Chương 4: Rift

Ch 4 - Rift Evan stared blankly at the screen before him for a second before he felt goosebumps all over his body. He whipped his head around, expecting something to appear behind him, but there was nothing. Seeing him suddenly so tense, Yuyan asked, "What's wrong?"

"I think… we should leave," Evan said.

"Leave? What are you talking about?" Yuyan said.

"Did you see something wrong?"

"No… I—" Evan cut himself off. There was no way he could tell the truth to Yuyan.

"I need to go to the toilet." The only thing on Evan's mind was that he had to get away from here. He wasn't sure what would happen with the curse suddenly triggering, but he certainly didn't want to find out. Maybe a meteor would fall from the sky, or maybe monsters would suddenly leap past the walls and into the training field. Yet the moment Evan took a step, he felt his foot slip on a nearby rock and he fell down.

"Ouch!"

"Evan!" Yuyan tried to pick him up. Marcus, who was heading back from his spar with Harlan, also ran toward his two friends.

"Are you okay?" Marcus said.

"I'm fi—!" Evan said. Krrsssk! Evan stiffened. The three teens turned their heads toward the source of the sound. Floating right above them was a distortion in the air, like shattered glass suspended midair. The edges rippled and pulsed as if something on the other side was pressing against the boundary.

"It's a Rift!"

"Get away!"

"Kids, move out of there right now!" Harlan shouted as he tossed aside his wooden weapon and dashed toward them. Yuyan and Marcus pulled Evan upright, and the three students tried to scramble away. But they had barely taken a step before the Rift pulsed and stretched open. A powerful gust of wind burst out with a violent suction force.

"Save me!" Yuyan shouted as the three of them were lifted into the air as if they weighed nothing. The portal flashed as it consumed them.

"No!" Harlan screamed, and without hesitation flung himself into the Rift. Evan had never imagined he would experience entering a gate. Though he couldn't remember his own birth, he suspected the sensation might be similar. His body felt squished, stretched, and pulled apart all at once. Pressure crushed him from every direction, so intense that for a moment he thought he might burst like some grotesque balloon filled with blood and entrails. Then, just as suddenly as it began, the sensation vanished.

He was falling. Crash! Evan yelped as he hit the ground on his back, clutching the sore, throbbing spot. Pushing through the pain, he stood up and looked around, finding himself alone inside an unknown forest. Seeing that Yuyan and Marcus weren't with him, the portal must have spat them out in different locations.

"You bastard System!" Evan shouted, giving the air a middle finger.

"This has to be your fault, right! And that damned curse too! How else would that Rift literally open right behind me!" In response, the System said: [(๑˃ڡ˂๑)] Evan raised another middle finger at the floating screen. Five seconds passed before Evan managed to calm his anger by taking several deep breaths. Calm down, as a transmigrator he really should have expected something like this to happen… really, he should have. But wasn't this a bit too pointed? Huh?

Wasn't the bad luck protagonist encounter usually something more subtle, like accidentally stumbling on some hidden scheme the villain had set up, not literally having a Rift open behind him and sucking him in? Who the heck cursed him? And why was this guy out to get him? Evan was sure he hadn't crossed anyone with that level of power. He was just a poor guy barely managing to get by working minimum wage jobs. When would he have time to offend an all-powerful being? What?

Did the guy waste time on webnovel forums and Evan offended him with his sharp and heated words online? That couldn't be it… could it? With those questions left unanswered, Evan turned his attention to his surroundings. At first, he thought he had simply been dropped into an ordinary forest. But as he approached one of the trees, the bark seemed to shift in color before his eyes, dark green one moment, then fading to ash gray or bruised purple the next.

Higher up, the leaves moved in an unnatural rhythm, not stirred by the wind but writhing as though they had a life of their own. This was definitely not Earth. Evan stretched his hearing, trying to locate any possible monsters nearby, and found everything silent. Recalling the rules he had read about emergencies like this, what he should do was stay in one spot and hope rescuers would find him. So Evan picked a spot away from any trees and settled down.

