Chương 79: S-rank Rift

Ch 79 - S-rank Rift Evan never expected to step into an S-rank Rift like this. Some argued that the Secret Dungeon on Floor 71 technically should have been one as well, but ultimately, it was classified as a very high A-rank dungeon. Leshys, on the other hand, were generally found in S-rank Rifts, which meant this dungeon was already far more dangerous than anything they had encountered during the Frontier Field Exercise.

What interested Evan more, however, was how different this dungeon was from the one Isaac had used as his hideout.

That place had been an empty dungeon with no monsters at all, whereas this one appeared to be active.

"What should we do? There are only two of you..." Song-hee muttered.

"And only Reika is an A-rank. There's no way we can survive this dungeon. Should we hide somewhere and wait for rescue?" Reika shook her head.

"That won't be feasible. There was already an outbreak happening outside the Rift, with the boss rampaging through the sea. It could take hours, if not days, before anyone can reach us."

"Yeah, we can't just sit around and hope someone comes to save us," Evan said.

"Anyway, it's not like we need to clear the dungeon. You were unconscious, so you don't know this, but the people who kidnapped you have a nifty device that can open an exit portal inside a Rift. If we can get our hands on another one, we can leave as soon as we rescue Hiroto."

"That's good to hear, but rescuing Hiroto... is that even possible with only an A-rank and an F-rank?" Song-hee said.

"We'll manage. I think you should be more worried about yourself. I'm an F-rank, sure, but at least I'm an Awakener. You're just a civilian."

"Exactly. You two should focus on protecting me. Once we get out of here, I'll reward you well."

"I thought you looked down on this F-rank, little miss."

"Regardless, it is an Awakener's duty to prioritize civilian safety." Evan wanted to point out the blatant hypocrisy, but before he could say anything, a strange noise came from inside one of the nearby houses.

"What's that?" Song-hee hid behind Reika. Approaching the building, Evan pushed open the door and peered inside. It was a simple dwelling with a fireplace, a wooden table, and several shelves. Household items lay scattered across the floor, leaving the place in considerable disarray. Evan lifted an earthen jar and returned it to the shelf before moving on to the next misplaced item.

"What are you doing?" Song-hee hissed. Evan ignored her and continued tidying the room. Reika paused for a moment, then helped him put the belongings back in their places. Song-hee remained standing there, staring in bewilderment as the two Awakeners proceeded to clean the house as though they had stumbled into an ordinary chore rather than an S-rank Rift.

"Did you guys get cursed or something?"

"Either help or shut your mouth," Evan said as he picked up a wooden doll and placed it on a low bed. Poof! A cloud of smoke appeared above the bed, and a small, stout old man with gray hair emerged from it. He was so short that, even standing upright, his head wouldn't reach Evan's knees. The old man wore a ragged cloak and matching hat, and his eyes flashed as he stared at Evan, who met his gaze without backing down. Song-hee let out a small yelp and retreated behind Reika again.

"We mean no harm," Evan said, addressing the old man despite having no idea whether he could even understand human speech.

"But what happened to the people who lived in this house?" The old man made a guttural sound in his throat before leaping from the bed and rushing out of the house. Evan followed after him, with Reika and Song-hee hurrying along behind.

"Why are we following a monster?" Song-hee whispered.

"Did you not pay attention in Monster Studies class?" Evan asked.

"That old man is a Domovoy," Reika explained.

"In Rifts where Leshys are found, you can usually find Domovoys in the villages as well. They're house guardians, although it's strange that there isn't even a sign of the villagers' ghosts."

"Yeah, in an S-rank Rift like this, it wouldn't be strange if there were some sort of Quest attached to it, and this village seemed like a pretty good setup for one, but it's completely empty," Evan added.

"So... something happened to the ghost villagers?" Song-hee asked.

