Kael walked out of the Hunter Association without looking back, he hadn't missed the scowl still lingering on the desk lady's face. She had tried to convince him to wait, to take more time and prepare properly before stepping into a rift for the first time.
He listened to her, then brushed her off politely.
She probably saw him as reckless now. Maybe even an idiot.
It didn't bother him.
He wasn't walking in unprepared. The past few days hadn't just been about passing the exam. He had trained with the tower tutorial in mind, pushing himself to adjust as quickly as possible.
At some point, more preparation would just be wasted time. It wouldn't make any real difference.
So why waste time?
He booked a transit and began his journey toward the Mash World, the name of the rift he was headed to.
The ride was quiet. Kael leaned back slightly and pulled out his phone, checking the notification he had received earlier. Just as the desk lady had said, there was an email from the Hunter Association waiting for him.
He opened it and skimmed through the contents. Rules, guidelines, survival tips. The usual. Most of it was information he already knew before the exam.
He didn't linger on it.
Scrolling down, he found a link at the bottom and tapped it. The Hunter Association website loaded up, clean and structured. It connected all registered hunters, filled with reports, discussions, and shared information.
Kael signed in using his newly issued ID and was taken to the homepage, but he didn't stay there long. He went straight to the forum.
His fingers moved quickly as he searched for anything related to the Mash World. It didn't take long for results to appear. Thread after thread filled the screen.
He opened one.
The Mash World, also known as the Poison Marsh. A rift filled with toxic swampland where even the air itself could be deadly over time. Protective gear wasn't optional. It was necessary.
He kept scrolling.
The most common creatures were mud slimes. They hid within the marsh, blending perfectly with their surroundings before attacking without warning. Their attacks were corrosive enough to melt through flesh, and several comments warned against taking them lightly.
Kael read through everything without reacting.
He had no intention of underestimating anything, especially not creatures inside a rift.
If anything, experience had already taught him how deceptive these places could be.
Rift rankings, for example, were far from straightforward. Most people assumed that lower-ranked rifts were safer, but that wasn't entirely true. Two major factors determined a rift's ranking.
The first was exploration. Newly discovered rifts were usually classified at higher ranks because of the unknown risks. Only after thorough exploration would their true difficulty be reassessed.
The second was environmental and behavioral factors. Terrain, monster patterns, and overall conditions played a role. A rift could be ranked lower not because it was harmless, but because its dangers were predictable and manageable.
The Mash World was one of those cases.
The toxic air could be dealt with using basic protective masks. The mud slimes, while dangerous, were mostly passive and stayed within their territories. As long as a hunter didn't wander into areas beyond their level, the risk remained relatively low.
But that didn't mean it was safe.
Underestimating a rift based on its rank was one of the fastest ways to die.
Kael locked his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. He had gathered enough information.
Looking out the window, he noticed the scenery had changed. The land had become barren, stripped of life. No vegetation, no movement, nothing but dry, empty ground stretching into the distance.
They were getting close.
Rifts leaked mana into their surroundings, and over time, it poisoned the environment. The closer one got, the more lifeless everything became.
The transit eventually slowed to a stop.
Kael stepped out and immediately spotted it.
The rift.
It looked like a tear carved into reality itself, as though something had sliced the world open. Beyond it lay nothing but darkness, deep and endless.
A few hunters stood nearby, gathered in small groups. Most seemed to be waiting for teammates.
Kael walked past them without paying any attention and headed straight for the rift.
The moment he stepped through, his body reacted violently.
A powerful force pulled at him from every direction, distorting his senses and throwing off his balance. For a brief moment, it felt as if he was being dragged out of reality itself.
Then it stopped.
Just like that.
Kael steadied himself and opened his eyes.
His surroundings had completely changed. He now stood inside a massive hall.
Before he could take in more, two figures in heavy gear approached him. Their equipment was well-maintained, clearly belonging to experienced hunters. One of them stopped at a distance while the other stepped forward.
"ID," he said.
Kael handed it over without hesitation. The man scanned it with a handheld device, his expression shifting slightly as he read the result.
"You're a new hunter?" he asked.
Kael nodded. "Just passed the exam."
The man paused for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Alright."
He signaled to his partner, who immediately left the hall.
"Your guide will be here soon," he added, returning the ID.
Kael stepped aside, moving away from the entrance while the guard returned to his position.
After a short wait, the second guard came back with someone else.
The man who approached was broad-shouldered and well-built, but his expression carried a hint of surprise, as if he hadn't expected this situation. His eyes quickly found Kael.
"You're the new hunter?" he asked.
Kael nodded again. "Yeah. Just got my license."
The man let out a quiet breath, almost amused. "Didn't expect someone to jump in this quickly."
"I understand," Kael replied calmly.
The man relaxed slightly. "Name's Taras."
"Kael."
"Alright, Kael. Come with me."
Taras turned and led the way out of the hall. As they stepped outside, a massive city came into view.
High walls surrounded it, and rows of buildings stretched across the area in an organized layout. From the way everything was structured, it was clear this wasn't just a normal city built for settlement.
It was a fortress.
"This is standard for controlled rifts," Taras explained as they walked. "The entrance works both ways. Monsters can come through just as easily as we do, so we build around it."
He chuckled lightly. "And people aren't exactly predictable either."
Kael observed everything quietly. Despite being inside a rift, the city felt alive. Shops, inns, restaurants. Hunters moved around, some preparing, others resting or trading.
"The air here is toxic over time," Taras continued. "You can stay for a while, but long-term exposure isn't a good idea unless you've got support like potions or a healer."
He suddenly glanced at Kael. "You don't have a mask?"
Kael shook his head. "I was planning to get one here."
Taras laughed. "Good thinking. You'll get one anyway. First-time entry, the Association provides it."
He looked back at Kael with a grin. "Still, I've got to say, you've got guts. Most new hunters take time after their first real fight with monsters in the simulation during the exam."
He paused slightly, eyeing him.
"But you… you came straight in."
Kael listened and kept his expression neutral.
Taras was chatty. That tracked. A guide who couldn't hold a conversation would be a poor guide by definition. And Kael had the quiet thought that it probably wasn't in his best interest to mention that the money had factored fairly heavily into his decision to move this fast.
Some things were better left unsaid.
Taras continued talking as they moved through the city, pointing out key places along the way. Everything functioned like a normal city, just built within a far more dangerous environment.
Eventually, they entered another building.
"Transport," Taras said. "Flying mounts."
Kael glanced around as he took it in.
"No flying monsters in this rift," Taras added. "Makes air travel the fastest option. Still risky if you don't know what you're doing. Some slimes can attack from farther than you'd expect."
He handled the arrangements quickly.
Before long, a massive bird was brought out, resembling an eagle but far larger. It shifted its wings slightly, its sharp eyes observing them.
"Fastest you'll get here," Taras said.
They mounted it, and with a powerful beat of its wings, the creature lifted into the air.
The city shrank beneath them, replaced by the endless stretch of toxic marsh.
And somewhere ahead, still distant but closing, was the tower.