CHAPTER 82: “LOOK AT ME.”

The pressure kept rising.

That thing didn’t need to move.

It was movement.

From the moment they saw it, time felt slower. Like the chamber had sunk underwater.

And then it stepped forward.

Out of the shadows.

One foot.

Then another.

Massive. Towering. Coated in glistening black scale that shimmered with elemental charge. Each step cracked the floor beneath it, and from its shoulders rose five heads—each shaped like a twisted version of a dragon’s crown.

Five necks.

Five heads.

Five colors.

Flame.

Frost.

Lightning.

Stone.

Wind.

An SSS-Rank Hydra of the Five Major Elements.

Each head moved independently. Eyes glowing, not with hunger—but awareness. It knew they were weak. And it liked that.

Lucian’s breath stilled.

His body moved on instinct.

Time froze.

Everything stopped.

Air.

Sound.

Light.

Reia’s hair froze mid-motion.

Vyn’s lips still parted in shock.

Evelyn’s threads were mid-flutter. Silas hadn’t even blinked yet.

But the hydra?

It turned slowly.

One head.

Then two.

Then all five.

Even in frozen time, it moved.

Lucian’s heart skipped.

"...You’ve got to be kidding me," he muttered.

His hand hovered near his blade.

He could end this.

Cut through space. Carve the core. Freeze time again. End it.

But the others...

They’d learn nothing.

No teamwork. No pressure. No real combat.

They needed this fight.

They needed to feel what it meant to face something stronger.

Lucian closed his eyes.

"Cael," he said silently.

[Listening.]

"Is there anything I can give them? Something to help."

[Yes.]

Lucian tensed. "That was fast."

[Because they are Embodiments. Bound to you by Origin Thread. By extension, they qualify for system assistance.]

Lucian’s eyes narrowed.

"So I can give them gear?"

[Exclusive Gear Sets. Tailored to their Embodiment traits. Purchasable.]

Lucian almost smiled.

"And Evelyn?"

[She is not an Embodiment. But you can still provide assistance. Recommend unlocking true function of Infinite Replication.]

Lucian raised his hand.

A system screen slid open in front of him.

The store flickered into view.

Three glowing tabs.

—Embodiment Set: INTELLECT [Reia Caelum]

—Embodiment Set: MAGIC [Vyn Thorne]

—Embodiment Set: STRENGTH [Silas Caelum]

He tapped the first one.

▸ Mindveil Circlet – Enhances neural processing, amplifies predictive combat reactions by 400%.

▸ Thoughtweave Gloves – Allows instantaneous mental spell weaving. Touch-based tactical link.

▸ Synapse Boots – Enhances speed of decision-based movements. Can redirect momentum in midair.

▸ Cortex Lens – Visual interface that highlights enemy weak points and attack patterns in real time.

He purchased it.

Light burst from the screen.

A silver cube formed in his palm—softly humming.

Lucian smiled faintly.

Then opened the second tab.

▸ Astral Shawl – Generates a protective barrier from ambient mana. Can store spells for delayed use.

▸ Arcanite Rings – Channel and stabilize chaotic spells. Allows fusion-casting.

▸ Voidbinder Sash – Increases mana compression rate. Boosts spell impact by 300%.

▸ Nexus Pendant – Grants passive mana regeneration and spell memory enhancement.

Another cube.

This one, violet-black.

He didn’t hesitate.

Third tab.

▸ Titan Bracers – Reinforce physical strikes with gravity pulses. Can deflect magical impact.

▸ Groundshaker Boots – Anchor to any surface, doubles momentum on impact.

▸ Juggernaut Plate – Increases durability. Converts incoming damage into strength for a short time.

▸ Core Drive Belt – Stabilizes physical output, prevents internal backlash during power surges.

A third cube. Red-hot.

Lucian turned.

Time resumed.

He walked forward, steps calm despite the pressure.

The others hadn’t noticed time had stopped. Not yet.

But they noticed the cubes.

He stopped in front of Reia and held the silver one out.

"Take it."

She stared. "What is—"

"It’s yours," he said. "Just open it."

She reached forward.

The cube cracked apart into light, swirling around her body before fusing into shape. The circlet slipped onto her head. The gloves wrapped her fingers. The boots clicked into place like they belonged there.

Her eyes widened.

"Lucian... where did you—"

"I made them," he said simply.

He turned to Vyn.

She stared at her violet-black cube like it was whispering something. She didn’t ask questions. She just accepted it.

Light shimmered across her body as the shawl wrapped itself over her shoulders, the sash tying around her waist in a smooth motion. The rings blinked onto her fingers one by one.

Then Silas.

Lucian handed him the third cube.

Silas blinked. "You sure?"

Lucian nodded once.

"Use it well."

The gear wrapped around him like liquid fire. The plate reinforced his chest, the bracers pulsed with weight, and the belt locked into place with a low hum.

