CHAPTER 38: NEW MAGIC

He didn’t know why that felt right.

Maybe it was because the Reaper didn’t seem to respect physics. Or because everything in this dungeon moved like it remembered dying once and wanted to do it slower next time.

Lucen raised one hand and traced a line in the air.

No glow. No cast. Just muscle memory.

A ring.

A spike pattern at the bottom. A split across the center.

’Freezing point anchor... but flexible. Needs to shift between freeze-on-impact and freeze-on-delay.’

He dragged another line down the left side. Then curled it back in like a spiral.

[Dynamic Split Node recognized]

[Condition: Target motion state?]

Lucen frowned. "No. Not motion-based this time. Not like Tension Mark."

He hovered over the anchor.

’Trigger on cast. Or... delay by contact proximity?’

The glyph flickered.

[Proximity Trigger – Radius Set: 0.8 meters]

[Ice Affinity: Weak baseline established. Confirm core element?]

Lucen muttered, "Yeah. Ice. Don’t need damage, just stall."

He added a wedge at the top of the ring. A shatter-point. Meant to force release when pressure exceeded a threshold.

The system pulsed.

[Spell Construct: Stable]

[Estimated Mana Cost: 7]

[Assign Name?]

Lucen stared at it.

It wasn’t flashy. Wasn’t complicated.

But it felt right. Like something quiet and mean. A snare with a temper.

He typed in the name manually.

[Fracture Bloom]

-Type: Trigger glyph – elemental

- Effect: Sets an invisible freezing point at a target location. When a target enters the radius, mana flash-freezes the area in a jagged radial burst.

- Delay trigger: Up to 4 seconds

- Ice field lingers briefly, slowing movement in a 2-meter radius.

- Mana Cost: 7

- Status: Active – slot 5 of 6

Lucen let out a slow breath.

He could already feel the pull of it in the back of his hand. The slight cold that hadn’t been there five seconds ago. The spell hadn’t even been cast yet, and it was already itching to go off.

Mira glanced over. "Did you just finish something?"

Lucen said, "Sort of."

Senna tilted her head. "That was fast."

He didn’t look up.

"Quiet dungeon. Good ambiance."

Senna grinned slightly, then turned toward the massive doors ahead.

They were carved straight into the stone.

Twisted symbols ran up the middle. Not glyphs. Not language. Just... intent. Like the wall itself wanted to be sealed.

Lucen stood, flexing his fingers once. The new spell pulsed gently in slot five. Ready.

One more spell to design later.

But that could wait.

Because the next room would definitely challenge them.

—

The spell settled in his system like a glass of cold water down the spine. Lucen blinked once, just to reset his focus. His palm still tingled.

[Fracture Bloom – Active Slot 5 of 6]

Mana: 42/64

The door ahead didn’t open.

It waited.

Like it was listening.

Senna stepped forward first.

She placed one palm flat against the middle panel. The door didn’t react. No glyph flare. No pressure shift. No immediate death traps. Which somehow made it worse.

Lucen muttered, "You’re sure that’s not cursed?"

Senna didn’t look back. "If it is, it’s being polite about it."

Mira exhaled slowly behind them. "I hate polite curses."

Callen stood last, hand still resting on the edge of his shield. He hadn’t spoken much since they hit the lower levels. There was a stiffness in his stance now. Not just pain. Something else.

Lucen said, "What are you thinking?"

Callen didn’t meet his eyes.

Then, quietly, "We’re close. Too close. Feels wrong."

Lucen nodded once. ’Great. Mutual dread. Always a crowd pleaser.’

The door cracked.

Not like stone breaking. More like a pressure shift. A seal lifting. The air sucked forward for a half second, then released.

The door opened outward. No creak. No fanfare.

Just silence.

Beyond it was a long hall. Empty. Smooth floor. Arched ceiling. No columns. No traps. No light source.

And at the end of it—

A figure.

Standing.

Waiting.

Senna tensed. "That’s not another armor shell."

Lucen stared.

He could tell at once this thing wasn’t like the others. No drifting gauntlets. No animated metal. No detached mask and floating death aura.

This one had skin.

It wore half-armor, ragged and dark. Plated on one side, light cloth on the other. Its left hand held a long curved blade, not a scythe. A longsword, worn from use. Dried red at the hilt. The blade was chipped like it had bitten through bone and kept going.

Its face was mostly covered.

Not a helmet. A blindfold. Another one.

’What’s with blindfolded people in this shit?’

Tied tight. Black fabric. No markings.

Lucen felt his jaw clench.

’It can’t see us. But it’s standing perfectly still. It knows.’

The figure took one step forward.

Not fast.

Just deliberate.

Mira inhaled sharply. "That’s a wraithblood."

Callen’s eyes widened. "No way. They’re extinct."

Senna didn’t speak. Her grip just tightened on the hilt of her sword.

Lucen stepped forward.

"What’s a wraithblood?"

Mira’s voice was quiet.

"They were hunters. People who let drift corruption into their systems on purpose. Enhanced reflexes. Partial immunity to stun. Blood magic users. Used to serve in black-guild assassination squads before the Accord banned them."

Lucen stared at the figure. It hadn’t moved again. But it wasn’t frozen. Just waiting.

Like it was giving them a chance.

A polite one.

Lucen said, "And this one’s what? Retired?"

Callen muttered, "That thing doesn’t look retired."

Lucen checked his mana again. The system pulsed at the edge of his vision.

Mana: 45/64

[Fracture Bloom] ready.

[Unstable Kinetic Point] ready.

[Gravitic Snap] ready.

[Tension Mark] ready.

[Hold Point] ready.

’Five spells. One angry crypt assassin with sensory-based casting. And three allies I’d rather not watch get skewered.’

He flexed his hand. The air near the open doorway felt colder now. But it wasn’t temperature. It was the kind of cold that made thought feel heavy.

He said, "So what’s the plan?"

Senna said, "We bait it out. Trip a pattern. It’ll commit when it thinks it has the rhythm."

Lucen raised an eyebrow. "And if it doesn’t follow rhythm?"

She smiled, just a little. "Then we improvise."

The figure tilted its head slightly.

Lucen’s skin prickled.

It heard that.

Senna stepped through the doorway.

Not fast. Not slow.

Mira followed, bow up.

Callen limped after, shield angled across his chest.

Lucen walked last.

And the moment his foot crossed the archway—

The blindfolded swordsman raised its blade.

Lucen’s system pinged.

[Mana Distortion – High Threat Detected]

[Hostile Cast Initiated – Type Unknown]

Lucen whispered, "That’s not ominous at all."

And the boss took its second step.

No roar.

No intro.

Just a heartbeat of silence...

And then it ran.