The battlefield was quiet now.
Cracked terrain, scattered heat haze… and in the centre of it all, Jaemin stood, blood on his lip, breath still heavy.
Around him—The Resonants gathered, silently forming a half-circle. Ink approached first, followed by Warden, then the rest. All eyes were on Jaemin.
FWIUP–PING!
[You have finished Level 250. Would you like to acquire the rewards?]
[Y/N]
"...Yes."
As soon as he said it, a surge of light shot down from the Rift Tree.
EXP poured in. His body pulsed as new strength flooded in—tingling, heavy, electrifying.
A single object appeared before him, floating—A new weapon—something black, double-edged, thin as breath and laced with silver veins.
But his eyes moved past it.
[Log Retrieved: REDACTED]
TING!
[Error: The log is severely corrupted. Would you like to initiate a repair?]
[Y/N]
Jaemin frowned, brows furrowed, body still sore.
"…Yes."
TING!
[Log Repair has begun. Estimated time: Inconclusive.]
He stared at the flickering data for a second.
"Of course it's inconclusive."
He muttered, dragging his hand down his face.
The Resonants were still standing around him—silent, waiting.
Jaemin let out a long breath.
"...That's enough for today."
The Resonants nodded. One by one, they dissolved into his shadow, their glowing forms vanishing without a word.
Jaemin raised his hand—
SWIRL.
His Rift opened—deep violet, stable.
No words. No thoughts left to process.
He stepped in.
And just like that—
Jaemin went home.
*****
The lukewarm water streamed down Jaemin's back.
He leaned forward, forehead resting against the tile wall, eyes closed.
Quiet. For the first time in weeks.
Sure, he could conjure water in the Rift with a flick. But a shower—a real one—meant no sudden explosions. No system pings. No monsters clawing at the door.
Just silence. And the feeling of being home.
Towel over his shoulder, he stepped into his room, dropping onto the bed.
Soft sheets. Cool pillow. A forgotten luxury.
But sleep? Nowhere in sight.
Jaemin sighed and opened his menu with a flick of his finger.
Status:
Name: Han Jaemin
Level: 76
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Status Effect: Null
Fatigue: 0/100
Valour Surge: 100000/100000
Title: Diviner
Verse: Legion Commander
Passive Ability: Commander of the unholy.
HP: 200000 / 200000
XP: 0 / 290,000
Skillset:
1. Dash
2. Brute Strength
3. Healing
4. Super Jump
5. Flight
6. Master Swordsman
7. Dual Daggers
8. Binary Orbital Overload (Weapon Specific)
9. Phantom Grasp
10. Storm Call
11. Divine Winds
12. Thunderbolt
13. Shadow Walk
14. Wraith
15. Biome Burst
16. Core Override
17. Diviner's blessings
18. Gravechain Legion
19. Black Sun Invocation
[Active Quest: Errand: To Curse The Darkness]
He stared at it for a while.
"To Curse the Darkness…"
No description. No objectives. No logs attached—at least not a full one.
Jaemin exhaled, eyes narrowing.
That corrupted log? It hadn't left his mind since it showed up. It felt incomplete—fragmented, like something important was missing.
He had a guess.
"The final piece… It's probably sitting at the last level of the Echo Rift."
He muttered, scrolling back.
"Level 450."
And if the log was there…Then so was the next tier of his power.
[Diviner's Blessings ? Grace of the Mighty]
That upgrade wasn't just another power spike. If the Rift Tree was right, that ability alone could undo spinal discoordination.
And maybe, finally, bring his mother back.
He closed the screen.
Not like he was gonna sleep.
Jaemin picked up his phone. Swiped through job listings.
Most were junk.
Then, He stopped.
[Rift Cleanup Request – Issued directly by Covenant: NOVA]
Jaemin blinked.
"Covenant: Nova?"
No specific info. No rank bracket.
But it hit the feed the moment he returned.
He stared at it, thumb hovering.
"…Well."
It was hitting while the iron was hot.
And he wasn't gonna let it cool.
It was something Jaemin knew all too well.
Before the skills. Before the Resonants. Before the Core awakened—
He used to run rift clean-up jobs.
Heating Rift Dust. Condensing it into Rift Crystals. A dirty, exhausting job—barely enough to cover groceries and his sister's tuition.
"Tsk."
His tongue clicked automatically.
"It's giving me flashbacks."
Back then, it was hell. Every cleanup was a fight to survive. No power, no back-up—just grit and a burner-grade heating core. Now?
