He didn't hesitate. Min-ho leaped.
Air rushed past him. Three stories dropped away in a blur as his enhanced Agility and Strength took over. He landed with a bone-jarring impact on the asphalt, the ground spider-webbing beneath his feet, but he didn't even flinch. His eyes were already locked on the massive, gaping tear in reality above the school gym.
From the rift, a monstrous claw, thick as a tree trunk and dripping with black ooze, ripped through the fabric of the sky. Then came the head: a serpentine beast with crimson eyes and scales like polished obsidian. Its roar was a physical force that sent students flying.
[Monster Detected: C-Rank Rift Serpent]
'C-Rank,' Min-ho thought, a strange calm settling over him. 'The local D and E-Rank hunters won't even tickle that thing. And Min-ah is in there.'
He dashed toward the gym, a blur of white hair and black uniform. He could hear Min-ah's panicked voice, a frantic plea for help.
"Min-ah!" he yelled, kicking open the gym doors with a force that ripped them off their hinges.
Inside, terror. The Rift Serpent's head was halfway through the portal, snapping at the panicked students huddled against the far wall. Min-ah was among them, her small frame trembling, tiny sparks of electricity flickering uselessly from her hands.
"Brother! Run!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face.
Min-ho didn't run. He moved like a ghost, weaving through the fallen equipment and terrified students. The Serpent saw him, its crimson eyes narrowing as it lunged its massive head toward him, jaws wide enough to swallow him whole.
'Too slow,' Min-ho thought.
He didn't dodge. Instead, he channeled his newfound mana, focusing on the [Basic Mana Circulation] skill he'd bought. For a split second, a faint, almost invisible aura of blue light enveloped his body, making him feel connected to everything.
Then, he launched himself forward, not at the head, but at the Serpent's massive jaw.
WHAM!
His fist—now capable of crushing steel—slammed into the monster's lower jaw with the force of a battering ram. The Serpent shrieked, a sound of pure agony that vibrated through the entire building. Its head recoiled, pulling slightly back into the rift, its jaw visibly dislocated.
The students stared, frozen in disbelief. Min-ah watched, her mouth agape, her eyes scanning the powerful figure who had just punched a C-Rank monster.
'Now's my chance,' Min-ho thought. He couldn't let them see his face, not yet.
He leaped onto a nearby basketball hoop, using it as a springboard to launch himself onto the Serpent's head. Its scales were like armor, but Min-ho's strength was beyond anything on Earth. He started punching, each blow cracking scales, sending showers of black blood raining down.
CRACK! CRACK! BOOM!
The Serpent thrashed, its body still partially in the rift, causing the building to groan and crack. Min-ho didn't stop. He was letting out controlled bursts of mana with each punch, focusing his anger and adrenaline into pure, destructive force. He needed more Slumber Credits. He needed to be stronger.
He felt a deep, primal exhaustion building within him, like a battery draining too fast. The pain from his morning's "reconstruction" flared up again.
'Just a little more,' he gritted through his teeth. 'Min-ah needs to get out. Everyone needs to get out.'
With one final, thunderous blow, Min-ho punched directly into the Serpent's crimson eye. The monster screamed, a sound of absolute defeat, and its entire head dissolved into a cloud of purple mist that pulsed with energy.
[C-Rank Rift Serpent Killed!]
[+1000 Slumber Credits!]
[Quest Complete: Prevent the Gym's Destruction. Reward: Skill 'Silent Step' acquired!]
The rift above the gym began to shrink, spitting out the last tendrils of purple energy. Silence fell, broken only by the whimpers of the students.
Min-ho stood panting on the remnants of the monster's head, his body screaming in protest. His clothes were torn, his knuckles were bleeding, and his skin felt like it was about to peel off.
'Too much... I pushed too hard.'
He could hear sirens in the distance—the real hunters were finally arriving. He couldn't be here. He turned toward the petrified students, his white hair now streaked with black monster blood.
"Get out!" he yelled, his voice raw. "Go to the bunkers! Now!"
He didn't wait for them. He leaped through the shattered window, disappearing into the chaotic streets as the first professional hunters burst into the gym.
He ran, the strength rapidly draining from his body. Every step was agony. The exhilaration of the fight was replaced by a crushing wave of fatigue and pain. His enhanced senses became a burden, every siren, every scream, every distant thud of an Awakener's landing amplified to an unbearable degree.
'I can't... go on,' he thought, stumbling into a narrow, dark alley.
His vision tunneled. The ground rushed up to meet him. The last thing he saw before darkness claimed him was a flicker of blue.
[Warning: Extreme Energy Depletion.]
[Host entering forced Slumber Realm state for recovery.]