After browsing the Network for potential targets, I selected F-45982: CRYSTALLINE LABYRINTH. The listing showed minimal data—only two previous attempts, both failures.

  Rather than relying on the RMC gateways for transport, I decided to walk to the rift, given its proximity. The rift appeared in a remote area outside Lighthouse City's protective barriers. I arrived at dawn, watching the portal's pulsing azure light cast eerie shadows across the cracked earth. My equipment was in perfect condition, consumables stocked, and my mind clear. My Speed of 6 gave me a considerable advantage over most F-tier monsters.

  [F-TIER RIFT: CRYSTALLINE LABYRINTH

  Base Requirement: Locate and destroy the Crystal Nexus

  Alternative Path: Activate 7 Resonance Points]

  I stepped through the portal, the familiar disorientation washing over me as dimensional barriers parted. The labyrinth materialized around me— walls, floor, and ceiling composed entirely of translucent crystal in various hues. The prismatic structure multiplied my reflection thousands of times across every surface.

  As I ventured deeper into the labyrinth DOMAIN ENGINE immediately detected the primary hazard—reflective surfaces that could amplify and redirect light energy. Secondary hazards included unstable crystal formations that could shatter under pressure, releasing shards at high velocity.

  I advanced cautiously, marking my path with small scratches from my Channel Blade. The labyrinth subtly shifted, playing tricks on my perception rather than physically changing, which disoriented my senses. Light refracted through crystal panels, creating illusions of passages where none existed.

  The first encounter came fifteen minutes in—Crystal Mimics. They appeared as perfect copies of myself, emerging from reflective surfaces with identical movements. Three emerged from the walls, their crystalline forms refracting light into sharp, dazzling beams as they approached menacingly.

  "Invert Hazard," I commanded, targeting a nearby light amplification point. The crystal panel darkened, absorbing light instead of reflecting it. The closest Mimic lost definition, its features blurring without light to refract.

  First Fracture Charge accumulated, instantly activating Reactive Fracture Tether and boosting my Speed by 50%. Moving through the now-sluggish world, I dispatched two Mimics with precise strikes to their central cores.

  The third retreated into a crystal wall, becoming two-dimensional before vanishing entirely. I continued deeper, encountering more specialized defenders—Prism Sentinels that fired concentrated light beams, Refraction Spiders that split into multiple copies when attacked, Crystal Weavers that could reshape the environment itself.

  My strategy remained consistent—manipulate hazards, offload Fractures safely and maximize mobility. The labyrinth grew more complex with each level I descended. By the fourth hour, I'd activated three Resonance Points, deciding to pursue the alternative path rather than locating the heavily guarded Nexus.

  In the central chamber, I encountered what appeared to be a Crystalline Archon—an Elite guardian composed of interlocking crystal formations that continuously shifted configuration. It controlled light and crystal with precision far beyond previous opponents.

  "Create Hazard," I commanded, generating a prismatic distortion field to disrupt its perception. Second Fracture Charge accumulated. The Archon countered by creating its own field, canceling mine with perfect geometric precision.

  This was unexpected; F-tier monsters weren't supposed to be able to counter my trait. I changed tactics, using my enhanced speed to outflank it, striking at supporting crystal structures rather than the Archon itself. The chamber began to destabilize as key support pillars cracked.

  "Amplify Hazard," I said, targeting a gravity zone in the ceiling. Third Fracture Charge accumulated. Dimensional backlash was imminent, but I'd managed it successfully so far.

  Something was different this time. The fracture started to release overlapping energy pulses with increasing frequency. The size of the tear kept growing. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

  Through the widening tear emerged something impossible for an F-tier rift—a segmented, crystalline appendage that pulsed with energy far beyond what the rift could handle. The appendage was easily twenty meters long, covered in translucent scales that shifted through colors beyond normal perception.

  The Archon immediately prostrated itself, its crystal body reconfiguring into a devotional posture. The chamber's energy signatures changed dramatically as my wrist implant flashed warnings I'd never seen before:

  DIMENSIONAL BREACH DETECTED

  HAZARD CLASSIFICATION: UNKNOWN

  RECOMMENDED ACTION: IMMEDIATE WITHDRAWAL

  More appendages emerged through the fracture—three, five, seven of them, each extending from different angles of the tear as if belonging to a creature too large to perceive in its entirety. They moved with deliberate intelligence, probing the chamber methodically.

  "Negate Hazard," I attempted, targeting the dimensional tear. Nothing happened. My trait couldn't interact with whatever was occurring. The appendages paused, then oriented toward me simultaneously.

