The entrance to the rift was surrounded by acolytes, but this ti they weren’t rely standing guard, they were fully prepared to enter.
Each acolyte was connected by special links not only to one another but also to the dozens of martial artists who had volunteered to assist in the clearing effort.
A full week had passed since the rift began mutating. No more survivors had co out since then.
But according to the Mission Hall’s statistics, the number of people who exited was astonishingly close to the number who had entered, only a 2.5% difference.
For a mutant rift, that was miraculous.
And now the week was over.
The mutation was nearing completion.
Soon, they would finally be allowed inside.
At the very front stood the manager, wearing a pure-silver grade conduit armor over his usual uniform.
The polished plates glead under the morning sun, making him look more like a battlefield commander than a bureaucrat.
He stared at the swirling, mirage-like rift.
"Get ready to go in, the rift will stabilize in three minutes."
Weapons were drawn in unison.
Among the martial artists, familiar faces tightened their grips: Scarlet, the martial apprentice with the five-star martial spirit, and many others Adam had saved.
None hesitated when the Mission Hall called for volunteers, and the reason for this was already very obvious: it was to help Adam, who was still in the rift, in whatever way they could.
However, the Mission Hall had an additional, more pragmatic reason for mobilizing such a force: a freshly mutated, unranked level 2 rift was far too dangerous to leave open to fester, so every available resource had been mobilized to clear it the mont entry beca possible.
The mission wouldn’t be easy. But they intended to succeed at all costs.
The plan was simple:
Enter the rift and unleash hell on everything inside.
Just then, the rift began to swirl faster, a telltale sign that it was stabilizing.
All eyes focused on the spiraling, bending mirage.
Light twisted unnaturally, like an optical illusion lting in real ti.
And then,
In one instant, it stabilized.
In the next, it collapsed into nothing.
"..."
Silence swept across the field. Hundreds of people froze, staring at the place where the rift had been.
And at the figure now standing there.
A bare back faced them.
The person was shirtless, their only remaining clothing a pair of trousers shredded into near-rags.
Their entire body was coated in dried, crusted blood, so much that the coppery stench seed to flood the whole area.
In their hand hung the broken remains of a knife.
Scarlet’s eyes widened, her breath hitching.
In an almost disbelieving whisper, as she spoke.
"Adam?"
Everyone gathered remained frozen, stunned not just by the rift’s sudden collapse but by the figure now standing where it had been.
They were so caught off guard that none of them knew how to react to Adam’s presence, not until Scarlet whispered his na.
That single word struck the crowd like a hamr.
As a chill ran through every martial artist present.
It didn’t take long before soone finally voiced the thought burning in everyone’s mind:
"Did he clear the rift all on his own?"
That was it.
The dropped needle in the silent room.
The whispers exploded instantly.
"Is this normal? I knew he was strong but this..."
"What kind of talent lets soone solo a mutant rift?"
"Why have I never heard of this ability?"
"Oh my stars, I’m standing in front of a living deity."
"Co on, don’t be dramatic."
"No, shut up, look at him! LOOK!"
Excitent rippled through the crowd like a shockwave.
Completing a run alone? Rare, but not unheard of in upper tier sectors.
Rescuing survivors alone? A heroic achievent that earned prestige.
completing a run in under twenty-four hours? Legendary, reserved for true prodigies.
But clearing an entire mutating rift alone, with no support, no preparation, and no backup.
That wasn’t a feat.
That was sothing only the gods ordained.
The manager stood still as Adam walked toward him, every eye locked on the blood-covered boy approaching with steady, unhurried steps.
No one even flinched at the overwhelming stench of dried blood.
When Adam finally reached him, he spoke plainly:
"It’s good you’re here, Manager."
The manager blinked, taken aback.
Does he appreciate that we mobilized a full strike force because we thought he was trapped?
For a mont, his chest ward at the thought.
Until Adam continued:
"I just wanted to know how much I’ll get for clearing the rift."
"..."
As Adam spoke with the manager, Scarlet simply stared at him, quiet, unmoving and almost afraid that if she blinked he might disappear.
She hadn’t slept properly in a week.
Every night had been filled with the sa nightmares: the faces of her group mbers, the screams, the blood, the helplessness.
The possibility of Adam being in danger only added to her destabilizing state.
And delivering the news to their families.
That had carved the wound even deeper.
But when survivor after survivor began leaving the rift.
And every single one of them spoke the sa na.
Adam.
Everything suddenly beca, beautifully clear.
Adam hadn’t been trapped.
He hadn’t been in danger.
He had chosen to stay behind, to rescue more people.
So when the Mission Hall called for volunteers to help clear the rift once it stabilized, she didn’t hesitate for even a heartbeat.
This was her chance, to repay the person who had saved her life.
That singular purpose kept the nightmares at bay.
But now, seeing him there, alive, uninjured and only ragged and soaked in dried blood as he casually spoke to the manager.
A small, fragile smile appeared on Scarlet’s lips.
She whispered softly, almost too quietly for even herself to hear:
"Everything is going to be okay."
****
Adam sat on his bed, no longer bloody or slling like a walking massacre.
Instead, his skin carried the clean, sharp scent of the expensive soap he’d used to scrub away a week’s worth of gore.
Fresh clothes replaced the rags he’d walked out of the rift in, finally making him look like an actual human being again.
The chaos at the rift entrance had died down hours ago.
Once people realized Adam had truly co out alive and the mutant rift was no more, most simply went ho, dazed.
So even needed sleep to convince themselves that the impossible sight they’d witnessed wasn’t just so collective hallucination.
Even the manager had left, promising Adam he would contact the higher-ups to determine what would happen regarding the rift clear reward.
Low-tier sectors like this one had no procedure for soone solo-clearing a mutating rift.
So now Adam lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.
He didn’t have his official reward yet, but monster parts?
Those had no special procedures.
aning, for the second ti in his life, he wasn’t broke.
He grabbed his newly bought phone, thumb tapping into his banking app with almost reverent anticipation.
The mont the page loaded, the balance hit him like sunlight through clouds.
$200,000.
Adam couldn’t stop the grin spreading across his face.
"Mom always said a rich man is a happy man."
But the words left his mouth bittersweet, as the smile faded a little and a shadow passed through his eyes.
Before the weight in his chest could grow heavier, he quickly brought up his panel, an easy distraction and a familiar comfort.
╭───────────╮
〖Na: Adam〗
〖Rank: None〗
〖Cultivation Talent: G〗
〖Special Talent: Equip ❖ Connect〗
〖SLOT〗
↳ SOUL (2): Rapid E ❖ Poison F
↳ BODY (5): Empty
╰───────────╯
****
{Authors Note}
He used the remaining money in his account to buy the phone. The $200k was earned from the parts alone; it would have been more, but reasons such as insufficient storage and damaged parts affected the profit.
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