The following night, Asher learned two important things within the first three seconds of the dungeon.
One: the floor was moving.
Two: the floor was very proud of that fact.
He landed on a long stone bridge suspended over nothing. Not darkness—nothing. A pale, endless blank that made his depth perception immediately give up.
The bridge lurched sideways.
Asher windmilled his arms.
"…Nope."
He Burst Stepped forward purely out of panic, skidding to a stop inches from the edge.
His heart slammed into his ribs.
"Okay," he panted. "We're starting aggressive today."
A system window appeared, as if offended by his tone.
[Personal Dungeon – Variant Active]
Environment Type: Oscillating Pathway
Focus: Momentum Control / Recovery
Asher stared.
"…That's not a real phrase."
[Correction]
It is now.
"Fantastic."
The bridge tilted again, this time pitching upward like it was trying to throw him off on purpose. Asher leaned forward, knees bent, posture low—remembering the lesson from the Impact Trial.
The tilt slowed.
"…Oh," he said. "You hate good posture."
The bridge did not deny this.
Something scraped against stone ahead.
Asher squinted.
"…Please don't be wolves."
Three figures emerged from the far end of the bridge—humanoid shapes with elongated arms and uneven steps, bodies wrapped in ragged stone plating that clinked as they moved.
[Enemy Identified]
Momentum Stalkers
Rank: F
Role: Displacement / Harassment
Asher blinked.
"…You named them after the problem."
[Affirmation.]
The bridge dipped sharply.
One Stalker lunged.
Asher Burst Stepped backward—too far—and nearly overcorrected straight off the side.
He yelped and activated Kinetic Step mid-motion.
The correction wasn't clean.
But it was enough.
He slid back onto the bridge instead of off it, landing in a crouch with his heart in his throat.
"…Okay," he gasped. "Correction skill. Understood."
The first Stalker slammed into him shoulder-first.
Pain exploded across his side.
[Impact Redistribution – Active]
The force spread.
Asher staggered instead of flying.
"…Oh thank—"
The second Stalker hit him immediately afterward.
Asher went down hard, rolling as the bridge pitched again.
He groaned.
"…I'm being bullied by physics."
The Stalkers circled him, movements erratic—not fast, but timed to the bridge's oscillation. They weren't trying to kill him quickly.
They were trying to throw him off.
"…That's rude," Asher muttered, pushing himself to his feet.
The bridge dipped sharply forward.
Asher ran with it.
Not faster—with.
He let momentum carry him, then triggered Kinetic Step lightly to adjust his footing instead of replacing it.
It felt wrong.
Like skating on instincts instead of certainty.
But it worked.
The first Stalker lunged.
Asher sidestepped—not fully, just enough—and punched as it overcommitted.
The hit connected.
The Stalker slid.
The bridge tilted.
The creature flailed.
And vanished off the side, falling into nothingness.
Asher stared.
"…I didn't even kill it."
[Environmental elimination confirmed.]
"…I out-walked it."
The bridge pitched again.
The remaining two Stalkers adapted, spacing out, trying to herd him.
Asher grinned despite himself.
"Oh, no," he said. "I've seen this."
He backed up deliberately, letting the bridge tilt more aggressively.
The Stalkers followed.
Then he Burst Stepped upward as the bridge dipped.
The sudden shift threw off their timing.
One Stalker collided with the other.
Asher slammed into them, shoulder-first.
Pain flared.
[Impact Redistribution – Active]
The force spread through his frame.
He stayed upright.
The Stalkers didn't.
They tumbled together, sliding toward the edge.
Asher hesitated for half a second.
Then stepped forward and nudged.
"…Sorry," he said.
They vanished.
The bridge steadied.
Asher stood alone, breathing hard, laughing under his breath.
"…Momentum really is a suggestion."
A system window appeared.
[Personal Dungeon – Cleared]
Performance: Adaptive Momentum Utilization
Results:
• Kinetic Step control improved
• Impact Redistribution efficiency stabilized
• Combined skill synergy recorded
Rewards:
• Angelic Coin x24
• Skill Fragment Detected
Asher froze.
"…Another one?"
[Affirmation.]
He sagged against the bridge railing that absolutely had not been there earlier.
"Can I get, like, a coupon instead?"
The dungeon did not provide one.
The warp returned him to his apartment.
Asher stumbled in, collapsed onto the couch, and stared at the ceiling.
"…Okay," he said. "That one was actually fun."
His phone buzzed.
MAYA:
You alive?
Asher typed back with shaking fingers.
ASHER:
Yes. Gravity tried to kill me.
A pause.
MAYA:
…Again?
He smiled.
ASHER:
Again.
Asher closed his eyes.
His body hurt.
His skills ached in that strange, learning way.
And somewhere deep inside Heaven's Heart, the system logged a simple truth:
Asher wasn't fighting the dungeon anymore.
He was learning how to move with it.