Escape

I should have felt relieved.

I had survived the dungeon. I had survived Rogan's betrayal, the wyvern's transformation, and the guild's interrogation.

But as I staggered through the darkened alleys of the city, my limbs barely holding together, I realized—

I wasn't safe.

Not even close.

Every step I took felt like I was dragging lead chains, my body screaming at me to collapse, to let exhaustion take me.

The city of Velmora stretched around me, its towering Rift-lit spires casting long, flickering shadows against the fog-drenched streets. The usual bustle of nighttime Rifters, merchants, and scavengers should have been a comfort—but tonight, it wasn't.

Tonight, everything felt… wrong.

The Guild Enforcers had let me go—for now.

But I knew better than to think I was in the clear.

They were watching me.

Waiting for me to slip.

If I stayed out here too long, it wouldn't be long before Lysara's hounds tracked me down again.

I needed to get back to my house.

With a deep breath, I ducked into a side alley, weaving through the labyrinth of backstreets where the Guild's presence was weaker. Even so, I forced myself to check every corner, every rooftop, every moving shadow.

Paranoia? Maybe.

But paranoia kept people alive.

After what felt like an eternity of dodging unwanted attention, I finally reached my hideout—a small, rundown loft wedged between two abandoned Rift processing buildings.

I barely managed to lock the door before my legs gave out.

I hit the wooden floor hard, chest heaving.

For a long moment, I just lay there, staring at the cracked ceiling, letting reality catch up with me.

I had made it.

I was alive.

But at what cost?

"Damn, Kael. Don't be a sad boy."

A sharp ping echoed in my ears.

[SYSTEM ALERT: Rank B Gate Cleared. Processing Combat Data…]

[Analyzing Player Growth…]

[You have leveled up!]

Kael Draven

Rank: D-Rank

Level: 3 → 5

Title: Rift Survivor

Health (HP): 40 → 190

Stamina (SP): 15 → 140

Mana (MP): 10 → 90

[Skills Upgraded:]

- Evasion (Lv. 4 → Lv. 5)

- Enhanced Reflexes (Lv. 3 → Lv. 4)

- Combat Instincts (Lv. 2 → Lv. 3)

[New Skill Evolution Available.]

My breath caught in my throat.

Skill evolution?

I had unlocked new skills before, but this was different—this was an evolution, meaning one of my existing skills was about to change into something far more dangerous.

Another ping filled my vision.

[Select a Skill to Evolve:]

1. Shadowstep → Abyssal Phantom (Increases movement speed, allows limited phasing through objects.)

2. Void Shard Expulsion → Abyssal Rupture (Concentrated energy explosion, ignores armor.)

3. Mana Leech → Abyssal Consumption (Can drain HP in addition to Mana from enemies.)

I stared at the options, heart pounding.

Each one was an upgrade. A game-changer.

But before I could select—

The System's screen flickered.

The air in my loft grew cold.

A new message appeared.

[WARNING: Your Abyssal Signature has been detected.]

[Hostile Entities are now aware of your existence.]

[Prepare for future encounters.]

My stomach dropped.

What…?

And then I understood.

I had spent too long in that collapsing Rift, surrounded by abyssal energy, wielding abilities that no normal Rifter should have.

And now—something had noticed.

Something from beyond the Gate.

A heavy knock on my door snapped me out of my thoughts.

I tensed immediately, fingers instinctively curling around the dagger at my belt.

No one knew about this place.

Except—

"Relax, it's just me."

The voice was low, casual—but tinged with unease.

I exhaled. Joren.

I pushed myself up, biting back the exhaustion, and unbolted the door.

Joren slipped inside, his cloak drawn tightly around him, face half-hidden under his hood.

He was one of the few people I actually trusted in this city. A low-level Rifter like me, but smart—too smart to be mixed up in Guild politics.

Except tonight, his usual cocky smirk was nowhere to be seen.

"You look like hell," he said, eyeing me.

I huffed. "Feel worse."

He shut the door behind him, lowering his voice.

"You hear about the Rift anomaly?"

I frowned. "Anomaly?"

Joren leaned in.

"People have been disappearing near the old Rift sector. The Guild's trying to keep it quiet, but word's getting out. Some say a Nightmare-class Gate is forming. Others think a high-level entity is already here."

A cold chill settled in my gut.

Nightmare-class.

That was what the System had labeled the Wyvern's transformation.

I felt my fingers twitch.

"Something's wrong, Kael. This isn't normal. And the weirdest part?" Joren hesitated. "It all started after your raid team went missing."

The words hit like a punch.

I inhaled slowly.

"It's the day you'll didn't kill the gate boss."

Oh. The day I got the system? I stared at him. Waiting to continue his statement.

The words settled between us like a loaded gun, heavy and dangerous.

