Chapter 16
The Rift (2)
“Huff… huff….”
Relying on his hiking stick, Sehyun exhaled ragged breaths as he climbed the mountain.
“Why are you so slow, Sehyun?”
From up ahead, Seongcheol’s voice called out. Sehyun barely managed a reply.
“Go… huff… a little slower….”
“You’re just slow.”
“Ugh… I really… hate being outside….”
It felt like everything he’d eaten that morning might come back up.
When working in the workshop making weapons, he could stay awake for two nights straight without tiring, but this was a completely different story.
His body was already the type that lost energy the moment he went outdoors—let alone climbing a mountain.
“Hahh! But why does it have to be a mountain?!”
“Don’t whine. That’s just because you’re out of shape! Hiking is perfect for training both body and mind—”
Seongcheol’s tone was like that of a drill sergeant with a bright red instructor’s cap.
‘Why is he so cheerful… wasn’t he supposed to be the quiet type in this life?’
While Seongcheol’s voice was ringing in his ears like tinnitus, Inha’s gentle voice reached him.
“Sehyun, hang in there.”
She had caught up beside him, cheering him on.
Seongcheol was one thing, but oddly enough Inha also didn’t look tired at all.
“Inha, aren’t you… huff… exhausted…?”
“I think my stamina’s gotten better. Come on, just a little more!”
Sigh—
With her saying that, Sehyun couldn’t keep grumbling.
Besides, she was the one who had pushed him into this, so he couldn’t very well refuse to follow.
Still…
‘Why would a rift even appear in a place like this?’
Panting, Sehyun finally caught up to Seongcheol, only for the man to mercilessly keep walking again.
After crawling upward for what felt like half climbing, half hiking—
“F-finally… made it…!”
Sehyun raised his stick in triumph on top of the slope.
Seongcheol just shook his head.
“Anyone would think you’d reached the summit. We’ve got a little more.”
“Ha… argh…!!”
Seongcheol grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, while Inha placed a water bottle in his despairing hand with a smile.
Following the path further, they came across forestry workers putting up barricades and clearing branches.
Rumble—
Nearby, an unnatural phenomenon was unfolding.
Heat haze rippled around the rift, distorting the scenery, while its center pulsed like a breathing wound in space.
“That’s… the rift?”
“Seems so.”
Just then, a forestry worker approached.
“Identification, please.”
Seongcheol handed over his card.
“Team Leader Choi Seongcheol of the Rift Containment Team, verified.”
“And the others?”
“They entered earlier for reconnaissance. These two behind me are additional members.”
“Understood. But that man…”
The worker looked suspiciously at Sehyun, who emitted no stellar force at all.
“Hm? Why is he—ah!”
Sehyun shook his chain bracelet lightly at Seongcheol.
It was natural for Inha to pass as a player, but not himself.
Catching on, Seongcheol nodded slightly.
“He’s… right, a porter.”
‘…Porter? Seriously?’
Sehyun shot him a glare, but Seongcheol ignored it.
“Not much use for a porter in a low-tier rift, is there?”
“It’s for experience.”
“Well, if you say so, sir. Then, good luck.”
Apparently, Seongcheol was trusted enough that they were let through without issue.
Of course, those weren’t real forestry workers—they were Foundation operatives in disguise.
Gulp—
Standing before the rift at last, Sehyun swallowed dryly.
“What, are you scared now you see it in person?”
“Not scared.”
Just a little tense.
He had only ever heard of rifts; this was his first time seeing one, and he couldn’t help but feel curious.
What kind of world lay beyond it?
“Alright, I’ll go first. Follow after me.”
Seongcheol vanished into the rift. Sehyun slowly stepped in after him.
Flash—!
A white brilliance enveloped his vision. When it cleared, a vast green plain stretched out before him.
Scattered across the plain were the ruins of temples, while red motes of light drifted in the air.
“Hhh… haaa….”
Sehyun inhaled deeply, then exhaled.
The thick presence of stellar force made it clear this was another world.
“Wow…”
Inha, who had followed right behind, let out a soft gasp at the sight.
One of the red motes, glowing beautifully like a lantern, floated toward her.
Without thinking, she reached out.
“Inha, wait—!”
Sehyun tried to stop her, but the mote suddenly flared red, trembling as if about to explode.
At that moment—
Fwhoosh!
A pebble flew in, striking the light.
Instead of exploding, it fizzled out harmlessly.
“Be careful. This isn’t an ordinary place.”
Seongcheol had appeared again, with several teammates trailing behind him.
Sehyun checked Inha anxiously.
“You’re not hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
Even if it had gone off, it wouldn’t have been deadly—but still, caution never hurt.
‘Yeah… I used to see those often.’
The Red Wisps.
In the apocalyptic world, wisps were as common as pigeons.
Annoying in groups, but one or two were no real threat.
Inha bowed politely to Seongcheol and the others.
“Thank you. I’ll be more careful.”
“No worries! Heard you’re new, right? We were briefed!”
One cheerful, buzz-cut teammate replied with a grin.
