"No! It can't be… How can a dimensional rift appear without any prior warning?"
Ryan's thoughts raced, then abruptly snapped into focus.
He glanced at his right hand, still clutching his phone, and for reasons unknown, he felt an intense urge to smash it against his own head.
However, there was no time to dwell on such thoughts.
Ordinary people like him had only one choice when a rift appeared: hide.
Only awakened ones could turn the tide, and could put up a fight against the monsters spilling out of those tears in space.
And he was not one of them.
So, out in the open, there was only one place where he had even a slim chance of survival.
The half-constructed building.
Ryan dashed toward it, aiming for the top floors to avoid any direct contact.
But there was no way he could reach them in time. He had to look for another way.
Right then, a black, four-legged creature burst out of the Rift, springing forward before crashing onto the ground with a thunderous impact
Meanwhile, Ryan had already crawled into a cement mixer. Holding his breath, he slowly raised his head to watch the chaos unfold.
The creature resembled a massive wildcat. However, its mouth was lined with jagged fangs and above them was a large hollow cavity that served as its nose. There were no eyes. Even under the streetlight, there was nothing.
"Twelve-fanged Panther!" Ryan whispered.
Hundreds of years had passed since the first dimensional rift appeared. Calling it a nightmare wasn't an exaggeration. In a single day, billions of lives had been lost. That terror was still etched deep into humanity's collective memory.
Had the first awakeners not emerged, the world would have long since fallen into chaos, becoming a paradise for unorigin monsters. Thanks to their collective efforts, the world survived, far better than before.
After that, the experience and hard-earned knowledge paid for in their blood were passed down to the next generation through school and college curricula. The idea was simple: at the very least, ordinary people should remain aware, informed, and mentally prepared for whatever catastrophe the future might bring.
After just a few glances, Ryan was certain this was a low-tier Twelve-fanged Panther.
Yet a monster was a monster.
Strong or weak didn't matter.
One thing was certain... it could kill an ordinary human with ease.
"Why… why does it have to be a pursuer-class monster?"
Ryan's heart skipped a beat.
The Twelve-fanged Panther, though deprived of vision, was gifted with an extremely sharp sense of smell. They could track their prey across vast distances and hunt them down relentlessly.
With Ryan hiding so close, it was only a matter of time before the monster tore his heart out.
"No… God, please have mercy. Please send the heroes to save this sinful child. Please…"
Who didn't want to live longer, even if only a little?
And Ryan was no different.
"...wait, there's still some time," he thought desperately. "Only one has appeared so far. I might survive until rescue arrives. Given its low intelligence, this bastard will probably trace my original path first. Maybe… maybe I can pull this off."
Knowing panic wouldn't help, Ryan forced himself to analyze his situation.
If he could successfully outmaneuver this single Twelve-fanged Panther, his survival chances would skyrocket compared to his previous near-zero percent.
Sure enough, the monster moved first toward the path Ryan had taken into the construction site.
Then it paused.
Its head slowly turned toward the cement mixer.
Ryan immediately ducked down, sweat pouring off him.
"Holy shit! When did it grow a brain?"
Seeing no escape, he shut his eyes.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
"…It stopped?"
Stunned, Ryan cautiously peeked out.
The black panther had already turned away, heading in the opposite direction, with no sign of returning anytime soon.
Still, Ryan didn't dare relax. He had no idea when more monsters might emerge.
Soon, he crawled out and began circling the area, deliberately looping his path several times. Then he hurried to other hiding spots — behind piles of steel bars, around an excavator, and finally into the building itself.
Keeping in mind that his goal was to stall for as long as possible, he climbed straight to the top floor.
The sixteenth floor.
Like before, he lingered briefly, then doubled back down the stairs.
"Huff… huff… This should buy some time. But if more monsters appear…"
Sensing the growing danger, Ryan repeated the process across a few more floors. He couldn't cover them all, so he chose two at random, then finally searched for a place to rest.
"If this had been a crowded area, I wouldn't have to work this hard. Wait… that monster hasn't come back. Did it run into the heroes?"
Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, believing help had arrived, the rift twisted violently. Its black hollow suddenly shifted color, turning into a glowing blue portal.
Within seconds, like a horde of beasts pouring out of hell, dozens of Twelve-fanged Panthers leapt from the rift.
Ryan felt his blood run cold.
Not one.
Not a few.
Dozens.
They landed and began turning their heads aimlessly, as if ready to tear the entire area apart.
Then, all at once, every head snapped toward the same direction.
Ryan followed their gaze to the left. From this distance and under dim streetlights, he couldn't see clearly.
But he could feel it.
His saviors had arrived.
The next instant, massive fireballs tore through the air, slamming into the monsters clustered near the rift.
Caught off guard, the panthers scattered, throwing themselves aside to avoid direct hits. Even so, when the meteor-like fireballs struck the ground, they exploded, releasing heat far more intense than before.
As the chaos briefly subsided, only injured panthers crawled back to their feet.
Yet their numbers hadn't dropped by much.
"Fuck… Is this what awakeners are capable of?" Ryan muttered. "No… these must just be appetizers."
Under his stunned gaze, more figures stepped into view. They were all awakeners. Among them was a woman flying above the ground, her high-waisted skirt fluttering as she wore a sleeveless, high-neck top.
Black hair. Sharp eyes. Casual attire.
Ryan knew her instantly.
Nina Heart.
A hero and a top celebrity before becoming a hero.
He had only seen her on billboards or short combat clips online.
Now, he was about to witness her fight in person.
For a brief moment, Ryan felt envy burn in his chest. If only he were one of them. Even a lower-class awakener would be better than his current nine-to-five corporate slavery.
Meanwhile, the heroes charged forward.
Leading them was a burly man whose hands burned red, steam rising as the air itself warped around him.
Seeing their attackers, the monsters lunged to meet them head-on, while some others began backing away, moving stealthily around the edges.
"Are they trying to ambush?" Ryan thought, immediately retreating deeper into the building, unwilling to get caught in the crossfire.
However, just as he turned...
A Twelve-fanged Panther noticed him.
It was no match for the awakened.
But against a weakling like Ryan?
It didn't hesitate.
It charged.
"What the ****!"