The world blinked—
Colors shifted. Sound dulled.
Then everything went silent.
Lin Xuan opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of a dead shopping mall.
[You have entered: Rift Zone – Catacomb Mall (Hidden Instance)]
[Difficulty: Medium–High]
[Environment: Rot Core Domain – Corruption Active]
[Special Condition: No Map | No Exit Until Boss Is Defeated]
The place was buried in darkness.
Broken escalators. Cracked mannequins. Blood-red vines crawling out from shattered display windows.
Old promotion posters hung crooked: "SALE – Up to 90% Off!"
[System Note: Rift corruption affects mental state. Fear Resistance recommended.]
Lin Xuan looked down at his katana.
The blade shimmered faintly, reacting to the domain.
"The deeper I go, the more alive it feels," he muttered.
[Quest Start – Cleanse the Mall]
Objective: Defeat all core-infected entities
Bonus: Locate Hidden Boss for exclusive drop
He took his first step—
The entire mall creaked, as if sensing his arrival.
From a side hallway, something skittered.
Lin Xuan paused.
Then—bursting out of a broken storefront came four monsters—twisted humanoid shapes, mouths gaping open vertically, teeth like broken glass.
[Enemy Identified: Crawlers – Rift Class]
HP: 180 | AGI: High | Special: Infective Shriek]
The air vibrated as they shrieked in unison.
Lin Xuan winced—his Fear Aura activated immediately.
Two staggered. That was enough.
Combat Engaged
He used Precision Rush—blurring across ten meters in an instant.
One slash—decapitated. Another—impaled mid-air.
He spun, parried a leaping Crawler, then stomped it back into the floor, blade-first.
[Multi-Kill! +28 EXP]
[Combo Bonus: Clean Execution x2]
Only one remained. It screeched again.
Lin Xuan smirked.
"Too loud."
He pulled a shard from his jacket—
[Flashcore Spark – Blind Radius: 5m]
Flash!
The Crawler screeched blindly.
Lin Xuan casually walked up, rested the blade against its neck—
And pushed.
[Enemies Cleared – Area Safe (Temporarily)]
[Loot Acquired: Rot Tendon x4, Crawler Fang x2]
He exhaled.
The deeper he went, the clearer it became:
This wasn't just some random dungeon.
This Rift was designed—
Like a test.
Floor 2 – The Food Court
Tables overturned. Chairs snapped.
And in the center—suspended from the ceiling by blood-colored silk—was a man.
Alive.
Eyes wide open. Mouth sewn shut.
[Rift Victim Detected – Status: Conscious | Corruption: 48%]
A normal person. Someone who had been dragged in—unlucky.
Lin Xuan tapped his interface.
[Option: Attempt Rescue?]
[YES – Delays progress, increases Rift Threat Level]
[NO – Proceed undetected]
He paused.
Then hit YES.
A blade swipe severed the silk. The man fell—Lin Xuan caught him.
"Breathe through your nose. You're not dead yet."
The victim trembled, then whispered hoarsely,
"They… they sing in the dark… please… don't let them hear you…"
Then he passed out.
Suddenly, the lights in the mall flickered.
An unnatural humming filled the air.
[WARNING: Rift Guardian Notified of Interference]
[Timer Initiated – 14 Minutes Until Manifestation]
Lin Xuan frowned.
"Did I just trigger a mid-boss?"
From deep below the floor, something roared.
Meanwhile… in a surveillance room nearby
A camera in the Rift buzzed. On a monitor, Lin Xuan's face appeared.
Two silhouettes stood watching.
"He saved the hostage. Idiot. No one does that in a medium-tier Rift."
"Or genius. Only someone confident enough would take the penalty and still clear it."
"Do we recruit him?"
"No. We observe. If he survives the next floor—then we act."
[Target: Lin Xuan – Evaluation Level Upgraded to Tier-A Threat]
Back in the Rift – Basement Level Entrance
A grand, rusted elevator door stood before him.
Covered in claw marks. No power.
But above it—glowing text appeared:
[Boss Room: Choir of Silence]
[Status: Awakening – 13:44]
Lin Xuan cracked his knuckles.
"Time to end the rehearsal."
He turned around, looking for a detour—something that could give him an edge before facing the boss.
And there—behind a shattered toy store—
A glowing chest. Unlike any he had seen before.
[You have discovered a Rift Gear Cache – Luck Bonus Applied]
[Opening…]
[Item Acquired: Whisper Boots (Rare+)]
AGI +3
Passive: Null Footsteps – Complete silence when moving
Style: Black high-top sneakers, sleek and modern
He slipped them on.
Perfect for what came next.