Unlike the Foundation’s management staff in their black suits, these operatives wore varied outfits.
Since appearances didn’t matter and monsters ignored physical defenses, they simply dressed for comfort.
Still, there was something about them that stood out—
Each carried a weapon.
‘So they’re still using those kinds of weapons, huh.’
Rough swords, spears, bows—primitive, by his standards.
Someday, those would all be replaced by artifacts.
‘Future customers, all of them. Heh.’
While he smiled to himself at the thought, Seongcheol clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.
“Since we’ve got rookies today, let’s go over the mission quickly.”
The mission was simple: lure monsters to a designated point and hunt them down.
In this place called the Ruins of the Giant, four monster types had been identified:
-
the floating Red Wisps,
-
reptilian dwarves called Reptilians,
-
turtle-shelled Ground Crabs,
“And the boss monster is confirmed to be a Death Worm.”
A giant worm-like beast that tunneled through the earth, drawn to stellar force.
Massive in size, but simple in movement—making it one of the easier bosses for players to hunt.
“What about the bait point?”
“We’ve set it up on that hill. The bait device is ready.”
“Good. Let’s move.”
At Seongcheol’s word, the team advanced.
On the way, smaller monsters tried to harass them, but none posed much threat.
Keek—!
The buzz-cut teammate spun his spear skillfully, stabbing a Reptilian through the throat before it could spit fire.
“How’s that, rookies! This is the skill of a veteran—huh?”
Shlkk!
“Ground Crabs have tough shells, but their insides are soft. Just stab the gaps.”
“Got it!”
At Sehyun’s direction, Inha’s blade sliced through the crabs with ease.
Ping—!
Meanwhile, Sehyun tossed pebbles to intercept approaching wisps, supporting her.
“You seem pretty skilled, Sehyun.”
“Says you. I’m just copying what I saw the others do earlier.”
Watching the two of them smoothly handle the monsters, the team could only stare in disbelief.
“For rookies, I thought they’d drag us down…”
“Could they actually have prior experience?”
“Why complain? Less babysitting means easier work.”
For people supposedly new not only to rifts but even to the concept of players, their performance was absurd.
Seongcheol just chuckled and kept moving toward the bait point.
On the hill, a tall antenna-like device had been set up.
“What’s that?”
“The bait device. We place bait there to lure the boss.”
Using bait to draw out a boss was the most basic tactic.
Seongcheol pulled a soulstone from his pocket and placed it at the center of the device.
Hum—
The stone floated, glowing faintly as it radiated stellar force.
“Get ready. The monsters will gather soon.”
The team immediately assumed their positions.
Now the fight would be harder—not only because of the boss, but also because all the surrounding monsters would converge.
They split roles: some to handle the boss, others to deal with the smaller mobs. Then they waited.
And waited…
An hour passed.
“…Is it always this quiet?”
“…”
The surroundings were unnaturally still.
Not only was there no sign of the boss, but even the wisps in the air had vanished.
“I’ll scout the area a bit.”
“Don’t go far.”
“Yes, sir.”
Since he was posing as an ordinary civilian, Sehyun hadn’t brought combat artifacts.
Just his chain bracelet that blocked stellar force, and—
Tap—tap—
The metal hiking stick he was using to prod the ground.
In reality, it was an artifact: the [Dowsing Rod], for detecting stellar force.
“Gotta grab what I can.”
What he sought was a rare ore that could only be found near boss monsters.
‘Right now, everyone thinks soulstones are the only loot.’
At this stage, players relied solely on innate abilities rather than weapons, so monster drops besides soulstones weren’t valued.
Only after Sehyun began making artifacts did people scramble to gather such materials.
‘Well, I sure made good use of them back then, haha.’
With the right materials, one could amplify unique myths, or even unlock completely unexpected abilities.
This was the perfect time to harvest rare ore for his new projects.
Tap—tap—
Vmmm—
The Dowsing Rod vibrated softly.
Sehyun crouched and scraped at the soil.
Clink—!
His stick struck something solid.
“This is it!”
Glowing like embers, a Falling Heat Stone revealed itself.
Though it looked aflame, it absorbed surrounding heat, making it cold to the touch.
“Perfect for crafting a fire-resistance artifact… heh.”
Such stones were rare byproducts of boss monsters, difficult to find.
Fortunately, this one was fresh, safe to handle barehanded.
He eagerly dug up more, stacking a pile. Then a thought struck him.
‘…Wait. These stones are byproducts of that thing.’
He recalled the earlier report:
—The boss monster has been confirmed as a Death Worm.
Which meant…
KRAAAAHHH—!!!
Suddenly, a massive stone pillar erupted before him.
No—on closer look, it was a colossal rock-skinned wyrm.
The Death Worm shot skyward, then bent its body and dove straight down.
BOOM—!!
Everyone turned toward the sound.
But before Sehyun could react, the beast swallowed him whole and plunged back underground.
It all happened in an instant.
No one on the team managed to respond.
“Sehyun—?!”
Inha’s eyes shook violently as she saw him vanish before her.
