Direfang Howler, Rank B.
A quadrupedal creature infamous for its grotesque appearance, its skull-shaped canine head and a back lined with spines instead of fur, spines sharp enough to pierce through any unlucky victim.
There were many of them. Eighteen in total, pouring out of one of the tunnels connected to the cavern, marching toward the center. They looked like they were searching… for something. Or someone.
'They must have smelled us from miles away.'
Time was running out. He needed to end this fight quickly, or the survivors wouldn't last. By now, they were likely already feeling the first symptoms: itching that spread across the skin like invisible insects crawling beneath it, a dry burning in the throat, waves of dizziness that made the cavern spin for a few seconds at a time. Their strength would be draining faster with every step, their hands trembling, their vision blurring, cold sweat soaking through their clothes.
And then came the advanced stage, nausea, uncontrollable shivering despite the heat, the tingling numbness that crept up from the fingertips and toes.
The final stage was always the same: uncontrollable bleeding from the eyes, nose, and mouth. Internal hemorrhage. A horrible way to die.
Jaemin let out a quiet sigh. As if this day wasn't already bad enough. If only he had just stayed home. If only he hadn't been on his way to the bakery for work, or chosen a different path, he wouldn't be stuck in this ridiculous situation.
His grip tightened around the sword's hilt. His hands trembled faintly, slick with sweat.
'Damn it… I'm shaking. I thought I was past this after killing the Mauler… looks like that day is still haunting me.'
You know what's funny?
The highest death toll inside Rifts doesn't come from the monsters. Not really.
There's something else, something just as cruel.
PTSD.
Hilarious, isn't it?
It starts with a moment's hesitation. A skipped heartbeat. Sweaty palms. Trembling legs. Your mind drags you back again and again into your worst nightmares, as if you never escaped in the first place. It eats you alive from the inside until there's nothing left.
And in the middle of a fight, that's all it takes. Hunters who can't overcome it end up dead, and sometimes, the ones near them die too.
Jaemin stepped forward, drawing in a deep breath as he raised his sword in front of him. His mind knew he could kill them all with ease. But right now, his body wasn't listening. The fear crawling up from his legs, rooting itself into his chest, felt like an anchor tied to his feet, dragging him into the depths. If he lost focus, he could almost see the darkness closing in, like sinking into the endless blue, cold water filling his lungs as the last of his oxygen ran out.
Drowning.
Forgotten at the bottom of the ocean.
The grotesque laughter snapped him back.
They sounded like they were mocking him.
A once-legendary Hunter, afraid of a pack of wolves?
'Afraid?'
Jaemin exhaled, rotated his wrist, and adjusted his stance. Slowly, he began to walk toward the group. It didn't take long before they sensed him, even before he got too close.
The first Direfang leapt from a nearby rock, sprinting toward him at terrifying speed.
The rest of the pack followed close behind, but with caution, perhaps testing Jaemin's strength, or maybe just underestimating him.
Three years ago, something shocking had been discovered about Rift creatures. With a small team under the command of the distinguished American scholar, Dr. Jonathan Hale, Chief Researcher of the National Organization for Rift Anomalies (NORA), serving exclusively within the Rift Biology Division, the expedition entered three Rifts: one of Rank C, one of Rank B, and one of Rank A, for comparative study.
What they found overturned everything humanity thought it knew.
The Rift-born weren't merely beasts acting on instinct. They could adapt. And, more terrifyingly, their intelligence was shown to be progressively evolutionary, growing sharper with each generation, as though the Rifts themselves were breeding them for war.
Jaemin remembered one interview in particular that Dr. Hale had given to The New York Times. His words had spread through the Hunter community like wildfire.
> "Some Hunters are hopeful this discovery means we could train them, maybe even form alliances. What do you think?"
The camera had caught the exact moment his expression darkened.
> "Train them? Ally with them? You still believe we're the dominant species. You should be asking how long before they understand the truth, that we are the livestock, and the Rifts are nothing more than cages they've been kept in."
The line had shaken the Hunter community to its core. Some laughed it off as paranoia, others treated it like prophecy. For Jaemin, standing there with eighteen Direfangs closing in, it felt less like paranoia and more like a countdown.
The first Direfang lunged at him the moment it saw an opening, aiming straight for his jugular.
Swoosh
In a single motion, Jaemin raised his blade, then brought it down in a clean arc, cleaving the creature in half. The body hit the stone floor with a dull, wet thud, each half sliding apart in opposite directions.
[Detected Entities: 17]
The sight made several of the Direfangs hesitate, circling him now in a death ring.
A howl echoed from deeper in the tunnels, and another Direfang broke formation, charging from the left. Jaemin pivoted on his heel, narrowly sidestepping. Close enough to catch the rancid stench of carrion on its breath before driving his sword between its exposed ribs. He felt the blade pierce through lung and slip into the heart before he yanked it free, letting the carcass crumple beside him.
[Detected Entities: 16]
Another howl tore through the cavern, this time, three moved at once.
One darted behind him, fangs snapping for his right ankle. Another went for his sword hand, claws slashing toward his wrist. The third leapt straight for his throat.
What followed was a sequence of movements so sharp, so precise, that anyone watching would have sworn they were seeing a scene ripped straight out of an action film.
