The A-rank hunters where still fighting the last tree monsters in the Rift
As soon as the last tree monster collapsed into splinters of bark and fading mana, they regrouped quickly, forming loose lines and moving away from the battlefield. The once-living forest now looked like a graveyard of broken trunks and scorched roots.
Leaves drifted down slowly, as if the Rift itself was trying to pretend nothing had happened.
Byung-chul wiped sweat from his forehead and motioned forward. "Move out. Stay alert. No one wanders alone."
The hunters obeyed without question, their earlier tension replaced by exhausted relief. Some leaned on their weapons as they walked. Others kept glancing back at Seung-hoo, still unsure how to treat him now that his true rank had been revealed.
Seung-hoo walked beside Byung-chul, hands in his pockets, his eyes wandering over the strange forest. The cold air felt heavier now, almost nostalgic.
"So," Seung-hoo said casually, breaking the silence, "do you know why this Rift formed here?"
Byung-chul slowed his steps slightly, thinking. "From what the records say… this area was a battlefield back in 1998. Soldiers died here during some political conflict with China. Not many people talk about it anymore."
He let out a dry breath. "A lot of fear, a lot of anger. Perfect conditions for a Rift to grow, I guess."
Seung-hoo nodded slowly. "That explains the forest monsters. Roots tied to the ground. Souls that never left."
Byung-chul glanced at him sideways. "You talk like you've seen this kind of thing before."
Seung-hoo didn't answer. He just stared ahead, his expression unreadable.
At that exact moment, something flickered in front of Seung-hoo's vision.
A familiar mechanical sound rang faintly in his ear, but it blended perfectly with the sound of Byung-chul's footsteps and voice.
______________________________________________________
|[ Ding! System Active ]|
|[ New Quest Available ]|
|[ Quest: Find three Hibiscus flower ]|
|[ Quest ranking: Very easy ]|
|[ Time: 30 seconds ]|
|[ Penalty for failing: Deduction Of 20 Points From Skill Max-level Growth ]|
______________________________________________________
But Seung-hoo didn't react.
Byung-chul was still talking.
"Honestly, I thought this Rift would be something worse. A graveyard type, or maybe specters. Didn't expect walking trees," he muttered.
Seo-yeon walked a few steps behind them, listening quietly. She noticed Seung-hoo's eyes glaze over for half a second, as if he had zoned out.
"…Seung-hoo?" she called softly.
"Hm?" he replied, snapping back to attention. "Sorry. What?"
"You okay?" she asked. "You looked like you spaced out."
"Yeah. Just thinking," he said.
They continued forward, unaware that the system's timer had already begun ticking down.
Around them, the forest seemed calmer now. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in thin beams, illuminating patches of moss and small flowers growing near the roots of the fallen trees. The air smelled faintly sweet, mixed with burned wood.
One of the A-rank hunters pointed ahead. "Look, the Rift energy is thinning out."
Another crouched near the ground. "There are flowers here… weird ones."
Seung-hoo's gaze drifted downward without realizing why.
Bright red petals.
Hibiscus flowers.
Three of them grew close together near a cracked tree stump, their color standing out sharply against the gray soil.
But Seung-hoo only glanced at them for a moment before looking back up at Byung-chul.
"So the soldiers died here… and it turned into this?" he asked. "A forest that attacks people."
Byung-chul nodded. "Places remember things. That's what the researchers say."
Behind them, Seo-yeon slowed her steps slightly, staring at the flowers Seung-hoo had just walked past. She felt a strange chill run down her spine, as if something unseen was watching them.
"Seung-hoo…" she started again.
He didn't notice.
The group kept moving deeper into the Rift's interior, voices overlapping with the sound of boots crunching over leaves, while somewhere in Seung-hoo's vision, the system window remained silently active in the corner of his eye, its countdown continuing without him realizing it.
The invisible countdown kept ticking inside Seung-hoo's vision, silent to everyone else.
