Asher chose the dungeon carefully.
That alone felt suspicious.
He stood in his apartment, arms crossed, staring at the faint interface hovering at the edge of his vision like it might blink first.
"…Alright," he said. "Rules."
The system did not respond.
Which meant it was listening.
"One," Asher continued, pacing. "This is a test run. Not a grind. Not a hero moment. A test."
The dungeon pull pulsed faintly.
"Two. No activating new fragments mid-panic."
Another pulse.
"Three. If something looks like it's about to turn me into paste—"
He stopped, thought about it, then sighed.
"—I leave."
The pull paused.
Then receded slightly.
"…Good," Asher muttered. "We're communicating."
He took a breath.
"Movement first. Durability second," he said quietly.
"If Kinetic Step fails, Impact Redistribution catches the mistake."
That felt right.
"Okay. Controlled run."
The warp claimed him.
The dungeon reformed around him with a sound like stone politely clearing its throat.
Asher landed on a flat, circular platform surrounded by waist-high pillars. The floor was smooth, faintly reflective, and sloped just enough to be annoying.
"…This feels like a gym designed by a psychopath," Asher said.
A system window appeared.
[Personal Dungeon – Variant Active]
Environment Type: Impact Trial Zone
Focus: Force Distribution / Recovery / Movement Control
Asher stared.
"…You updated the description."
[Affirmation.]
"Of course you did."
The space was quiet. No enemies. No movement.
Asher relaxed—just a little.
"…Okay," he said. "This is fine. We like controlled environments."
The first impact came from behind.
Something slammed into his upper back hard enough to launch him forward. Asher yelped and triggered Kinetic Step on reflex, blurring just enough to avoid face-planting into the floor.
"WHAT WAS THAT—"
Another strike clipped his side.
Then another.
Invisible impacts. Blunt. Heavy.
Asher stumbled, heart racing.
[Environmental Hazard Detected]
Type: Kinetic Pulse
"…YOU COULD'VE LEAD WITH THAT," Asher snapped.
[Correction]
You requested a controlled test of impact redistribution.
"I also requested warning, you menace."
The next pulse hit him square in the chest.
Pain flared.
Not sharp.
Wide.
Spread.
Asher flew backward, hit the ground hard, and rolled.
He groaned.
"…Okay," he wheezed. "That one hurt—but not in the 'something broke' way."
A system prompt hovered.
[Impact Redistribution – Activation Available]
Asher stared at it.
"…Right. This is the part where I stop being stubborn."
Another pulse slammed into his legs, flipping him onto his side.
"OKAY, FINE."
He activated it.
[Impact Redistribution (Fragment) – Active]
The next hit landed immediately.
Asher braced.
The impact still hurt—but instead of detonating in one spot, the force spread. His ribs ached. His shoulders burned. His legs absorbed part of it.
He skidded across the floor and came to a stop against a pillar.
Asher blinked.
"…Huh."
He pushed himself upright.
Everything hurt.
But nothing screamed.
Nothing failed.
"…That's actually—wow."
Another pulse struck.
Asher triggered Kinetic Step in a short burst, repositioning between two pillars. The impact grazed his side instead of hitting full-on.
Burst Step threw him forward. Kinetic Step let him decide where he landed.
"…Okay," he muttered. "That worked."
The pulses intensified.
They came faster now, from different angles.
Asher moved—short, controlled Kinetic Steps, no overcommitting. When he mistimed one, the impact landed—
Pain flared—
—and spread.
Too slow. Bad angle.
Kinetic Step failed.
Impact Redistribution caught it.
"…You're turning me into a shock absorber," Asher said through clenched teeth.
[Clarification]
Correct.
"That's still not comforting."
The rhythm shifted.
Asher frowned.
"…Why are you—oh."
The pulses were reacting now.
Responding to his movement.
"…You're learning again."
[Adaptive Environment Confirmed.]
Asher laughed weakly.
"Oh, fantastic. The room hates me personally."
He forced himself to slow down.
Smaller steps.
Better posture.
Let the force spread instead of fighting it.
A pulse hit.
Less displacement.
Less knockback.
Asher nodded.
"…There. That's it."
The impacts kept coming—but they stopped escalating.
Asher endured.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Then—
Silence.
The pulses ceased.
Asher stood in the center of the platform, soaked in sweat, muscles screaming, but upright.
"…I'm alive," he said. "Again."
A system window appeared.
[Personal Dungeon – Trial Complete]
Performance: Controlled Variable Synchronization Achieved
Results:
• Kinetic Step control improved
• Impact Redistribution efficiency increased
• Skeletal Reinforcement synergy confirmed
• Fatigue threshold recorded
Rewards:
• Angelic Coin x16
Asher stared at the rewards.
"…You paid me to get hit and move correctly."
[Clarification]
You requested improvement.
He laughed and leaned against a pillar, sliding down to sit.
"…You know what? Fair."
The warp returned him gently to his apartment.
Asher collapsed onto the couch and stared at the ceiling.
"…Okay," he said. "Kinetic Step plus Impact Redistribution officially works."
He closed his eyes.
"And next time," he added, "we're testing something that doesn't involve being a human pinball."
The system did not promise anything.
Which meant it was already planning otherwise.