Aarav and Sarah moved deeper into The Sundered Ruins. The damp corridors twisted and turned, dimly lit by the glowing fungi. The air grew colder, and the distant groans of more Shadow Blights filled the silence.
"These guys are slow," Aarav observed, easily sidestepping a Blight that shambled towards him. "But they hit hard."
Sarah, walking beside him, nodded. "Their attacks drain a small amount of stamina too. Watch your SP."
[SARAH ANDERSON]
[HP: 100/100, EP: 40/50, SP: 95/95]
[AARAV SHARMA]
[HP: 98/100, EP: 20/50, SP: 70/75]
Aarav winced at his own SP. He was already feeling tired. "My Adaptation skills chew through EP like crazy."
"That's because you're mimicking, not mastering," Sarah explained. "You're taking raw power, not efficient technique. You need to actually learn these skills properly. Or find unique ones."
Another two Blights appeared from around a corner. Sarah quickly fired a [LASER PULSE], followed by Aarav's copied one. They dissolved the first Blight quickly.
The second Blight lunged at Aarav. He quickly activated a [FORCE FIELD], deflecting it.
"What's the loot for these things?" Aarav asked, watching the dissolving Blight.
[SHADOW BLIGHT (LEVEL 1) DEFEATED]
[XP GAINED: 10]
[LOOT: 1x DUSTY SHADOW ESSENCE]
"Usually just some basic crafting materials," Sarah replied. "Or maybe a common skill book if we're lucky." She picked up the shimmering dust where the Blight vanished. "Useful for basic Technomancy crafting later."
They found a wider chamber. It was filled with more Blights, perhaps seven or eight. This was too many for simple [LASER PULSE] attacks.
"Okay, new strategy," Sarah said, her eyes scanning the room. "I'll try to group them. You look for something new."
She raised both hands. Energy crackled between them.
[ENERGY ENGINEER (RANK 1/10) ACTIVATES: ENERGY SHOCKWAVE]
[COST: 20 EP]
A pulse of raw energy burst from Sarah, pushing the Blights back and momentarily stunning them. They groaned, twitching.
Aarav quickly observed. A push, but also a stun. Area of effect. Energy cost: high.
[ADAPTATION: ENERGY SHOCKWAVE (TEMPORARY MIMICRY) - ACTIVE]
[COST: 30 EP (VERY HIGH DUE TO ADAPTATION)]
[DURATION: 2 SECONDS]
Aarav pushed his own hands out, copying the motion. A wave of force, weaker than Sarah's, slammed into the stunned Blights. They staggered again, their forms flickering.
"Good! Now we finish them!" Sarah shouted. She started firing [LASER PULSES] at the closest ones.
Aarav, his EP almost gone, quickly fired a [LASER PULSE] of his own, then kicked a nearby Blight. It wasn't effective. He needed something else.
He saw a small, flickering blue orb floating near one of the Blights. It looked like a very weak [LIFE DRAIN] ability, probably from a low-level Cultivator or Arcana user. It was slowly draining energy from the Blight, converting it into a tiny bit of health.
A drain? Aarav thought. Passive energy transfer. He focused hard on the almost invisible tendrils connecting the orb to the Blight.
[ADAPTATION: LIFE DRAIN (TEMPORARY MIMICRY) - ACTIVE]
[COST: 5 EP (LOW)]
[DURATION: 15 SECONDS]
A faint, sickly green aura briefly surrounded Aarav's hand. He extended it towards the nearest Blight. A tiny spark of green energy transferred from the Blight to him.
[HP +1]
[EP +1]
"Hey, it's actually healing!" Aarav exclaimed, surprised. It was slow, almost comically so, but it was something.
Sarah quickly dispatched the last Blight with a final [LASER PULSE]. The room was silent once more.
[SHADOW BLIGHT (LEVEL 1) DEFEATED]
[XP GAINED: 10]
[LOOT: 1x DUSTY SHADOW ESSENCE]
[AARAV SHARMA]
[LEVEL: 3 (400/1000 XP)]
[EP: 5/50]
[HP: 99/100]
[SARAH ANDERSON]
[LEVEL: 1 (70/1000 XP)]
[EP: 20/50]
"Your EP is almost empty," Sarah noted, checking their shared display. "You need to manage that. Or find a way to regenerate it."
"Yeah, yeah," Aarav grumbled. "But look! I can actually drain stuff now. From other stuff."
Sarah looked at him, a rare, genuine smile touching her lips. "That's... surprisingly useful. Good job, Sharma. Now, let's see what's through this door."
The dungeon was just beginning to reveal its secrets, and Aarav, despite his grumbling, felt a strange pull of curiosity. This wasn't just about survival anymore. There were things to learn. And maybe, just maybe, some of them weren't entirely annoying.