Chương 29: AFTERMATH

Yesterday during dinner- Jimin sat at the long dining table with the rest of the kids from the orphanage, his metal spoon clinking softly against a chipped ceramic plate. The overhead lights cast a pale glow over the hall, reflecting off the worn wooden surface that had seen decades of restless hands and spilled soups. Once, he had been the youngest here. Now, without really noticing when it happened, he had become the most senior among them. Most of the older kids he used to look up to had already moved out.

Some had gone to academies. Some had joined guilds. A few had simply vanished into the messy reality of adulthood. It was a silent reminder that this place was only temporary - even if it had once felt like his whole world. He had a decent relationship with all the kids still here, but he wasn't particularly close to any of them. Not because he disliked them. He just… didn't have the emotional room for it. He'd spent too long worrying about bills, school, work shifts, and survival to really invest in friendships.

For a long time, he had simply been… tired, quiet and withdrawn. Depressed in a way that he couldn't explain. But lately- Something was changing. He didn't consciously notice it yet, but small things were shifting. The way he responded to people. The way his eyes didn't immediately drop to the floor anymore. The changes in his life had started to change his personality bit by bit. The dining hall television hung on the far wall, playing news nonstop, 24/7.

Most households had switched to personalized feeds, but the orphanage kept this channel for emergency alerts and public announcements. It was background noise most of the time; an endless stream of stock tickers, weather warnings, traffic accidents, crime reports and rift related news. Jimin scooped up a spoonful of rice and curry. Then the channel's tone abruptly changed. A sharp jingle played.

'Prime News'. A well-dressed anchor appeared on screen; his expression was serious; his voice was clear and composed.

"Breaking news. Earlier today, a sudden Rift outbreak occurred near the Yeoksam underground parking complex, close to Gangnam Bus Station. Fortunately, it was an E-rank Rift. However, there have still been seven confirmed casualties, with dozens more injured." Jimin's hand froze mid-air. The anchor continued.

"It is unprecedented. It's the first E-rank Rift outbreak after the Great Catastrophe. There's not been a single incident like this in the last century. High level Rift outbreaks are the only precedent. According to the National Rift Association's preliminary investigation, the gate appeared inside an abandoned underground parking facility. Due to its concealed location, the initial manifestation went unnoticed by surveillance and detection systems, eventually leading to the outbreak."

Jimin slowly lowered his spoon back onto his plate. So that's how it happened…

"Authorities are now reviewing and monitoring blind spots across metropolitan areas to prevent future incidents. Stay with us for further updates. Moving on to the next story. A rogue Manaborn was…" The TV shifted to a different report, but Jimin barely heard it. An E-rank gate should have been cleared easily. There should have been response teams, early detection alarms, patrol units. But it still went unnoticed. Because it was underground? Something about that made his stomach twist. Even so…

how did it really manage to slip through the Association's net like that? Their surveillance grid was supposed to be airtight. Something feels off. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. His fingers tightened around his spoon. Before he could sink deeper into his thoughts, a voice cut in from across the table.

"Hyung." Jimin looked up. A boy around fifteen was staring at him, eyes sparkling with barely contained excitement.

"I heard you got caught up in that Rift outbreak." The chatter around the table faltered slightly. Side glances were exchanged. Jimin blinked.

"What?"

"I heard you even fought monsters." Whispers immediately followed.

"What?"

"Seriously?"

"That's crazy…" Jimin gave him a confused look.

"Who told you that?" he asked. The boy hesitated.

"I-I overheard your conversation with Mrs. Han." Jimin stiffened.

"So it's true?" the boy pressed.

"That's so cool, Hyung." The whispers grew louder.

"Did you really fight monsters?"

"Did you get hurt?" Jimin wasn't used to this. Here, he was just… Jimin. The quiet older kid who studied a lot and worked part-time. Not someone worth staring at. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah… yeah, it's true." A ripple of excitement ran through the table.

"I want to be a Rifter too," the boy said quickly.

"I want to fight monsters. Like you." Several voices chimed in.

"Me too!"

"Me too!" Jimin paused. He looked at their wide eyes, their unbroken optimism, their reckless dreams. Once, he had been just like them. He smiled faintly.

"We all will."

"YEAH!!" Their cheer echoed against the hall's walls. A strange warmth filled his chest. ———————————————————————————————— 【Unusual Heightened Positive Emotional State Detected】 The Manaborn is experiencing an unusually heightened positive emotional state. Reward: +55 LP Total LP: 1355 ———————————————————————————————— After the noise died down, he quietly finished his meal. Another notification popped up.

———————————————————————————————— 【Hunger Satiated】 Reward: +12 LP Total LP: 1367 ———————————————————————————————— He stared at the numbers. Hmm… The new skills are already showing effects. The food gave two extra LP than usual… and the emotion one gave five extra. That's it? These skills don't even have any levels. So these are flat bonuses. Not much, but… better than nothing. —------- After washing up, he returned to his room and locked the door. He dropped his bag onto the bed and opened it carefully.

His fingers brushed cold metal. He slowly pulled out two daggers. The stolen trophies. He had managed to smuggle them out during the chaos. Huff… Somehow managed to sneak these out. I hope no one saw me. Monsters don't drop resources in this world; only inside rifts. The only exceptions are the weapons, gears and artifacts they carry here. Weapons dropped by monsters during a rift outbreak are legally properties of the National Rifter Association.

It was to prevent the unregulated spread of rift weapons in the economy and to preserve public safety. These weapons are commissioned to the Appraiser's Federation for appraisal and registration. Then, they are available for sales and distribution. Unregistered rift weapons were illegal. So, what Jimin had done was illegal. But the thing is that there's no way to identify, if a weapon is registered or not, unless it is directly examined. Which meant… he could use them. As long as he stayed careful.

Jimin thought as he grinned, As a wise man once said, 'Not illegal until caught'. Why would I give it up, when I risked my life there. It's not like rift outbreaks happen that often. And I am not gonna be in the middle of one every time. Without wasting any time, he quickly appraised one of the daggers. A window with the details popped up: —-------------------------------------- Name: Goblin Dagger Category: Weapon Type: Dagger Rank: E Description: A crude but well-balanced blade commonly used by goblin scouts.

Stats: STR +1, AGI +3 Damage: 25–35 Effect: Minor Bleed (low chance to cause shallow bleeding wounds) Durability: 56/100 —-------------------------------------- As expected, it is slightly better than the trainee gears I used. But the durability has reduced a lot. Still, I can't even take it to an Artisan. Not only would it cost a lot, but I could be exposed as well. Tch… I will figure something out. He appraised the other dagger as well. It was similar to the first one.

He put them in his bag and hid the bag in his small wardrobe. —------- This morning- Jimin woke up early as usual. He freshened up, and then took his daggers from the bag. And then, he left for his training. As he ran toward his destination, he no longer felt tired like before. This time, his steps were lighter and breathing steadier. He ran to his training with new plans to try and experiment.