Nice to Meet You
It had been a full decade since rifts first appeared, yet they remained an utter mystery. All that could be inferred was that people who awakened through them became superhumans, but beyond that, rifts still harbored countless enigmas.
The ecology of core monsters was much the same. Since they always emerged from outside the rifts, the prevailing theory was that they were born inside for some reason before spilling out into the world.
And Cheon Ji-hoo became the first person in the world to witness the birth of a core monster.
"Interesting."
Sensing a strange flow of mana, he'd hurried ahead of the students and found a peculiar orb there. In what seemed to be the rift's deepest core sat a black sphere the size of a fist, emanating immense mana that sustained the rift itself.
Cheon Ji-hoo quickly realized this was the rift's core and refrained from touching it rashly. Besides, there was already a guest who'd arrived first—he figured he'd wait until they were done.
But what happened next was unexpected.
A goblin gobbled up the core whole.
As it swallowed the core down its tiny throat, the creature began writhing in agony. The core's mana was battering its body from within.
Intrigued by the spectacle, Cheon Ji-hoo decided to observe a bit longer. He was curious to see what reaction the core would trigger inside the goblin's body.
Before long, the goblin curled up and became encased in a black membrane. It resembled a chrysalis, much like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly.
Would an evolved goblin burst out if left alone? The mana flow suggested as much.
"It's real."
Sure enough, Cheon Ji-hoo nodded as his prediction came true. The goblin that had swallowed the rift's core began its metamorphosis, tearing through the black membrane. Its scrawny limbs vanished, its body more than doubling in size. Its eyes gleamed with madness, and a foul stench grew stronger.
There was some debate about whether that smell was a kind of pheromone or something.
The intensified odor upon evolving to a higher form pointed toward pheromones being correct.
In any case, Cheon Ji-hoo waited patiently for the metamorphosis to finish, honoring the villains' unwritten rule of not interrupting heroes during their transformations.
Moments later, the completed goblin let out a low growl.
Grrr rumble—
Now it was his turn.
As the goblin roared at him, Cheon Ji-hoo remarked casually.
Krrraaaah!!
"Oh, this one's intriguing."
He figured it might be fun to capture and dissect. He needed to retrieve the core to restore the rift anyway. No matter what, Cheon Ji-yoon's first rift raid had to end in success.
"Pleased to meet you. Mind if I study your body for a bit?"
He raised one hand in greeting, and the goblin returned the courtesy—with a massive swing of its fist.
Dodging the enthusiastic greeting with a light hop backward, Cheon Ji-hoo extended his hand. A true archmage could fell an entire nation's army with a single finger.
"Paralysis."
The spell he chose was Paralysis, a lightning-based magic that induced muscle rigidity by sending currents through the enemy's muscles.
The goblin struck by Cheon Ji-hoo's spell froze for a moment, then resumed moving. It charged wildly, flailing its arms like an elementary school kid spinning them like windmills in a fight.
But its blows never landed.
"Paralysis, Paralysis, Paralysis, Paralysis, Paralysis, Paralysis."
Six layers if one wasn't enough. Nothing had ever moved after taking that many.
Unless it had a rubber-like body immune to electricity, of course.
When you didn't know the right dose, overkill was the answer.
Thud!
The goblin finally dropped to its knees. It had somehow endured a single hit, but six amplified blasts would leave its muscles buzzing fiercely.
Paralysis was a terrifying spell. A slight tweak to amp up the output could electrocute a human to a crisp without effort. And with further application...
Kraaaah!!
The variant goblin shrieked under the intensified Paralysis. Now it wasn't just tingling—it must have felt like its body was burning.
At the same time, Cheon Ji-hoo gleaned information about the goblin. All biological activity stemmed from faint electrical signals from the brain through the nervous system, so he'd scanned its life functions via the electric currents of Paralysis.
How the electrical signals from its brain reacted, the structure of its internals—Cheon Ji-hoo grasped it all in an instant through the spell and twitched an eyebrow.
"That orb from earlier is acting as a second brain and heart."
What a fascinating creature. Diving into its biology felt like it could yield endless discoveries.
Cheon Ji-hoo approached the kneeling goblin and prodded it lightly with his foot.
"Can't have you dying yet."
There was more to explore. And then, a brilliant idea struck.
From the students' earlier conversation—"Kill monsters in rifts to awaken"—it seemed slaying one absorbed its mana, awakening latent potential.
That raised questions. Was that potential truly inherent to humans? Hunters used "skills," so it probably wasn't normal ability manifestation. Witnessing an awakening up close might let him decipher the mechanism.
Cheon Ji-hoo placed his hand on the variant goblin's head.
"Soundproof."