All three stood straighter.

More complete.

More themselves.

Lucian turned to Evelyn last.

She tilted her head. "Nothing for me?"

Lucian paused.

Then stepped forward.

"No cube."

He placed a single finger on her forehead.

Her body shimmered.

Silver lines of code danced briefly in her eyes.

Her breath hitched.

"...What was that?"

Lucian looked into her eyes.

"You’ve been using Infinite Replication like a trick."

She flinched.

"It’s not."

His voice lowered.

"You can copy abilities. Permanently. You can merge them. Create new ones. You can clone yourself. But not just mimicry. Real clones. If you understand the ability deep enough... it’s yours."

Her lips parted. "But I—"

Lucian’s gaze didn’t waver.

He stepped even closer, lowering his voice—not because he had to, but because the others didn’t need to hear this part.

"You don’t need a gift, Evelyn," he said quietly. "You are the gift. Infinite Replication isn’t about watching and reacting. It’s about understanding. If you can comprehend how a power works—why it works—you don’t just mimic it. You own it. And once it’s yours..."

He tapped her chest lightly.

"...you can twist it, bend it, break it, remake it. Stack it. Combine it. Multiply yourself and run different powers in sync across your clones. That’s not copying."

Evelyn’s hands trembled slightly. "Then I’ve been... limiting it."

"You’ve been playing it safe," Lucian said. "Which is fair. But now?"

He tilted his head toward the hydra.

"Now isn’t the time to hold back."

Evelyn blinked fast, like her brain was catching up to a version of herself she hadn’t seen before. And then... she smiled.

"Got it," she whispered.

Lucian stepped back, satisfied.

That’s when Reia spoke.

"Alright," she said. Her tone had shifted—tighter. Brighter. Focused.

Lucian turned.

She was already scanning the hydra again, eyes glowing faintly behind the newly-formed Cortex Lens. Her circlet pulsed softly with every shift of the monster’s weight. Her breath had leveled out, and her fingers tapped against her gloves in quick bursts—like keys on a console.

"We’ve got five heads," she said. "Each tuned to one of the primary elements. That means they’ll act independently but defend collectively. Any direct assault will trigger a group retaliation unless we break their sync."

Vyn nodded once. "How do we do that?"

"We split aggro," Reia replied instantly. "Five points. I’ll mark them. The heads don’t move as a group unless threatened all at once. If we rotate pressure and maintain split positions, they’ll break formation."

Silas cracked his neck. "And when they do?"

Reia’s eyes flicked to Lucian. "We aim for the base. Neck cluster. Weakest structural point. But it’s only viable when the heads aren’t syncing spells."

Evelyn exhaled, her threads weaving into thin sigils across her forearms. "I’ll take flame and wind. I can clone one of me and split the attention."

"I’ve got lightning," Vyn said calmly. "It resonates with my type."

"Frost is mine," Reia said. "It’s reactive, and I can predict it better than the others."

Silas grinned. "Guess that leaves me with stone."

Lucian didn’t say anything.

He just watched.

And this—this was why he waited.

They weren’t hesitating anymore.

They weren’t looking at him for permission.

They were moving.

Reia’s voice cut through the air again.

"Silas, when you anchor, make sure you don’t stay in the same position too long. Once the stone head drops, the others will turn defensive. Vyn, I need you to overload your spell impact to keep lightning’s rhythm from syncing with wind. That’ll give Evelyn enough time to tag the flame with her clone."

"Copy," Vyn said.

Evelyn tapped her forehead and smirked. "Literally."

Reia turned to Lucian.

"Can you keep the main body distracted? Just its torso? Even if you don’t attack, hold its focus."

Lucian raised a brow. "Thought I was low on mana."

"You’re not," she said without missing a beat.

He smiled.

"Fine."

Reia stepped forward, raising her hand. A pulse of light spread from her circlet, marking glowing blue symbols on the chamber floor—five points. Rotating angles. Movement anchors.

She snapped her fingers.

"Positions."

They moved.

Silas stepped right.

Evelyn sprinted left and flicked a hand—another version of herself split from her shoulder in a shimmer of light. The clone stretched, flexed, and nodded at her before dashing the other direction.

Vyn’s shawl whipped around her as she floated up slightly, hands already glowing with condensed mana. Her pendant lit up like a heartbeat.

Reia stayed low, her boots giving small bursts of redirected momentum as she took her spot. Her gloves pulsed with mental energy, her link syncing each of their movements like a silent thread.

And Lucian?

He walked forward. Slowly. Directly at the monster.

The hydra turned all five heads toward him.

The wind head growled.

The fire head snapped once, heat rippling off its breath.

Lucian looked up, eyes half-lidded.

Then whispered, just loud enough for it to hear:

"Look at me."

And it did.

The others moved as one.

And the fight began.