The Art of Weaponcraft Ascends
The interface hummed with a quiet anticipation, every piece of data threaded into glowing lines and latticework like a weaver's loom. Caidyn knelt beside the portable workpad she had snapped into place along the quiet rooftop of a supply depot complex—her impromptu workshop for the moment. The city layer of Floor 5 buzzed faintly beneath her, muted by altitude and thought.
[System Notification]
Skill "Modular Crafting" and "Modular Adaptation" have evolved.
New Skill Acquired: Modular Engineering (Tier 2)
Modular Engineering unlocked:
• In-combat component configuration (limited)
• Synergy mapping and temporary loadout rewrites
• Access to hybrid crafting between cores and framework
• Core Synthesis: Attempt fusion of compatible elemental cores into hybridized archetypes
• Minor blueprint reconfiguration
[Notice]
Searching inventory for eligible crafting components...
One by one, she laid the cores out on the chilled plating:
Heat Core
Cryo Core
Electro Core
Corrosive Core
Radiant Core
Void Core
Shadow Core
Entropy Core (Gravity)
Eight total. But one stood out as incompatible for the next steps—the Light Core she'd briefly considered earlier. She slid it back into storage.
The interface responded instantly, reducing the potential threads and enhancing three in particular. Glowing braids of data looped around the following:
Heat + Cryo
[Core Synthesis Compatibility: 78%]
Two polar thermals, mutually destabilizing unless contained through precision-sync modulation.
Hybrid Effect: Volatile Pressure Shell — Alternating thermal pulse rounds. Burn then freeze. Induces armor fissures. DOT from both damage types. Increased chance of stagger on high-density targets.
Caidyn's lips curled slightly."That's a pressure cooker waiting to rupture in the right hands."
She tabbed over to the second pairing.
Corrosive + Radiant
[Core Synthesis Compatibility: 81%]
Acid decay meets solar purification. An unstable holy toxin.
Hybrid Effect: Purification Bloom — Triggered on-hit flare and erosion. Burns through shielded enemies, reduces defense by % scaling. DOT spreads to adjacent targets on proximity burst.
That could turn a tight formation into a glowing crater. She couldn't deny the appeal of this one—wide utility and lethal efficiency.
And then came the wildcard.
Entropy + Electro
[Core Synthesis Compatibility: 69%]
Spatial collapse laced with instability. A volatile mix of disruption and collapse.
Hybrid Effect: Static Collapse — Builds charge per second. After threshold, triggers a localized implosion pulling nearby enemies inward. Detonates with chained electric bursts. Unstable unless mod-regulated.
She blinked at the readout. Too unstable for repeated use. But that kind of effect… it could win or end an entire fight in one well-timed volley.
She stood, rolled her shoulders, and cracked her knuckles. There was a wild energy in her now—not reckless, just resolved.
"Alright. Time to stop planning."
She tapped the prompt at the bottom of the Modular Engineering screen.
[Core Synthesis Detected: 3 Pairings]
Are you ready to begin fusion process?
Note: Core durability risk and synthesis failure potential are present. Proceed?
Yes.
She crouched again over her hardplate, letting the interface glow brighter as the components hovered in slight magnetics. The room—this moment—felt sacred. Less like crafting, more like invocation.
Three pairings. Three gambles.
And the birth of three new weapons, if luck and engineering held steady.
Let's see what breaks first—me or the system.
The Modular Engineering interface pulsed with latent kinetic charge, the eight elemental cores suspended in magnetic containment fields before her—humming with potential and consequence.
Caidyn's gaze locked on the Corrosive and Radiant cores first. The system marked their fusion potential at 81%, the highest of the three pairs.
"Toxic divinity," she muttered under her breath. "Let's see if blight and brilliance can share a room."
She tapped the confirmation.
[Initiating Core Fusion: Corrosive + Radiant]
Compatibility Rating: 81%
Fusion in Progress...
The two cores drifted forward, slowly rotating, streams of virulent green and searing gold weaving like double helixes around one another. Data began aligning—heat spikes registered, volatility curves recalibrated in real time.
Then, a flare of light. A system hum vibrated through her knees.
[Fusion Complete]
New Core Created: Purification Bloom Core
Effect: Radiant toxins. Applies erosion + burst flare damage on impact. Spread DOT to nearby enemies on contact detonation. Shieldbreaker effect enabled.