10…
9…
8…
His footsteps stayed steady, matching the pace of the group. Leaves crunched under boots. Someone laughed nervously behind him, breaking the tension of the forest. Seung-hoo didn't even realize time was slipping away.
7…
6…
Byung-chul was still talking about old military records, gesturing ahead with his hand. "They say this place was sealed for years. No civilians allowed. Then one day—boom. Rift."
5…
4…
Seo-yeon glanced around, uneasy. The forest felt too quiet now, like it was holding its breath.
3…
2…
1…
The timer vanished.
______________________________________________________
|[ Ding! System Active ]|
|[ Due to the Individual not completing the Quest in time, the penalty will now be added to Skill Max-level Growth ]|
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
--Stats--
|[ Penalty Is Now Active ]|
|[ Speed: 178 / 131 ]| Previous Stat: |[ 186 / 131 ]|
|[ Strength: 170 / 131 ]| Previous Stat: |[ 178 / 131 ]|
|[ Stamina: 202 / 162 ]| Previous Stat: |[ 200 / 162 ]|
--Skills--
|[ Electric sword technique: 392 / 300 ]| Previous Stat: |[ Max ]|
|[ Eye of truth: 392 / 300 ]| Previous Stat: |[ Max ]|
______________________________________________________
Seung-hoo froze mid-step.
His foot hovered above the ground for half a second before dropping back down slowly. His eyes widened as the glowing window filled his vision.
"…What?"
He stared at the numbers, blinking once. Then twice.
"Quest!?" he suddenly shouted.
The sound echoed through the forest.
Several A-rank hunters flinched and spun around, weapons half-raised in panic. One of them nearly tripped over a root.
"Enemy?!"
"Another monster?!"
"What happened?!"
Seung-hoo grabbed his head with both hands, fingers digging into his hair. "P-penalty!?" he shouted again, voice cracking with disbelief.
Byung-chul turned around sharply. "What are you yelling about now?" he asked, confused but calm. "We're in the middle of a Rift. Don't scream like that."
Seung-hoo kept staring at the invisible screen only he could see. His breathing grew uneven.
"My stats… they dropped," he muttered under his breath. "They actually dropped…"
Seo-yeon rushed closer. "Seung-hoo, what are you talking about? Did you get hurt?"
"No—no, not like that," he said, shaking his head. "It's the system. I missed a quest."
"A… quest?" Byung-chul repeated slowly. "You mean some kind of skill condition?
Seung-hoo looked up at him, still clutching his hair. "It told me to find three Hibiscus flowers. Thirty seconds. I didn't even notice."
One of the hunters frowned. "Flowers? In the middle of this place?"
Another glanced around nervously. "There were red ones back there…"
Seo-yeon's eyes widened slightly. She remembered the flowers near the cracked stump. "You mean those…?"
Seung-hoo swallowed. "Yeah. Probably those."
Byung-chul crossed his arms. "So you're saying you failed… and now you're weaker?"
Seung-hoo exhaled sharply. "Not weak. Just… punished."
He looked back at the system window, scanning every line again as if hoping it would change.
Electric sword technique… not Max anymore.
Eye of truth… not Max.
"…Unbelievable," he whispered.
The forest around them felt heavier again. Wind brushed past the broken trees, carrying the faint smell of mana and damp soil.
Seo-yeon placed a hand on his arm. "Hey. You're still you. You just took down those monsters like nothing. Don't panic.
Seung-hoo laughed weakly. "Easy for you to say. My system just slapped me."
Byung-chul studied him for a moment, his earlier arrogance replaced with something closer to caution. "You really are different from the rest of us," he said quietly. "Talking to something none of us can see."
The other hunters exchanged glances, whispering among themselves.
"Is that how S-ranks really work…?"
"He looks shaken."
"I thought he was untouchable."
Seung-hoo lowered his hands slowly, forcing himself to breathe. "Next time… I won't miss it," he muttered.
He looked back toward the path they had come from, where the hibiscus flowers still stood unseen behind them, while the system window lingered in front of his eyes, glowing faintly as the group continued deeper into the forest.
For the first time in his new life, he missed a quest.