He glanced at the grass under him, seeing it curling and twisting, reminding him of corkscrew grass. It seemed relatively normal, unlike the trees around him, which made him not dare to touch anything. Wrapping his arms around his bent knees, he wondered if Reid had been notified about him going missing. Would Reid come and save him? Unlikely. Even if Reid was Reuel, the man was just an unawakened civilian. There was no way he could storm into a Rift.

Evan could only hope that the government would send capable Awakeners to rescue them. Minutes passed as he stared blankly ahead until a system window appeared once more without his prompting. He stiffened at the sight and read: [The Curse of ■■■■■■ stirs.]"Are you threatening me?" Evan asked. Did the System not like him sitting on his butt here and doing nothing? Too bad for it, because Evan had no desire to play hero. He knew his limitations well, and he certainly couldn't clear a dungeon like this.

He didn't even know what rank this Rift was. Even if it was only a D-rank dungeon, it would still be impossible for him to clear. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. No way. Let the professionals handle this. Noticing his resistance, the System displayed another window. [New Quest!] [Objective: Clear the irregular B-rank dungeon] [Time Limit: 24: 00: 00] [Reward: ■■■■■■] Evan narrowed his eyes at the new information. An irregular dungeon?

The term was all too familiar. Setting aside the fact that this was supposedly only a B-rank dungeon, which was already far too dangerous for him to be trapped in, the word irregular made it even worse. Such dungeons were notorious for harboring anomalies or threats far beyond what their assigned rank suggested.

"And what's with that reward?" Evan asked, pointing a finger at the frustratingly blacked-out boxes. First, the name of the guy who cursed him was censored, and now even the reward was hidden.

"Are you messing with me?" [(￢3￢)] A vein throbbed at Evan's temple. Oh, how he would love to smack the System in the face. Unfortunately, he doubted the damned thing even had a corporeal form.

"No thanks. Not interested," Evan said, crossing his arms.

"Like I said, I'm just a useless, no-good webnovel reader. I'm not cut out to be a hero. And don't you already have one? Reid. That guy's a reincarnator. Why don't you stick to him?" Evan genuinely couldn't understand why he had been chosen when there was already a perfect candidate in this world. If Reid was truly Reuel, then that man would easily save the world. He would defeat every enemy with his endless talent and charm countless people into becoming his comrades.

He was the classic protagonist through and through, the kind with upright morals and limitless potential. Earth would be in safe hands if Reid became the protagonist. If it were Evan in his place, though? Best-case scenario, he would die very quickly. Worst-case scenario, he would probably become the reason the world ended. So yeah. No thanks. The System flashed the warning once more. [The Curse of ■■■■■■ stirs.]"I don't care. I'm not moving from this damn spot," Evan growled before squeezing his eyes shut.

Probably a bad idea considering he was in the middle of a dungeon, but at least with his eyes closed, he didn't have to look at the System anymore. A minute or so passed in silence. Evan was tempted to open his eyes several times, afraid that a monster would jump out from the shadows and maul him, but he held on through sheer stubbornness. If he died, then so be it, he convinced himself.

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!" The scream jolted Evan into alarm. His eyes flew open and he stood up, turning his head toward the source. In the distance, he saw Yuyan running toward him, with a wolf behind her. Its dark fur was matted and uneven. Six glowing yellow eyes burned beneath a heavy brow, and rows of jagged teeth protruded from its muzzle.

"Evaaaaan! Save meeeee!" Yuyan shouted. Evan stared at the scene for another heartbeat before running the other way at full speed.

"Why are you running from me!" Yuyan screamed as she chased after him.

"Why are you following me! What do you expect me to do?! I can't beat that thing!" Evan shouted back.

"Aren't you a guy! You should help a damsel in distress!"

