Inside the rift…
The mana density here is far stronger than that of an E-rank rift.
The gravity is twice that of Earth.
That was one of the reasons I had grown stronger in such a short time.
As I went deeper, I realized the rift resembled a barren desert.
A sun hung above, releasing terrifying waves of heat.
"A sun… huh."
I looked up at the sky. In truth, things like the sun, moon, and sky inside rifts still haven't been explained. Even the author stopped before giving any explanation.
As I said before, rifts are supposedly fragments of other worlds, drifting in the Rift Space… or at least that's what I used to believe.
"It's not that simple," I thought, recalling my
journey over the past two months.
"Anyway… it doesn't matter right now."
I turned my gaze back to the desert.
I already knew what I needed.
I released my mana and activated Truth Eye.
My right eye turned golden, and a map began forming inside my mind.
"Just sand…"
I carefully scanned the map, but it was practically useless.
"Still… it doesn't matter with my current strength. I just need to be cautious."
I transformed the black ring into my usual katana and began walking through the desert.
Minutes passed—no monsters appeared.
But then…
I felt a vibration beneath my feet.
"An earthquake…?"
I closed my eyes and focused. The sensation wasn't normal—it felt like a massive creature moving underground.
The moment I sensed it approaching, I leapt into the air.
A deafening roar erupted as a monstrous creature burst out from where I had just stood.
From above, I observed it.
A giant worm like monster… around 180 feet long, by my estimation.
"A strange monster…"
It lunged toward me while I was still mid-air.
"Alright… time to test this ability."
"Time Domain."
A strange sensation filled my body.
From my first experience, I knew that slowing time over a wide area drained my mana rapidly within seconds.
So I found another method.
If I accelerated or slowed my own time instead, the consumption would be significantly lower.
And that's what I did.
I accelerated my personal time.
The worm moved toward me ...but now it looked incredibly slow.
When it reached me, I stepped on its head and pushed myself away using the force.
I dodged it… but that wasn't all.
This time, I used my ability differently.
I slowed the air around my body.
My falling speed decreased until
I was standing in mid-air.
"Hehe…"
A small laugh escaped me when I saw the monster jumping again, unable to reach me.
I was flying.
Something impossible for a D-rank… unless they had an ability like mine.
And I did.
"I can fly…"
But soon, my excitement faded as I remembered the monster beneath me.
I gripped my black katana.
Mana flowed through my body.
The blade was coated in silver flames.
"Now… let's test this."
I reinforced my body with mana and canceled my ability.
I began falling rapidly toward the monster.
"Accelerate."
This time, I increased my falling speed instead.
With a tearing sound of air, I swung my blade.
The silver flames intensified.
The blade struck the monster's head
It didn't even have time to react.
A slicing sound echoed.
I cut through its body all the way to its abdomen.
I kicked its corpse and used the recoil to distance myself as it fell apart.
I floated backward, then slowed myself until I landed without a scratch.
I looked at the monster's corpse again.
Its body was frozen solid.
No blood.
No movement.
That was what Soul Flame could do.
It was a D-rank monster.
The same rank as mine.
But I…
killed it in a single strike.
I stared at the silver-flamed blade in silence.
It had all seemed too easy.
But it wasn't.
I closed my eyes and felt the mana inside me.
"5% consumed…"
I frowned.
It didn't seem like much… but from another perspective, a two-minute fight had already drained five percent of my total mana.
"What if I used more mana? What if the fight lasted longer?"
My mana would run out.
I exhaled slowly and turned the katana back into a ring.
Once again, I activated Truth Eye to scan the surroundings ... but found nothing.
I walked to the corpse and looked down at it.
From my coat, I pulled out a long dagger and poured mana into it.
I sliced open the monster's chest.
Nothing.
No mana core.
"A bad deal."
I stood up in frustration—but it didn't last long.
The ground trembled again.
This time… three times stronger than before.
I jumped away instantly.
A massive creature erupted from the ground.
Stronger than the worm.
I steadied myself and looked at it.
A giant serpent-like monster.
No…
A massive cobra.
It was swallowing the previous prey.
"Stealing someone else's meal isn't very polite," I thought, transforming my ring into a sword.
But then
"No… a sword won't work."
The katana slowly reshaped itself into a long polearm.
A spear.
A pitch-black spear.
Silver flames flowed into it as I gripped it tightly.
The serpent finally noticed me after finishing its meal.
A terrifying pressure exploded from its body, surrounded by a dense killing intent.
"Heh… +D rank?"
"Can I kill it?"
I smiled.
I released my own pressure to match its aura.
Then I activated Calm Mind and Truth Eye.
I accelerated my time.
And vanished.
I lunged forward
at insane speed
toward the serpent