The surge of power accompanying Level 5 was phenomenal, a tidal wave compared to the ripples of previous level-ups.
It wasn't just numbers ticking up on a screen; Daniel felt it deep in his bones, a fundamental reinforcement of his very being.
His senses felt razor-sharp, the sterile air of the Spire almost tasting electric on his tongue.
His mana pool felt deeper, vaster, and the quiet hum of [Energy Siphon] pulling ambient power felt stronger, more efficient.
He quickly checked his status, mentally allocating the new points.
Five free attribute points, he dumped them straight into Strength, pushing it well past 120.
Raw power, amplified by [Kinetic Hammer], felt like his most reliable trump card. More intriguing was the single Class Skill Point.
Accessing the Hunter template on his Nexus Interface, he saw the basic Archery, Trap, and Familiar skill trees laid out.
He could unlock a foundational skill in any of them. Archery offered things like 'Charged Shot' or 'Multi-Shot (Basic)'.
Traps had 'Snare Trap' or 'Alarm Rune'. Familiar offered 'Basic Commands' or 'Minor Sensory Link'.
Given his reliance on ranged disruption and the potential for environmental interaction, he opted for the Trap tree. He selected 'Snare Trap (Basic)'.
[Class Skill Point Spent: 1]
[New Skill Acquired (Hunter Class): Snare Trap (Basic - E Grade): Conjure a simple, temporary energy snare at a designated location within 10 meters.
Low trigger threshold, minor immobilization effect (Strength/Agility check to break free). Requires mana to cast and maintain.]
Basic, yes, but having any deployable trap felt like a significant tactical addition. It wouldn't stop an Elite, but it might trip up lesser foes or create a momentary distraction.
He finished assimilating the Shadow-Guards' essences.
His Agility, now boosted past 180, felt almost ludicrous. Moving felt less like running and more like controlled flight just above the ground.
His charges were nearly full, 23 out of a new maximum of 25. Ready for action.
Nyx stirred in her pouch, letting out a soft, rumbling purr, perhaps sensing his power surge or maybe just dreaming of shadow kibble.
"Easy there, girl," Daniel murmured. "Let's see what other welcome gifts this oversized computer tower has for us."
He continued up the spiraling ramp, the silence of the Spire pressing in.
The white energy lines embedded in the floor and walls pulsed with a steady, rhythmic light, like the heartbeat of a vast machine.
His enhanced [Aura Sense+] swept ahead, probing the unnatural quiet. Then, it hit something.
Not a creature signature, not a construct, but a dense, complex web of layered energy fields blanketing the corridor ahead.
His internal map, gleaned from the labyrinth data, updated with a stark red warning overlay: 'System Defense Grid - Sector Gamma'.
"Ah," Daniel said aloud, his voice reverberating slightly in the corridor. "So, the welcome wagon involves lasers. Classy."
He reached the entrance to Sector Gamma. It wasn't a chamber, but a long, wide stretch of corridor, maybe a hundred meters long. And it was a deathtrap.
Visible laser grids crisscrossed the space at intervals, some static, some sweeping rhythmically.
Sections of the floor glowed faintly, hinting at pressure plates. Strange crystalline nodes embedded in the walls pulsed ominously, suggesting area-effect discharges or force projectors.
The sheer density and complexity of the layered defenses were unlike anything he'd encountered in the shifting maze below.
This was truly unprecedented.
"Okay, Nyx," Daniel whispered, instinctively covering the pouch opening slightly. "Time for some fancy footwork.
Try not to yelp this time unless it looks really cool, alright?"
He activated [Ghoststeps+], the passive camouflage blending him with the sterile shadows and reflected light.
He studied the first section: a grid of horizontal red laser beams at chest height, combined with floor panels that pulsed blue.
His basic [Trap Mastery] knowledge screamed 'Don't touch the floor OR the beams!'
Easy enough, maybe. He gathered himself.
"Boom!"
The floor barely vibrated as he launched himself forward, his insane Agility allowing him to execute a series of low, impossibly fast slides beneath the red laser grid, his enhanced E-grade boots skimming millimeters above the pulsing blue floor panels.
The wind shrieked past his ears even in the confined space.
He flowed through the first twenty meters like smoke, the passive noise reduction of his skill making him utterly silent.
He paused in a small gap between grids, senses alert. The next section featured vertical green beams sweeping side-to-side like deadly metronomes, overlapping with pressure plates linked to ceiling-mounted nodes.
This required timing. He watched the pattern for a few seconds, his mind calculating trajectories and safe windows.
He took a breath, then moved. He sprinted, activating a short burst from [Ghoststeps+], weaving between the sweeping green beams.
