The Rift was not merciful.
No sooner had Jin Seok-woo made his choices than the System's cold voice echoed once more:
[Warning: Next Wave Approaching. Estimated Time: 00:09:47]
His breath quickened. His fingers trembled slightly as he flexed his hands. The blood from the earlier battle had dried on his skin, but the memory of the Rift Predator's snarls still lingered.
"Ten minutes," he muttered. "That's all I get…"
He opened his Status Window one last time:
---
Status:
Name: Jin Seok-woo
Level: 2
HP: 120/120
MP: 60/60
Strength: 5
Agility: 7
Vitality: 6
Intelligence: 5
Active Skill: Quickstep (Lv.1) — Instantly dash in any direction. Cooldown: 15 seconds.
Unique Ability: Self-Evolution
---
The tension in the air thickened as shadows appeared at the edges of the distorted landscape. Dozens of small, twisted shapes crawled, slithered, and galloped over the cracked terrain toward him—gray-skinned, malformed beasts with bone spikes protruding from their backs and glowing eyes burning with mindless hunger.
[New Threats Detected: Riftborn Wretches — Level 2]
Seok-woo's heart pounded. There were too many. He gritted his teeth and shifted into a defensive stance, his breath fogging the cold air.
The first three creatures leapt in unison, their shrieks tearing through the silence.
"Now!"
He activated Quickstep.
Time seemed to snap. His body blurred sideways with impossible speed, the wind whipping against his face.
The world slowed around him as he passed through the enemy formation in a flash. The Wretches landed where he had been, confused, snarling, their heads whipping around to find him.
Seok-woo didn't hesitate.
He grabbed a heavy shard of stone from the ground, drove his feet forward, and struck.
The first Wretch barely had time to shriek before the rock caved in its skull.
[Critical Hit! +15 XP]
The others lunged. Too fast. Too many.
He ducked under the next swipe, but claws grazed his arm—hot pain slicing through flesh. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the sting, twisting his body as another came from behind. He rolled, slammed his knee into its jaw, and smashed the stone down again, shattering brittle bones.
[Enemy Defeated: +20 XP]
Blood splattered across his face. His breath came in short, ragged bursts.
The pack circled him.
One. Two. Four of them, snarling, foaming, their red eyes fixed on him like rabid animals.
Seok-woo's heartbeat thundered in his ears.
"I can't stop."
He sprinted. Faster than before. His increased agility made every step lighter, sharper. A Wretch lunged—he sidestepped, barely, its claws slicing only air.
Another came from the side—he dropped low, swept its legs with a wild kick, and used his momentum to drive the sharpened stone through its neck.
[Enemy Defeated: +22 XP]
[Quickstep: Cooldown Ready]
The moment the next beast pounced, he triggered Quickstep again.
The world shifted. In a blink, he appeared behind the snarling mass, moving so fast his enemies couldn't track him. He didn't stop to think—he struck another in the spine with a brutal blow, then leapt back, keeping distance.
But his breath was beginning to falter. His limbs ached. His vision blurred.
Not enough…
I need to be faster… sharper… stronger.
One of the Wretches dove low. He stumbled, his foot catching on uneven ground—but he twisted mid-fall, rolling sideways, barely avoiding death. He felt the razor-edge of claws graze his cheek. Blood welled. He tasted it on his tongue.
He roared.
He hurled the stone like a spear—pure desperation. It struck. The creature shrieked, staggering back.
Seok-woo didn't stop. He closed the gap, grabbing another jagged shard, slamming it into the wounded creature's head. Over. And over.
The last Wretch lunged.
Quickstep.
The dash carried him behind the final enemy before it even realized. He grabbed it from behind and drove the sharp rock into its eye socket with savage force.
It spasmed. Twitched. Fell.
Silence.
---
The field was littered with broken bodies, black ichor pooling beneath twitching limbs. Seok-woo dropped to his knees, gasping, the stone weapon slipping from his blood-slicked fingers.
[Wave Cleared.]
[Level Up: Lv. 3]
[Stat Points +3]
[Skill Points +1]
His chest heaved as the warm glow of the System flowed through him—healing his minor wounds, soothing his battered muscles.
But the look in his eyes wasn't just exhaustion.
It was something more.
Something dangerous.
Something… alive.
He wasn't just surviving anymore.
He was growing.
And one day—he would rise above them all.