"System, locate the material: [Essence of the Molten Star]."

[Searching database...]

[Match found.]

[Location: Sector 9 - The Sunken City of Iron.]

[Status: Sealed/Restricted.]

The Sunken City. It wasn't a city in the traditional sense, but a massive, subterranean foundry abandoned by the Academy's Founders centuries ago. It was buried deep beneath the magma layer of the floating island's crust, accessible only via ancient teleportation gates that had been locked down for decades.

"Perfect," Alvian muttered.

He didn't need permission. He had the [Key to the Genesis Forge +1].

He walked to the corner of the lab where an old, rusted teleportation pad sat covered in a tarp. He ripped the cover off. Dust motes danced in the air. He inserted the black key into the console.

[Ding!]

[Anomaly Detected.]

[Override Authorized. Destination: The Sunken City.]

The runes on the pad flared to life, not blue, but a deep, angry orange. Alvian stepped onto the platform. The world dissolved in a swirl of fire and data.

"WHOOSH!"

When Alvian materialized, the first thing that hit him was the smell. Sulfur, burning metal, and ancient ash. The air was thick, shimmering with heat distortion. He was standing on a catwalk made of obsidian, suspended over a vast, cavernous space. Below him, rivers of molten iron flowed like water, illuminating the ruins of colossal forges and towers that stretched down into the abyss.

[System Warning: Extreme Heat Environment.]

[Temperature: 450°C.]

[Passive [Terra-Form] mitigating physical stress.]

[Passive [Frost Heart] mitigating thermal damage.]

Alvian adjusted his collar. The heat was intense, enough to boil a normal human alive in seconds, but his passives negated the damage. He felt only a dry warmth.

He began to move. The catwalks were treacherous, rusted and crumbling. His objective was the Central Foundry, where the [Essence of the Molten Star]—the core of the ancient heating system—would be located.

As he moved, the shadows of the ruins stirred.

[Monster Detected: Magma Stalker]

[Level: 36]

[Status: Camouflaged]

From the molten river below, a shape lunged. It looked like a panther made of cooling lava, its veins pulsing with bright orange light. It scrambled up the support pillar with terrifying speed, its claws melting the stone as it climbed.

"Trash," Alvian whispered.

He didn't draw his lance. He wanted to test his new physical stats.

[Strength: 85 (+50 Tablet Bonus) = 135]

The Stalker leaped, a blur of heat and claws.

Alvian stepped forward. He moved faster than the beast. He didn't punch; he backhanded it.

"SMACK!"

The sound was like a cannon firing. His hand connected with the Stalker's head.

[-6,800! Critical!]

[-3,200! Crushing Damage!]

The monster's head didn't just break; it atomized. The rest of the body was sent spinning violently into the abyss, crashing into a support beam fifty meters away before falling into the magma.

[You have slain Magma Stalker.]

[Experience Gained: 12,000.]

"Efficient," Alvian noted, wiping a speck of ash from his glove. His physical strength was now high enough to one-shot Elite mobs without using mana. This was the true power of the [Tablet of the Earth Core].

He continued deeper into the city. The architecture was dwarven in style, blocky and functional, but corrupted by centuries of neglect and wild magic.

He reached a junction leading to the Foundry. Suddenly, he stopped.

His [Shadow Weave +2] wasn't active, but his natural stealth was high. He listened.

"Clang... Clang..."

Someone was fighting ahead.

Alvian narrowed his eyes. This was a restricted zone. No student should be here.

He activated [Shadow Weave +2].

[Duration: 2 Minutes.]

He vanished into the heat haze. He moved silently along the ceiling pipes, looking down into a large antechamber.

Below, surrounded by a pack of six Magma Stalkers and two [Iron Golem Sentinels], was a figure. A blur of motion and shadow.

Dual daggers flashed in the dim light. The figure moved like liquid smoke, weaving between the heavy attacks of the Golems and the frantic swipes of the Stalkers.

"Slash! Sever! Step!"

It was Seraphina.

The Head of the Silent Watchers was here, deep in the bowels of the earth. She wasn't using powerful AOE spells; she was surgically dismantling the enemy. She ducked under a Golem's fist, severed the hydraulic line on its knee, then leaped off its falling body to decapitate a Stalker mid-air.

[Target: Seraphina]

[HP: 82%]

[Status: Combat / Focused]

"She's good," Alvian admitted internally. "Better than Valeria in terms of technique. But she lacks raw power."

One of the Iron Golems, a Level 38 Elite, activated a [Spinning Lariat] attack. Its massive metal arms spun like a helicopter, creating a vortex of death. Seraphina was cornered against a wall of burning pipes. She raised her daggers to block, a desperate move against such mass.

"Inefficient," Alvian judged.

He dropped from the ceiling.

He didn't use stealth to attack. He used gravity.

He deactivated [Shadow Weave] mid-fall to utilize his full mass. He landed directly on the Golem's head.

"CRUNCH!"

With 135 Strength and the weight of his enhanced density, Alvian landed like a meteor. The Golem crumpled instantly, flattened into a disc of scrap metal.

[-15,000! Fatal Crush!]

The impact shook the entire room. The remaining Stalkers hissed and scattered.

Seraphina blinked, lowering her daggers. She stared at the freshman standing on top of the flattened Golem, brushing dust off his pristine black robes.

"You," Seraphina sighed, sheathing one dagger. "Do you ever use a door?"

Alvian stepped off the wreckage. "The ceiling was faster. What is a Silent Watcher doing in a sealed zone?"

Seraphina wiped sweat from her forehead. The heat was clearly affecting her more than him.

"Same thing as you, I suspect," she said, pointing toward the heavy blast doors of the Central Foundry. "Hunting ghosts."

.

A/N: Creation is wild, exhausting, and sometimes my brain wants to run away. Power stones are my only bargaining chip to drag it back. If you liked this chapter, toss me one or a few, it helps me more than you think.

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