The transition was not a climb, but a "Phase-Shift." As the Scrap-Venture ignited its newly awakened Void-Smith Star, the copper sky of the Steam-Wastes didn't break it dissolved. The ship passed through a membrane of shimmering code, emerging into a void filled with infinite, glowing ley-lines that stretched into a white horizon.
[ZONE: THE AETHER-REACH - LAYER 3 (ENTRANCE)]
[LOCAL LAW: LOGIC OVER MATTER]
[THREAT LEVEL: ADMINISTRATOR GRADE]
"There's no floor," Bjorn muttered, looking out the side ports. "There's no sky. It's just... math."
"It's the Source Code," Kenji said. He stood at the helm, his eyes now permanently flecked with the violet light of the Density Soul. "This is where the Architect designs the revisions before they're 'compiled' down to the lower layers. Everything here is made of high-density information."
[SYSTEM ALERT: FOREIGN DATA DETECTED]
[ATTEMPTING TO NORMALIZE...]
[ERROR: THE ANOMALY CANNOT BE NORMALIZED]
A massive, crystalline structure materialized ahead of them. It was a bridge made of solid light, guarded by entities that looked like faceless, humanoid statues carved from white marble and gold. These were the Sentinels of Logic.
"Kenji, the ship's hull is starting to pixelate!" Mateo warned, his hands flying across his Synapse-Hub. "The environment is trying to convert the ship back into raw data because it doesn't have a 'Third Layer Permit'!"
"I'll give it a permit," Kenji said.
He didn't use a tool. He reached out with his mind, connecting the Seventh Star to the ship's core.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: REALITY-ANCHOR (RANK 1)]
He projected his own "Density" onto the ship. The pixelation stopped instantly. The Scrap-Venture became a "Heavy Object" in a world of "Light Logic." It was like dropping a lead weight onto a silk sheet the world around them warped to accommodate their presence.
The Sentinels of Logic raised their spears beams of pure "Delete" command code.
"Stop," a voice boomed, vibrating through the ship's hull.
A figure descended from the higher ley-lines. He wore a simple white robe, but his head was a floating, multi-faceted diamond that projected a human face made of light.
[TARGET: ADMINISTRATOR VIRTUE (RANK 75)]
[STATUS: OVERSEER OF THE REACH]
"The Scrapsmith," the Administrator said, his face flickering. "The one who turned the Sultan into a whistle and the Harvesters into a garden. You have traveled far, Kenji Tanaka. But the Third Layer is not a place for 'Things.' It is a place for 'Concepts.' And your concept is... messy."
"Messy works for me," Kenji replied, stepping out onto the ship's ramp. He felt the weight of Virtue's Rank 75 aura, but it didn't crush him. His Density Soul simply absorbed the pressure. "I'm looking for the Architect. We have things to discuss regarding his 'Revisions'."
"The Architect is in the Core," Virtue said. "But to reach the Core, you must be 'Categorized.' You cannot enter as a collection of parts. You must choose a Final Class."
[SYSTEM PROMPT: CHOOSE YOUR ASCENDANCY]
1. The Divine Smith (Creation Focus)
2. The Void Harbinger (Destruction Focus)
3. The System Auditor (Logic Focus)
Kenji looked at the prompts. He looked at the Seven Stars orbiting his heart. He thought about the Gutter, the Jade Silk, and the Steam-Wastes.
"I don't choose any of them," Kenji said.
Virtue's diamond head tilted. "The System requires a classification for entry. If you do not choose, you are 'Undefined.' And the Undefined are deleted."
"Then delete me," Kenji challenged, drawing the Void-Weaver Blade. "But remember I'm a Scrapsmith. I've built my life out of the things your 'Categories' threw away. If I'm Undefined, it's because your System isn't big enough to hold me."
[IDENTITY OVERRIDE INITIATED]
[NEW CLASS DETECTED: THE RECURSIVE OUTLIER]
[RANK: ???]
Virtue's face flickered from white to a dangerous red. "A Recursive Outlier? That is a paradox. A glitch that feeds on itself. You are a threat to the stability of the Reach."
Virtue raised his hand. The white void around the ship began to collapse, turning into a geometric prison of "True-Squares."
"Bjorn! Elara!" Kenji yelled. "Don't fight the walls! They're made of logic! Fight the Space Between!"
Kenji lunged at the Administrator. He didn't slash with his sword; he used [Logic-Break]. He jammed his "Undefined" mana into Virtue's Rank 75 calculations.
[SYSTEM ERROR: DIVIDE BY ZERO DETECTED]
Virtue's diamond head spun wildly. His Rank 75 power was massive, but it relied on the "Rules" being followed. Kenji was a walking violation of the rules.
"You... you are rewriting the environment as you move!" Virtue hissed, his light-face distorting.
"I'm not rewriting it," Kenji said, slamming a fist into Virtue's chest, his strike carrying the "Density" of two layers' worth of scrap. "I'm just refusing to be part of your math."
The impact shattered the Administrator's robes, revealing a body made of glass and humming server-chips. Kenji didn't kill him he Un-compiled him. He pulled the raw energy out of Virtue's Rank 75 form and fed it into the Seventh Star.
[LEVEL UP: 62 -> 70]
[REACH ACCESS: GRANTED (UNAUTHORIZED)]
Virtue's form dissipated into a cloud of glowing numbers. The geometric prison vanished, leaving the Scrap-Venture floating in the open ley-lines of the Aether-Reach.
"Kenji," Elara said, her hand on his arm. "Your eyes... they aren't just violet anymore. They're turning white."
"The further we go, the less 'Material' I become," Kenji said, looking at his hands. They were translucent, showing the Seven Stars pulsing in his chest. "But I'm still a Smith. And the Architect's throne is just another piece of junk waiting to be repurposed."
[CURRENT RANK: 70]
[OBJECTIVE: REACH THE LOGIC CORE]