[Archmage's Staff]
[Rank: Rare]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: Probably worth more than the Fearsome Ring! Big money!]
---
Right next to it lay something even more interesting: a book.
---
[The Art of Necromancy]
[Rank: Legendary]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: Someone with a class related to that could use this book to learn the "Undead Revival" skill.]
---
Sam crouched beside the glowing items, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the book.
The black leather cover had silver inlays in the shape of skeletal hands, and just holding it felt like grasping ancient knowledge.
"What about me? Can I learn it?" Sam asked curiously, already half-knowing the answer.
[No.]
"Tch. Figures."
[But you'll get something else =).]
"Oh." He stared at the message a second longer. "Well, that works too."
Still, both drops were amazing. A rare staff and a legendary skill book? That wasn't something a typical novice-rank rift should be handing out. Not even close.
Even if Sam couldn't use the book, its value would be enormous.
It could be sold to a necromancer-type awakener or even auctioned for a small fortune.
And the staff, well, that alone could probably fund a little bit of his guild.
Money had always been his biggest weakness after all.
With a satisfied nod, he slipped both items into his [Spatial Inventory], then turned to face the glowing crimson portal that had just appeared at the end of the cathedral.
The rift was over.
As expected, he hadn't reached level 10 yet, but Sam wasn't disappointed.
He'd leveled up four times, acquired a powerful new skill, tested his potential, secured valuable loot, and most of all… he now understood something important.
The real events of the game had started.
With that thought lingering in his mind, Sam stepped through the crimson portal.
…
Outside the rift, the clearing was far more crowded than when Sam had entered.
Dozens upon dozens of people had gathered around the corrupted rift's entrance.
Some were reporters with cameras, others were spectators.
But most notable among them were the top-tier individuals: guild leaders, high-ranking awakeners, and elite scouts from all across the continent.
The sudden appearance of a "corrupted rift" had been enough to throw the entire region into emergency response mode.
At the front of the crowd stood a tall man clad in a polished uniform trimmed with gold, one of the generals of the [Inferno Guild].
His expression was confident as he addressed the cameras and those around him.
"We sent our strongest novice-rank team to investigate this new rift," he declared with authority. "They will clear it. The Inferno Guild stands firm, even in the face of the unknown."
He was clearly trying to maintain morale, but the tension was thick.
The appearance of a corrupted rift was no minor event.
It was something that could destabilize many.
That was why so many of the world's most powerful guilds had rushed here as soon as they heard the word "corrupted."
Among the arriving elite were the [Union Guild], [Eclipse Guild], [Overlord Guild], and others, each led by influential figures that took time to come here.
That also meant that David Union was here.
He stood near the front of the crowd with his daughter, Alicia, at his side.
"Dad?" Alicia asked, noticing the strange look on his face.
David was frowning, not in confusion, but in recognition.
Why would an ascendant look so unsettled by a mere novice-rank rift?
She tugged on his sleeve, and he blinked, as if waking from a trance. "It's nothing. Just remembered something, that's all."
But in truth… he hadn't.
The moment the term "corruption" was mentioned, something had clicked in his mind.
'The prophecy...' David thought to himself, 'Fuck... it's starting.'
He wasn't the only one.
Every guild leader present felt it, though none said anything out loud.
They all shared the same heavy silence, staring at the portal like it was a loaded gun aimed at their world.
Then—
Wuuuuhmmm!
The portal flickered. Its light began to dim.
"Yes!" the Inferno Guild general roared. "They've done it! The rift is cleared!"
People cheered.
If the rift was closing, it meant one thing: someone had beaten it.
If a rift wasn't cleared fast enough, or if everyone who entered it was wiped out, there was the chance of a breakthrough that leaked more monsters to the real world.
And just a second later, the figure of a young man emerged from the fading light.
Sam stepped out.
His eyes scanned the crowd quickly. Hundreds of eyes turned to him.
He immediately recognized several faces, including David Union. He also saw Alicia standing at his side. She waved lightly, confused but smiling.
Sam waved back, expression neutral.
As he did, a new crimson message appeared before his eyes.
[Hell-Mode Analysis: Don't you see? They're all scared of something.]
'Scared of what?'
[You don't know yet.][1]
'Great.'
He dropped his hand and resumed walking forward casually.
"Someone made it out!"
"The rift's been cleared!"
"I guess the Inferno Guild really did it!"
Murmurs swept through the crowd.
But then… confusion.
The portal behind Sam pulsed once more, then dimmed entirely and disappeared.
That only happened when everyone alive who entered had already left.
And slowly, the realization hit. There was no team behind Sam.
He was the only one who had made it out.
"Wait... where's the Inferno Guild squad?"
"Don't tell me…"
"They didn't survive?!"
Eyes widened. Mouths dropped open.
Oscar, the Inferno Guild general, took a step forward, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Our best novice team… all of them gone?!"
He scanned the field. Sam stood alone. No injuries. No limping. No signs of exhaustion. Just a casual stance and a calm face.
The reality set in.
Only one person had cleared the rift.
And it wasn't their team. It was… Sam.
Oscar's jaw clenched. His pride stung like a fresh burn.
He stomped forward, his aura flaring like fire.
"So you're telling me," he said, voice booming, "that you, a mere level 8 awakener, cleared this entire rift, while our elite team died?"
The question wasn't even a question. It was an accusation.
Sam met his eyes and shrugged, "Yeah." He gave a small smile. "I told them not to fight the boss. They didn't listen. Got wiped out instantly. My bad."
That simple sentence hit Oscar like a slap to the face.
"You little—!"
He lunged forward, aura bursting around him in a storm of flame and fury.
Sam's eyes flicked upward as a system window popped up.
---
[Name: Oscar Windshield]
[Rank: Expert]
[Level: 6]
[Class: ???]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: An extremely prideful guy that doesn't let anything hurt his ego or the reputation of the guild he's part of.]
---
'Ah,' Sam thought. 'That explains it.'
He didn't even resist, since he quite literally couldn't.
Oscar grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him into the air, eyes burning with rage.
The man was bald, his face weathered by years of battle, and right now, he looked ready to kill.
But Sam? He stared back with a blank expression, completely calm.
Anyone else in the [Novice] rank would be terrified that an [Expert] rank tried to attack them, yet Sam remained so unbothered that it actually annoyed Oscar even more.
Many of the other awakeners were taken aback by the sudden aggression.
"Dad, do something!" Alicia shouted, trying to intervene, but David stopped her.
"There's no need," he replied quietly, eyes narrowing. "Sam… is different."
He couldn't explain why. But something told him that intervening would be wrong.
Oscar roared and drew his arm back, gathering flaming aura into his fist.
"I'll end this!"
The blow came down, fast and deadly.
BAM!
It landed squarely on Sam's chest.
Or rather, it landed on the transparent shield that shimmered between them.
Oscar's fist stopped instantly.
[Eternal Barrier] had activated.
His flames danced along the surface, but they couldn't touch Sam.
No matter what Oscar did, he couldn't penetrate the [Eternal Barrier].
[1] I just put this here to remind that [Hell-Mode Analysis] is basically Sam's consciousness, meaning that it is literally him, that is why it keeps saying "you".