The cold breeze of the alleyway did little to soothe the anticipation building within Ray. Leaning against the moss-streaked wall, he opened the Aurora System, its soft blue light illuminating the shadowed corridor.
[Balance: 11,000 Luminara]
With a determined swipe, Ray navigated to the shop and selected a second blade, a sleek longsword etched with runes shimmering faintly in green and blue.
[Purchase Complete: Wind and Water Skill And Blade (+15 Strength)]
Ray held the blade in his hand, feeling the subtle energy coursing through it. Its weight felt natural, as though it had been made for him. Satisfied, he allocated the remaining luminara to bolster his elemental skills.
[Water Magic upgraded to Level 2]
[Wind Magic upgraded to Level 2]
Ray exhaled, adjusting the two swords at his hip—his familiar flame sword and the newly acquired elemental blade.
"That should do it," he muttered, his voice steady despite the faint tremor of excitement in his chest.
He didn't have to wait long. The alleyway began to distort, the air rippling like heat waves over asphalt. The swirling energy coalesced into a small rift, its chaotic hues of orange and red signaling a fire-aligned domain.
Ray cracked his knuckles, the faintest grin playing on his lips.
"Finally."
Stepping through the portal, a familiar rush enveloped him. When the world settled, he found himself standing on a vast expanse of scorched earth, the ground cracked and glowing with rivulets of molten lava. The sky above was a swirling maelstrom of fiery clouds, streaked with ash.
The Aurora System appeared before him.
[Tower of Flames: Floor 1]
Objective: Eliminate the 100 Flame Spirits (0/100)
Ray's grin widened, his grip tightening on the hilts of his blades. He whispered to himself, "Special rifts… to most, they're myths. Gates that grant power beyond comprehension, far surpassing any core. Sixty appeared before Chronograitus arrived. I know of them all, but three are already gone by the time I regressed. This makes the fourth."
He surveyed the landscape as figures began to materialize in the distance—floating, fiery beings with cores of molten energy at their centers.
"Flame Spirits," Ray muttered, drawing his elemental blade. "Time to see how this new gear handles."
The first wave came quickly, a dozen spirits hurtling toward him with trails of fire. Ray didn't flinch.
He raised his blade, channeling Water Magic into it. The blade glowed an icy blue before releasing a torrent of high-pressure water bullets. Each shot pierced through the flame spirits, extinguishing their fiery forms and shattering their cores.
[Eliminated: 12/100 Flame Spirits]
Ray rolled forward as another cluster of spirits surrounded him, their forms pulsing with fiery intent. This time, he swapped to Wind Magic, using the air around him to create compressed bursts. With a flick of his blade, he sent shockwaves slicing through the air, rupturing the cores of five spirits at once.
[Eliminated: 17/100 Flame Spirits]
One spirit closed in, faster than the rest, and unleashed a spiraling jet of fire. Ray dodged sideways, switching to both swords. With a precise motion, he slashed horizontally with the flame sword, countering the fire, and immediately struck with the elemental blade, dispersing the spirit into nothingness.
The ground trembled as a larger group of spirits emerged, their cores glowing brighter than the first waves. Ray smiled grimly and raised his hand, summoning his Wind Magic into a swirling vortex. The air pressure within the vortex sucked in the spirits, compressing them into a single point before imploding.
The resulting burst extinguished ten spirits at once.
[Eliminated: 27/100 Flame Spirits]
Ray pressed forward, his body moving instinctively between attacks. He switched to Water Magic, condensing the moisture in the air to form spears of ice. With a flick of his hand, the icy projectiles soared, piercing through the remaining spirits in the group.
[Eliminated: 40/100 Flame Spirits]
Ray wiped a bead of sweat from his brow as the air grew hotter, the spirits adapting to his tactics. More emerged from the cracked ground, their flames intensifying.
"Looks like they're stepping it up," he muttered.
He decided to get creative, combining his skills. He summoned a vortex of wind to trap a group of spirits, then infused the tornado with water magic, creating a spiraling cyclone of steam and pressure that tore through their cores.
[Eliminated: 60/100 Flame Spirits]
As the remaining spirits closed in, Ray shifted his stance, his aura flaring with determination. This time, he focused solely on his swords, letting his raw combat skill shine. He danced between the spirits, parrying fire blasts with one blade while delivering decisive strikes with the other.
The final wave of spirits loomed ahead, their fiery forms merging into a massive cluster. Ray took a deep breath and raised both hands, channeling his magic into a single, devastating move. Water and wind combined into a vortex of ice and pressure, surging forward like a tidal wave. The force crashed into the spirits, extinguishing them in a brilliant flash of light.
[Eliminated: 100/100 Flame Spirits]
The Aurora System chimed as the battlefield grew silent.
[Objective Complete: Proceed to the next floor.]
Ray sheathed his swords, his breaths steady but heavy. He glanced at the glowing portal that had appeared ahead, marking the entrance to the next floor.
"One floor down," he said, his voice calm yet resolute. "Four to go"