Alric's eyes snapped open. His breath hitched.
"Where's Seren?" he gasped, heart pounding.
Then he saw her—curled up in a chair beside his bed, dozing lightly. Her chest rose and fell, calm.
"...A dream?" He wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a shaky breath. "Tch… Just a nightmare."
He got out of bed quietly, careful not to wake her. The room was dim, early morning light barely cutting through the curtains. He changed into his running gear, laced up his shoes, and slipped out the dorm.
The air outside was crisp and still. He didn't know where he was going, but his legs carried him across the academy grounds, past the sleeping buildings, past the silent training fields, and toward the eastern sparring court.
That's when he saw him.
Kai.
Training alone.
Alric slowed his jog, watching the way Kai moved—his blows were cleaner now, faster, more deliberate. There was something different about him. Something sharper.
So he walked closer, and smirked. "Hey, last rank. It's been a while."
Kai stopped. His shoulders tensed. His head turned.
"You..." he muttered, eyes narrowing with raw, barely-contained fury.
Kai stepped forward. "How about we fight each other in the Yearly Standoff once again?"
But Alric just scoffed. "Fight in the Yearly Standoff? I'm not interested in someone as weak as you, last rank. I want to fight someone stronger than me…"
He met Kai's glare, grinned slightly, and turned away.
"See you around," he said, voice low and mocking as he walked off, leaving Kai behind with fists clenched and fire in his eyes.
Kai looked down at the cracks in the pavement. He still thinks I'm the same person as before...
---
Every single day, Kai trained and trained. It was all he did—no breaks, no excuses. His muscles screamed, his illusions cracked, his parasites trembled from overuse, but he kept pushing. The Yearly Standoff was coming. He couldn't afford to be the same.
Now, he stood beside Akari at the edge of the next rift gate, this one shimmering faintly above a manhole cover deep in the academy's training sector.
An E+ Rift this time. Sewer-type, low visibility, and moderate mutation activity, threat level just high enough to matter.
"Feeling ready?" he asked as he adjusted his gloves.
Akari stood beside him, arms crossed, trying—and failing—not to look him in the eye.
"I'm always ready," she muttered, cheeks slightly pink.
"...You're still thinking about the subway thing, aren't you?"
Her mouth tightened. "Shut up."
Kai gave a small, awkward laugh. "Right. Sorry."
Akari looked away, then sighed. "I'm not mad anymore. Just... don't go landing on top of girls again. Especially not in dramatic slow-motion, hands on both sides, like some protagonist in a romance sim."
"I didn't do it on purpose!"
"That's what makes it worse!"
He raised his hands in surrender, and after a pause, she smiled slightly.
Then the rift crackled open, tearing space in a spiral of rust-colored light. The smell hit instantly—mold, rot, metal, and something worse. Something alive.
"Ready?" he asked again, this time softer.
She nodded. "Let's go."
They stepped through.
The light warped—and then, they were inside.
[SYSTEM ALERT: AREA ENTRY DETECTED]
Zone: MIREWOUND DRAINS
Type: Overflowed Sewer Rift – Bio-Waste Conduits
Threat Level: E+
Visibility: Poor (Sludge fog, dim bioluminescence)
Atmosphere: Toxic vapors, acidic humidity, high microbial count
A sewer tunnel stretched in both directions, walls slick with grime and mutant algae. Shallow water flowed at their feet, the current warm and foul-smelling. Pipes ran overhead, dripping steadily, and the sound of distant movement echoed faintly through the ducts.
Akari drew her sword. Kai's right hand shifted, mutating with a click into a leeching claw.
"Stay close," he muttered.
"Try not to fall on top of me again."
"No promises."
They moved deeper into the sewer rift. The darkness thickened, the air grew heavier, and the ground sloshed with every step.
Pipes rattled above them as if something scurried inside. Akari kept her blade low. Kai's eyes flicked from shadow to shadow, parasites humming in his bloodstream, eager.
Then came the sound.
Squeaking. Dozens or maybe hundreds of them.
"Akari—" Kai began.
"I hear it."
And then they burst out.
Rats.
Not normal ones—bloated, with fur peeled in patches, some with extra limbs, others with glowing red eyes.
[Riftborn Identified – "Fang Rats"]
Threat Tier: F
Dozens poured from side tunnels, leaping, gnashing, crawling over each other in a frenzy.
"Here they come!"
Akari was the first to move. Her snake lashed out from her arm, fangs glowing green.
It bit one rat mid-air, flung it aside, then whipped again. Akari pivoted with it, cutting another in half with a clean arc of her blade.
Kai made two illusions. One bolted left, the other stood its ground. The swarm split, rats crashing into both fakes—and triggering the traps.
Both illusions sparked as rats touched them, emitting faint shockwaves that stunned the creatures nearby.
Kai dashed in, arm morphing into a serrated limb. He slashed through stunned rats, carving a path, blood and bile spraying. One bit into his boot and he kicked it off, another leaped at his back and he ducked just in time.
"They're endless!" he shouted.
Akari didn't answer—her snake wrapped around her like a shield, fangs flashing, eyes glowing. She cut down a wave, twirled, then stomped on a rat trying to bite her ankle.
Kai dropped a parasite pod behind him. As a cluster of rats surged forward, it exploded in a burst of psychic noise, scattering them.
"Push forward!" he called.
They moved back-to-back, slashing, striking, dodging. Blood soaked the water around them. Kai's arm throbbed. A bite had pierced through. Akari had scratches on her leg and cheek, but her eyes were still sharp.
"Almost clear—!" she shouted.
Then a massive rat emerged—larger than the rest, swollen, limbs mutated. Its teeth looked like knives.
[Riftborn Identified – "Blightwhisk Vermin"]
Threat Tier: E-
Kai flinched. "Alpha!"
"I've got it!"
Akari charged. Her snake lashed around the beast's throat, pulling it off balance. It screeched. She leapt, drove her blade into its skull, then twisted hard. The alpha jerked—and collapsed.
Silence.
Steam rose from the blood-warm sewer water.
Kai looked around. "That... was a lot."
Akari wiped her blade. "At least you didn't fall over this time."
"I was composed, thank you."
She glanced at him. Then she smirked.
They moved deeper through the damp tunnels, the silence hanging heavy after the rat fight. Kai's thoughts drifted. His Genes—Sekh's main power source—were supposed to be his edge. But so far, they barely helped. Most of them sat useless, weak fragments cluttering his system.
How do I make better use of my Genes? Kai muttered to Sekh.
Sekh's voice echoed in his mind, calm but firm. "By obtaining stronger Genes. One powerful Gene can shift the entire balance."
Kai nodded. That make sense. He'd been relying too much on his parasites and illusions, neglecting the Genes that could enhance his core.
He pulled up his system menu again, scrolling through his Genes. Every single one was stuck at E+ or below. No rare Genes. Just a bunch of common scraps.
I need to find a powerful Gene, Kai thought. Now.
Sekh's tone sharpened slightly, "Focus your hunt on unique Riftborn. They carry Genes worth devouring. Waiting won't make them come to you."
Kai clenched his fists. Alright.