Durability: 135/135
Caidyn exhaled with a faint grin. "One down."
She didn't hesitate with the second pair—Heat and Cryo, marked at 78%.
It was an old theoretical pairing—unstable opposites. But according to Modular Engineering, just barely doable.
[Initiating Core Fusion: Heat + Cryo]
Compatibility Rating: 78%
Fusion in Progress...
Fire and frost clashed instantly. Their interaction sent sparks hissing across the workshop screen as thermal fluctuations sent up ripples of static. Her heart kicked up a beat—but then the oscillations smoothed. The combined essence began to stabilize within an amber-blue alloy shell that hovered like molten glass.
[Fusion Complete]
New Core Created: Volatile Pressure Core
Effect: Alternating burn/freeze rounds. Each precision hit triggers fissure DOT. Increased stagger chance versus high-armor targets.
Durability: 125/125
Caidyn let her shoulders drop just a touch. Two for two.
But now came the final pairing—Entropy and Electro.
She stared at the Entropy Core, with its flickering gravitational pulses, then the Electro Core, snapping with light. Their compatibility score hovered just above failure at 69%.
The interface even flashed a small warning glyph beside it.
[Initiating Core Fusion: Entropy + Electro]
Compatibility Rating: 69%
Warning: Unstable Pattern Detected. Proceed With Caution.
Fusion in Progress...
Caidyn didn't blink.
The cores collided more than merged. The gravitational core's essence rippled violently as it began to consume the electro-thread. Arcs of lightning snapped in wild bursts. The fusion chamber's fields whined.
The cores collided more than merged. The gravitational core's essence rippled violently as it began to consume the electro-thread. Arcs of lightning snapped in wild bursts. The fusion chamber's fields whined.
A warning flared across the interface:
[Stabilization Failure Imminent — 10 Durability Points Lost]
Caidyn clenched her fists. "Hold, damn you…"
As if in response—or perhaps coincidence—her Luck stat activated, an arc of gold threading through the data interface like a hidden filament. A burst of system recalibration began stitching failing nodes.
The cores slowly spiraled inward again, data threads aligning. With a jolt and final flicker of unstable light, the fusion stabilized.
[Fusion Complete — Minor Damage Incurred]
New Core Created: Static Collapse Core
Effect: Charges over time. At charge threshold, triggers gravity implosion pulling enemies inward. Detonates with chained electric bursts.
Durability: 130/140
Caidyn sighed sharply. "That was too close." But her grin stretched wider now. "But worth it."
She slid the new cores—the Volatile Pressure Core and the Static Collapse Core—into the modified rifle's dual chambers and closed the heavy metallic chamber with a satisfying click. With a steady breath, she flipped the Cross-Fusion Output (Hybrid) switch.
[Hybrid Core Mode Activated — Hibernized Output]
Hybrid effect merges volatile fissure damage with a timed gravitational shockwave upon expiration.
Cooldown between shots required to trigger Hibernized effect; intermediate shots fire as regular Volatile Pressure or Static Collapse rounds.
The system's concise explanation left her intrigued but hungry to see it in action.
She approached the firing range's heavy-duty test platform—a massive stack of reinforced Type 10 durability plates, layered thick and unforgiving. This was the perfect challenge.
Pulling the trigger, she fired the first Hibernized round. The bullet slammed into the plates, precision piercing through the outer layers and triggering the fissure effect. Flames and ice danced along the cracks, slowly eating through the armor.
Then, in a split second, an outward burst of intense gravitational pressure radiated from the point of impact—sending a shockwave of electricity crackling outward—before sucking everything back in toward the epicenter, pulling the fractured plates inward with a fierce gravitational pull.
She fired successive hybrid shots, stacking fissures and gravitational bursts. Each impact fractured deeper into the armor, the layers yielding incrementally to the unique synergy of her fusion cores.
This combination wasn't just about raw damage, she mused, it was about breaking defenses in a way no single core could. The hybrid effect was both surgical and devastating—a precise, tactical hammer against even the toughest fortifications.
Having wrapped up her session at the shooting range, she headed back through the lively corridors of Floor 5, her mind turning over the possibilities hidden in the Dwarven shop's modular armory. The soft clinks of metal and hushed bargaining voices filled the air as she entered.
Her eyes immediately locked onto the shelf displaying elemental cores. She started by locating duplicates of the Heat Core—two copies sitting side by side, each priced at 100 gold. Practical and affordable, they were perfect backups for her experiments.
