Chương 103: THE FINAL EVALUATION (6)

Everything happened so fast that nobody in the party could make any sense of it.

"What the hell just happened?" Gun-woo shouted, staring at the spot Jimin was standing.

"Where did Jimin vanish?" Yuna gasped.

"Wasn't that… a teleportation portal?" Hye-jin muttered, her eyes wide with shock.

"How is that even possible? We are literally inside an isolated Rift!" Yu-jun shouted. But before they could investigate the anomaly any further, raging footsteps echoed from ahead. The goblins finally began emerging out of the dense fog.

"Oh shit," Yu-jun murmured, his heart sinking as he realized their strongest member was gone. He quickly slammed his shield, forcing himself to stay steady.

"Focus ahead, everyone!" he shouted.

"We have to fight!"

Meanwhile, somewhere within the Rift-"Ahhh…!" Jimin screamed as he tumbled out of a golden portal in the sky, his hovering daggers scattering around him in the empty air. The portal had spat him out high above the forest. Looking down, his eyes met nothing but grey fog.

"Warning! You are currently eighty meters above the ground, Master," Mimi's sharp voice buzzed directly inside his skull.

"You are falling at a dangerous speed. Use Telekinesis immediately."

"What the hell!" Jimin shouted. He immediately recalled his scattered daggers straight into his inventory. He locked his entire focus onto his own body, using the full power of his 'Telekinesis' directly beneath himself, the force pushing him upward. His heavy downward momentum slowly smoothed out into a controlled descent. Jimin's boots touched the damp dirt and grass with a soft thud. He dropped to one knee, letting out a long breath of relief before slowly standing back up.

Wiping a streak of cold sweat from his forehead, he looked around. He was standing in a small foggy grass field, surrounded on all sides by the forest trees. Where am I? But his scattered thoughts quickly snapped back to the immediate danger.

"What the hell just happened? Was I really just portaled away?"

"Yes," Mimi replied instantly.

"That is the only plausible conclusion given the circumstances. However, you're still inside the Rift."

"Yeah, I figured that much," he murmured, his hands trembling slightly as he clenched his fists. Why… Questions naturally began to pile up in his mind. No, how can I be even portaled here? Inside a Rift! There shouldn't be anyone here with a portal skill. A sudden doubt dawned on him. Unless… Suddenly- A sharp rustling sound came from the dense bushes to his right, as Jimin sensed something moving through the corner of his right eye. He immediately turned on his heel, his head locking in the exact direction.

A lone human figure fully stepped out of the fog, stopping a few steps away from Jimin, wearing a long, heavy black and red hooded robe. He had the build of a lean man, wearing light gear beneath his clothes, his face hidden completely under a deep, pointed hood and mask. He was standing perfectly still, not moving an inch. Jimin's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. He would have never expected to run into a strange, robed figure deep inside an evaluation test Rift, a corrupted one on top of that.

"Who are you?" Jimin asked immediately, summoning his daggers. He was ready to attack any moment. But the stranger didn't budge. Not a single word escaped from the hood. Getting no reply, Jimin didn't hesitate. He immediately cast 'Inspect' on the stranger, a window popping up immediately. [ERROR:???] No info! A wave of panic hit his chest as he stared at the error. Shit! His level must be way higher than mine. But the moment he blinked, he found the person charging straight at him with twin daggers drawn.

The explosive speed caught Jimin completely off guard.

"Shit!" he murmured, instinctively dashing backward to create distance. In the span of a single heartbeat, he slammed every active buff he had- 'Overtime', 'Weight Distortion', 'Pierce' and 'Poison'. His four daggers instantly shot forward to intercept the attacker. But right then- Two small, spinning rings of shadowy mist appeared on both his left and right flanks out of thin air. A dark blade materialized from each vortex, simultaneously charging at him from his blind spots.

Jimin couldn't see them, but his heightened spatial awareness had managed to pick up their presence. I can't dodge this normally. Instinctively, he activated 'Moment of the Skillmaster'. This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The rushing dark blades instantly seemed to slow down for him. Wasting no time, Jimin desperately manifested a 'Telekinetic Barrier' around him, the blades stopping in their tracks. But his counter shattered before it could even begin.

His daggers slammed directly into the charging robed figure. But instead of drawing blood, the weapons thrust through cleanly, the figure dispersing into a shadowy red mist. Before Jimin could even process what was happening- Tshhhk! With a sickening tearing sound, Jimin's feet violently lifted off the ground, blood scattering out of his chest.

His entire torso bent backward into a curve, as a jagged, vertical wound became visible near the center of his chest through his cracked armor, as if something had thrusted straight through his back with great force. Blood gushed out of Jimin's mouth. He let out a strangled groan.

"What…"

'Pain Regulation' had instantly reduced his perceived pain by a great deal. But the still sharp cramp-like pain left no room for doubt. It was indeed an absolute lethal blow. But Jimin didn't have to race his mind to understand what just happened, as Mimi's frantic warning exploded directly inside his head,"Warning! You have been stabbed through your back, Master. Lethal injury detected in both spine and central chest area.

'Regenerative Healing' is in function." Right then, a jet-black dagger slowly shimmered into existence, sticking right out of his bloody chest wound, making it clear that the dagger and the man had been invisible the whole time. Jimin refused to die like this. Gritting his teeth, he tried to recall his daggers to slice his attacker, the fingers of his right hand twitching by pure instinct. But at that moment, with another sharp slashing sound, a splash of blood scattered into the dirt.

