Part 1
The Rift pulsed like a heartbeat.
The air around it shimmered, distorting everything — like heat waves rising from the ground.
The squad of seven stood in formation just a few meters away. No more jokes. No more crisps. Just silence and boots shifting against the rocky terrain.
Ryden adjusted his gloves, eyes scanning the surface of the dimensional tear.
"All right," he said, voice calm but sharp. "Get ready, folks."
Then, without hesitation, he stepped into the Rift.
The moment his body touched the edge, it vanished — as if swallowed by mist.
Jae-won, Dae-hyun, and Rin-ah followed him one by one, their silhouettes flickering briefly before disappearing completely.
Alan exhaled and turned slightly.
Reika stood still, her eyes locked on the swirling gateway. Her hand hovered near her Riftband, fingers trembling just enough to notice.
He stepped closer and lowered his voice.
"Hey. You're gonna be fine."
She looked at him, surprised.
Alan gave a half-smile.
"I'm not letting you die in there."
Before she could answer, Levi leaned in from behind.
"What if you die first?" he asked with a dramatic whisper. "Then she's got no insurance."
Reika blinked. Alan gave him a deadpan stare.
"…You're not helpful."
"Yet still essential," Levi grinned.
Reika gave a nervous laugh.
Together, the three stepped into the Rift.
The world warped around them. Pressure built for a split second—then popped.
They emerged into silence.
They were standing in a dim, square-shaped chamber. Not perfect—just square enough to feel unnatural. The walls were made of old stone bricks, dulled by time and stained with faint cracks. Moss clung to the corners, and the air was thick with dust.
Reika's eyes swept the space. "…It looks ancient."
"Like a tomb," Alan muttered, his eyes tracing the walls. "Maybe a hundred years old… maybe more."
Everything was dry, but it felt like it was waiting to breathe again.
Near the far wall stood a massive gate — six feet tall and six feet wide. Made of heavy dark stone, its surface was covered in strange lines and faintly glowing symbols. No handle. No hinges. Just pressure and purpose.
Levi squinted. "Phase 2, huh? Doesn't feel like one."
Ryden stepped up to the gate and placed a hand against it.
"Be careful," he said over his shoulder. "Rooms like this don't stay empty for long."
Then he pushed the gate.
It groaned—stone grinding against stone—as it slowly began to open.
Part 2
The gate creaked open, stone grinding against stone.
Dust spilled into the air as the chamber beyond revealed itself — wider and darker
Alan stepped forward just enough to see past Ryden's shoulder.
Then he saw them.
Figures were scattered across the room — thin, sharp, and twitching. Their bones were dry and yellowed, with fragments of decayed armor clinging to their frames. Each held a rusted blade in one hand, their eye sockets glowing faint blue.
Walking skeletons.
Levi muttered, "Well, that's not ominous."
Ryden scanned the space quickly, "Eight small… two big ones. Back near that second gate."
He pointed with his sword. Sure enough, another heavy gate stood at the far end — slightly larger.
Reika stared wide-eyed at the monsters, her hand clenched near her Rift Band.
"These are—Skeletons? Actual skeletons?"
Alan glanced at her, then nodded slowly. "Yeah. Welcome to your first Rift."
Reika's breathing picked up. "Okay. Okay. Nope. This is worse than I imagined."
Levi placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Relax," he said gently. "They rattle a lot, but they fall apart just as easy."
She looked at him. He smiled, lighthearted but focused.
"Besides, Alan's here. He'll kill half before I even get warmed up."
Alan snorted. "You wish."
The monsters didn't wait.
The first wave of skeletons twitched once — then all at once, they charged.
Their bones clacked against the stone as they ran, swords raised, jaws half open like frozen screams.
Ryden stepped forward first.
He swung his blade in a tight arc, cleaving one of the small skeletons clean through the ribcage. Bone fragments scattered like shrapnel.
Alan moved in next — fast.
He slipped between two charging skeletons, blade flashing. With two precise slashes, their spines snapped, and both collapsed into loose, clattering piles of bone.
Levi let out a low whistle. "Told you."
From the other side of the room, Min Jae-won raised his staff.
A stream of fire erupted from the tip — not wild or explosive, but controlled. A narrow, focused jet of flame that struck a skeleton mid-run, blasting it across the chamber into the wall with a loud crack.
Smoke rose from the impact.
The skeleton didn't get back up.
Part 3
Two skeletons leapt from the shadows — one toward Rin-ah, the other toward Dae-hyun.
Rin-ah didn't flinch.
She ducked under the first skeleton's swing, planted her feet, and drove an uppercut straight into its chest.
CRACK.
Bone exploded as the creature was lifted off the ground. Behind it, the air rippled, split by the sheer force of her punch.
Levi whistled from across the room. "Damn. Her boyfriend must live in fear."
Alan chuckled. "If she has one."
"I'd be more surprised if he's still alive."
Meanwhile, the other skeleton reached Dae-hyun—
A silver outline flared around his body, sleek and fast like a layer of energy hugging his form.
Before the skeleton could even strike, Dae-hyun blurred behind it and threw a punch to its back. The bones cracked, but before the monster could fall—
He appeared in front of it and slammed another punch into its skull, knocking it into the ground like a broken toy.
"Nice!" Rin-ah called, nodding.
Dae-hyun rubbed his wrist. "Takes two to make sure they stay down."
But there was no time to relax.
Two more skeletons lunged — this time toward Reika.
She gasped, trying to react—too slow.
Then—
Levi appeared between her and the skeletons, arms snapping out with clean precision.
He grabbed both by the necks mid-air, stopping their momentum like it was nothing.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked the skeletons,
Reika blinked.
"He's fast"
Levi casually turned, swung one skeleton in a half-spin, and hurled it toward Alan.
Alan met it mid-air with a rising slash — the bones snapped apart mid-flight, scattering across the stone floor.
Levi turned to the other skeleton still in his grip and decked it in the jaw. Its head flew clean off, crashing into a far wall with a dry clatter.
Alan sheathed his blade halfway, smirking. "You warmed up yet?"
Levi stretched his fingers. "Barely broke a sweat."
But Ryden's voice cut through the chamber, low and sharp.
"Everyone—watch out."
They turned.
From the far end of the room, the two big ones began to move.
End of Chapter