Her gaze then drifted to a dazzling Glacier Core, an upgraded evolution of the Cryo Core she'd known. Its icy surface shimmered with deep blues and crystalline fractals that seemed to pulse with a colder, more potent energy. A system prompt outlined its enhanced effects:
"Glacier Core: Infuses ammunition with intense frost energy that slows enemies more severely and deals amplified ice damage over time. Additionally, successful hits reduce enemy attack speed for a short duration."
Priced at 200 gold, it promised a stronger tactical edge over its predecessor.
Nearby, a dark, smoky core caught her attention — the Ionized Core. Unlike the Electro Core, this one wielded a unique power:
"Ionized Core: Applies the 'Ionized' status effect on hit. Targets experience a minor magnetic pull, attracting nearby metal objects. This effect stacks, increasing the intensity of magnetism and potentially disrupting enemy equipment or movement."
Its price was higher at 300 gold, reflecting its rare and disruptive capabilities.
She lingered by the shelf, fingers brushing lightly over the cold metal casings of the cores, her mind ticking through her gold tally. She had already earmarked the two Heat Cores for 200 gold, the Glacier Core for 200 gold, and the Ionized Core at 300 gold — a substantial but worthwhile investment. Now, her eyes settled on the pair priced at 350 gold each, the Null Core and the Aether Core, their opposing nature immediately catching her attention.
The Aether Core shimmered with ethereal light, hues shifting softly between violet and silver. The system pinged a brief description:
"Aether Core: Channels arcane energy to augment shots with ethereal force. Hits apply a 'Phase' effect, allowing projectiles to partially bypass physical barriers and shields. Additionally, critical strikes with this core briefly increase the user's movement speed and reaction time."
Right beside it sat its darker counterpart, the Null Core, housed in a sleek casing that absorbed surrounding light like a siphon. The system brought up the description:
"Null Core: Empowers shots with nullification energy. Hits apply the 'Void' effect, allowing projectiles to partially bypass magical barriers and shields. Critical strikes briefly increase both attack speed and damage output."
Phase for the physical… Void for the arcane, she thought. It was a beautifully balanced pairing.
She did a quick sum of the price tally:
Heat Cores (x2): 200 gold
Glacier Core: 200 gold
Ionized Core: 300 gold
Null Core: 350 gold
Aether Core: 350 gold
That brought the total to 1,400 gold.
She glanced at the top right corner of her interface—1,500 gold remained in her account.
Just enough, she thought, lips curling in faint satisfaction. Leaves me a hundred to restock basics before the next floor.
With a swipe through her system HUD, she sent the full amount over to the Dwarven shopkeep. The gold transferred with a soft chime, and she watched as the inventory confirmation flashed green.
[Transaction Complete]
Items acquired: Heat Core x2, Glacier Core, Ionized Core, Null Core, Aether Core
She gave the vendor a nod before turning sharply toward a nearby supply kiosk. In just a few minutes, she secured what she needed—maintenance tools, condensed rations, and two elemental-dampening field cartridges. It wasn't much, but it was enough.
By the time she stepped away from the plaza, her loadout was clean, balanced, and down to a crisp 100 gold remaining.
She found a quieter side path that veered toward the exit lift and knelt just off the main walkway. Pulling the Purifier Coil from its slot, she set it across her lap. The weapon's core chambers hissed softly as she ejected the previous cores. With practiced ease, she inserted the Null Core and the Aether Core, then toggled the Cross-Fusion Output (Hybrid) switch.
The interface pulsed, a scan bar sweeping across the screen.
[System Notice — Core Configuration Updated]
Cross-Fusion Output (Hybrid) engaged.
Scanning... Hybridized Effect Registered:
[Dimensional Breach]
Projectiles enter a dimensional sync state, partially bypassing both magical and physical barriers. Critical hits activate a surge of planar energy, granting the user a brief boost to movement speed, attack speed, reaction time, and damage output for 3 seconds.
She blinked.
So instead of punching harder... I punch faster. Better. A small grin crept in. I can work with that.
She toggled the switch again, closing the chambers and reverting the rifle to its standard dual-core output. The hybrid would be there when she needed it—no point draining durability or wasting cooldown cycles until things got serious.
The rifle clicked back into place along her spine, weight familiar and comfortingly heavy.
Her stride turned forward again.
Time to meet Floor 6.