Chapter 17
The Rift (3)
Guu-guu-guu──
The ground trembled and shivered.
Sehyeon was swallowed by the Deathworm, which wriggled and churned beneath the surface.
Everyone at the scene witnessed it without exception.
“No… Sehyeon couldn’t….”
“…Chae Inha.”
Seongcheol sighed inwardly as he comforted Inha, who was desperately denying reality.
“We were too complacent.”
Because of the dependable image Sehyeon always showed, they had thought he could handle everything without worry.
Yet today, he was just a rookie entering the Rift for the first time.
“Damn it, Squad Leader!! The rookie…!!”
“Focus. He’s not an ordinary guy.”
“…Understood.”
What had happened, had happened.
If they didn’t want more casualties, they had to figure out how to handle him first.
Normally, Deathworms are classified as low-level boss monsters, but on extremely rare occasions, they undergo an “attribute change.”
A Deathworm with such an attribute becomes incomparably stronger than before.
This one had undergone an Earth attribute change—becoming a Terrarian Deathworm.
Its body was made of rock instead of flesh, and normal attacks barely affected it.
“Damn it. My luck’s awful. I shouldn’t have relied only on the radar.”
A teammate cursed and looked back at him.
“Is there… no chance he’s alive?”
“…….”
Seongcheol pressed his lips tightly together.
With a normal Deathworm, there was at least a chance of saving someone. Because of their habit of swallowing prey whole without chewing, they could simply cut open the stomach to rescue them.
But this one was far too tough. None of their current weapons or equipment could penetrate it.
Even if they managed to catch it, Sehyeon would already be digested.
Kwaaaa──!!!
The Terrarian Deathworm surged back to the surface.
The team tightened their grips on their weapons, faces tense.
“Don’t falter! Form up─”
Before Seongcheol could finish shouting, Inha dashed forward.
“Chae Inha! Stop!”
Paang─!
Despite Seongcheol’s warning, Inha leapt toward the Deathworm.
The Deathworm hurled chunks of rock.
Using its explosive power, Inha maneuvered midair with incredible agility and swung his sword at the Deathworm.
Kagak─!
Unbelievable for a rookie.
And the attack even connected.
Though the blade couldn’t cut through its rocky skin, the movement alone drew admiration.
But Seongcheol’s face was heavy with worry.
“I have to stop him.”
Inha’s gaze was unusual—like a person who had lost all sense of self, focusing solely on the Deathworm.
Seongcheol knew exactly what this state was.
It was the state of a newly awakened player unable to control their stellar energy—a mindless frenzy.
It might look like they were maximizing their potential, but in reality, they were just attacking recklessly.
“…Damn it.”
Clack─!
Swoooosh──!!!
The gauntlet responded to his stellar energy, covering his arm. Using the vapor’s recoil, he surged forward.
His fist, wrapped in flowing magma, struck the Deathworm’s belly.
Boom─!
A shockwave shook the Deathworm’s body.
Kuuwaaa──!
It writhed in pain, twisting violently, but that was all.
Because it was stronger than a normal one, his stellar energy barely affected it beyond the physical impact.
“I can’t even use the item you left me to save you…”
Helpless, Seongcheol bit his lip.
Then.
Kuuuuh── Uuuugh──
“…?”
Suddenly, the Deathworm’s struggles intensified, followed by a strange, wailing roar.
Pausing to observe the unusual behavior, they saw the Deathworm roar in agony and open its jaws wide.
──Kuwaaaah──!!!!!
Kwaaaa── thud-thud-thud──
Rocks mixed with digestive fluids were expelled violently, as if the Deathworm were vomiting.
And among them, something else fell out.
“Phew…! Thought you were dead.”
“Sehyeon…?”
Sehyeon groaned as he rose to his feet.
Inha, rushing over, repeatedly checked him in disbelief.
“Nam Sehyeon!!”
Seongcheol, shocked, ran over as well.
“Ah, hyung. I’m back.”
“You… How can you say ‘back’ after that…!!!”
Sehyeon’s nonchalant attitude was so infuriating, Seongcheol almost couldn’t get angry. He calmed his boiling emotions.
“How did you survive?”
“Well… thanks to you, hyung.”
“…Thanks to me?”
“You used the gauntlet, right? Even though you said you wouldn’t.”
Well, he had no choice but to use it. But… it actually helped?
Sehyeon shook the chain bracelet on his right hand.
“The material composing its body is ‘Nakhyeol Stone,’ which is sensitive to stellar energy. Your attack forced it to expel me using that energy.”
“Wait… so if I hadn’t attacked, what then?”
Sehyeon’s survival had been slim. Even if there was a way out, it would have been nearly impossible.
He shrugged.
“Well… it would have been tough, but I’d have managed somehow, right?”
“…Haha.”
Seongcheol let out a wry laugh.
It was like Sehyeon was talking about someone else entirely—barely surviving yet so casual about it.
Still, for some reason, it didn’t strike Seongcheol as entirely bad.
‘Nam Sehyeon, you….’
While marveling at his bravery—which even seasoned Rift explorers rarely had—Sehyeon focused on the Nakhyeol Stone before him.
Nakhyeol Stone.
This rock, due to its stellar energy, had unmatched heat resistance.
Sehyeon seemed to have an idea and looked at the team fighting the Deathworm.
“Is there anyone with ice abilities?”
“Ice user? There was one recently, but they left for internal reasons.”
“…I see.”
Sehyeon recalled memories from a past life.
