The night sky was torn open by a thunder-like rift, white light flooding the entire plain. Storms churned through the clouds, sand and stone lifted into the air, the atmosphere thick with an indescribable pressure.
Everyone looked up, stunned, at that rift. It was like an eye, staring unblinking at the earth.
[World Event: Prelude to the Storm · Phase One—Rift Descends]
[Event Description: Unknown resources and monsters will appear inside the rift. Survive and explore to gain rare rewards.]
[Special Condition: Residual Blood Maniac is the event core. All guilds/players' actions are tied to him.]
—
In an instant, the tense standoff at South Ridge Path shattered.
Overlord Spear's members looked grim, Skyveil's warriors' gazes sharpened.
But all players understood: this was no longer just guild rivalry. It was a server-wide reshuffle.
…
Xu Zhu's ears still roared, his body weak from Residual Edge's toll, but the system prompt forced him to focus.
He knew—he was no longer just a one-HP "Residual Blood Maniac" clinging to life. He was now the fuse of a world event.
Fatty Third's voice trembled: "B-big bro… they're all staring at us! Isn't this… too insane?!"
Ling Xue gripped her sword tighter, eyes icy: "The storm has descended. Xu Zhu—you must not retreat."
Xu Zhu blinked at her.
She was no longer the swordswoman waiting to be protected, but a comrade choosing to fight.
…
[World Channel] exploded:
[The rift opened at South Ridge!]
[Residual Blood Maniac is on site!]
[Server, gather up! It's a resource war!]
[With Overlord Spear and Skyveil there, can he even survive?]
Players swarmed in droves. South Ridge Path was instantly encircled—spectators, hunters, would-be allies—packed tight.
—
Roars erupted from within the rift.
The first wave of monsters burst forth—not ordinary beasts, but "Rift Beasts" wrapped in storm patterns. They moved like lightning, fangs slicing air, ripping apart the ground itself.
"Defend!"
An Overlord Spear warrior roared, shield raised—only to be smashed aside by a Rift Beast, body exploding into gray light!
"These monsters… minimum A-rank!" Skyveil's swordsman paled.
…
Xu Zhu's eyes chilled, grip tightening on his stick.
Residual Edge opened—he saw the Rift Beast's pounce paths. One misstep, and he twisted, weaving through them, stick thrust snapping a beast's foreleg.
But at the same time—another beast's fangs lunged from the side!
"Xu Zhu!" Ling Xue cried, her sword flashing in a desperate horizontal slash, blocking the fatal strike. Her blade cracked, her wrist numbed from the force, but she did not yield.
The two stood shoulder to shoulder, a sharp arc of defiance amid blood and fire.
Meanwhile, Fatty Third screamed about his impending death—yet somehow hurled a rock that knocked over a smaller Rift Beast, sending the viewers into laughter.
[Hahaha Fatty Third, divine rock throw!]
[He actually hit it?!]
[Residual Blood Maniac Trio!]
…
The battlefield was chaos. Overlord Spear and Skyveil had no choice but to cease fighting each other, turning instead to fend off the Rift Beasts.
But in every heart, one truth was clear—rift resources must be seized.
Then, deep within the rift, a golden glow flashed—some kind of core was condensing.
The system chimed:
[Prelude to the Storm · Rift Core emerging]
[Whoever seizes it will become the sole controller of the event]
—
Countless eyes snapped to one man.
—Xu Zhu.
Whether Overlord Spear, Skyveil, or lone players from small guilds—everyone realized: as long as he lived, he was the core.
The true chaos of the storm had only just begun.