He leaned back, letting his head rest against the bed frame.
"...It'd be nice to do something easy for once."
He muttered.
Maybe even harvest crystals directly inside the rift this time. No stress. No boss fights. Just familiar work.
His thumb hovered over the screen.
[Apply for Rift Clean-Up Mission – Covenant: Nova]
Estimated duration: 2 days
"Let's see what Nova's cooking."
CLICK.
APPLY.
[Application sent.]
[Response ETA: Immediate.]
TING!
[Request Approved. Coordinates uploaded.]
"…That was fast."
***
Alaska.
The air was freezing, but that didn't stop the arrival of military trucks, enforcement drones, and a dozen strike teams of Coreborns.
They stood at the perimeter of a shattered Rift site—The Well of Abyss. Supposed to be contained. Supposed to be dormant.
It was now fractured. Spewing a thick black mist into the open. Abyssal ooze leaked like ink across the terrain.
Inside the haze—Violet flashes blinked through, searing and erratic.
And the only figure visible—
Seo Ilyeon.
He stood still, watching the Rift pulse in chaos.
"How did this well break so suddenly…"
No answer. The sensors weren't working inside the mist. His CoreSense couldn't detect anything properly. The air warped.
Then he saw it.
A silhouette.
Tall. Calm. Long black hair drifting with the smoke. Symbols and glyphs marked his forearms—His fingertips twisted and blackened, as if crafted from abyssal residue itself.
Seo Ilyeon's eyes narrowed.
"...What abyssal is this now…"
The man responded—Not with a scream, not with a howl—But with a calm, grounded voice.
"I'm not an abyssal."
"You can speak, too, huh…"
Ilyeon kept his hand near his side, aura pulsing just beneath his skin. Still cautious.
"Who are you? And how do you know Korean?"
"Han Kyungjae."
The name landed like a shot.
Ilyeon clenched his fist so hard his knuckles cracked.
Han.
That surname alone burned in his veins.
"Han Kyungjae, is it… Tell me this—"
His tone dropped.
"Got a family back in Korea?"
Kyungjae didn't flinch.
"Yes."
Ilyeon's smile was twisted now. He took one step forward.
"One last thing, then. Do you have a son?"
A long pause. Then—
"Jaemin...Han Jaemin"
The temperature around Seo Ilyeon's body shifted instantly.
His Core flared. The mist burned around his presence.
"Well then, let me tell you something—I'm Seo Ilyeon. Flux Coreborn. A seasoned one."
He dragged his palm across his face, fury crackling in his veins.
"And I'm planning to kill someone."
He grinned—eyes wild.
"Someone named Han Jaemin. Your son."
Han Kyungjae didn't blink.
Didn't move.
Didn't even shift his posture.
His voice stayed steady.
"Funny. Coming from a thing like you."
The words cut.
Something inside Ilyeon snapped.
"You bastard!!"
He roared—Core blazing violet-blue, pressure erupting outward as his feet launched off the shattered terrain.
"WHY DON'T YOU JOIN YOUR SON IN HELL!!"
He charged.
The Rift screamed.
****
SHHRRRIK! GASP!
"Did the defibrillator work?!"
"It did!"
"Vitals stabilising—quick, clear the room!"
Footsteps stormed in as medics and Coreborn security surrounded the bed. A nurse leaned over the burned, barely conscious body of Seo Ilyeon, his skin blackened and cracking from abyssal corrosion, strange glowing marks pulsing along his chest and shoulders.
"Sir, can you hear me? Are you alright?"
Seo Ilyeon's eyes fluttered open—bloodshot. His voice was dry, hoarse.
"…Where…am I?"
"You're at the hospital in Alaska. You collapsed after the incident at the Well of Abyss. We retrieved you from the edge of the rift."
He stared at the ceiling, disoriented.
"…What…happened?"
The Coreborn officer hesitated.
"The well is broken, but it's… empty. Whatever you fought—there's no trace. No abyssals. No residuals. Nothing."
Then the memory hit. The man. Long hair. Calm eyes. Han Kyungjae.
And the moment Seo leapt at him, nothing. The man didn't defend himself. But behind him, something shone.
Something like a sun. Holy… corrupted… blinding.
Seo Ilyeon's fingers twitched.
"That bastard Jaemin…"
His voice was cracked and low.
"I'll shred you to pieces…"
Blood dripped from his lip as his breathing slowed.
"Both of you."
