Noël's head throbbed as two memories overlapped.In the fourth timeline Collapse, she had died from a rusted pendulum trap.In the Seventh timeline, she had been torn apart by a Tomb Walker.Right now, she was pointing her broken Spear at him."D-Don't come Closer!"Noël looked at her and made a slightly Complicated expression. He didn't know her name. In the first place, her name didn't matter. She was just an extra destined to die here.He opened his mouth. "Put down the Spear. You Can't kill me with that.""Who are you? What did you do to that monster?"Noël didn't answer. He Simply Checked the Mnemonic Ledger in his mind.[Current Fractures: 4 / 60]The pain in his head SubSided, but the heavy feeling in his Chest remained. The timeline was warping too fast. If a Void-Weaver Survived Sixty timeline Collapses, they would lose their mind. Getting Stronger was the Solution and the problem at the same time.Suddenly, Sparks flew through the air.Paaaht!A Small floating entity appeare

The air in the Second Sector tasted of Copper and ozone.Noël Stepped past the threshold, his boots Crunching on the soot-covered grating. Tally drifted beside him, his translucent Ledger glowing with a faint blue luminescence.[You have entered the Chained Abyss. The administrative pressure is slightly higher here. Don't die too quickly, laborer. My commission depends on your Survival.]Noël didn't answer him. He opened his Codex interface and Checked the updated parameters.[Trial #2 – The Chained Abyss]Category: MainDifficulty: E+Clear Conditions: Cross the floating basalt platforms and activate the Central Control pillar.Time Limit: 12 minutes.Compensation: 800 Tributes.Failure: Fall into the void.Twelve minutes. That was plenty of time on paper.Below the narrow basalt platforms, an endless dark void Stretched downward, filled with the faint, rhythmic Sound of heavy chains grinding against Stone."W-Wait."Elara stumbled out of the doorway behind him, Clutching her broken

The wind blowing across the Concrete ruins of the transit Station Carried the Sharp Smell of ozone and burning rubber.Noël and Elara Stepped out from the Covered Stairwell into the harsh gray light of the Surface. Thousands of Survivors were Crowded around a massive, pulsing blue obelisk that hovered fifty feet above the asphalt.Veridia's regional registration beacon.[Main Scenario #2: Regional Registration has begun.]Category: MainDifficulty: F+Clear Conditions: Register your identity with a recognized faction or secure an independent transit permit within 30 minutes.Time Limit: 30 minutes.Compensation: 500 Tribute.Failure: Designation as an unregistered vagrant.Noël Stopped near a Concrete barrier, pulling his Collar up against the biting wind. Elara Stood Close beside him, Clutching her broken Spear with white knuckles. Her Chest rose and fell in shallow, rapid gasps."Look at them," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the murmur of the Crowd.Ahead of them, Seve

Noël looked down at the floor plate beneath his boot. To be exact, it wasn't just one. He pushed a Small amount of energy into his eyes. Faint, Crisscrossing red lasers appeared in the dark tunnel ahead.A Hegemony plasma minefield."W-What is that?" Elara Stammered, freezing right behind him.Lyra Thorne tossed her hydro-spanner into the air and Caught it. She pushed her heavy welding goggles up to her forehead."It's a toll booth," Lyra Said smoothly. "Three thousand Tributes. Or you can take another Step and get vaporized. Your Choice, vagrant."Noël looked at her and made a slightly Complicated expression.In the fourth timeline, Lyra Thorne was a genius engineer who Carried the fallen Thorne clan on her back. She was obsessed with hoarding Tribute to buy back her family's Seized assets from the Syndicate. A Single Tier 2 mine could vaporize a Vanguard drop-pod. Noël's overall Stats were completely insufficient to Survive a blast.He asked a blunt question. "Did you place these mi

The man in white Smiled and opened his mouth."You don't look like registered Citizens. You Smell like the Surface."His voice was Soft, but it Carried perfectly over the hiss of the train's hydraulics. He remained Seated on the metal bench, his pristine white uniform completely untouched by the soot and rust of the Underground City."G-Gideon..." Lyra Stepped back. She dropped her hydro-spanner onto the Concrete.Clatter.Her face turned completely pale. "The God-Touched... why is a Capital executioner down here?"Noël looked at the man and made a dark expression.In the first place, Gideon Vance was not Supposed to be in the first layer of the subterranean ruins. According to Noël's ghost-memories of the fourth timeline, Gideon was currently occupied in the Capital, dealing with the Silk Queen's political factions.This was a massive Variable.Noël quickly evaluated the Combat power gap. His overall Stats were slowly Catching up to the early-Stage monsters, but Gideon was a monster