Then, without warning, a Rift tore open beside the hospital building.
The air twisted violently, as if reality itself had cracked. Windows rattled from the sudden surge of energy, and a deep, distorted hum echoed through the halls.
Outside, dark clouds began spiraling around the Rift's opening, casting an unnatural shadow over the emergency wing.
Alarms blared throughout the hospital.
Nurses and doctors froze for only a split second before chaos erupted.
Patients were lifted from their beds, wheelchairs were pushed at full speed, and medical staff shouted evacuation orders down the corridors.
"Move quickly! Leave everything behind!"
"Get the ICU patients out first!"
"Seal the west wing now!"
The Nurses and doctors exclaimed.
Stretchers rushed past Seung-hoo as he struggled to sit up, his body still weak from his injuries.
The smell of antiseptic mixed with burning ozone from the Rift's Yellow energy leaking into the building.
A nurse ran toward him, her face pale but determined.
"Mister Seung-hoo!" she called out, gripping his arm tightly. "You need to evacuate immediately.
"The Rift is still forming—we don't know what will come out of it!"
Another tremor shook the floor beneath them. Cracks spidered across the tiles near the windows, and the sky outside darkened above the Rift.
The distant sound of something roaring echoed from within the Rift, faint but unmistakable.
The nurse pulled harder at his sleeve.
"Please," she said urgently. "You must leave now, before the Rift fully opens."
Seung-hoo turned his head slowly toward the window, watching the swirling darkness grow wider…
Seung-hoo slowly stood up, his legs still waky from the hospital stay. With the nurse's help, he managed to hobble out of the hospital, his eyes fixed on the ominous Rift looming in the distance.
As he gazed at the swirling portal, a sudden flood of memories rushed back – the System's voice echoing in his mind, telling him that he had unlocked the skill.
'Max-level Growth'
A sense of duty as a hunter ignited within Seung-hoo.
He knew what he had to do. With a newfound sense of purpose, he made up his mind to enter the Rift and clear it. The nurse tried to stop him, concern etched on her face, but Seung-hoo was resolute.
As he approached the Rift, soldiers stepped forward, blocking his path. "Halt, you can't go in there!" one of them barked.
Seung-hoo's response was swift and decisive – he broke free from their grasps, his movements surprisingly agile for someone who had just left the hospital.
With a fierce cry, he plunged into the Rift, the world around him dissolving into chaos. As he emerged on the other side, he shouted, "System!"
The words echoed through the desolate landscape.
______________________________________________________
|[ Ding! System Activated ]|
|[ Max-level Growth level 1: Growth rate +50 ]|
--Stats--
|[ Speed: 86 / 131 ]| Previous Stat: |[ 36 / 78 ]|
|[ Strength: 78 / 131]| Previous Stat: |[ 78 / 131 ]|
|[ Stamina: 100 / 162 ]| Previous Stat: |[ 50 / 162 ]|
--Skills--
|[ Electric sword technique: Max ]|
Previous Stat: |[ Max ]|
|[ Eye of truth: Max ]|
Previous Stat: |[ Max ]|
______________________________________________________
Then, Seung-hoo encountered a Level 7 Cobalt.
The creature stood in the middle of the ruined corridor, its metallic body glowing with a dull blue light.
Steam hissed from the joints of its arms, and its single crimson eye locked onto Seung-hoo the moment he stepped forward.
Seung-hoo summoned his sword into his hand with a sharp flash of light. The familiar weight steadied him.
His stamina was at 100.
Without hesitation, he rushed forward.
The Cobalt reacted instantly, slamming its armored fists into the floor.
The impact cracked the concrete, sending fragments flying toward Seung-hoo. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the shockwave, and slashed upward as he stood.
His blade scraped against the Cobalt's metal torso, sparks bursting into the air.
"Tch… tough armor," Seung-hoo muttered.
The monster swung its massive arm in a wide arc. Seung-hoo ducked beneath it and countered with another strike, aiming for the joints in its shoulder.
The Cobalt staggered back a step, letting out a distorted mechanical roar.
The corridor echoed with the clash of steel and metal.
The Cobalt charged forward, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground.
Seung-hoo planted his feet and blocked with his sword, but the force pushed him several meters back. Pain shot through his arms as his stamina dropped slightly.
Still, he didn't retreat.
He dashed forward again, circling the monster. Each strike became faster and more precise—left leg, right arm, then straight for its chest. The Cobalt attempted to grab him, but Seung-hoo slipped through its grasp and slashed across its back.
