Chương 99: THE FINAL EVALUATION (2)

Jimin recalled that the only other time he had received 30 LP for killing a goblin was during the Rift outbreak. A sense of fear and anxiety began to quell up in his heart. Is it just a coincidence? Maybe temporary rifts are a different case… Or something is actually wrong? Suddenly, Mimi's voice echoed inside his head.

"The experience points gained from killing the goblins were 30% higher than usual. I am also detecting irregularities in the surrounding mana… This is not normal." The information absolutely shocked Jimin. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he forced himself to remain composed. Are you sure?

"Yes." Jimin was at a loss. It couldn't be an outbreak. He was inside a Rift right now. What's happening all of sudden? His breath hitched for a split second, as a realization flashed through his mind. A drop of cold sweat began to slide down his temple. Is it that thing…? That's when a growing sense of panic slowly tightened around his chest. Rift Corruption. A phenomenon in which a Rift's mana suddenly became unstable, causing the Rift itself to mutate, skyrocketing its danger level. Not much was known about it.

The only thing certain was that getting trapped inside one was almost certainly a death sentence. Because, once it occurred, escape or entry was impossible until the Rift was cleared. But Rift Corruption was so rare that most nations had never even experienced a confirmed case since the appearance of the Rifts. For most people, the possibility wouldn't even cross their minds. But it was different for Jimin. Because it shared a personal connection to him. A memory, a source of pain, loss, and trauma.

After all, it was the cause of the very accident that turned him into an orphan. Jimin's emotions spiraled out of control. A Rift Corruption! His thoughts became scattered. He couldn't think straight. His breathing grew heavier as panic began to overwhelm him.

"Warning, Master! Your heart rate has increased sharply. Your nervous system is overwhelmed," Mimi warned immediately, her voice echoing through his mind. The warning did its job, snapping Jimin back to reality. He started taking slow breaths and somehow managed to gather his thoughts, slowly calming down. What is this absurd situation? This is dangerous. But he was not alone in this. His eyes drifted across his party members; his friends.

Their faces expressed confident smiles, completely unaware of the situation they were in. Jimin clenched his fists. He just couldn't figure out how to inform them. I should observe the situation for now. I can't have them panicking right now. He wasn't even completely certain himself. So, he turned to his only source of support at the moment. Mimi, keep monitoring my surroundings. Give me updates, if you notice significant changes.

"Understood, Master."

"Let's move forward, guys," Yu-jun said, taking the lead.

"Wait," said Jimin. His abrupt voice made everyone stop. Every pair of eyes turned toward him.

"Something feels off here," Jimin said in a serious tone.

"We should be careful going forward." The whole party's expressions immediately changed.

"What-" Yu-jun tried to ask something, but stopped mid-sentence. He was curious, but it was Jimin who was saying this, the strongest member of the party, the person who had repeatedly proven that his instincts were worth trusting. The others seemed to reach the same conclusion. No one questioned him. Everyone simply nodded. If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. By then, the goblins' corpses had already vanished, leaving behind only their mana cores.

As Jimin's gaze fell upon those, a thought suddenly crossed his mind. The mana cores might reveal something. He extended his hand and one of the mana cores immediately flew into his palm. And he instantly used 'Appraisal' on it. But It turned out to be just a normal E-rank mana core. Jimin stared at it for a moment, as he didn't know what to make of it, whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Or both. At least there's nothing unusual about it. After collecting all of the cores, the party advanced forward.

They walked deeper into the dense forest as the fog gradually thickened around them. But this time, something about the party had changed. Their confident march had slightly turned into cautious steps. And Jimin- He just couldn't shake off the feeling that deeper inside the Rift, something was waiting for them.

Meanwhile, at the Underground Emergency Assembly Hall below the Association building- The air buzzed with a tense, low chatter. Members of the nation's top guilds had gathered down there, fully geared and waiting to be portaled to their destination. Among all of them, the three S-ranks naturally stood out the most. Yoo Hwa-rin, The Flame Queen, Guild Leader of the Crimson Tower Guild. Han Ji-won, The Heavenly Dragon, Guild Leader of the Heavenly Dragon Guild.

