The morning mist still clung to the edges of the dorm yard when Rin opened his eyes. For a brief moment, the dream still burned in his mind warriors wrapped in flowing green energy, their bodies moving in sync with nature's pulse. A forest bathed in emerald light. The jade-like core floating above them.
He sat up sharply, trying to recall the rhythm of that strange energy.
"How did they move?" he murmured. "It wasn't mana… it was something else. That flow"
He closed his eyes and tried to feel it again. He pictured the same swirl of green light, tried to pull that flux from deep inside him. The faint pulse of energy stirred in his chest, responding to his will. For a second, he felt it a flicker of the same gentle yet wild current. But the feeling shattered just as quickly.
His breath came out in a hiss.
Not enough information, he realized. The system inside him remained silent, no prompts, no guidance. It was as if the dream had shown him a language he wasn't yet ready to speak.
Still, even the failed attempt left him oddly energized. His flux reserves had grown overnight small, but noticeable.
Before he could dwell on it longer, the academy horn echoed through the training ground. It was time for the Outer Circle Hunt the monthly exercise where students were grouped to face real monsters in the wild zones beyond the academy barrier.
The Hunt Begins
Rin joined his assigned team near the gate five students total. Most of them from the regular combat class. He recognized a few faces from earlier lessons but didn't remember their names. They eyed him curiously; his reputation as a "system anomaly" hadn't gone unnoticed after the incident in the Flux Dome.
Their leader, a broad-shouldered second-year named Kair, spoke briskly.
"We move in formation B. Don't break the line unless you want to get shredded by beasts. Outer circle's swarming with low-grade monsters this week good chance to earn cores and contribution points."
Rin nodded silently, adjusting the blade strapped to his back. The others had more advanced weapons flux-infused rifles, staff-channelers, short sabers that shimmered faintly with spirit circuits. Rin's sword was basic iron, but he'd learned to rely on precision over raw power.
As the gate opened, a rush of wind swept through the group. Beyond lay the wild expanse a forest warped by flux storms, where trees glowed faintly and the air shimmered with residual energy.
"Stay close," Kair ordered.
Battle in the Outer Circle
The first wave came sooner than expected. A pack of Ravetail Hounds burst from the brush sleek creatures with dark fur and tails that split into two, crackling with green sparks.
Kair's saber flashed, cutting through the first one cleanly. The others engaged, channeling flux through their weapons. Rin moved instinctively, slashing through the side of a lunging hound. Its body dissolved into green motes as it fell, leaving behind a faintly glowing orb a flux core.
The group fought for nearly an hour, pushing deeper into the zone. They worked well together, though Rin noticed most of them relied heavily on system guidance and preset skills. He had none of those prompts just instinct and observation.
When the last hound fell, the team gathered to rest near a fallen log. Kair distributed ration tubes and water. "We'll rest twenty minutes before returning," he said.
Rin nodded but felt restless. The energy in the forest still called to him. The faint pulse of the flux in his veins wanted to move, to grow.
"I'....ll take.... a... short... walk," Rin said, standing.
Kair looked up. "Stay within the marker zone. If you die out there, I'm not wasting my points pulling you back."
Rin smirked faintly. "Under.....stood."
Lone Hunt
He walked away from the resting site, following the faint hums he sensed in the flux field. The deeper he went, the denser the energy became. Soon, he found one a Scaled Lynor, a four-legged beast with green crystalline scales and slitted eyes that glowed faintly.
The creature hissed, lowering its head.
Rin steadied his breath and drew his blade.
The fight was brutal. The Lynor was fast every movement like a burst of compressed air. Rin narrowly dodged its tail swipe, sparks flying as it grazed a tree behind him. He countered, slashing at the creature's side, but his blade only left a shallow mark.
He adjusted his footing, channeling what little flux he could gather into his arm. The energy surged rough, unstable but enough to amplify his next strike.
He feinted left, then drove his sword upward beneath the Lynor's jaw. The blade sank deep, and the creature convulsed before collapsing into dust and green particles.
Panting, Rin fell to one knee.
The flux core lay where the monster fell a small gem pulsing like a heartbeat.
"System," Rin said quietly. "Analyze."
A faint tone chimed inside his mind.
[Analyzing Monster Core… Progress: 50%]
The bar floated before his eyes, half-filled.
"So it works…" Rin muttered, standing. The system wasn't dead just slow, evolving. He sheathed his sword, wiped the sweat from his brow, and set out again.
The Second Hunt
The next creature was harder. A Crimson Beak a bird-type flux beast that swooped down with metallic feathers. Rin fought it midair, dodging its dives and using fallen trees as cover. The fight dragged on, each exchange draining more of his stamina.
When he finally drove his sword through its chest, he barely had the strength to stand.
[Core Analyzed – Progress: 80%]
His breathing was ragged, but a wild grin spread across his face. He could feel it now each battle was feeding something inside the system, refining the data it needed to grow.
There was only one step left.
The Final Fight
Dusk settled over the forest. The light turned golden, filtering through the green mist. Rin pushed deeper still, ignoring the fatigue that screamed in his limbs. He found the third monster near a broken flux spring a Horned Duskbear, nearly twice his size.
Its roar shook the ground.
Rin steadied his grip. "Alright… one more."
The fight was chaos. The Duskbear's claws tore through the air like blades. Rin rolled, slashed, and dodged again, his movements instinctual, driven by survival. He could feel the flux inside him trying to synchronize, the same rhythm he'd seen in the dream.
When the bear lunged, Rin didn't retreat he stepped forward. His blade flashed, guided by that faint pulse, and pierced through the creature's heart.
The beast howled once before collapsing. Its body shattered into light, leaving behind a dense, glowing core.
Rin fell beside it, chest heaving.
"System…" he whispered. "Finish the analysis."
The core dissolved in his palm.
[Analysis Complete — 100%]
[Data synchronized. Initiating system update.]
[Estimated Time: 2 Days.]
The glowing interface flickered and dimmed.
For the first time, Rin felt the system's presence fade into silence not broken, but asleep.
He exhaled, leaning back against a tree. The forest was quiet again, save for the hum of flux particles drifting like fireflies.
Return
By the time he returned to the group, the sky had darkened into violet. Kair raised an eyebrow when Rin appeared, slightly bloodied but carrying three cores clipped to his belt.
"Went core hunting alone, huh?" Kair said. "You're either brave or stupid."
"May...be b..oth," Rin said with a faint smile.
They returned to the academy gates under the watch of hovering drones. Rin's body ached with every step, but deep inside, something new stirred a promise.
Whatever his system was becoming, it was no longer passive.
It was learning.
And in two days… it would awaken again.
Late Night
Back in his dorm, Rin lay on the bed staring at the faint projection of his now-dormant interface. It showed only one message:
[System Updating: 48:00:00 Remaining.]
He felt strangely empty without the constant hum in his head. The dream replayed in his thoughts the green warriors, the jade object, the energy that moved like breath itself.
He clenched his fist.
"One day," he whispered, "I'll understand that power. The real flux."
The wind outside howled softly, and the faint shimmer of energy brushed against the window like a promise of what was yet to come.
Tomorrow would bring more hunts, more lessons, and perhaps… another dream.
For now, Rin closed his eyes and let the silence take him.
The world outside pulsed with unseen energy and deep within his body, his evolving system quietly rewrote itself, preparing for something new.