Goblin Rift

"Time's up," Magnus announced, gathering their attention with a single clap.

"Your main objective is to kill the boss monster. It is usually between E- and E rank, so be aware that teamwork is crucial."

Just as those words fell, Neraxis could hear a scoff in the distance. He didn't even need to see who it was to know.

Kael's really confident, huh.

[He's pretty strong for his age; it's only normal to have a big head,] Evangeline pointed out before warning, [Though be careful. Even if the rift is low-leveled and you've grown immensely stronger, that does not make you immune to random incidents.]

I know, Evangeline. Careless as I may be, I am not an amateur. Neraxis clarified before shifting his gaze back to Magnus.

"Now, for your side objectives: there are multiple secrets scattered around the entire rift. Each uncovered secret will give you points," he stated as he pulled out a note.

"The team that finishes the main objective first gets 50 points. However, don't look down on secrets either—some give upwards of 10 points, and there are too many of them scattered around."

Neraxis nodded, noticing one of his fellow classmates raising her hand.

"Instructor, what are the points for? Will there be awards for the top team?"

Magnus glanced at her for a moment and began explaining, "There is indeed a ranking—there are five teams for a reason. As for the reward for the top-scoring team, it's a secret."

The girl seemed satisfied but proceeded to ask another question. "Will there be any penalties for the lowest scorers?"

"Of course," Magnus nodded. "You will be evaluated based on your individual performance as well. And no, don't worry—we will be monitoring you through a few special droids. No one will interfere with your casual rift experience."

"But what about the lowes—" She was about to speak but was interrupted.

"Ask your questions after you are finished with the rift," Magnus's stern voice rang out as he moved aside, opening the door.

He was greeted by a familiar swirly blue liquid-like mass, which, once entered, would take you into where the goblins resided.

In his time, no one knew much about the rifts, but now, it seemed like they had quite a good idea—sending drones and other advanced equipment to monitor them.

Aside from that, Neraxis stood beside his team, watching as Magnus began leading the teams into the rift one by one.

The first team had Celina at their helm, so they confidently walked in, and right after was Neraxis's Team 2.

"Are you prepared?" Magnus questioned, his interest seeming at an all-time low.

Neraxis glanced around and, aside from Aurelia, who avoided his gaze, everyone appeared determined. "We are."

"Very well, step through."

Just as his words fell, Neraxis walked forward into the blue liquid-like mass, suddenly finding himself in a completely different place.

At least the rifts work the same... you touch it and get teleported. He nodded to himself, checking behind and noticing his team slowly appearing.

Celina and her team seemed nowhere in sight. Perhaps the rift had split timings for teleportation—he wouldn't be surprised.

However, what did surprise him was the fact that the entire air stank of iron—a clear sign of blood.

Despite looking around, Neraxis could not spot anything out of the ordinary.

The surroundings seemed ruined—what else could one expect from a damp cave system in which he found himself?

Added to the fact that he could hear faint droplets every now and then really kept him on edge.

Neraxis spotted a few pointy rocks and noted them as a potential runaway spot.

The cave was surprisingly lit up, as though the sun was shining down through tiny cracks in the ceiling.

Nonetheless, that was irrelevant for now. He had to organize his team instead.

Turning towards the three girls thoughtlessly chattering amongst each other, he said, "Raeny, you and I are going to be up front."

He got their attention and received a nod in response before continuing, "Aella, you are a healer, right?"

"Yep, a great one at that," she replied smugly, which he simply ignored.

"Good. You will stay behind us. As for you, Aurelia, what is it you do?" Neraxis questioned the fidgeting blue-haired girl.

"M-Me? Oh... I am a m-mage..." As her stammering words fell, she pulled a staff from seemingly nowhere.

Dimensional pocket ring? Someone's rich... Neraxis thought, tilting his head.

[You're one to talk.] Evangeline remarked, and he ignored her.

"You use a staff instead of a wand?"

"Yes... I am stronger with a staff," Aurelia replied, tightly gripping the staff.

Taking it as his cue to not pry further, he decided to go along with it—not like this rift was too difficult anyway. "Protect Aella, and we will protect you."

Receiving a slow nod from her in acknowledgment, he decided to take the helm and walk forward, his team behind him.

This particular rift was oddly spacious, despite being inside a cave.

From his experience, he assumed it was used for high-number battles, meaning facing a massive horde of goblins was not completely out of the question.

But they were well-prepared—at least, he felt prepared.

"On the left," Raeny's voice rang out just as they were about to turn the corner.

Neraxis nodded and summoned his sword before glancing behind the corner.

Four green, skinny dwarves—goblins. Looks-wise, they appeared weak, and to no one's surprise, they actually were.

He signaled with his fingers how many there were and stepped out of cover to use one of his latest skills, Sword Dash.

Immediately, he felt a wave of propulsion, and in the next moment, he appeared right before the four goblins. The sword he held felt as though it was boosted by the same type of propulsion he experienced.

With precise control, he slashed sideways and, to his surprise, performed the slash Evangeline had taught him.

This time, the speed gave it a significant boost.

The others didn't even turn the corner before he completely eradicated the upper parts of the goblins' bodies, leaving only a pair of legs.

Yet, the surprises were not over as a few red system screens appeared before him.

[4x (F- Ranked Monster) Goblin Slain! Reward: Stigmata 21% -> 23%]

And then another one.

[Fragment of Calamity Series Skill Tree Unlocked!]

[Skill (1/???) Simple Horizontal Slash]

[Skill Description: Slash sideways, dealing immense damage to all foes in radius and beyond. Cooldown: 1 Minute]

Oh? Is this what you wanted to teach me? he asked, resummoning the sword to remove the green blood.

[It is. I didn't expect you to get it so fast; color me surprised,] Evangeline remarked with a small chuckle before continuing, [I'll teach you the next part after the rift.]

What? Is it going to be a vert—

She quickly interjected, [No, I don't like vertical slashes.]

Neraxis could only sigh as he turned to face his party, who had mixed expressions—some of admiration, others determined to compete.

You are weird, Evangeline, you know that?

A small laugh resounded without her responding, and he took it as his cue to move on. After all, there was a rift to clear and secrets to uncover.

"Shall we get going then?"