Incomplete Rift -1-
Pandora was fleeing Academy City at full speed.
The artifact had already exhausted its lifespan, so someone must have sensed the ominous aura leaking from her.
Even so, Pandora felt more relief at confirming her promising hypothesis than any sense of crisis.
She couldn't have let this opportunity slip away—who knew when the next one would come?
If she'd missed today and this hypothesis was all that remained? If the flow reappeared in Academy City, she wouldn't have been able to act as quietly as she had today.
Having burned through a precious artifact, she'd have no choice but to stir chaos with her underlings and force her way in for confirmation, even if it turned into a war of attrition.
She was savoring that satisfaction just as she escaped the city limits.
A greatsword wreathed in flames hurtled toward her at insane speed.
"How frightening."
Pandora curled her lips into a smirk.
A thick mass surged from her shadow, tangling with the projectile and slowing it down.
Dodging the greatsword, Pandora landed on the quiet road.
At the same time, the greatsword returned to its owner.
Today's turning into a day of massive losses beyond the verification. I hate dealing with annoyances.
Obstacles entered Pandora's field of vision.
The first to arrive at overwhelming speed was Juyeon, the greatsword's owner.
Pandora had already identified the approaching figures closing in.
No academy head, as expected. They said his health's been declining with age—is that true? Or is he stationed inside with others to guard it?
Following Juyeon were current academy instructors Carrot and Ed.
And that middle-aged man with the pot-lid-sized fists was one of the security officers rumored to be the next chief of public safety.
"I'm exploding with popularity today? Even reinforcements from afar."
No one responded to Pandora's words.
The four kept their eyes locked on her while exchanging information.
"Woman I've never seen. Not on any wanted posters."
"Same here."
"Who is she? She reeks of danger."
"Restrain her first. We need to interrogate how she infiltrated so deep."
Pandora, listening quietly, burst into giggles.
She might not win, but she was confident she could slip away from here.
The moment Rohan saw where Pandora had vanished, a throbbing headache hit him.
His skull felt like it was splitting open.
Was this situation a success or a failure?
Ha...
He'd mixed in some gestures during his conversation with Pandora, dragging out his words slowly to play the fool.
Even so, the exchange had been laced with extreme tension.
The time he'd perceived felt like hours, honestly.
His mind was heavy, as if dehydrated.
He was exhausted.
Mental fatigue had piled up to an extreme degree.
Executing the experiment will prevent a greater catastrophe.
He hadn't even had time to deeply grasp the quest's content.
Judging there was no time, he'd approached Pandora and done his best on the fly.
Getting any friendlier might have revealed the disgust he harbored inside.
That loathing wouldn't allow overly affectionate behavior.
"..."
Rohan's eyes turned to the shopping mall ceiling.
The space had torn open wide and narrow, like it had been slashed.
An incomplete gap. He spotted a monster he recognized.
Morbid Frame.
A humanoid monster trapped in an antique frame, with pitch-black hands protruding as it hovered low. Its creepy face shifted within the frame.
Obviously, nothing human lurked inside the frame.
Just a beast that seized people with both hands, devouring them into the frame.
Not a high level. Even in numbers, they're manageable.
People looking up at the shopping mall ceiling screamed.
— Kyaaah!!!
— M-monster!!!
Was this dimensional rift Pandora's experiment from the quest, or not?
Could humans create dimensional rifts? Or could they be artificially induced even if natural phenomena?
Curiosity welled up, but the immediate task was clear.
Stop it.
Rohan pocketed the credit card he'd used as bait, then drew Brilliance from his back with a shring!
The moment he gripped the brand in his left hand, a notification appeared.
Reward Acquired
It's been a minute already. But this counts as success...?
Safer than Pandora rampaging herself, sure.
But a dimensional rift opening now felt absurdly like things had gone well.
[Restricted Video #1 (Non-Personnel Only) - Partial Censorship Lifted - Viewable]
The rewards waited patiently without interrupting. Rohan headed toward the railing.
The dimensional rift hadn't fully opened.
