My Signature Weapon–New Arm.

  The Base was a dark gray, metallic-looking, sleek arm. The main arm part was about the same dimensions as my old arm, but it had a more obvious musculature due to the molding. There were then three plates of armor on the forearm, that extended a bit past the elbow to protect the joint a tad. It made the forearm look like it was wearing a disconnected sleeve.

  It didn’t look overtly mechanical. It looked like if metal could be flesh, like the arm that a metal elemental could have. The armor plates gave it an armored look too.

  The prosthetics came in different varieties, but I selected this one thinking that it would minimize the time it would take me to adjust if it was a familiar size.

  The Core was unique–I had found one that stood out and made a bet. This Core was called Variable Core. It looked like a glass dome and was installed right at the shoulder joint, like an emblem. It had the unique distinction of having no main property. In exchange, where other Cores had between zero and three Key Slots, the Variable Core had eight. That told me that not having a main property was a significant disadvantage.

  It was possible that the Variable Core was a trap, or maybe it didn’t work the way whoever made this system envisioned, but whatever. Got to make bets sometimes.

  Anyway, I had a better sense of the mechanics that were possible now, and the extra time I had in that Terminal let me figure a few things out. The Signature Weapon didn’t have the limitations that my Levels did. It had an Attack stat, a Defense stat, and a Durability meter that got added to my own stat display.

  The Levels were one thing, but the Signature Weapon would be the consistent power I had access to.

  And, as for the Gimmick, it was one that I wouldn’t have access to with the bulkier arms. I hadn’t gotten to test it either. So, the big question was whether I’d be able to activate it in this battle…

  “Though… I wonder if I can clear this encounter without activating the Gimmick…”

  The ripples had barely stopped propagating before I was moving again, Levels deactivated. The Shadow Beast’s twisted frame unfolded from the rubble, its silver eye glaring at me as its thin arms propped it up.

  There were trembles below my feet. A distinct sound came to my ears.

  The hands were coming again. One from the left. One from behind. Another from above.

  I gritted my teeth, activated my Levels, and swung New Arm. It ripped through the one on the left, the stone crumbling on impact. I embraced the momentum and twisted, catching the one behind me with a brutal backhand, shattering it to pieces before it could reach my spine. Then I swung New Arm over my head, but I was too late. The one made contact with me a few moments before I swatted it away.

  The world jolted.

  I minimized the damage, but my head still rang like a struck bell for a second.

  I steadied myself, exhaled sharply, and deactivated my Levels right as the Shadow Beast lunged at me.

  Its entire torso twisted unnaturally as one of its warped arms shot out, fingers dripping with shadowy oil stretching toward my throat.

  I dropped into a crouch, barely ducking the swipe but swiping back at lurking hands in the same motion. Then, I leaned into the momentum and drove New Arm straight past the ribs and into that glowing bullseye in its chest.

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  The impact sent the beast skidding back, its hunched form lurching from the force. Its shadowy aura rippled, mouths along its torso gaping wide, as if gasping for air.

  A low, distorted groan filled the air.

  “Oh?” I exhaled, swiping at more land-bound hands before standing. “Not laughing now, huh?.”

  Another hand warped in from between my feet, aiming for my chin. I jumped back. A second later, another warped into existence right above me.

  I barely had time to raise my prosthetic before another stone fist crashed into my stomach. A burst of pain exploded in my gut, sending me hurtling through the air, except, right at that moment, a black rope tightened around my neck. With a cruel whip of its arm, the Shadow Beast yanked me forward.

  Multiple arms grabbed me from behind and further propelled me as the Shadow Beast reeled back its whip-like arm, preparing to tear straight through me.

  I activated my Levels and swung mid-air. New Arm met its twisted limb with a brutal collision. That limb couldn’t take the impact and went flying back, twisting the Shadow Beast’s body enough that it wasn’t ready for me to swing New Arm back and catch its torso.

  So many things came together. The momentum from the hands, my attack, this exact position–I crashed into the Shadow Beast, but kept my clarity long enough to twist with it. The moment my feet hit the ground—and sank into the loose submerged stones—I grit my teeth and flung the Shadow Beast straight down. The cavern rumbled. A sharp cracking boom split the air as the beast hit the floor, water splashing out in waves.

  The sound of things cutting through the air warned me to back up.

  “Gonna have to try it.”

  I turned on my Levels and quickly dodged four hands that flew over me. I then turned my Levels off and swung at another, easy-to-predict hand.

  Turned my Levels on. I was pretty confident I was in a good spot. I turned my Levels off and slammed down on the hand at my feet.

  Levels on; a quick sidestep, rolling under another strike. I swung my arm and let the momentum take me, and destroyed hands approaching from the ground.

  Just then, I caught a sound behind me, turned my Levels off, and swung my body around, linking right into a fist that caught the Shadow Beast square in the chest. A sharp, grinding crack echoed through the cavern as the blow sent the beast staggering sideways.

  Another hand burst from the ground beside me. I didn’t hesitate—I stomped on its wrist, pinning it down, and brought New Arm’s fist crashing down.

  I felt triumphant. My new style–Level Flicker–was working. I had practiced it for an hour, turning my Levels on and off with a thought. Because SP was scarce, I had to make it count, so turning it off when it wasn’t needed was the natural option. So far, I used it to aid my evasion by taking advantage of the extra points of Perception. Now, I had to try the offensive use.

  My eyes locked onto the Shadow Beast. That hand had acted to give the Shadow Beast a few precious seconds. It was a stalling tactic that gave the beast just long enough for it to stand. I rushed forward and got up close before it recovered.

  I wondered how perceptive it was. Did it get a sense for my speed? That silver eye was looking right at me. I threw a punch with New Arm. It was starting to raise its arms. I activated my Levels and became milliseconds faster, slipping past the guard and scoring a hit straight in its chest, sending it flying back, skidding across the water.

  That was the offensive application–powering up right before impact. The more a creature adjusted to my base speed, the worse it would be when I caught it by surprise.

  The Shadow Beast fell onto its knees, water splashing, torso heaving, mouths nowhere in sight.

  I rolled my shoulders. New Arm was still good to go. My HP was hanging in there at four points.

  Activated my Level for a moment to scan the area. A lot of the stone hands had been destroyed. The remaining weren’t moving. I looked at the Shadow Beast again. I guessed it was actively controlling the hands.

  Just as I was thinking that, a hand slid in front of the Shadow Beast. It carefully took the hand, and then, getting onto wobbly thin legs, it placed the hand on its neck. Shadowy veins infiltrated the stone hand as a shadowy aura began to coalesce around the beast.

  The hand spasmed open, and a silver eye opened in its palm.

  I raised New Arm. “That’s it?”

  It wasn’t. The arena rumbled. Waves formed across the water. A cry echoed from the beast’s rumbling body. And then, black space began to spread from behind the Shadow Beast. It was like it was turning reality into a deep black that even I couldn’t see through.

  “Yeah, no.” I pointed at it. “I’m good. I’ll banish you.”

  Activating my Trump Card, the abyss opened, and the skeletal hands sprung out, catching the beast by surprise. The abyss’s cackling drowning everything else out, the hands dragged the Shadow Beast into its depths.

  “I’m going to chalk that up as a win.”