"Yeah, and I figured this angry Domovoy, whose charges were taken from him, would be more than happy to lead us to whoever did it," Evan said. And lead them the Domovoy did. They followed the creature through the thick forest, weaving around dense vegetation as they ventured deeper into the darkness, with only the stars above providing enough light to make out a path. Evan didn't dare use his flashlight in case an enemy lurked nearby, while Song-hee stumbled more than once over the uneven ground.

Despite the difficult journey, they arrived at what Evan assumed was their destination: the giant leafless tree ahead, its branches stretching toward the sky like a mass of long, crooked fingers. Evan raised a hand and turned toward the others.

"You two stay here. I'll scout ahead." Reika frowned.

"Are you thinking of leaving me behind? Let me remind you who's stronger between the two of us."

"Nothing like that, but it might be safer if we don't bring a certain stumbling lady with us when we need to avoid being discovered." Song-hee's face flushed.

"I'm trying, okay?! It's hard to walk in the dark!"

"Yup, so I say you two stay here. Someone needs to protect the civilian. I'll scout the area and return if I find anything. I can use my stealth if I'm discovered. Don't worry, I'm not dumb enough to think I can storm in and fight them by myself." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. After a moment of thought, Reika said, "Fine, but just holler if you do get caught."

"So little faith." Evan followed after the Domovoy, who had already trudged farther ahead. The creature stopped behind a tall bush, and Evan crouched beside it, squinting through the leaves. Beneath the gnarled tree, a large camp had been set up, with several tents scattered around it. Groups of people sat around talking like they were on an ordinary camping trip rather than relaxing in the middle of an S-rank Rift. With their fancy pet stationed at its base, perhaps their confidence wasn't entirely misplaced.

The Leshy was more than two dozen feet tall, its body seemingly formed from roots and wood, while its face resembled a deer's skull crowned with massive antlers. It was a terrifying sight, yet it remained seated in a strange, almost docile posture. What exactly had these people done here? Evan channeled more mana into his ears and strained to pick up their conversation.

"Where's Harvey?" one man asked.

"That guy should've been here already." A woman shrugged.

"Who knows? That guy's an idiot. I told the leader not to pick him because he's such a klutz, and now look. He could've been attacked by a monster and died somewhere outside."

"Hey, stop talking like that about our comrade."

"I'm just saying what I think. Either way, even if that guy doesn't come back, we've nabbed enough kids already, right? His Holiness should be happy."

"Well, that's not wrong, though I wonder how those rich assholes will feel once they realize some of their kids are missing."

"Do they even care about their kids? They're probably rich enough to raise a whole brood more and just dump them on their nannies anyway." Evan tuned out the rest of their conversation and scanned the surrounding area. He soon spotted several ward stakes planted in a circle around the encampment, no doubt meant to activate a defensive barrier if anyone attempted to rush in. Beyond the sheer number of human enemies, they also had the troublesome Leshy acting like a guard dog.

Even if he and Reika moved quickly to eliminate the enemies, they were badly outnumbered. With his scouting complete, Evan retreated to where Reika and Song-hee were waiting.

"So, how was it? How many enemies?" Reika asked.

"Maybe a dozen or so," Evan replied.

"Though my main concern is the Leshy they somehow managed to tame."

"They can do that?" Song-hee covered her mouth.

"Seems like it." He suspected the Leshy had been turned into some kind of demonic beast, given that it looked far more menacing than the descriptions and illustrations he had seen in books.

"What about Hiroto? Did you see him?"

"No, but I suspect he and the other kidnapped kids are probably inside one of the tents."

"What should we do, then?" Song-hee twisted her hands together.

"You said there are that many people and that monster, so you can't win this!" Reika fell silent as she considered their situation.

"No, we can't, especially with a barrier surrounding their base," Evan said.

"But we don't have to be the ones attacking them."

"Do you have a plan?"

"This Rift is still active, which means the boss should still be somewhere around here. Based on the layout, this dungeon is essentially an open field, so the boss isn't confined to some enclosed area. How about we lure it toward the kidnappers and let it attack them instead?"

"That's very risky. We could end up getting killed in the process."