He froze the surrounding air to block sound transmission, preventing its agonized screams from escaping, then infused mana. He disrupted the mana circulating in its body—backflow leading to reversal.
The core in the goblin's chest couldn't withstand the mana reversal and bubbled up its esophagus.
Cheon Ji-hoo snatched the slime-covered core, shook it off a few times, and kicked the goblin's jaw.
"Go fight. Head that way, down the path."
Grumble—
Drained without its core, the goblin staggered to its feet anyway. Having been dominated by the core, it now recognized the core's holder—Cheon Ji-hoo—as its master.
Oblivious to this, Cheon Ji-hoo thought as he watched the obedient goblin.
Guess it listens better after a beating.
He replaced the core in its original spot, cast Perception Impairment and Presence Concealment, then followed the goblin. Without the core forming its body, it would collapse soon, but instinct should linger.
He planned to use it to awaken the students.
* * *
Cheon Ji-yoon's group, which had taken the fourth path, had just felled their fifth goblin. Pre-raid intel said there were six total. One was missing.
"Maybe there isn't one?"
"Class said nothing's ever 'just' in a rift. If something's off, there's a cause."
"Tch, just come out already. I wanna awaken."
At the boys' chatter, Cheon Ji-yoon gripped her sword hilt tighter.
And then they spotted an approaching figure.
Thud, thud. A massive goblin shuffled forward listlessly. Twice the size of the lesser goblins they'd fought, it screamed "normal goblin." Despite its weary gait, madness burned in its eyes.
Facing a real monster, the students froze.
"Teacher!"
The shield-bearing boy urgently called out. The B-rank hunter teacher sensed the anomaly, drew his weapon, and charged—only to slam into an invisible wall.
"W-what the hell?!"
He pounded the unseen barrier in panic, but it held firm, as if refusing to let the rift's threats escape.
"The students are in danger!"
His weapon ignited in a blaze of destructive power, yet the wall stood unscathed. Lips bitten in frustration, the teacher could only watch helplessly from outside.
Cheon Ji-yoon glanced back and said, "Something's blocking them with a wall. We're on our own."
"This is insane..."
The shield boy muttered lowly.
The silver lining: the goblin wielded no threatening weapon. But it was still a handful for unawakened kids.
"Hey, hey. Isn't this the perfect moment to tank it and awaken like a badass?"
"You think it's that easy?"
"Nah, I think we can."
Cheon Ji-yoon declared. She'd analyzed the situation coolly. No one had trained harder to grow strong—drills, grades, enduring bullies. That's why she saw a path to victory.
"Look at those drooping shoulders. Weird gait. It's a variant, but four of us linking up can take it."
"...You sure?"
"Yeah. I trust your shield. Hold just once, and I'll take its head."
"...Fuck it, no choice."
Retreat wasn't an option. The teacher hammered the wall fruitlessly. Single path ahead—only forward.
The shield boy gripped tight, sword ready. Others clutched weapons, sweat beading on brows. Hearts pounded, adrenaline surging.
"I'll tank front! Hold somehow and kill it!"
He stepped forward, charging the variant goblin. It swung a huge hand, but he endured without toppling. For now.
The opening he created. Seizing the tiny gap, Cheon Ji-yoon struck left, the spear girl right. The mace boy ditched his weapon to brace the shield boy's back.
"Kill it quick! Can't hold much longer!"
The spear pierced the goblin's side. It thrashed in pain, raising both arms to smash the girls—but froze mid-swing.
Cheon Ji-yoon's blade severed its neck.
Green fluid sprayed from the stump as the massive body crumpled.
Boom!
Students exhaled held breaths, panting raggedly. So focused on battle, they'd forgotten to breathe. Exhausted, they collapsed without a thought for vigilance.
Lucky no wounds, but if it hadn't stopped...
Lee Soo-hyun and Cheon Ji-yoon would've been smashed into the wall; the others gruesomely slain.
"Kids! Anyone hurt?!"
"Teacher..."
"Teacher!"
The wall vanished with the goblin's death. The teacher rushed in, checking them over. He'd come for moments like this, yet could only watch them fight alone.
Tears flowed as students clung to him; he soothed them.
"You did great. Really great. No one's hurt—thank goodness."
"Sniff. Teacher, I think I awakened."
"M-me too."
"Me three!"
All but Cheon Ji-yoon reported their awakenings. Absorbing the defeated foe's mana unlocked potential: B-rank, C-rank, C-rank hunters, status windows and skills confirmed. As predicted.
"Ji-yoon?"
The teacher asked. She shook her head glumly. Despite landing the killing blow, no awakening.
"Can't be helped then. Let's head back."
As students and teacher turned, Cheon Ji-hoo watched with a twitching eyebrow.
"Awakening... so that's how it works."