Rift (3)

Jin Yu-ri, who had been chasing after her, suddenly felt a twinge of doubt.

What the hell is she so fast for?

Even though she was sprinting at full speed, the distance between them was only growing. There was no way she could be outmatched in raw mana capacity, technique, or physical prowess.

It wasn't frustration at being left behind. She didn't even have the luxury to dwell on any competitive spirit like that. The speed was just unnaturally fast.

By then, the rift in the sky had continued to widen, and Jin Yu-ri could vaguely guess now. Why Lee Sea had suddenly bolted off like that.

Because of her brother?

The direction she was heading was that way. Toward the building on the left of the sports field, closest to Professor Seo Sang-wook's lab.

Yoo Hae-bin, who had been running neck-and-neck with Jin Yu-ri, shouted in a loud voice.

"Lee Sea, wait up! Together! Ah, damn, does she have motors in her legs or what? Hey! Stop for a sec!"

And shortly after Yoo Hae-bin's call...

Tak—

Lee Sea's footsteps suddenly halted. It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wasn't to join up with her classmates following behind; she'd reached her target spot.

Professor Seo Sang-wook's lab was on the fourth floor. More than ten meters above where she stood, and Lee Sea had no time to leisurely climb stairs.

Kwaaang!

Poong!

She kicked off the ground and leaped, blasting mana backward for propulsion. Using that momentum, she charged straight through, shattering the window and entering the building in one go.

She didn't care at all about the shards of broken glass touching her carefully groomed morning hair, her uniform, or her pale, pristine skin.

Anyone who knew even a little about Lee Sea's personality would never imagine her voice like this—desperate and pleading—as she cried out.

"Oppa! Oppa—!"

The fourth-floor hallway felt empty; all students and staff must have evacuated. Still, just in case, Lee Sea stood before Professor Seo Sang-wook's lab door and kicked it with all her might.

Peok!

Thud!

The thick door was forcibly ripped open and tilted backward.

...He's not here.

She scanned the lab thoroughly, but no one was inside. Had Lee Dojin evacuated with the others? If so, that would be a huge relief, but...

No call from her brother even when she checked her phone. Being in the rift's influence zone made messaging difficult anyway.

But knowing that didn't stop Lee Sea's mounting anxiety.

Kuuaaaang—!

A massive roar echoed from outside. The rift must have fully formed by now. It was too late to flee, and Yoo Hae-bin, who had chased after her, scolded in bewilderment.

"Hey, your brother probably got out fine on his own. Did you really have to come all this way just to check?"

"Ha..."

Jin Yu-ri pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a sigh. You followed me here, and now you're nagging? I was too worried about him to think straight, but Lee Sea didn't entertain such ungrateful thoughts.

She just quietly apologized.

"...Sorry."

Then she slipped her right hand into the inner pocket of her uniform. She felt ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a metal object small enough to grip fully in her palm, pulled it out, and infused it with mana.

Weeeeng.

After an inorganic hum, a slender sword was suddenly in Lee Sea's right hand. It was the portable weapon Lee Dojin had gifted her for high school entrance.

At that moment, Jin Yu-ri spoke coldly.

"I don't wanna hear excuses about apologies not mattering."

"Oh, and who's talking like that? Did she ask us to come? We followed on our own."

Whatever built-up emotions aside, the two also pulled small metal lumps from their uniform linings. They sensed what was coming next.

Shoooo—

Grrr...

Kraaaak!

The air rippled, and three monsters appeared. Towering over three meters, their bodies were pure muscle.

The beasts approached the three girls, and Yoo Hae-bin and Jin Yu-ri spoke almost in unison.

"Fair split, one each. I'll take left."

"I'll do center."

Lee Sea automatically got right.

The three top students infused their swords with blue mana and engaged the monsters one-on-one.

"Not as tough as I thought?"

Yoo Hae-bin sounded pretty relaxed. She dodged the monster's fierce charges, methodically slicing into limbs and muscles at openings.

Swoosh—

Sssak!

Lee Sea swung her sword like a maniac. A relentless barrage that made even the monster hesitate and back off in fear. Soon, her blade severed its neck.

Meanwhile, Jin Yu-ri...

Why isn't this working?

Unlike the others, she was struggling hard. She tried following her training, but her movements weren't syncing like usual, and the monster's reactions felt totally different from simulations.

Groooar!

Thud!

Boom!

She barely escaped the monster's wild punches, gritting her teeth. In her peripheral vision: Lee Sea had finished hers, and now Yoo Hae-bin was too.

Am I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worse than them?

Truth be told, with zero real combat experience, she was the normal one here. Yoo Hae-bin and Lee Sea were fighting freakishly well.

As someone more effort-driven than naturally gifted, struggling to adapt to her first real monster fight was inevitable for her.

But...

Jin Yu-ri didn't want lame excuses. If she sucked, she sucked. No room for other words. At least, not for her.

"Uh... Yu-ri's mentality is crumbling. Should help her out."

"I'll do it."

Their conversation hit harder than the monster's threats. Jin Yu-ri screamed, pouring mana into her blade.

"Shut up and stay back!"

Kwaaaa—!

Mana surged around her sword like a waterfall.

Shuuuak!

Her swing cleaved the monster in two with one strike.

"Haa, haa..."

"Whoa... she nailed it when she tried."

Yoo Hae-bin muttered, looking down at the panting girl.

Then, combat noises rose from below.

Thud! Bang, boom! Kwaang!

Rushing down the stairs, the three spotted over a dozen students and staff fighting a monster pack between the sports field and the first-floor entrance.

They joined in immediately, and the battle wrapped up in about thirty seconds.

