_*]:min-w-0 !gap-3.5" style="border:0px solid">Morning light filtered through the canopy as the team prepared for their ascent to Floor 2. The aftermath of their guardian victory had settled into a new awareness—an unspoken recognition that they had accomplished something significant together.

  Alexander surveyed their camp with calcuting eyes as the others gathered equipment. His gaze lingered briefly on Lyra, who was efficiently packing her modified interface tools.

  "The pattern recognition technique you applied to the Root Warden," he said, approaching her with uncharacteristic directness. "Could it be applied to other guardian types?"

  Lyra looked up, momentarily surprised by his initiative. "Yes. All guardians are built on algorithmic frameworks. The specific vulnerabilities differ, but the principle of structural weakness is consistent."

  Alexander nodded thoughtfully. "I'd like a preliminary analysis of Floor 2's guardian based on avaible data. Your... perspective might identify advantages our standard approaches would miss."

  It wasn't effusive praise, but the acknowledgment of her unique value represented a significant shift from his earlier reluctance. Lyra recognized it as such, responding with a simple nod that carried neither smugness nor surprise.

  "I'll prepare an assessment once we've established a base on Floor 2," she agreed.

  Nearby, Elijah observed the exchange with subtle satisfaction. When Lyra rejoined him to continue packing, he spoke quietly.

  "That's the first time I've seen him directly solicit input rather than merely accepting it when offered."

  "Practical minds respect practical results," Lyra replied, though her expression had softened slightly. "The guardian victory provided objective validation."

  "True, but Alexander's version of 'practical' usually means 'corporate-approved,'" Elijah noted. "Acknowledging the value of your unorthodox approach is somewhat revolutionary for him."

  Their conversation drifted into technical territory, with Elijah asking insightful questions about the guardian's code structure and Lyra providing increasingly detailed expnations. Their mutual intellectual curiosity created a bubble of animated discussion that stood in stark contrast to the reserved efficiency of the rest of the camp.

  Across the clearing, Valeria watched their interaction with thinly veiled suspicion. She maintained a deliberate distance, checking her equipment with excessive thoroughness while keeping Lyra in her peripheral vision.

  Marcus Tullian simirly kept to himself, though his isotion seemed more habitual than intentional. The veteran fighter methodically prepared his combat gear, occasionally gncing toward Alexander for direction but otherwise remaining detached from the group dynamics.

  Riva, however, eventually approached Lyra and Elijah during a pause in their technical discussion.

  "That vulnerability identification was impressive," she said, her professional tone tinged with genuine curiosity. "Where did you learn to analyze code patterns at that level? Even advanced technical training doesn't cover guardian architecture in such detail."

  Lyra's expression immediately became more guarded. "Necessity breeds innovation. In the Unaligned sectors, we had to understand systems at a fundamental level to survive."

  "Self-taught?" Riva pressed, her technical background making her more skeptical than the others about such advanced capabilities developing without formal training.

  "I had a mentor," Lyra conceded after a brief hesitation. "Someone who understood how to see beyond surface parameters."

  "In Sector 17?" Riva continued, her curiosity clearly professional rather than hostile. "I wasn't aware there were technical specialists of that caliber in the Unaligned territories."

  "There's a lot about the Unaligned that corporate sectors don't know," Lyra replied, her tone closing the subject while revealing nothing specific.

  Alexander called the team to attention before Riva could inquire further. "Final equipment check. We ascend to Floor 2 in five minutes."

  As they assembled at the spiral staircase that would take them to the next level, there was a palpable sense of accomplishment that transcended their usual professional efficiency. No one spoke of celebration—such emotional indulgence would have been anathema to Alexander's leadership style—but their postures and interactions carried the unmistakable energy of a team that had faced its first real challenge and emerged victorious.

  Alexander performed a final count of supplies and inventory, then nodded with satisfaction. "Team performance against the Root Warden exceeded all standard metrics. We will maintain this operational effectiveness on Floor 2."

  Coming from him, it was the equivalent of a rousing victory speech. Elijah caught Lyra's eye with a small smile of shared understanding as they began their ascent to the next challenge.