D-Rank rift?" Marcus sighed as he rubbed his forehead in annoyance.
"You brat, do you understand how dangerous that is? Even with your current strength, there will still be risks," he said again, this time with a serious look in his eyes as he stared at me.
"At the very least, I can run away if things go bad," I replied. I already understood the danger, but this was still the best option.
"Marcus, I can't keep fighting E-Rank monsters anymore." I spoke honestly. I knew he was a tsundere old man. Even though he always acted like he didn't care, he was clearly worried about me.
Well... after what happened.
I thought back to something from a month ago. I had entered a rift, provoked a swarm of E-Rank insects, and nearly died.
"Hmph." He always sighed whenever I mentioned that.
"Fine, kid. But I hope Maus doesn't have to carry you back here injured again. That would be troublesome," the old man muttered, exhaling foul-smelling air from his mouth.
"I can't promise that." I smiled beneath my scarf at his concern.
I had grown more familiar with the people here over time. I had even met Renee several times.
Marcus, the tsundere old man.
Marcella, the gentle one.
And Renee... the beautiful one.
"Ahem."
I quickly chose the rift and moved toward one of the tables after thanking Marcus.
Strange. Whenever I thought about Renee and her appearance, I felt a strange warmth inside me.
"Hoo..." I exhaled sharply and forced the ridiculous thoughts out of my head.
After waiting for a short while, the large man finally arrived.
The B-Rank hunter nicknamed the Armored Tank.
Yes, it was Maus.
"Good to see you again, Mr. Jin."
My fake name here had turned out to be surprisingly useful.
I nodded in greeting, then followed him toward the car. I had already grown used to this routine.
With the roar of the engine, the car sped toward the rift's location.
. . . . . . . . .
About half an hour later, we arrived at another ruined house.
We entered, and the familiar distorted space appeared before me.
But this one was far stronger than the E-Rank rift.
Ominous black mana surrounded it, while several cubes floated nearby. The space itself resembled the entrance to a small cave.
"Good luck, Mr. Jin."
Maus bowed before stepping back and disappearing from view.
"Here we go."
I stepped into the rift.
Weightlessness.
The void.
That familiar sensation.
Seconds passed.
Then I felt my feet land on something soft.
I slowly opened my eyes.
A desert.
A scorching sun overhead.
Sand everywhere.
After taking only a few steps—
Whoosh!
The sand around me began to shake violently. I sensed a massive creature rushing toward me from beneath the ground.
At that moment, my instincts screamed at me to dodge.
I obeyed instantly and leapt backward.
The sand split apart, and a gigantic head burst forth.
Then the rest of its enormous body followed.
"A worm?"
Yes, it was a giant worm. But that wasn't all. Its mouth was lined with rows of razor-sharp fangs.
The worm turned toward me. Red pin-like eyes glared in my direction as it let out a furious roar.
"This really is... a shameless worm."
I muttered while sensing its aura. Despite its size and the mana it emitted—
"Weak."
It was far weaker than me.
"Time Zone."
This would be my first real combat test of the ability in two forms at my current rank.
First—
"Acceleration."
I vanished from where I stood.
The worm was startled, but before it could recover, I was already two meters away.
I reinforced my body with mana and continued using my ability.
"Jump."
With explosive force, I launched upward.
Like a hawk.
In only a second, I was directly before its face.
"Slash."
I infused my blade with my elemental power—my silver flames—and cut into its head.
"Smooth."
There was no resistance at all.
Its head was severed cleanly.
The blood that should have spilled froze in place.
Yet its eyes were strange. They made it seem as though it had suffered unbearable pain.
That was the power of my flames.
They burned the soul...
And froze the living.
With a thunderous crash, its head fell to the sand, followed by its massive body.
I watched it all from the sky.
Yes.
I was standing in the sky.
This was the second form of my power.
Slowing.
In truth, I was simply falling slowly. But that didn't matter.
With another heavy crash, the worm's corpse hit the ground. It had been a D-Rank monster, yet it could not endure even a single strike from me.
A wide smile spread across my face as I descended slowly.
"This..."
With silver flames and mana enhancement, my offensive power was terrifying.
And my abilities ensured I would not be hit easily.
I am invincible.
I thought from the sky.