The city subway hadn't changed.
Filthy tiles. Flickering lights. That smell of oil and dust.
But tonight—Lin Xuan stood alone on Platform 4, katana strapped across his back, staring at the air in front of him.
[Dungeon Rift Detected: Urban Rift - Subway Gate]
[Recommended Level: 1+]
[Monsters Detected: Mutated Vagrants, Rusted Sentinels]
[Reward Tier: Common–Epic]
A swirling black tear in reality hovered between two vending machines.
Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes.
"Looks like a glitch in the fabric of the world."
He reached out.
The air shivered.
The katana pulsed at his side.
And the moment his fingers touched the rift—it pulled him in.
[Entering Instance: Subway Gate]
[Timer: 60 Minutes]
[Objective: Clear all hostile units. Bonus rewards for speed and style.]
When his vision returned, Lin Xuan stood in a twisted version of the subway platform.
The lights were darker. The tiles cracked. Blood smeared across the walls.
It felt like reality… but corrupted.
Then he heard it—"Click… click… hiss…"
Something dragged itself across the tracks.
He turned.Three humanoid figures—tattered, hunched, limbs unnaturally bent.
Glowing red eyes. Rotting uniforms. Broken pipes in their hands.
[Enemy Identified: Mutated Vagrant Lv.2]
HP: 200 | STR: 5 | AGI: 3
Passive: Contagious Touch – Chance to infect on contact
Lin Xuan smiled.
"Good. I need warm-up targets."
Combat Engaged. He charged in first. No hesitation.
His katana moved like lightning—One clean horizontal slash—head off.
[Critical Hit – 124 DMG]
[Fear Aura Triggered – Remaining enemies staggered]
The other two paused—trembling. That was all he needed.
A vertical strike—Second one down.
He spun, slashing low. The third tried to block with a pipe—too slow.
[Enemy Defeated. +12 EXP. +Loot Dropped]
[Item Acquired: Contaminated Bandages x3]
Lin Xuan stood in the silence that followed, katana dripping with corrupted black blood.
[Current EXP: 32/100]
[Trait Progress: Combat Efficiency +10%]
Then, a ding.
[Special Encounter Triggered – Mini Boss Detected Nearby]
[Name: Rusted Sentinel Lv.5]
HP: 800 | DEF: High | AGI: Low
Loot Quality: Uncommon+]
Far down the platform, the sound of grinding metal echoed.
A massive figure emerged—mechanical, humanoid, built like a SWAT exosuit gone rogue.
One red eye in the center. Buzz saw for an arm.
It roared.
Lin Xuan just smiled wider.
"Let's test this blade for real."
Mini-Boss Battle Begins
The Sentinel moved slow, but every swing cracked concrete.
Lin Xuan dashed left—agility buff active. He moved like smoke.
Clang—missed.
He slid under a punch, slashed upward—sparks flew.
[3 Hits – Minor Damage. 42 HP Removed]
"Too tanky."
Then he had an idea.
He pulled an item from inventory—
[Grenade Shard – Residual Explosive Fragment (1-time use)]
He leapt, stabbed the grenade shard into the exposed back joint of the Sentinel, then kicked off its shoulder midair.
"Boom."
[Direct Critical Hit – 320 DMG]
[System Bonus: Stylish Kill Attempt – Multiplier x1.2]
The machine stumbled.
Now weak.
Now open.
Lin Xuan dropped, spun mid-air—One slash through the core.
[Rusting Heart Severed – Boss Defeated]
[+68 EXP. +System Level 2 Reached]
[Loot Acquired: Sentinel Core (Uncommon), Cracked Servo Leg, 400 Credits]
[Level Up! STR +2 | AGI +1 | New Skill Unlocked: Precision Rush Lv.1]
"Your next dash deals 150% damage and ignores armor."
He stood there, breathing steady.
Bzzzt…
[Rift Closing in 15 seconds.]
The platform began to collapse into glitchy fragments.
Lin Xuan walked to the exit as if on a runway.
Back in the Real World
The vending machines buzzed.
The rift was gone.
Lin Xuan stood on Platform 4, katana sheathed, pocket heavier.
And in his HUD—new data appeared.
[World Anomaly Detected: Rift Activity Increasing]
[Top 1% Manifestor Progress]
A cold grin touched his lips.
"Top 1%, huh? Not enough."
He opened his system tab.
Quest List Updated:
[Main Quest: Dominate All Rifts – Reward: ???]
[Side Quest: Sell Sentinel Core to Collector]
The game had just started.
And Lin Xuan?
He was already unstoppable.