"Do you have a better idea?" Reika pressed her lips together, unable to come up with one.

"See? So we need to get moving and find the boss." Evan turned toward the Domovoy.

"Excuse me, but do you know where the strongest monster in this region is?" The Domovoy stared up at him without blinking for several long moments before turning around and heading off once more.

"This is a terrible idea," Song-hee muttered, but she had little choice except to follow them. The four of them traveled through the woods again, heading deeper into the forest. This stretch was worse than before, the trees crowding in as if the woodland itself intended to consume them. When they broke through the thick brush, they encountered another clearing, where a hut stood atop a rocky promontory.

Gnarled vines and tangled undergrowth covered the ground around its foundation, while its narrow windows remained completely black, offering no glimpse of what lay inside. More ward stakes surrounded the hut, forming a barrier around the entire structure.

"A... house?" Song-hee said.

"No, that's a Baba Yaga's hut." Reika grimaced.

"Alright, so here's the plan," Evan said.

"We need to lure that boss to the camp. I don't think I can outrun that thing, but you should be able to, Reika, especially if you use your power. Meanwhile, I'll keep watch over our little lady here. Once the Baba Yaga starts rampaging, you and I will try to deal with the enemies as best we can, while Song-hee finds the kidnapped kids and gives them these potions." He handed her the remaining health potions he had on hand.

"Once Hiroto recovers, we can run away. You can even hide in his Pocket Refuge and stay safe and sound."

"You're asking me to do it?" Song-hee gaped at him.

"Would you rather fight the enemies alongside Reika? I'm more than happy to take your role." She tightened her grip on the potions.

"Fine... I'll do it."

"Great. Now, first we'll need to deal with those ward stakes."

"You know how to handle those?" Reika asked as they approached the boss arena.

"I do have my talents." Evan examined one of the stakes. After experiencing a flood of demonic energy firsthand, Evan had developed a keen sense for it despite lacking any Sacred Light, and he could tell that the stake was saturated with the same dark power.

"It seems our gang of kidnappers doesn't want to deal with poor Baba Yaga." Evan placed his hand against the ward stake and traced his fingers over the glyphs etched into its surface. Whoever had carved these knew what they were doing, unlike Isaac. The wards weren't simply meant to keep people out; they were designed to suppress the Baba Yaga. Reid, with his vast reserves of Sacred Light, could have flooded the glyphs and burned them out entirely.

A seasoned mage could have unraveled them with nothing but expertise. Evan had neither option. His mana reserve was pitiful, and Sacred Light wasn't something he possessed at all. Pressing his fingers against one of the glyphs, he called forth the dark power within the stake. It resisted at first, wary and feral, but the curse and demonic energy coursing through Evan seemed to draw it in. Slowly, it yielded, flowing into him. [You have gained 1 Demonic Energy Essence.] The glyph beneath his fingertips crackled, then went dark, its faint glow fading away.

"What did you do?" Reika asked.

"I never heard of you being a barrier specialist."

"Like I said, I've got my own talents." Evan approached the next ward stake and repeated the process, needing to drain only three more stakes before the barrier suppressing the Baba Yaga weakened considerably. Creeeak...!

"Here it is!" Evan grinned. The eerie hut shook, its foundation roots tearing free as the entire structure lurched into the air. A strange sight emerged from beneath it as a pair of massive avian legs unfolded, their powerful limbs lifting the hut high above the ground.

"I'll leave it to you, Reika!" Evan grabbed Song-hee and hoisted her onto his back. She shrieked but wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"Got it!" Reika shouted, firing a bolt of lightning at the remaining barrier and shattering it into fragments. Like a final chain snapping, the Baba Yaga hut sprang upright and leaped forward. Using her lightning, she propelled herself into the air, then shot another bolt straight at the roof of the house.

"Come at me, you chicken-legged hut!" The hut faced her for a moment, then it bounded in pursuit. Reika soared toward the camp, while Evan raced through the forest with Song-hee on his back, pumping mana into his stride as he hurried after her.