Chapter 45 – Rifts in the Underground Labyrinth
The city above glimmered, but beneath its luminous bridges and towering skyscrapers lay the forgotten underground—the Labyrinth. Old subway tunnels, collapsed maintenance shafts, and abandoned energy conduits stretched endlessly, but for rift hunters like Biro Kael and Lyra, it was a playground of danger and discovery. Tonight, the air smelled metallic and damp, punctuated by faint pulses of unstable energy that whispered of creatures and secrets buried for decades.
Biro moved carefully, fragment pulsating faintly in his chest, instincts guiding his every step. Lyra stayed close, her senses attuned to shifts in the darkness. Shadows danced across the walls as faint lights from fractured energy conduits flickered, illuminating distorted corridors. Each flicker revealed rift scars: glowing fissures etched into concrete, ripples of reality that bent and shimmered unnaturally.
"The energy here… it's unstable," Lyra whispered, crouching near a low passage. Her aura, barely visible, mingled with the fragment's hum, amplifying Biro's awareness. "We need to move carefully, or we'll trigger a swarm of spawns."
Biro nodded, senses extending beyond the walls, fragment nudging him forward. The tunnels seemed alive, each step echoing with the potential for discovery—or attack. "I can feel something… lurking ahead. Not just F-grade, either. Something stronger."
Before he could finish, the first rift opened—a jagged tear in space, pulsating with eerie violet light. From it emerged a pack of wolf-like spawns, larger than those he had encountered in the Floating District. Their eyes glowed like molten metal, claws tearing into the cracked floor as they advanced. A faint "D-grade" marker shimmered above each, but instinct told Biro that sheer numbers made them lethal.
"Stay behind me," he whispered to Lyra, extending his hands instinctively. The fragment pulsed, a controlled wave of energy spreading outward. One wolf staggered, emitting a low howl as raw omniversal power brushed it aside. Lyra moved with precision, blade flashing, slicing another in mid-leap. Together, they began coordinating movements instinctively—the fragment guiding Biro, Lyra's aura responding, each attack and dodge a silent dance.
Suddenly, the largest rift pulse in the corridor intensified. A massive creature emerged, taller than a man, with twisted limbs and glowing veins across its scaled body. The system panel briefly appeared in Biro's vision:
[System Panel – Rift Encounter Detected]
Monster Type: Rift Behemoth
Power Grade: C
EXP Reward: Significant
Recommended Action: Extreme caution
Biro's fragment surged, instincts screaming. "Lyra, flank right. I'll engage head-on."
The Behemoth roared, shaking the corridor, concrete cracking beneath its weight. Biro charged, fragment energy shielding him, moving with agility that surpassed ordinary perception. Each swing of his hand, each push of energy, felt guided by the fragment itself. Lyra moved silently, striking with deadly precision, cutting deep into the creature's limbs. Sparks and energy arcs illuminated the dark labyrinth, a symphony of power and instinct in motion.
The Behemoth lashed its claws, but Biro anticipated, dodging and countering, fragment pulsing, sensing weak points. With a coordinated strike, Lyra drove her blade into the creature's side while Biro released a controlled surge, sending it crashing against the tunnel wall. Dust and debris fell like rain as the creature struggled, energy shimmering violently before finally retreating into the collapsing rift.
Breathing heavily, Biro turned to Lyra. "We did it… together."
She smiled faintly, her aura glowing softly. "We're getting stronger… your fragment, my aura… it's working in sync."
But the fragment pulsed again, faint but urgent. More rifts were forming deeper within the Labyrinth, stronger than the ones above. Creatures of B-grade, some even approaching low-A, stirred in the shadows, drawn to their presence. Biro's instincts flared. He could feel the labyrinth itself testing him, teaching him to anticipate, adapt, and combine raw fragment power with strategy.
Lyra rested a hand on his shoulder. "This is only the beginning, Biro. The deeper we go, the stronger the rifts, the more powerful the monsters. But… I trust us. Together, we can face whatever comes."
Biro's pulse quickened—not from fear, but exhilaration. The fragment hummed in response, alive, resonating with the promise of growth. He had survived trials before, but here, in the darkness beneath the city, every step, every heartbeat, was a chance to awaken more, to understand the fragment, and to grow stronger with Lyra by his side.
The Labyrinth stretched endlessly before them, pulsing with energy and hidden danger. And as Biro moved forward, fragment blazing faintly in rhythm with his heartbeat, he realized: hunting monsters, surviving rifts, mastering instinct, and exploring these hidden depths was no longer just training—it was destiny, love, and power intertwined in a path only he could walk.