[Chapter 7]
The air split like paper under the weight of the Rift Lord's presence. Darkness curled at the edges of the sky, and even the wind dared not blow.
Castiel stood motionless, sword gripped tightly in his hand, eyes locked on the cloaked figure emerging from the rift.
Mu Qinglan took a defensive stance beside him. "We can't win this, Castiel. That thing… it's beyond Nascent Soul. It's a true cultivator from the Nether Abyss."
Castiel's system flashed another warning in red.
System Alert:
This enemy is not meant to be fought directly.
Survival Rate: 0.3%
Suggestion: Escape or delay.
But Castiel's heart didn't tremble. Instead, he smirked.
"Zero point three, huh? Better odds than usual."
The Rift Lord tilted his head. "You smile in the face of death. Either you are foolish… or you are chosen."
Black mist surged around the demon's feet. He raised his skeletal hand, and an orb of pure darkness formed, twisting like a black hole.
Mu Qinglan immediately reacted. "I'll distract him—run!"
But Castiel stepped forward.
"No. We fight. We stall. Or people die."
Quest Updated: SURVIVE for 5 minutes against the Rift Lord
Bonus: ???
Penalty: Jade Frost region will fall to corruption
The Rift Lord launched the orb.
Skill Activated: Shadow Shift – Custom Combo Initiated
Castiel vanished just as the orb passed through the space he stood in, causing a crater behind them the size of a mansion.
He reappeared midair, directly above the demon's head.
Skill Activated: Crimson Flame Burst
A sudden explosion of red fire engulfed his blade. He drove it downward with all his strength, aiming for the Rift Lord's mask.
But in a blur of motion, the demon raised a single finger—and caught the blade.
Time froze for a moment.
CLANGGG!
Sparks flew as Castiel's sword trembled violently, unable to pierce even a millimeter into the demon's defense.
Damage Dealt: 0
Enemy Defense Exceeds Current Limit
The Rift Lord grabbed Castiel by the throat and slammed him into the ground.
BOOOOM!!!
A crater formed beneath them. Dust and flame erupted skyward as Castiel coughed blood, struggling to breathe.
Mu Qinglan shouted, "Let him go!"
She unleashed her strongest ice spell, forming a glacier spear the size of a tree and hurling it with deadly force.
The Rift Lord glanced at her, unimpressed. With a flick of his hand, the spear shattered into shards.
"She's next," he said coldly.
Emergency System Triggered
Activating Hidden Stat: PLAYER'S INSTINCT
Castiel's eyes glowed bright red for an instant.
His body moved before his mind caught up, rolling from the ground, grabbing a rock, and tossing it with blinding speed toward the demon's mask—not to hurt, but to distract.
The Rift Lord flinched—just a fraction.
Opportunity Created – 0.5 Seconds
That was enough.
Castiel dove into a slide beneath the Rift Lord's legs and rolled onto his feet, pulling Mu Qinglan back with him.
"You okay?" he whispered, panting hard.
Mu Qinglan was bleeding from her lip, but she nodded. "That thing's not just strong. It's intelligent. Like… ancient."
"I figured."
The Rift Lord turned slowly, eyes gleaming behind his mask. "How long will you dance, little spark?"
"Five minutes," Castiel muttered.
"Excuse me?"
Castiel raised his blade again. "Long enough."
Countdown: 4:12 remaining
They fought.
And it wasn't like any fight Castiel had ever experienced—not in the real world, not in his games, not even in his wildest dreams.
The Rift Lord didn't just attack—he tested. He adjusted his moves, feinted, anticipated. He shifted between martial techniques and demonic sorcery like a painter changing colors on a brush.
One moment, Castiel was blocking a scythe made of bone, the next dodging fire-laced talons that cracked the earth beneath him. Every strike felt like it could end the battle.
And yet, Castiel survived.
By instinct. By sheer desperation. And with the guidance of his system.
New Skill Integrated: Danger Sense – Lv. 1
You feel danger 1.5 seconds earlier than normal.
Activation Cost: 0 MP
Cooldown: Passive
Combo Detected: Quick Step + Shadow Feint
Movement speed increased temporarily.
Evasion chance +15%
He ducked, dodged, countered—and bled.
Mu Qinglan used her ice magic to slow the Rift Lord, buying them precious seconds, freezing the very air to create traps and shields. But even she was tiring. Her breath came in short gasps. Her hands trembled.
"We're not gonna last," she said, falling to her knees.
Countdown: 1:48
"Just hold on," Castiel murmured, face pale. "Just a little longer."
And then… the Rift Lord paused.
He turned his gaze eastward, beyond the battlefield, beyond the sky itself.
"…Tch. The Heaven's Eye is watching."
Castiel blinked. "What?"
The demon's presence began to fade. The black mist around him pulled back.
"I would've enjoyed ending you slowly, child of the other world… but we will meet again."
He stepped into the air—and vanished into the rift.
The moment he left, the portal collapsed, howling in agony as it sucked itself into nonexistence.
Castiel fell to his knees.
Quest Completed: SURVIVE
Reward: 50,000 EXP, Random Epic Equipment Acquired
Bonus: Rift Beacon Fragment x1
New Questline Unlocked: Legacy of the Riftwalkers
Level Up!
