Threat Assessment: Weak individually, dangerous in numbers. Can drain mana/stamina on touch. Explodes slightly when killed. Avoid letting them touch you.
Level 2 pests. Weak bodies, but fast and hard to catch.
The energy drain sounded really annoying, especially since he used mana for his best skills.
Getting swarmed would be bad. Their Moderate Spirit meant [Mana Bolt+] wouldn't be super effective.
Physical attacks seemed better, if he could hit them.
He decided to try his bow first. He nocked an arrow, leaning out carefully. He aimed at the nearest Leech, which was happily slurping energy from the leaky pipe.
Twang!
The arrow zipped through the air. The Leech seemed to sense it at the last second.
It shimmered, using [Phase Shift], becoming partly see-through. The arrow passed right through it!
"Okay, that's annoying," Daniel grumbled. Aiming wasn't the problem; hitting them was.
The Leech solidified again, turning its blobby form towards him. It didn't make a sound, but he felt a wave of static energy wash over him.
The other Leeches also turned, gliding smoothly towards him, leaving faint blue trails in the air.
Time for Plan B: Area attack!
They were clumped together now. He dropped the bow back onto his shoulder rig, no time to switch ammo or try fancy shots. He raised his fist.
"[Kinetic Hammer] – Shockwave!"
WHUMP!
The kinetic blast exploded outwards from the floor. The energy wave hit the group of approaching Leeches.
Unlike solid creatures, the pure force seemed to disrupt their energy bodies badly.
Pop! Pop! Fizzle!
Three of them burst like static-filled water balloons, releasing small [Static Bursts] that made the air crackle harmlessly around Daniel (his high Adaptability likely helped resist the minor shock).
Two others were thrown back, flickering erratically. The last one managed to Phase Shift through the worst of the blast, but it still looked wobbly.
[You have slain: Energy Leech (Level 2)] x3
[EXP Gained: 90 (30 each)]
[Level 3: 456/800 EXP]
Progress! Daniel didn't wait.
He dashed forward towards the remaining three wobbly Leeches.
He drew his Twin Fang daggers. Maybe sharp metal could disrupt their energy form?
He lunged at the nearest one. It tried to Phase Shift again, but it was too slow, still recovering from the shockwave. His C+ dagger sliced right through it.
Fizzle-POP!
Another one burst. Daniel spun, slashing at the second. It dodged with a shimmer, then darted at him, trying to touch him and use [Energy Drain].
"Nope!" He used [Quick Dodge], snapping sideways just as the Leech brushed past his arm.
He felt a faint tug, like static cling trying to pull energy from him, but it missed getting a solid connection.
He counter-attacked instantly, stabbing the dagger into its flickering form. Pop!
One left. The last Leech seemed to panic. It didn't attack. It just zipped away erratically, trying to flee deeper into the conduit.
"Not so fast," Daniel said. He raised his hand. "[Mana Bolt+]!"
FZZZT!
Even with Moderate Spirit resistance, the bolt was enough to overload the already damaged Leech. It exploded in a final shower of blue sparks.
[You have slain: Energy Leech (Level 2)] x3
[EXP Gained: 90]
[Level 3: 546/800 EXP]
Silence returned, broken only by the humming pipes and the sizzle of the leaky energy pipe they had been feeding on.
That wasn't too hard, once he figured out the shockwave trick. He walked over to where they popped, wondering if energy blobs left anything to assimilate.
Faint blue motes of light still hung in the air, slowly fading. He focused his intent on the fading energy.
A very different kind of energy flowed into him. Light, airy, buzzing, like pure electricity.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Dissipating Leech Essence (Level 2).] x6
[Total Gain: Spirit +18, Agility +6] (They were mostly spirit/energy!)
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (10/15 Remaining).]
Wow, a huge boost to Spirit! That pushed his Spirit score past 60.
Maybe now his [Mana Bolt+] would hit harder, even against resistant foes. The small Agility bump was nice too. No new skills, but the raw stats were great.
He examined the leaky pipe. Blue energy sparked and hissed from a jagged crack.
Could he assimilate this raw labyrinth energy directly? He still had 10 charges. He touched the pipe near the leak, focusing his intent.
[Warning: Assimilating raw, unstable conduit energy is highly dangerous. High chance of energy backlash or system corruption.
Adaptability (35) provides moderate resistance. Proceed with extreme caution? Y/N]
Dangerous? Okay, maybe not then. Seemed like a good way to accidentally fry his own brain or get possessed by the labyrinth's grumpy spirit, if it had one.
He cancelled the prompt. Some things weren't worth the risk, even for his SSS-Talent.
He continued down the conduit, following his map. He passed more damaged sections, more scorch marks.
Whoever came before him fought hard. After another five minutes, he found something else.
Not a body, but a piece of gear stuck in a grating on the floor, near a spot where the metal was heavily melted and warped.
It looked like a heavy combat boot, reinforced with metal plates, but the front was scorched black, and the sole was partially melted.
Clearly from a fight, maybe against something that used intense heat or energy blasts?
He pried the boot loose carefully. It was empty, obviously. Just the boot itself remained. He scanned it.
[Item Identified: Damaged Magna-Guard Boot (B-Grade - Component)]
Effect: Provides heavy physical protection and magnetic floor adhesion (when active).
Currently non-functional due to extreme heat damage. Material composition suggests non-Vanguard origin.
B-grade gear, and not Vanguard standard. This confirmed the previous explorer wasn't just a lost recruit.
They were well-equipped. And whatever they fought here used serious heat. The magnetic adhesion sounded useful too.
Could he fix this? He had that [Scrap Armor Patch] skill… He looked around. Plenty of scrap metal nearby.
He focused on the boot, activated the skill, and mentally tried to patch the melted parts using nearby metal fragments.
Little bits of metal lifted from the floor and clumsily flew towards the boot, sticking to the damaged areas like sticky, ugly bandaids.
[Scrap Armor Patch applied. Boot structural integrity slightly improved. Defense +5 (Temporary). Magnetic function remains offline. Appearance: Terrible.]
Daniel looked at the boot, now covered in random, ugly metal patches. The interface note was right, it looked awful.
And the fix was tiny and temporary. Okay, so [Scrap Armor Patch] wasn't exactly a miracle cure for broken gear.
Maybe useful for patching a tiny hole in his vest mid-fight, but not much else. He tossed the ugly boot aside. Not worth keeping.
He pressed on, the conduit showing more signs of damage. The humming grew louder again, and the energy felt thicker, almost pressing on him.
His map showed he was getting close to a major junction point listed as 'Flow Regulator Chamber'.
His [Aura Sense+] picked up a single, powerful signature emanating from the chamber ahead.
It felt artificial, like the Golem, but smoother, colder, and pulsed with controlled energy. Much stronger than the Golem.
This must be the next guardian. Or maybe what stopped the previous explorer?
Daniel checked his charges (10/15), gripped his C+ daggers, and moved silently towards the chamber, ready for whatever awaited him in the heart of the leaky, sparking conduit