"Are you sure nothing happened that day?"

Joren's voice was quiet, but his eyes—sharp and calculating—held an edge I had never seen before.

I didn't answer right away.

Instead, I forced myself to breathe, slow and steady, ignoring the way my fingers twitched against the worn leather of my dagger's grip.

The day I didn't kill the Gate Boss.

The day the System awakened.

The day everything changed.

I should've lied. Should've laughed it off, given him some half-assed excuse.

But my gut told me—Joren already knew something.

So instead, I kept my expression blank.

"What are you getting at?" I asked.

Joren didn't respond immediately. He studied me, his fingers tapping lightly against the wooden table, a slow and steady rhythm, as if weighing his words carefully.

Then, finally—

"Because you weren't the only one who walked out of that dungeon."

My pulse stopped.

The air in the room felt thick, pressing down on my lungs like an unseen force.

"What?"

Joren exhaled, leaning back slightly, arms crossed. "That day, when the Guild was dealing with the aftermath of your raid, something… came through that Gate before it collapsed."

I didn't move.

Didn't blink.

Didn't breathe.

"Velmora's Rift detectors went nuts," he continued, voice dropping lower. "The readings were unstable—like something had forced its way through at the last second. But the weirdest part?"

He leaned in.

"There was no record of anything coming out."

A chill crawled down my spine.

"The Guild searched the entire area," Joren said, "but they never found a body. No Rift creature, no anomaly. Nothing." He gave me a long look. "Except you."

I clenched my jaw.

The System's warning flashed in my vision again.

[WARNING: Your Abyssal Signature has been detected.]

[Hostile Entities are now aware of your existence.]

[Prepare for future encounters.]

Something had followed me.

Something had escaped that Rift with me.

I swallowed, keeping my expression neutral. "So what are you saying?"

Joren's eyes narrowed. "I don't know, Kael. You tell me."

I forced out a breath, pushing past the weight in my chest. "I don't know what the hell the Guild detected," I said. "I barely made it out of that place alive. I didn't see anything else come through."

Technically, not a lie.

Joren studied me for a long moment.

Then he sighed, shaking his head.

"Well, whatever it was, it's not just Guild business anymore." He ran a hand through his hair. "That Rift anomaly I told you about? It's not just some unstable portal. It's growing. And now, people are disappearing near it."

I frowned. "Disappearing?"

Joren nodded. "Yeah. Not just low-rank scavengers, either. Even a few C-Rank Rifters haven't come back. The Guild's keeping it quiet, but they've started restricting movement in the lower sectors."

My stomach twisted.

C-Rank Rifters didn't just vanish.

If something was strong enough to take them without a trace, it was already worse than a simple anomaly.

I felt my jaw tighten.

"This started after my raid team died?"

Joren shrugged. "That's what the whispers say. But you know how Velmora is—people love to make up stories."

Except this wasn't a story.

I could feel it now—the same unnatural wrongness that had coiled around my chest back in the dungeon. A lingering weight in the air, a faint pulse at the edge of my perception, as if the city itself was holding its breath.

Something had come through that Gate with me.

And now, it was hunting.

I exhaled, running a hand down my face. "Where's the anomaly?"

Joren gave me a look. "You're not seriously thinking of going there, are you?"

I didn't answer.

"Kael, I'm telling you this as a friend—whatever's happening there isn't normal. And if the Guild catches you snooping around—"

"I need to see it for myself."

Joren let out a quiet curse. "You're an idiot."

"Probably."

He sighed. "You're not gonna let this go, are you?

"

I shook my head.

Joren pinched the bridge of his nose before finally exhaling. "Fine. The last person who saw the anomaly and lived was some old scavenger—Oren Lask. You might still find him in the slums if he hasn't skipped town already."

I nodded. "Thanks, Joren."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered. "Just don't die, alright? Remember that you're not high-level Rifter."

I didn't promise anything.

Joren left soon after, disappearing into the night like a shadow.

But I didn't move.

I sat there, staring at the flickering lantern light, listening.

Something was wrong.

The temperature in the room had dropped.

Not a draft. Not the night air.

Something else.

Something… unnatural.

A faint static noise filled my ears, a distant hum that wasn't coming from the System.

Then—

A whisper.

"I see you now…"

I froze.

The shadows in the corner of the room shifted.

And for the first time, I wasn't sure if I was still alone.

[SYSTEM ALERT: IMMEDIATE THREAT DETECTED.]

[New Quest Added: Into the Abyss.]

- Investigate the Rift anomaly before the Guild covers it up.

- Survive.

My pulse slammed against my ribs.

I grabbed my gear, my heartbeat thundering in my ears.

I wasn't waiting for whatever was watching me to make the first move.

I was going to find it first.