"Do you think I can clear the next floors?" Glia trusts me — I can feel it — she's simply curious whether I trust myself.

"I'll give it my all. If their attacks aren't that strong I can hold them off with a good defense and track them with my Personal World." I talked with her and sketched a plan to avoid monsters if they outrun me; I just hope I can defend and strike when they tire or when I detect their positions.

"You can't stay out on the third floor — you need to get the best rewards." She nestles back into my core; it's time to move to the next floor.

"I know. I won't disappoint anyone." I stand and head for the platform. Luckily I brought large water bottles and fresh clothes in my storage bracelet; both floors splattered me with blood — my clothes got dirty and torn.

"Welcome to Floor 3. Kill 2 deadly cassowaries to clear this floor." Cassowaries? I remember that animal from my previous life — huge birds that are extremely dangerous, fast and powerful.

I leave the platform and find myself on a place that looks like a beach. The sea is in front of me, a small forest behind, and fine sand to the sides. It's a fantastic view; I want to admire it, but I have to clear the floor as quickly as possible.

The moment I step into the forest I sense three presences enter my Personal World. "They really are like the ones from my world." I hadn't noticed the names before, but many animals share names with creatures from my previous life.

I concentrate: these monsters are enormous — from toe to head they're almost 2.5 meters tall, wide and blisteringly fast. They waste no time closing the distance; I turn and they stare back at me, analyzing me while tilting their heads strangely.

I charge my body with electric mana. It's the only way to compete in speed. I don't just boost my Movement ability — the electric affinity improves every movement and makes me faster. Two of them copy my tactic: wind affinity in their legs that pumps air at high pressure, beaks extended to some twenty centimeters thanks to wind mana.

Two of them rush me. "So fast." Before I finish the thought I'm already moving; they're quicker than I expected. Without a pre-charged Movement skill I couldn't dodge their spikes. Before I can lift my head I have to use Movement again to avoid their charges; without my Personal World this would be impossible.

Why are they so fast? Well, I can still fight them; I'm not in a hopeless defeat. The first two pause a second while the third keeps charging — with a single opponent I can dodge by stepping laterally. Each time I return to the ground I must jump again to avoid the other two.

Are their abilities similar to mine? After several seconds of dodging, I conclude yes. The first pair seem to have two charge bursts while the loner has one; the difference is recharge time — the pair take longer to recharge than the single one, allowing them to alternate attacks.

I watch the mana in their legs to time the explosion and, by accelerating my brain and body with electricity, I move at the precise moment to evade. It's risky: one miscalculation and I'll get impaled by their beaks. It looks terrifying — I hope I never find out for real.

Nearly five minutes pass in this cat-and-mouse game. My body and mind have adapted to the electric affinity streaming from my cube, and it feels natural to combine it with my Electric Pseudo Law. I dodge the lone cassowary again and get a notification I can't ignore.

I look back at them, grin briefly, and use a charge to get to the top of a big tree; they hesitate to follow. In the trees they'd risk crashing into trunks and obstacles because of their speed, so they avoid fighting in the forest. "Wait a moment, I'll come back stronger." They don't follow me to the treetop, and at last I can check the notification.

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"Do you want to learn the skill: Neural Thunder (III)?" I don't have space to accept it right now — that would disappoint me if not for the following notification.

A compatibility between Neural Thunder (III) and Frozen Core (III) has been detected. Do you wish to fuse them?

I accept without hesitation; I've been seeking this fusion.

"Calculating conditions…"

"Mana quantity and control: Approved."

"Imra quantity and control: Approved."

"Compatible Pseudo Law or Law: Approved."

By fusing Neural Thunder (III) and Frozen Core (III) you have obtained: Thundersnow (IV).

The notification's warmth spreads through my body. Every fiber of my body, brain and cube now knows how to use this skill; I'm not a master, but I can use it more naturally. I activate it and notice the difference instantly: everything is clearer. My mind isn't only cold as usual — it now sends signals to my body to improve reactions, instincts and speed. Before I had to manage these separately; now it's a single package that feels natural to use — there's no lag when activating it.

"I finally got it." For a moment I worried I might not be able to fuse the two abilities; luckily I used them together long enough to avoid that issue. "Only one more…" My status still shows Vital Synthesis poised to level up. I glance at my cube; it feels slightly overloaded but nothing bad yet — something a future-Maki will have to review.

"Back to those birds — time to try the new skill." Indeed, the upgrade gives me extra speed and agility, though I'm still slower than those birds. The good part is the fluidity of my reflexes and my rapid decision-making: because my mind is cold and moving at full speed I can pick the best option in the shortest time. "I only need to kill two of the three."

Thanks to the new skill I have more maneuvering options and quicker dodges, but still no opening to land a blow. I form my armor and two ice swords; I dodge their charges just in time, but my blades don't reach them.

I activate my Crushing Zone, shrinking it a bit to concentrate more gravitational pressure. The cassowaries notice and look at each other for a moment, then resume their charges; their speed drops but they're still faster than me. I try to trap one with my Personal World prison — nearly impossible: they sense the change and shift instantly.

They adapt to the gravity relatively fast; when they regain confidence they return to their attack routine. That's when I put my plan into motion. When the lone cassowary charges, I push maximum gravity toward the distant duo to slow them long enough.

I use my arm to stop the lone bird's beak; its strike ruptures my defense and pierces partway through my arm, but with that same hand I grab its neck. I'm always grateful I can remain calm in those moments: with an ice sword I cleanly cut its neck and separate head from body.

Its body collapses and blood splatters everywhere; the other two halt mid-charge. The move was risky — if I hadn't contained them long enough they would have impaled me with those beaks. I leave one sword floating to rip the other beak out of my wounded arm and heal the wound as fast as I can. Not two seconds later the two remaining birds are still frozen.

Their next attacks are different; their confidence is gone. Each charge carries a strange hesitation, as if they doubt themselves. When you lose confidence, the paths narrow: either stay defensive or run. With this in mind I inject mana into the bracelets; if one tries to flee I won't be able to chase without them.

A minute later my bad feeling is confirmed: both of them attempt to flee. I use the bracelets to teleport to the closest one — fortunately I only lose my left arm when using the artifact. The gigantic creature gasps at suddenly having me at its side; when it tries to change direction it's too late. That instant of doubt lets me swing and deliver a large slash across its body.

Its defenses are weak; my Joyeuse does great damage. It lies screaming on the sand, struggling to rise. The other cassowary hesitates; when I see any sign it might help, I plunge the same blade through its neck and end its life. The remaining bird sees this and bolts.

It was a risky bet: if I'd lost both arms I wouldn't have done anything; if I'd lost a leg I wouldn't have had the strength to chase it. I should have planned differently in that moment — lucky for me everything worked out.

"Congratulations, challenger! Floor three cleared. The calculation for the following floors has been improved. You will be teleported to the next floor in one hour, or you may ascend immediately by shouting 'Next' on the platform." I hear the message for the third time; the dungeon truly adjusts as you go, just as the marquis warned. The only good part is the changes are small and will help me improve with each floor.

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