And the last and the least, Baek Sang-hoon, Guild Leader of the Iron Blood Guild. It was definitely not just because they were the ones standing at the very front of the massive crowd. But due to the dense mana they radiated.

"So, those two couldn't come?" Sang-hoon sneered, crossing his heavy, armored arms.

"No," Hwa-rin replied coldly, not even glancing at him.

"Min-seok and Seo Min-woo are both on Raids currently."

"Tch," Sang-hoon clicked his tongue. But in his mind, he couldn't help but grin. Good thing that summoner isn't here. The monster wave should take longer to clear now. However-"Could you just shut up?" Ji-won sneered back, his expression clearly annoyed.

"Their guilds are here to make up for their absence. Besides, we're more than enough to clear a damn monster wave." The veins on Sang-hoon's head bulged immediately.

"You-" Before things could escalate, Tae Won-shik clapped his hands loudly, immediately grabbing everyone's attention.

"Your portals will be ready within a minute, so please cross through quickly," he announced, his authoritative voice instantly silencing the hall.

"And, if possible, finish it as soon as you can," he added, his eyes briefly meeting Ji-won's.

"Good luck, everyone." Right then- Two men and a woman, wearing sleek suits and official Association badges stepped forward. The Teleporters. They took their positions at the front and raised their hands. The space in front of them began to distort. And within moments, three circular portals slowly tore open in the middle of the hall. Its edges shimmered with swirling blue mana, stabilizing into perfect, shimmering rings. Through the translucent surface of the portals, the destination was clearly visible.

A heavily fortified military base near the border in Paju.

"Let's finish this quickly," Ji-won said, advancing forward without a second thought. Sang-hoon's face twitched slightly. Let's not. Regardless of their internal politics, the gathered Rifters moved like a well-oiled machine, quickly crossing through the portals, vanishing from the hall. Won-shik simply watched from behind with a sharp gaze. Another unusual occurrence… Are they the one behind this?

Back inside the Rift, the party clashed against a few more groups of goblins, navigating past a series of lousy traps. But Jimin had deliberately taken a backseat during these encounters, letting his party lead the assault entirely. He just wanted to observe, if his party members would eventually notice something unusual on their own. And soon, his anticipation bore fruit. Min-su thrust his sword straight through the heart of the last goblin of its group.

It let out a deafening shriek and collapsed to the ground, as Min-su instantly pulled his sword back.

"Tch," Min-su clicked his tongue, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"Is it just me, or have the goblins gotten a bit tougher? They are usually so easy to cut down." Yu-jun shook his head in firm agreement, lowering his shield with a heavy breath.

"Yeah. Their attacks felt a bit heavier than usual." Jimin was right behind them, and their remarks made things completely clear to him. His expression became serious. This is it. There's actually something wrong. I need to tell them right now. But before he could utter even a single word, a strange, subtle, tingling sensation spread rapidly through his whole body. It was for a brief moment, but it felt like static electricity dancing over his skin.

He instinctively reacted, frantically checking his own body and his immediate surroundings. But then he noticed something. It was not just him. The whole party had felt the exact same sensation. Their eyes drifted around, looking at each other in confusion. Nobody understood what was happening. Then-"Master, I am sensing further irregularities in the surrounding mana," Mimi warned suddenly. What?

"A sudden surge of unstable mana has been detected. Be cautious." Jimin was at an absolute loss. He couldn't figure out what to do. Everything was happening fast. Too fast. It was simply too overwhelming for him. But before he could even think straight, Mimi spoke again.

"Monsters detected ahead. Within 90 meters." What now!

"Moving faster than usual… 70 meters." Shit! Jimin instantly activated 'Hawkeye' to look ahead, forcing his vision to pierce through the thickening fog. But the moment he saw what was coming, his expression froze. There weren't any goblins. Instead, he witnessed short, wolf-like, bipedal creatures wearing scrappy, rusted gear rushing toward his party. They numbered in a dozen. Their eyes were slightly red, thick saliva dripped from their bared fangs, and their faces wore a crazy, feral expression of pure bloodlust.

Jimin just stared at them in disbelief. Kobolds!