After the tavern incident concluded, the old man agreed to my request and made a call to someone, instructing them to come here.
He then told me to wait.
I did as I was told.
So I sat inside the tavern and waited.
About twenty minutes later, the door finally opened.
A man walked in.
Short black hair. Sunglasses hiding his eyes. But what immediately stood out was his body—massive. Even larger than Marcus.
Marcus, as far as I could tell, was a muscular human standing around 180 cm tall, built like someone who had been carved out of steel and violence.
But this man?
He was different.
Around 190 cm tall, dark-skinned, and built like a gorilla shaped into human form. Something about him felt… wrong. Dangerous.
I quickly pushed away my disrespectful thoughts as I saw him walk toward Marcus.
A few minutes passed in quiet conversation. The man occasionally glanced in my direction. Even though I could tell he was weaker than Marcus, the sense of danger around him never faded. It clung to him like a shadow.
I steadied my breathing, forcing myself to stay calm.
Then the large man in the formal suit turned toward me.
"You're the one who wants to enter the E-rank Rift, correct?" he asked.
It sounded less like a question and more like confirmation—like he already knew the answer.
I nodded.
He waved his hand toward the exit and gave a silent order to his men.
I looked at Marcus. He was watching us. He gave a small nod.
I stood up and followed the man outside, already sensing the fearful gazes of the people inside the tavern as I passed.
We didn't stop.
This wasn't important enough to linger on.
Outside, a black car was waiting.
The man got in. I followed him.
The engine roared to life, and we left.
. . . . .
About thirty minutes later, we arrived at a relatively deserted location.
Even though I trusted Marcus and his tavern's credibility, that didn't mean I could afford to lower my guard.
I stepped forward silently, reinforcing my body with mana. My hand slipped inside my coat and wrapped around my gun.
"Good caution," the man said without turning around.
I didn't reply.
Soon, we stopped.
Ahead of us… was the Rift.
"I assume you already know this," the man said, adjusting his sunglasses, "but I still need to explain it to you for better understanding."
"First—Rifts are the result of world collisions after the war. When that happened, fractures appeared from destroyed worlds and spread across the continent."
He spoke slowly now, as if reciting history I already knew.
And I did.
After the age of war ended, internal conflict among humans began. Then came the awakening of the Many-Faced Ruler.
The world changed.
Mana erupted into existence, and other rulers sensed it. They wanted him dead.
No one knew who he was or why they wanted him gone—but that was only the beginning.
A full-scale war erupted.
Beings from beyond Earth. Monster races. Nature-born entities. Even beings of light.
That became the Second Age—the age born from that war.
My thoughts drifted, merging the world's history with the novel I knew.
But the man's voice pulled me back.
He continued explaining things I already understood, until finally he reached the matter of payment.
"Lastly," he said, "the tavern takes a 25% tax on anything you extract from the Rift."
A pressure suddenly radiated from him.
The ground beneath us cracked slightly.
"If you refuse, you will die."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Then he stepped aside
.
And I saw it.
The Rift.
The space itself looked broken—like reality had been torn open. A two-meter-wide distortion floating in the air like a gateway to somewhere wrong.
Even though I hadn't activated my eyes, I could feel it.
Danger.
Pure, overwhelming danger flooding my entire being.
Mana swirled violently around the Rift, unstable and chaotic.
I wanted to activate my Eye of Truth…
But I didn't.
"Good luck returning alive," the man said.
And I swore I saw a faint golden glint beneath his sunglasses—like a coin reflecting light from his eyes.
I gritted my teeth.
Then I stepped forward.
And jumped.
. . . . . . . . .
For a moment, I felt myself crossing through nothingness.
My body was being pulled somewhere else—dragged between spaces.
Then, slowly, sensation returned.
A final pulse of light.
And I opened my eyes.
I was somewhere else.
Immediately, I noticed it.
The smell of grass.
Birds chirping.
A completely different sense of gravity.
Clean air filling my lungs.
And most importantly…
Mana.
Pure, dense mana. At least 0.5 times denser than on Earth.
My body reacted instantly, energizing as mana began circulating around me.
I smiled slightly.
Two things.
First—train my abilities. The Eye of Truth.
Second—hunt monster cores.
This place was dangerous…
But it was also a training ground.
That was why humans could survive in the same world as Rift-born monsters.
Weak… but adaptable.
I took a step forward.
And then stopped.
My ears twitched.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Three impacts.
Something landing in the trees.
I looked up.
Three creatures.
Monkeys.
But wrong ones.
Their teeth were stained with dried blood, sharp fangs protruding unnaturally. Their bodies were thin but muscular, claws long and vicious. Their fur was black as soot.
Their hostility locked onto me instantly.
I responded in kind.
Mana gathered inside me.
My ring transformed into a simple sword.
My main weapon was a katana—but my swordsmanship skill was still level 2.
I enhanced the blade.
Activated Rational Mind.
Focused.
Then—
A roar.
All three charged at once.
I fired.
Bang!
Bang!
Two shots.
Only five bullets left.
One of them twisted mid-air unnaturally and slammed into a nearby tree instead of me.
So they're coordinated.
Good.
Bad for me.
"Annoying…" I muttered.
The second one vanished from my sight—
Too fast.
It reappeared where I had been a second ago, its claw slicing through empty air.
I retreated instantly.
Adrenaline surged.
Time slowed in my perception.
Three seconds.
Seven seconds.
Predicted movements formed in my mind.
The third would arrive in three seconds.
The first would recover in seven.
I moved.
I dashed straight toward the second one.
Before it could react—
I swung.
My blade cut through its left arm.
Blood sprayed.
It roared in pain and rage.
Three seconds confirmed.
I stepped back But the third was already in the air.
Its claw slashed across my forehead.
A shallow wound.
Blood trickled down.
I jumped backward—
Just in time.
The first monkey had already thrown a rock.
I twisted mid-air and dodged.
A dark smile formed on my face.
Still airborne—
I raised my gun.
Bang!
The second monkey—still clutching its severed arm—collapsed as the bullet pierced its skull.
I landed, rolling to absorb the impact.
Then I stood.
Two remained.
Their eyes turned crimson with rage.
"Two left…" I muttered.
A dark smile spread across my face.