Jaemin leapt upward, dodging the creature that snapped for his ankles.
The sound of its powerful jaws clamping down on empty air echoed sharply through the cavern.
Still midair, Jaemin snatched his blade and hurled it toward the Direfang lunging straight for his throat.
Shhk!
The steel sank clean into its skull, killing it instantly. The corpse dropped lifelessly, never even reaching the ground with a breath left.
[Detected Entities: 15]
He landed hard, pivoting on his heel. The Direfang that had gone for his wrist met something far worse, Jaemin's sneaker crashing into its ribs with a hollow crack of bone. The beast was launched across the cavern, twisting violently in the air before colliding against the stone wall with enough force to make the entire chamber tremble.
A trail of fresh blood slid downward as the body slumped lifelessly to the floor.
The last one came in low, its fangs wide, aiming for his ankle once again. Too close.
Jaemin spun at the final instant. His hands shot forward before thought could catch up, gripping its massive front fangs. With a strained grunt, he hurled himself backward, his spine slamming against the cold stone floor.
A faint, malicious smile tugged at his lips.
He planted both feet against its torso, using its own weight to heave it upward.
WHAM!
The Direfang's back slammed into the ground with crushing force, a strangled hiss leaving its throat as it fought for air.
[Detected Entities: 13]
Jaemin, still on the ground, kipped up in a single fluid motion, landing on his feet once more. His fists rose into guard, eyes fixed on the tightening ring of predators.
'It'll be faster if I go straight for the Alpha.'
[Skill: Quick Step – Activated]
[Skill: Predatory Eyes – Activated]
[Skill: Reinforcement – Activated]
[Warning!]
Detected: Engagement with a
Canid-type Predator Pack.
Would you like to change your Title from [Error] to [Pack Slayer]?
[YES] [NO]
'About time.'
Jaemin vanished for a heartbeat, his image blurring as though the world itself had lost track of him. In the next instant, he reappeared behind one of the largest Direfangs in the cavern.
[YES]
"Not you."
His eyes gleamed with a pure golden light, pupils strangely unfocused, vibrating in unnatural tremors.
A single horizontal kick sent the beast's massive body hurtling across the cavern, bones snapping with the force of the impact.
[Title Condition Met!]
Pack Slayer – The predator among predators.
Active Bonuses:
+10% damage against pack-type monsters.
Increased resistance to fear and intimidation effects when outnumbered.
Killing a pack leader grants a temporary +20% boost in Strength and Agility for 60 seconds.
Aura effect: lesser beasts within a pack may hesitate before attacking.
His gaze swept the cavern. The golden light in his eyes pulsed, pupils flickering erratically from side to side.
[Skill: Predatory Eyes – Active]
This ability was more than just enhanced vision. Every muscle contraction, every strained breath, every movement, no matter how small, was laid bare before Jaemin's eyes. Weak points glimmered faintly, movements slowed as if the world itself was struggling to keep pace with him.
A smile tugged at the corner of Jaemin's mouth.
"Found you."
He vanished again, his form blurring into nothing. Desperate howls erupted from every side of the cavern. They knew. They knew all too well that they were no longer hunters, only prey before a superpredator.
The Hunter reappeared suddenly, right in front of a Direfang that had lingered farther from the others.
When the Alpha tried to react, it was already too late. Jaemin's right hand hovered inches from its face.
Crack
His palm clamped against the Direfang's skull, bone splintering under the pressure of his grip. And then–
BAM!
Jaemin slammed its head into the ground with nothing but raw force, the impact shaking the cavern as blood and shards of bone split across the stone floor.
Killing the rest of the pack was effortless after that. Without their Alpha, the Direfangs scattered into confusion, their coordination crumbling into chaos.
One by one, they fell.
When it was over, Jaemin stood at the center of the cavern, surrounded by a mountain of mangled corpses. Blood slicked the stone beneath his boots, the stench of death hanging heavy in the air.
He still held the last Direfang by the throat with one hand, its legs twitching weakly as the final breath rattled from its lungs. With a sharp squeeze, its body went limp.
The cavern fell silent.
[System Notification]
Alpha-class Pack Eliminated.
[Detected Entities: 0]
Calculating Rewards…
+1 Level
Skill Proficiency Increased: [Predatory Eyes]
Additional Reward: [Alpha Fang – Rare Material] acquired.
Jaemin tossed the corpse onto the rest of the pile and wiped the blood from his face with the edge of his shirt. When his gaze fell downward, his vision wavered.
The way the bodies were twisted, bent at grotesque angles, dragged him back to a memory he wished he'd buried.
That day.
That cursed day.
A faint tremor rippled through his hands before he forced them still. The sound of blood dripping, slow, rhythmic, scratched at the edges of his mind, dragging him dangerously close to madness.
He could remember it almost perfectly.
The screams. The tearing of flesh. The stench of iron in the air. And then… the silence.
It had been a Rank A Rift, or so the Association claimed, its color confirming the report. Nothing Jaemin and his team hadn't faced before. Nothing they couldn't handle.
But they had been wrong.
The monsters that awaited them were not Rank A. They weren't even close.
Those outside the Rift swore they saw it: for a fraction of a second, the portal's hue had shifted.
From red… to gold… then back again.