"Damn you, I'm in distress right now because of you!"

"I thought we were friends!"

"Do you know that when running away from bears, you don't have to outrun the bear? You just need to be faster than the slowest person!"

"You heartless bastard!" Yuyan screamed. The wolf growled and swiped at her. Yuyan shrieked and, fueled by pure panic, sped up. To Evan's horror, she began overtaking him.

"You asshole!" Evan screamed as he heard the wolf closing in behind him.

"It's your turn to deal with it!" Yuyan shouted back. Evan pumped his legs harder and surged ahead. A heartbeat later, Yuyan shot past him again. They traded the lead again and again, each desperate not to be the one closest to the wolf. Behind them came its snarls and the occasional snap of its jaws. Skrrt! Yuyan's foot slipped on a slick tree root jutting out from the ground.

"Ugh!" she screamed as she crashed hard. Evan skidded to a stop, looking back in horror as the wolf caught up. Despite being a wolf, it was surprisingly slower than expected, but it was still closing in. If they kept running, it might even be possible to escape and hide once they got far enough, but Yuyan had fallen. Run. This was his chance. If he ran now, the wolf would definitely turn its attention to Yuyan. In a dungeon like this, someone dying wouldn't be unusual. No one would blame him.

No one would know he had abandoned her. It was her fault for getting chased in the first place. He had been fine just sitting there alone. Run. Run. Run, you moron! Yet Evan's feet stayed planted, heavy as lead.

"I do not fear being wounded. Even if my body is pierced by countless swords, I will endure it. If my sacrifice allows another person to live, then it will have been worth everything." It was what Reuel had said back then, standing before the Demon King. Idealistic words from a typical protagonist, the kind Evan used to scoff at while reading. It was stupid. Only an idiot or a fictional protagonist would say something like that. Everyone was selfish. Everyone cared only about themselves.

Constantly risking your life for others was the height of foolishness. So why was it echoing in his head now? Are you stupid? You're just a civilian. You're not an Awakener. It's impossible. The best thing you can do is run. Nobody will blame you. Nobody will know. Evan moved. His hand grabbed a nearby branch and snapped it off. Stop. He ran toward the wolf. Stop it! He pointed the sharpened end of the branch toward it.

Evan had heard stories about mothers lifting cars to save their children and soldiers pushing through grievous wounds. He had never known how much of it was true. Now, with his heart pounding and adrenaline coursing through his veins, he finally understood. Instinct had seized control, leaving his body to move before his thoughts could catch up. The moment the wolf lunged at the fallen Yuyan, he saw the opening, crossed the distance in a single leap, and thrust his makeshift weapon into its gaping jaws.

"Aaaargh!" Evan screamed as he drove forward. The wolf struggled against the unexpected branch lodged in its mouth, swinging its claws wildly at him. Evan kept pushing, driving it deeper and deeper until it pierced straight into the wolf's brain. Shnk! The wolf's body hung in the air for a second before Evan's arms finally shook, as if only then realizing how heavy the monster he was holding up was. He let go of the tree branch and dropped to his knees.

Staring at his scratched and trembling fingers, he heard Yuyan begin to cry softly.

"Evan! I knew you would save me!" Yuyan cried out as she wiped at her tears and snot. Evan pressed a palm against his forehead and said, "Yeah, whatever. Just shut up. If you make too much noise, you're going to draw more monsters and we really can't—" Suddenly, a buzzing noise came from above. Evan's head snapped up. Several winged creatures hovered overhead. At first glance, they appeared small and deceptively delicate, but the longer he stared, the more unsettling they became.

Thin, spindly limbs supported semi-translucent bodies that glowed faintly in the dim light, while veined wings buzzed with a soft, irregular hum. Their faces were almost human, yet oversized eyes reflected the light like polished beads. Beneath them, impossibly wide smiles lingered, as though they shared a joke no one else could understand.

"Oh shit."