Sparks rained down like fireworks.
The monster spun around wildly, smashing into the walls.
Cracks spread across the surface of its armor, glowing lines of blue energy leaking from within.
Seung-hoo took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the sword.
"This ends now."
He leaped forward, driving his blade into the damaged core at the center of the Cobalt's chest.
The monster froze for a moment, its body twitching violently as the blue light flickered and dimmed.
Then it collapsed to its knees.
With one final swing, Seung-hoo shattered the core completely.
The Level 7 Cobalt fell motionless onto the ground, its metallic body breaking apart into fragments.
Suddenly, a mechanical chime rang out.
______________________________________________________
|[ Ding! System Activated ]|
|[ Quest Successfully Active ]|
|[ Quest: Defeat the boss of this Rift ]|
|[ Quest Ranking: Normal ]|
|[ Reward: +100 in Skill Max-level Growth ]|
|[ Penalty for failing: Deduction from Skill Max-level Growth ]|
|[ Time: 2 hours ]|
______________________________________________________
Seung-hoo glanced at the translucent screen floating in front of him for only a brief moment before letting it fade from his attention. The pale glow reflected in his eyes as he exhaled slowly and continued walking forward.
The air inside the Rift felt heavy and unnatural, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
His boots crunched against broken stone and scorched earth as he moved deeper inside. The distant echoes of monsters howling and metal clashing with claws filled the endless corridors of twisted terrain.
One by one, monsters emerged from the shadows.
Seung-hoo cut them down without hesitation.
Beasts with jagged fangs lunged from behind shattered walls. Insect-like creatures crawled from cracks in the ground. Humanoid figures with glowing eyes charged at him with rusted weapons in their hands.
Each battle chipped away at his stamina, yet his movements remained sharp and controlled.
His sword danced through the air, carving clean arcs of light.
The Rift soon became littered with fallen enemies.
Among them, the first truly dangerous opponent revealed itself.
A massive One-Eyed Troll stepped into his path, blocking the narrow passage ahead. Its body was covered in thick, stone-like skin, and its single eye glowed with a sickly yellow light.
The ground trembled with every step it took forward.
Seung-hoo stopped walking.
The two faced each other in silence.
The Troll roared and slammed its club against the floor, sending shockwaves through the corridor. Dust and debris fell from the ceiling as Seung-hoo raised his sword and activated his Skill—Eye of Truth.
The world shifted before his vision.
The Troll's body was suddenly marked with faint glowing lines, and one point near its ribcage pulsed brighter than the rest.
"Its weak spot" Seung-hoo exclaimed.
Then, he sprinted forward.
The Troll swung its massive arm, but Seung-hoo slid beneath the attack and slashed upward. The blade struck metal-hard skin, sending sparks into the air. The monster staggered, roaring in fury as it tried to crush him with its weight.
The fight dragged on.
Each time the Troll attacked, Seung-hoo dodged narrowly, his breath growing heavier, sweat running down his face.
He used the information from his skill carefully, striking only when the glowing mark revealed itself again.
Finally, with one precise thrust, his sword pierced through the Troll's weak point.
The monster froze, let out a distorted cry, and collapsed onto the ground, shaking the corridor with its fall.
After that battle, every monster Seung-hoo encountered felt weaker in comparison.
Wolf-like beasts fell within seconds.
Armored insects shattered under a single strike.
Shadowy creatures dissolved the moment his blade touched them.
Though they came in numbers, none could match the strength of the One-Eyed Troll. Seung-hoo pressed onward, his footsteps echoing through the empty halls of the Rift as the path ahead slowly cleared.
Time became meaningless inside the distorted world.
At last, the environment began to change.
The twisted ruins gave way to a massive open space. In the distance, a towering structure rose from the ground like a black spear piercing the sky.
It was the tower.
*Every Rift had a tower where its boss waited. The stronger the boss, the taller the tower that guarded it.
This one stretched far above the clouds.
Every Rift had a ranking based on its color.
The Rift that had appeared was Yellow—a C-rank Rift.
And the most dangerous Rift ever recorded…
was the Black Rift...
An S-rank Rift*
Seung-hoo stood at the edge of the open field, staring up at the massive tower that loomed before him, its surface covered in strange glowing patterns that pulsed like a heartbeat.
The air around it felt heavier than anywhere else in the Rift.
His grip tightened around his sword as he took a step forward toward the entrance.