  The first energy blast whistled past me, a mere centimeter off-course, obliterating a crystal column. But it didn't just shatter—it unmade itself, as if its very existence was erased from reality. My Speed allowed me to dodge the second blast, but the third caught my Resonance Mesh, evaporating it instantly and some of my ribs along with it.

  The pain was immense, but I had to keep on going—I had minutes, perhaps seconds, before the breach widened enough for the entity to fully manifest.

  I tried to use Consume Hazard but it didn’t work either, my trait couldn’t handle the forces at play, the tier difference meant absolute suppression. The crystalline appendages began systematically destroying the chamber's architecture, methodically dismantling the dimensional boundaries of the rift itself.

  Left with no other option, I fled, my enhanced speed barely outpacing the collapsing crystal walls. My Exhaustion climbed rapidly—60%, 75%, 85%—as I pushed with all my remaining strength.

  The rift portal has been half-consumed by the spreading crystalline corruption. The invading entity was changing the fabric of the rift itself. I dove through the narrowing gap as reality shuddered and broke behind me.

  I materialized at the Rift Management Center, alarms blaring throughout the facility. Emergency containment protocols activated as technicians sealed the portal temporarily, an elite Stability squad was already present, preparing to be dispatched. Before the dimensional barriers slammed shut, I glimpsed a massive crystalline structure taking form.

  RIFT ALERT: F-45982 CRYSTALLINE LABYRINTH

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  STATUS: CONTAINMENT BREACH

  STABILITY RESPONSE TEAM DEPLOYED

  ALL F to D-TIER CLEARANCES SUSPENDED

  My wrist implant chimed with another message from Stability:

  RAIDER VOLT: MANDATORY EVALUATION

  Your involvement in Incident F-45982 requires immediate review.

  Report to Stability Headquarters, Evaluation Department, 0800 tomorrow.

  Failure to comply will result in status suspension.

  END TRANSMISSION

  The aftermath was humiliating. My equipment was severely damaged—Resonance Mesh destroyed, Gravitystep Boots completely non-functional, Channel Blade cracked along its entire length, useless. Worse, my reputation suffered. The Network tagged my profile with a warning flag for causing a dimensional incident. My carefully accumulated credits dwindled as I paid mandatory stability fines, and the medical costs… this was a total disaster. The sector lockdown meant nobody F to D-tier could raid any rifts until the crisis was averted.

  In my unit that night, I reviewed what had happened with clinical detachment. Upon reflection the dimensional breach wasn't random, it occurred when dimensional backlash was at its peak. The entity seemed to use my Fracture as a conduit, widening the tear from its side.

  The pattern was clear—Fracture was a dangerous a resource to exploit. It was manifested by a CURSED trait after all. Each charge was a potential doorway, and doors opened from both sides. Something had noticed my repeated manipulations of dimensional boundaries and had finally reached through.

  As I drifted into exhausted sleep, one question remained: Was the entity specifically tracking me now? Had my manipulations created a signature that something could follow?

  I closed my eyes, already formulating contingencies. The strategy needed refinement, not abandonment. This was merely a setback—a necessary lesson in the consequences of dimensional manipulation. I couldn’t let this disaster affect me too much. After all, nobody could change their trait once selected—that’s what you got for life, unless S-tiers were hiding something.

  Stability Headquarters dominated the central district of Lighthouse City—a towering obsidian structure that reflected morning light in prismatic patterns. Unlike the Network offices with their public terminals and open trading floors, Stability HQ radiated authority through architecture alone. Automated defense turrets tracked movement along reinforced walls. Energy barriers shimmered at checkpoints, requiring identification before admitting visitors.

  I arrived at 07:50. The receptionist scanned my badge with his augmented eyes.

  "Volt, F-tier. Level 6," he stated flatly. "Evaluation Department, floor thirty-seven, room twelve. They're expecting you."

  The elevator ascended silently. When the doors parted, I emerged into a sterile corridor where energy fields hummed at regular intervals—privacy barriers designed to prevent eavesdropping or dimensional interference.

  Room twelve resembled an operating theater more than an office. A circular platform dominated the center, surrounded by monitoring equipment and staffed by three evaluators. Two wore the gray uniforms of Stability Administration. The third—a woman with close-cropped silver hair and unnaturally alert posture—wore the distinctive black coat of a C-tier agent.

  "Raider," stated the lead administrator, a bald man with calculating eyes. "Step onto the platform for status recording."

  I complied, watching holographic displays materialize around the platform's edge. My status data appeared in precise, floating text:

  "We will be scanning your trait DOMAIN ENGINE(CURSED). All parameters will be recorded." murmured the Inspector, approaching the platform. Her augmented eyes—completely silver with no visible iris—scanned my body with unsettling intensity.