Lv. 15 → Lv. 17
He looked over at Mu Qinglan, who gave a tired smile.
"You're insane," she said softly.
"I know."
He smiled back, bloodied and bruised.
And somewhere deep inside the world's spiritual fabric, something ancient stirred awake—watching him now… interested.
-----------------------------------------
Castiel sat near the edge of a ruined cliff, legs dangling as the sun began to rise behind him, casting a soft amber hue across the battlefield. His clothes were torn, blood caked on his arms, and the sharp sting of pain ran deep into his bones. Still, his eyes were locked on the floating panel before him.
Epic Item Acquired: Emberfang Cloak
Rarity: Epic
Type: Armor (Back)
Description: Forged from the flame essence of a dying Fire Phoenix, this cloak enhances flame-based skills and grants partial resistance to abyssal magic.
Bonus: +15% Fire Skill Damage, +10% Magic Resistance (Dark)
Appearance: A long black cloak lined with red feathers that seem to flicker like embers.
He summoned it with a swipe. The cloak materialized over his shoulders in a wisp of flame and shadow, fluttering despite the still air.
"Stylish," he muttered with a crooked smile, though his lips cracked and bled from the movement.
Behind him, Mu Qinglan approached slowly. Her wounds were bound hastily, and she leaned on a broken spear like a crutch. "That was reckless. Again."
"I'm getting good at surviving impossible odds," Castiel said, voice hoarse.
She dropped beside him, staring out over the ruined fields of Jade Frost region. The once-beautiful terrain was scorched and torn, pockmarked by craters and burned trees. Yet, life slowly returned—birds circled overhead, and distant trees rustled as wind returned to the realm.
"You think it's over?" she asked.
Castiel shook his head. "That was just the beginning. The Rift Lord didn't attack to conquer… he was testing something. Maybe me."
He opened the system panel and scrolled down.
Questline Unlocked: Legacy of the Riftwalkers
First Objective: Discover the origin of the Rift Beacon Fragment
Reward: Unknown
Difficulty: ???
Note: This questline is connected to your Soul Origin.
"Soul Origin..." he whispered.
Mu Qinglan tilted her head. "What is it?"
"I think… I wasn't brought here by accident."
She looked at him, expression unreadable. "I figured that out the moment you tanked a Rift Lord without flinching."
He smirked. "I flinched inside."
They both laughed—tired, but real.
Suddenly, the system chimed again.
System Notice:
Hidden Stat Progress: Player's Instinct – Now Level 2
You now sense enemy presence even through stealth.
Passive Ability Enhanced: Decision Echo
Allows a brief second-chance reflex when near death (Cooldown: 24 hours)
New Skill Option Available: Choose One
– Flame Drive (Active)
– Riftstep (Active)
– Insight Vision (Passive)
Castiel stared at the choices, heart pounding. Each one... is game-changing.
"Riftstep," he finally whispered.
Skill Acquired: Riftstep (Lv. 1)
Teleport a short distance by stepping through dimensional cracks.
Cooldown: 15 seconds
Note: Using this skill too frequently will attract attention from Rift-based entities.
"Well… that sounds dangerous," he muttered.
"You keep talking to yourself like that, I'm gonna assume you're crazy," Mu Qinglan said teasingly.
"I am crazy. Who else would pick a skill that attracts monsters from the same hell dimension we just survived?"
She rolled her eyes, though a faint smile tugged at her lips.
Then came a low hum—like a resonance from within his soul.
The Rift Beacon Fragment in his inventory pulsed with light.
Item Identified: Rift Beacon Fragment
Description: A sliver of dimensional residue left behind when a high-ranking rift entity leaves the world. Reacts to Riftwalker bloodlines and ancient seals.
Related Location Detected: Shrine of Whispering Glass – 120 miles northeast
Would you like to set quest marker?
He tapped "Yes."
Just then, a voice echoed across the wind.
"Castiel of Earth."
Both he and Mu Qinglan turned.
An old man stood at the edge of the cliff, robes of starlight and void trailing behind him, beard flowing like mist. His presence was vast yet gentle, like the sky itself.
"You've stirred the sleeping," he said calmly. "The Rift Lord is not the only one watching now."
Castiel stood cautiously. "Who are you?"
The man smiled.
"I am Tian Xu. Elder of the Outer Skies, one of the last Riftwalkers of the sealed era. And you, boy… you carry the mark. The soul signature of a world that doesn't belong."
Castiel felt something stir in his chest. That odd feeling—like a game world loading a secret plotline he didn't unlock yet.
"What do you want?"
Tian Xu raised a hand and pointed toward the mountains.
"There is a storm coming. The rifts will open again, larger than ever. And you, Castiel… must walk the edge of realms and decide whether to be their shield—or their key."
New Title Unlocked: Riftbound
You are now recognized by dimensional beings. This title affects dialogue, hostility, and quest interactions. Passive bonus: Slight resistance to spatial distortion.
The wind blew harder. The elder faded into motes of light, leaving Castiel and Mu Qinglan standing in silence.
"I don't get paid enough for this," Castiel muttered.
"You don't get paid at all," she replied.
"…Exactly.".