It was splitting slowly, lazily, like a beast's maw.
Something felt off about its shape. Unfinished.
...Different from other rifts.
Normal dimensional rifts burst open, spilling monsters before you could block them. No clean tear—just ragged space.
But this one was different.
Opening at a turtle's pace, monsters writhed, stuck halfway.
Good—they'd need time to emerge.
Rohan double-checked his ammo types, rushed preparations, and racked his brain.
This rift opening blocks a future catastrophe?
Was that really the meaning?
He had no idea.
How is this current mess a win?
Thinking that, he racked the pistol slide to finish prepping.
He smashed the nearby red alarm, setting it blaring.
Dee-dee-ree-ring—!!!
People inside stores might not have seen the monster or heard the screams.
Basic protocol.
The moment Rohan aimed at the rift to take down a monster.
His phone buzzed wildly.
"Tch..."
This guy was probably in the mall too. Almost certainly.
Couldn't ignore the call.
He answered, and a voice like a boiled train whistle boomed.
— Rohaaaan!!! Major crisis!!!
"Hey. You still inside the mall?"
— Of course! You too?!
"Calm down. Use that big voice for once. Evacuate people like the instructors taught. Tell your buddy next to you to call public safety."
— Got it! Leave it to me! Emily's already calling them!
Satisfied, Rohan hung up.
The call ended, and Gilbert's voice thundered through the mall.
"Everyone, stay caaaalm!!! I'll protect you—just keep order!!!"
Rohan smirked, raising the brand.
Mana-infused ammo targeted a frame thrashing with both arms out.
Bang!
The bullet pierced the frame.
A crack spiderwebbed across the Morbid Frame's glass.
— Kraaaah!!!
The grotesque face screeched through the split glass, spewing black liquid.
No points came.
Not dead. Good enough.
Confirmed—no need for Weakness Infliction.
Flying was annoying, but slicing them in half would kill for sure.
The rift widened slowly, revealing writhing Morbid Frames inside.
Frames storing hideous faces tangled disgustingly.
He swapped the normal mag for mana explosion rounds.
No time to conserve. Perfect moment.
...Way over a hundred? Wish Sion and Clara were here.
He missed his comrades this much. Felt lonely.
"O-oppa...!"
Was heaven listening to his wish?
Amid the chaotic screams and Gilbert's bellows.
A voice came at a timing straight out of a hallucination.
"Rohan. Providing support."
Four girls descended from the upper floor.
Sion landed and opened her case, swiftly assembling her rifle into her favored sniper.
She slammed in a mag of heavy rounds.
Clack!
Rohan snapped out of his daze as Sion racked the bolt decisively.
These girls weren't illusions.
"...Why are you all here?"
"W-well..."
Clara averted her eyes shyly, sadness fading now that she was close.
She spun her balisong one-handed, drew her thigh-holstered pistol, and went silent.
Ichinose answered instead.
"We were shopping here."
"Yeah, something like that."
Noah shrugged with a grin, speaking for her.
"Rohan. Using explosion rounds first. Minimizing external impact."
Rohan nodded at Sion's report, stroking Clara's head as she stuck close.
He'd hesitated, worried heavy firepower might hasten the rift's expansion.
With this crew, they could handle any number of Morbid Frames.
"Aim as deep inside as possible, please. Want to thin them out before they emerge."
"Mm."
Sion lowered her goggles and calmly squeezed the trigger.
— Kwaang! More explosion than gunshot. The massive round tore through the air.
It burrowed into the shallow rift and detonated.
+7P
+7P
+7P
+7P
...
A point festival for Rohan.
Sion aimed again, firing into the optimal spot.
Ichinose watched the Morbid Frames perish with a grave expression.
"First time seeing a rift like this. Monsters can't even emerge properly—stuck like that..."
As she started to elaborate.
"Rohan!!! Civilian evac looks done before security arrives!!!"
"Lucky most customers today were cadets!"
The Gilbert couple spotted Rohan and rushed up.
The girls' gazes swarmed toward Nicholas, who came up with them.