  The energy touched my forehead, creating a momentary connection between our dimensional signatures. Information flowed both ways—I glimpsed fragments of her own status (C-tier, level 44, multiple abilities I couldn't comprehend) while she thoroughly examined my trait.

  "Confirmed," she said, withdrawing her hand. "Standard cursed parameters. Environmental hazard detection, resilience, creation, manipulation capabilities. Curse manifests as dimensional fracturing upon multiple manipulations, creating cascading instability."

  The administrator nodded, making notes. "Combat trait deployment in cities is already banned, but consider yours extra banned. This trait is especially effective for mass destruction."

  "Effective," repeated the third evaluator, a woman with extensive scarring across her face—evidence of surviving dimensional backlash. "Until it wasn't." She tapped her terminal, and a three-dimensional hologram of the Crystalline Labyrinth materialized above the platform, showing my path through it and the catastrophic breach at its center.

  "Let's be perfectly clear about what happened, Raider," stated the lead administrator. "You didn't just fail to clear a rift. You forced a dimensional evolution event. The Crystalline Labyrinth has transmuted from F-45982 to E-12355, with substantially increased dimensional density and monster capability."

  The silver eyed woman circled the platform, studying my reaction. “Do you realize the weight of your actions? You've catalyzed an E-tier evolution—far ahead of its natural progression. Premature escalations disrupt the balance, destabilizing entire regions. “

  "That's significantly understating the issue," added the scarred evaluator. "The entity that attempted to manifest through your fracture has been classified as minimum B-tier, possibly higher. If the breach had widened further, we would be managing a regional catastrophe, not merely a localized evolution."

  The administrator's expression darkened. "This is serious enough to warrant immediate suspension under normal circumstances. Perhaps permanent termination."

  I remained silent, processing the implications. Status suspension would end my raiding career instantly. Permanent termination meant death, Stability's euphemism for executing raiders who posed an existential threat.

  The Inspector stepped forward again. "However, several factors have been considered in your case."

  The hologram shifted, now displaying my previous rift clearances, data extracted from my wrist implant with Stability override—five successful solo F-tier completions. Statistics floated alongside each: clearance times, resource acquisition, efficiency ratings.

  "Your record is exceptional," admitted the administrator grudgingly. "Five solo clearances before the incident. No rescue interventions. Substantial credit accumulation. Strategic attribute allocation unusual for your tier but evidently effective."

  "More importantly," interjected the C-tier, "you're showing potential that Stability can’t afford to waste. There's a critical shortage of high-tier raiders with your particular... approach to dimensional challenges."

  The scarred evaluator leaned forward. "Still, evolution incidents cannot go unpunished. The fine has already been levied against your account—20000 credits. It should be way more if you asked me.”

  I nodded, having already seen the deduction.

  "Furthermore," continued the administrator, "you are hereby issued an official warning. This incident will remain permanently in your record. Any future dimensional breaches will result in immediate review and likely termination."

  The C-tier’s eyes fixed on mine. "Let me be absolutely clear, Raider. If you ever cause a similar incident, you will have exactly two options: stay in the rift and clear it successfully, or face permanent termination upon extraction. No further warnings will be issued. This matter is extremely serious."

  "However," the scarred evaluator added, her voice softening slightly, "given that this was an E-tier evolution—still within low-tier parameters—and considering your impressive clear record, the Evaluation Department has determined that remedial action, rather than punitive measures, is appropriate in this case.”

  The administrator tapped his terminal, the new Network notification projected from my wrist implants holo-display:

  MANDATORY REMEDIAL TRAINING: DIMENSIONAL STABILITY FUNDAMENTALS

  COMPLETION REQUIRED WITHIN 14 DAYS

  "Complete this training before attempting another rift," he instructed. "Additionally, your next three expeditions will include mandatory Stability monitoring. Observer-only protocols will apply—they will not intervene unless another breach occurs."

  The platform's energy field dissolved, indicating the evaluation was concluding.

  "You have potential, Raider," said the C-tier unexpectedly. "Your trait is powerful, and your strategy is unorthodox but effective. Stability needs innovative raiders capable of reaching higher tiers. But remember—power without restraint benefits only the entities waiting beyond dimensional barriers. At your tier, you might not fully grasp the scale of this danger. Trust me, the horrors you've yet to face are far beyond your imagination.” She extended her hand, offering an unmarked data crystal. "Optional additional training materials. Not mandatory, but recommended for someone with your... specific challenges."

  I accepted it silently.

  "This session is concluded," the administrator announced. "You are cleared to resume activities after completing the remedial requirements. Dimensional stability is everyone's responsibility. Remember that before your next expedition."

  I left without a word, the data crystal cool against my skin, my mind already tallying the costs: repairs, mandatory training, and delayed progress.