Jimin watched in absolute horror as his own right arm flew through the air, severed cleanly just below the elbow. His jaw clenched tightly, his eyes widening from the brief sharp pain. He let out a groan, as this time the pain was even more intense.

"Warning! Master, you have lost a limb," Mimi spoke up. The next second, the black dagger was violently pulled out of his chest. Without any support left, Jimin collapsed flat on his face. He lay there, gasping desperately for air. Crimson stains rapidly spread across his cloak and the dirt beneath him. Jimin tilted his head, staring at his severed arm resting just a meter ahead of him on the grass. He tried to push his body up using his remaining left hand, but the attacker's shadow loomed over him once more.

But with two more slashes, his ankles were also cut in an instant. His legs went entirely numb, leaving him completely paralyzed in the dirt, unable to move a single inch. All this time, Jimin had had his 'Telekinetic Barrier' and 'Moment of the Skillmaster' activated. Yet, even though his spatial awareness had picked up some extremely faint traces, he had no time to block or dodge. Offense was useless. How could he attack something he couldn't even see or sense?

One thing became clear to Jimin that this man was extremely dangerous… and fast. He was just toying with him. His face twisted, as he took a quick glance at his status screen. Shit! HP is down to 127. One more hit and he was dead. But then, Jimin noticed the numbers slowly ticking up, one by one. So, at least regeneration was doing its job. It helped him calm down a little, but it was far from enough to survive. He clicked his tongue. Tch… I can't even activate 'Regenerative Healing's active mode right now.

If I heal myself in front of him, he will just cut me down again. Jimin groaned as he somehow managed to curl his body slightly into a defensive position. Ditching all thoughts of offense, he focused the full power of his telekinesis onto his barrier, wrapping it tightly around his entire body. He was going full turtle mode. But even after a few agonizing seconds, no attack came. Jimin was at edge. Why isn't he attacking?

Suddenly, with a menacing laugh, the man materialized directly in front of him out of thin air. Traces of shadowy red mist lingered around his robed figure for a moment. Jimin's eyes narrowed, locking onto the attacker.

"You're quite resilient, ja?" a young male voice escaped from beneath the dark hood, speaking in English with a distinct foreign accent.

"You seemed to be the strongest member of your party… I simply had to take you out. No hard feelings." The remarks startled Jimin. He wasn't very proficient in English, but he could still catch a few familiar words. English? Is he a foreigner?

"Yes, the person is speaking English. Would you like me to translate?" Mimi spoke up. You can?

"Yes, I have access to every language available within Earth's system." Jimin was impressed, but he was in no position to express it. Then translate. Fast.

"Translating…" Mimi replied.

"You-" the man started to say something. But suddenly, a familiar, crackling golden line appeared out of nowhere. It expanded instantly, opening a large, ring-like portal beside the man. Its swirling interior was pitch black. Jimin's gaze sharpened. So that's the portal.

"Ugh… Such an impatient guy. Things were just getting fun," the man murmured in an annoyed tone. He turned and walked toward the portal. Jimin's eyes narrowed, his brows twisting. Is he talking about some other guy? Does that mean he didn't open the portal? And there's another or more people like him in here? His eyes widened, as the realization came over him. The danger was beyond what he had imagined. Right before entering, the man stopped and looked back at Jimin.

"I don't know if you can understand what I'm saying… I Don't give a damn," the man said in a low, threatening tone, a blackish-red energy beginning to seep off him. It instantly caught Jimin's attention, as he sensed how ominous it was. It felt strangely familiar to him.

"There's no fun in killing you quickly… Just slowly bleed to death," the man continued, the ominous energy becoming even more intense.

"Or if I see you alive when I come back to check… I'll cut off the rest of your limbs and rip your ass open." Mimi had been translating everything directly into his mind, but Jimin wasn't paying any heed to the threats. His focus was entirely locked onto the ominous energy he was radiating. He finally remembered where he had felt it before. This energy… It's just like those kidnappers back in the alley. But this is way more intense. Jimin immediately cast 'Inspect' on him.

A system window popped up, buffering wildly before turning red with a text warning: [ERROR! Unknown Energy detected]"But before that…"

the man said, before turning back to the portal.

"I'll pay your party a visit." Jimin no longer had any doubt or any patience left. That single remark snapped his last nerve.

"Hey!" he shouted. The shout successfully caught the robed man's attention. The man stopped in his tracks and turned his head around.

"Who… Do you work for?" Jimin shouted with serious enough intent, pouring everything he had into the words. ['Interrogation' has been activated.] The robed man just quietly stared at him for a brief moment.

"What?" he said in a disgusted tone.

"Why would I tell you? Go die in suspense." But then-"Ugh…" he muttered, suddenly pressing his hand against his temple.

"What the hell was that sharp pain for a second… Maybe I didn't sleep well," he murmured, shaking his head, as he turned around, and walked straight into the pitch-black portal. The golden ring snapped shut, vanishing into thin air right after he entered. Left alone in the quiet field, with his wide eyes, Jimin just stared ahead at the red notification window floating in the fog. ['Interrogation' has failed.]