Around this time, aggressive recruitment in a certain community had nearly eradicated ice players.
“Then there’s no choice.”
He set the Nakhyeol Stone on the ground.
“We’ll have to use it as is. Don’t know if it’ll work…”
A method to instantly create an artifact from materials and unique mythos. He had rarely used it since the first battle—it was mostly improvisation and rarely produced a proper artifact.
“Now it’s different.”
Conditions were far better than before.
He had a Soul Stone supplying stellar energy, a special material in the Nakhyeol Stone, and… most importantly—
Thunk──
Sehyeon placed his hand on Inha’s shoulder.
“Inha, because you’re here.”
Even scraps can become masterpieces if the user knows how to handle them. Inha could understand the unique mythos Sehyeon intended to imbue.
“Lava, please, Seongcheol-hyung.”
“Uh… okay…”
Flames─!
Without knowing why, Seongcheol formed a sphere of lava at Sehyeon’s request. It would serve as the furnace to melt the material.
Sehyeon placed the Nakhyeol Stone inside.
Swiish──!!
Kiiing──
The bracelet shone. By channeling stellar energy, Sehyeon adjusted the Nakhyeol Stone’s properties.
Its natural heat-resistant traits twisted and began to melt under the flame.
“Can’t make the shape perfect, but…”
He roughly formed it, then shaved and refined details.
“Squad Leader! We can’t hold on much longer!”
“Nam Sehyeon! How much longer…!”
“Almost done.”
As the team struggled against the Deathworm, a red sword blade detached from the lava sphere.
Crude, but perfect within Sehyeon’s plan.
Inha, looking at it, spoke reluctantly.
“This… only I can use it?”
“Yeah. But it’s enough.”
“Enough?”
“Want to try holding it?”
Sehyeon handed him the sword. Inha, confused, took it. Sehyeon tapped the handle, slid the blade out, and inserted the Nakhyeol Stone blade.
Clang─!
“This… really okay?”
The blade fit, but it vibrated nervously.
The clash of stellar energy between the embedded Soul Stone and the Nakhyeol Stone caused this.
“Unstable means…”
It meant it was about to explode—perfect for delivering a decisive strike to the Deathworm.
“Only one strike possible. Inha, you can do it.”
“But…”
Inha’s eyes were anxious, but when he held the blade, the vibration felt like a heartbeat. Calm returned to his face.
Sehyeon confirmed they were ready and explained the strategy.
“…Do it like this. Can you manage?”
“Yes. I’ll try.”
“Alright. Let’s go.”
Inha’s eyes flashed blue as he sprang forward.
Paang─!
A sharp explosion echoed as Inha soared into the air. Simultaneously, the Deathworm’s ground cracked, and lava surged.
Seongcheol’s lava wrapped around the Deathworm.
Kuwaaa──!!!!
“Cover the rear, Chae Inha!”
The Deathworm saw Inha approaching but couldn’t move with lava binding it.
Whoosh──
Kagagagak─!!!!
Inha spun at high speed, creating explosions along the sword’s edge, slashing the Deathworm’s twisting body like a spiral.
Kwachang──!!
Landing, the blade was nearly gone, but the Deathworm still writhed in lava.
“Damn… failed?”
“Watch. Hyung’s used to this.”
“Used to… what…?”
Sehyeon, ignoring Seongcheol struggling to maintain the lava, took his stance—like a pitcher ready to throw.
He hurled something.
A familiar scene.
The blue object flew toward the Deathworm.
Kwakduk─!
It hit the Deathworm and shattered. Lava turned to basalt, then froze rapidly.
“Heat resistance? It’s just the absence of heat. I just amplified it a bit.”
The Nakhyeol Stone shards penetrated the Deathworm, and Sehyeon used the bracelet to maximize heat reduction.
The Deathworm froze solid.
Thud─!
Its massive body collapsed like a dead tree.
“…Is it done?”
Even after Sehyeon muttered, the Deathworm didn’t move for a while.
Heh. Forget clichés.
Team members patted Sehyeon’s back.
“You rookie! You trying to die or something?”
“I didn’t die. Don’t worry.”
They were angry, but Sehyeon knew their expressions well—they were honest relief.
“Still young, still green.”
Seeing death too often desensitizes one.
“Ah, today he actually died.”
For someone like Sehyeon, used to a world where risking life was normal, this was nothing.
“So… how shall we divide the loot?”
“Huh?”
“We need to settle shares based on contribution. Then Inha and I can take it all, right?”
“…….”
Everyone gaped at the merchant-like expression on Sehyeon’s face.
“Heh heh…”
Sehyeon couldn’t stop smiling. The yard was piled with Nakhyeol Stone, dug up by all of them.
Though Seongcheol had fussed about closing the Rift immediately, they had collected everything, even underground.
“How can we just close it? After all that hard work, we’ll take all the stones!”
Everyone scoffed and handed it over. Probably thinking it wasn’t worth much.
“This precious thing… for free?”
Nakhyeol Stone, only obtainable near a Terrarian Deathworm, was rare. Enough to make over 100 heat-resistant artifacts.
When they found out later, they’d beg for even a little.
“This is enough.”
Not just the stones—Sehyeon had also grasped artifact crafting suited to awakened abilities, and had enough materials. Time to move to the next step.
“Alright… let’s start sucking their marrow properly.”
The first ‘gullible’—no, customer—was them. By now, they’d appear and need this.
Sehyeon checked the date on his phone with certainty.
