Though once a coward, after experiencing the Abyss Yohan now found rifts unimpressive. That sticky, heavy, suffocating air—no day or night, monsters everywhere, cunning and malicious—compared to that, this place was livable. Here it only felt dim and reddish, like a smog-filled evening, but the sky was still visible, and the sun still rose.
Seo Yakrin led from the front, Lee Hyunmook guarded the rear, while the trembling recruits ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ marched between them. At the outer edge of the rift, monsters were scarce. Yet the recruits, too nervous to sense properly, jumped at the smallest sound and darted their eyes around. Yohan alone swept his gaze calmly, thinking,
‘I want to just open a field and purify the whole place...’
An hour into the exploration, the street windows below suddenly shattered. From an apartnt’s lower floors, monsters burst out, leaping above their heads.
“Uwaaaah!”
The rookies scread, flailing their weapons wildly. But the beasts didn’t descend. Instead, they hung suspended, thrashing and barking as though running in midair. A golden aura bound their bodies, freezing them in place—Seo Yakrin’s ability.
“Children, keep calm. How should you respond right now?”
The monsters’ claws swiped so close they almost brushed hair, making the rookies pale. One collapsed to the ground, knees buckling. Soone stamred out an answer.
“Uh, w-we... attack...?”
“No. First you evade, or the tanker uses defense skills. With spears, you keep distance. Fighting up close risks contamination.”
Even after his lecture, the recruits stood rigid with fear. Yakrin gestured sharply.
“Fall back, now.”
At last, they scrambled backward. Yohan, who hadn’t panicked, also feigned inexperience and moved back with them. The one who couldn’t rise, Yakrin floated with telekinesis. It wasn’t dangerous enough for Hyunmook to lift a finger—he rely watched. When all were at a safe distance, the Little Sheep team finally regained their senses.
“The sll...!”
“Ugh, disgusting...”
Like all monsters, this one reeked. Its origin seed canine, but its body was grotesquely large. A long purple tongue dragged on the ground, dripping corrosive saliva. Mangy fur hung in clumps, its posture half-bipedal. A truly hideous sight. Yohan only stared blankly.
Compared to tackling the Abyss core? This was nothing. Not even worth comparing. Bumram? Not even close. If anything, maybe similar to the Red Head in the ruined hospital.
‘Still, Red Heads were tougher... those burst heads, you had to be careful.’
This beast’s appearance was disturbing in a different way. Monsters’ forms often reflected human mories, so canines frequently looked uncannily human. Especially those that had once been pets. Their howls almost echoed human voices—like muttering, “Let’s go for a walk.”
“I’d classify it at Grade 2. Alright, let’s take them one by one. Everyone needs to kill at least one today.”
But the shock of nearly being crushed kept the rookies frozen. Finally, Yohan raised his hand.
“I’ll go first.”
“Oh! Brave one.”
Yakrin praised him, then lowered the golden aura into a circular enclosure. One monster was released inside with Yohan.
Rather than charge, Yohan waited. The beast, saliva hissing as it dripped, shook its head before lunging at him. It was fast, but—
‘Grade 2 is manageable.’
The bone-birds bursting from reed seas had been far harder to evade. Yohan twisted lightly aside, and the monster smashed its skull into the telekinetic wall with a loud crack. The recruits gasped.
Snarling rabidly, spraying spit, it charged again—this ti leaping for Yohan’s throat. He swung his spear, striking it back.
Howling, the beast whipped its sticky tongue at him. He cut it clean off. Maddened, baring its teeth, it lunged—only for Yohan’s spear to pierce its skull.
Crack! Blood sprayed across his face, and he grimaced. The beast twitched, then died instantly. A decisive strike. Yohan longed to purify the filth, but held back. Watching with serious eyes, Hyunmook allowed himself a faint smile.
“Never forget—wipe off blood imdiately.”
“Ah, yes!”
Reminded of sothing obvious to him as a purifier, Yohan hurriedly pulled out wet tissues, wiping away the gore. He discarded them here in the rift, his first ti littering.
“Next?”
After seeing Yohan dispatch his opponent so smoothly, another recruit gathered courage. But face-to-face with the monster, he faltered. Dodging was harder than expected; the massive fra crushed his resolve.
“Aaah! Aaaaah!”
Snapping its jaws, the beast lunged on two legs, then suddenly dropped to four and sprang at his heels. The rookie tripped on rubble, fell—and in a flash the tongue shot for his eyes. But it froze inches away, body locked tight. Yakrin’s telekinesis had seized it.
“Hhh-huff, hhhff...”
The recruit gasped, drenched in sweat. Yakrin clapped briskly.
“Up, up! Again! Stand tall!”
Shaky but determined, he forced his legs to obey, backing from the restrained beast. Hyunmook spoke in a flat tone.
“If you want to quit, you may. There will be another chance.”
“I—I’ll do it! I’ll try again!”
He didn’t want to fail. He had clawed through brutal competition to enter Taeyang Guild; surrender wasn’t an option.
“Don’t be so afraid. Just one Grade 2. Keep your head clear and you’ll beat it.”
Yakrin was right. A Grade 2 could be killed even by low-tier Awakeners. Taking a deep breath, the rookie struck again. After a struggle, he finally felled the monster. Ti had passed unnoticed, and he was shocked.
“Next.”
The following mber fared better—clearly more experienced, though still grazed once or twice. Thanks to Yakrin’s backup, he killed it quickly.
One by one, without a single dropout, they all finished their hunts. Then the group relocated for a al. Hands moved sluggishly, appetites lost, but Yakrin insisted they eat.
“How do you fight so well, Yohan?”
The slowest rookie asked, dejected. Yohan, eating heartily, smiled sheepishly.
“I’ve killed monsters before. My brother’s an Awakener.”
“Knew it. A veteran recruit.”
“No wonder. Even as a low-tier, he got accepted.”
The subtle condescension rolled off him. Yohan only smiled and thought: So this is the confidence of the privileged... Am I a hidden powerhouse?
But recalling Hyunmook’s might and the others’ strength, he tempered his pride. Against monsters, he wasn’t even 0.1 of a Hyunmook, not even 0.01 of a Joo Hoyoung. Hoyoung could single-handedly slaughter dozens of far stronger beasts. At tis like this, it stung that as a purifier he lacked any combat-oriented secondary ability.
Besides, these Little Sheep recruits were only clumsy from inexperience. With ti, the damage-dealers and tankers would surely surpass him in hunting. As Yohan mulled it over, whispers circled among the team.
“If we’d co without seniors, we’d have been screwed.”
“I might’ve lost my sight.”
“Didn’t think they’d make even supporters hunt monsters.”
“Supporters must still kill Grade 2s on their own. This is Taeyang Guild.”
Even the supporter who’d just slain a beast, after much struggle, wasn’t the only one shaken. The rift itself pressed heavily on all minds.
And when Seo Yakrin casually exterminated the remaining beasts in one strike, their eyes widened. The gap between them and a mid-tier Awakener was imasurable. He had always been able to dispatch such creatures easily, even before the Abyss—but after surviving it, his power had beco monstrous.
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