He saw a pressure plate directly in his path. No time to stop. He jumped, pushing off the wall in a near-horizontal leap, twisting in mid-air to avoid a beam slicing where his head had been, and landed silently on the other side of the plate.
Suddenly, a high-pitched whine emanated from the walls ahead. Panels slid open, revealing sleek, spherical turrets that unfolded silently, their single red sensor eyes locking onto him instantly!
About six of them, strategically placed to cover the next section of the gauntlet.
"Oh, come on! Active defenses too?" Daniel groaned. This just went from annoying obstacle course to full-blown bullet hell, laser edition.
Pew! Pew! Zap!
Thin beams of focused energy lanced towards him from the turrets.
He reacted instantly, diving behind a slight protrusion in the wall, the beams scorching the surface he'd occupied.
His partial map hadn't shown active turrets, just the energy fields. The Spire was adapting, or maybe just revealing its nastier layers.
He peered out cautiously.
The turrets were firing methodically, creating a deadly crossfire zone in the middle of the corridor, right where the next set of energy barriers pulsed.
He couldn't just run through it. He needed to disable the turrets.
His D+ bow felt inadequate against potentially armored turrets, and getting close enough for daggers meant running the laser gauntlet.
Time for creative problem-solving. He noticed one of the main white energy lines running along the wall near two of the turrets.
An idea sparked, reckless but potentially efficient.
He waited for a lull in the firing pattern, then burst from cover.
He didn't run forward; he ran up the curved wall, his Agility and the partial [Wall Adhesion] fragment allowing him several gravity-defying steps.
From his elevated position, he fired his bow, not at the turrets, but at the main energy line right between them.
He didn't use a Mana Bolt this time. He channeled his most powerful physical disruption. "[Kinetic Hammer] – Arrow!"
Twang-BOOM!
The arrow slammed into the energy conduit embedded in the wall. The kinetic force overloaded it instantly!
A blinding flash of white light erupted, accompanied by a deafening crackle!
The targeted energy line exploded outwards, showering the corridor in harmless sparks and sending a feedback surge through the connected systems.
The two nearest turrets spasmed violently, their red eyes flickering erratically before extinguishing completely!
They slumped lifelessly in their mountings.
[Minor Construct Disabled] x2 (No EXP for disabling via environment?)
"Whoo! Direct tap overload!" Daniel grinned, landing silently back on the ramp.
He'd essentially short-circuited them by blowing up their power source. Risky, as it could have caused a much larger explosion, but it worked!
The remaining four turrets adjusted their firing pattern, compensating for their fallen comrades.
Daniel repeated the tactic, using another wall run to get an angle on the power line feeding the next pair.
Twang-BOOM!
Another blinding flash, another two turrets disabled. The final two seemed to realize their vulnerability.
They retracted slightly into their alcoves, trying to protect their power source while still maintaining covering fire on the corridor.
Daniel decided to handle the last two more directly. He sprinted forward, weaving through the remaining static laser grids, his speed a blur.
The turrets fired rapidly, trying to track him. He activated his projected [Energy Shield] briefly – Fwoosh! – deflecting two beams that would have hit him center mass.
The C-grade shield shimmered and faded, costing a chunk of mana, but it bought him the opening he needed.
He reached the first retracting turret, leaped, and drove a C+ Twin Fang dagger straight into its red sensor eye. Shunk-Crackle! Sparks flew, and it went dead.
[Minor Construct Destroyed: +5 EXP]
He immediately spun towards the last turret. It fired a final desperate beam.
Daniel didn't dodge. He punched it. Literally. His fist, wreathed in the power of [Kinetic Hammer], met the energy beam head-on.
BOOM-FZZZZT!
The kinetic force disrupted the beam, dissipating it harmlessly, and continued onward, smashing the turret itself into scrap metal against the back of its alcove.
[Minor Construct Destroyed: +5 EXP]
Silence fell, broken only by the faint hum of the remaining, undamaged energy grids further down the corridor.
Daniel stood amidst the disabled defenses, dusting off his hands.
Total EXP gain: 10. Pathetic. Clearly, destroying security systems wasn't the intended path for leveling. But survival trumped EXP grinding.
He looked ahead. The corridor continued, and his [Aura Sense+] detected more complex energy fields, maybe even moving force walls or tesla coils, judging by the patterns.
This gauntlet was far from over. He took a moment, letting [Energy Siphon] passively refill his mana, checked his nearly full charges (23/25 after the bow upgrades), and gave Nyx's pouch another reassuring pat.
"Alright, Spire," he murmured, cracking his knuckles. "You wanna play rough? Let's play rough."
He continued his careful advance into the deadly, unprecedented defenses of Sector Gamma.