Monsters were already rampaging freely on the field. They blocked the entrance to keep them out, and a second-year student told Lee Sea,

"Sea, Professor Lee Dojin was looking for you..."

"...What?"

Her response came a beat late. The second-year stammered an explanation to the dazed Lee Sea.

"He was with us earlier. I told him you were in the back garden... He just headed that way."

Her brother was still in the school. Couldn't evacuate because of his sister, and now he'd gone alone into danger to find her.

Lee Sea's face drained to paper-white in an instant. Before anyone could stop her, she tried bolting back to the back garden.

But against her will, she couldn't just yet.

Shoooooo...

Black mist roiled thickly in the center of the field, a massive shadow looming over it. Easily ten meters tall, less humanoid than a four-legged dinosaur.

"Ha... fuck, ruining the mood."

Yoo Hae-bin rarely swore, but her tone was ice-cold. A total shift from her earlier composure.

Jin Yu-ri and the others instinctively knew: the strongest monster had arrived.

Thud, thuuud.

It approached slowly. Toward the first-floor entrance.

Thump, thud.

Its pace quickened. Then it stomped hard.

Kwaaang!

In a blink, it closed in and demolished the entrance like a sandcastle. Part of the sturdy building was obliterated, but luckily no injuries.

No one clumsy enough to get hit by such straightforward attacks made it into Jeil High.

But the mindless evil dragon-like beast kept attacking relentlessly. Whipping a tail thick as several human torsos, spewing flames from its maw.

Unable to contain her anxiety, Lee Sea rushed in and swung her sword.

Sssak!

Her mana-infused blade sliced through its tough hide.

Groooar!

The monster glared ferociously at her, and Yoo Hae-bin and Jin Yu-ri joined.

Yoo Hae-bin spoke in a resolute tone, like she'd decided something.

"Lee Sea, Jin Yu-ri. Hold it for thirty seconds. I'll send it off easy."

Unclear what she planned, but the two silently agreed.

No one in Jeil High matched Yoo Hae-bin's mana density control.

Kwang! Poong!

Lee Sea, Jin Yu-ri, other students, and staff all piled on to draw aggro. It wasn't easy.

"Uwaak!"

Thud!

Two students hit by the tail flew into a wall and passed out.

"Get back!"

A staff member shoved students aside, taking the flames instead and collapsing.

Crisis hit Jin Yu-ri too.

Kuwaaa!

The monster roared, blocking her path. She glanced at Yoo Hae-bin—not yet. Fleeing now would waste everything.

Shuuuak!

She gathered mana in her blade. The beast looked down disdainfully and gaped its maw—then Lee Sea leaped in.

Pshut.

A precise strike gouging one eye. The monster screamed throat-shreddingly, thrashing wildly in pain.

"Ah..."

Lee Sea got caught in the frenzy, flung limply and slumping head-down.

Next was Jin Yu-ri's turn.

Thwung!

It looked slow due to size, but was overwhelmingly strong and fast—tail strike infused with mana.

As it came, Jin Yu-ri felt indignant. Am I just supposed to get wrecked like this?

After Lee Sea shone like that? She didn't want to lose. More precisely... she wanted to hold her head high against Lee Sea.

Hated getting handouts, hated her fake humility despite being seriously pretty, hated their clashing personalities, they'd fought big time, admitted she picked fights constantly making Lee Sea snap...

But she rated Lee Sea highest in this school. So she couldn't lose to her. Beat Lee Sea, and everything else would follow.

Four years at the same school had taught her that empirically.

Shiiiia—

The mana rippling on her sword thickened instantly. The charging tail met it and sliced off effortlessly.

Gyaaaak!

The monster writhed but didn't stop. It barreled into Jin Yu-ri.

The impact blurred her consciousness, but she dimly saw Yoo Hae-bin swing.

Pushik!

A third of the beast's bulk sheared off. Exhausted, Yoo Hae-bin staggered; the monster's final desperate forepaw sent her sprawling starfish-flat.

And the beast wasn't dead yet.

As the chaos died down, more monsters approached the building. Jin Yu-ri clung to fading consciousness, trying to rise. Lee Sea was stirring faintly too—not fully out.

"Hey, Lee Sea..."

A thread-thin whisper. Probably unheard.

Bleeding rivers, the monster barely righted itself. Lesser monsters growled at the fallen.

And then.

A figure shrouded in pitch-black mist walked into the building right then.

...Who?

Even dazed, she wondered. Who could that be? The mist obscured details.

The figure approached Lee Sea. Face-down, she didn't notice. It gently stroked her hair; she slumped like asleep.

Then Jin Yu-ri felt it looking at her. It swung its hand.

Bang, boom!

The remnants of the ceiling exploded. A hyper-advanced magic construct rode the magic engineering CCTV lines, erasing all stored footage—Jin Yu-ri couldn't know.

The figure turned. Hands wreathed in brilliant dark-blue mana. A casual flick, and monsters dissolved like they'd never existed.

The last one. The dying behemoth approached the figure. It casually slashed upward.

Paaat—!

The beast split in half without a final cry.

Witnessing the unbelievable, Jin Yu-ri's hazy mind cleared a bit.

The figure approached her. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Crouching, it silently gazed at her barely blinking eyes.

Then she realized.

Ah...

Features indistinct, but those eyes—she could identify them. Unforgettably striking from first sight.

But... the aura in them was different. Fear flooded her body and mind. Someone who could look like that wouldn't hesitate to kill. An intuition like certainty hit her.

And.

The figure commanded her.

"Forget."

The simple word reached her ear, and darkness swallowed her consciousness.