The Rift expeditions up until now had been going pretty smoothly.
Why? Because the strongest student council president, Alkine, had always been by my side.
But not this time.
Of course, we still had the human radar, Grain, and the explosively powerful princess who had grown so much that her strength was now immeasurable.
But, unfortunately, that wasn’t reassuring.
Was it because Seria was still lacking? No, quite the opposite.
The problem was that she had become too exceptional.
“I really didn’t expect to cause this much trouble. I’m so sorry…”
“It’s fine. Seriously, it’s fine.”
“Rudion. Don’t pretend it’s fine when it’s clearly not.”
“…Busted.”
The moment we first entered the Rift, Seria had tried to deploy magic circles around us, just like she did when fighting the demonic forces back at the Imperial Palace.
Sure, if she’d done that, we’d have been ready for anything.
But, sadly, it wasn’t possible.
“Urgh…”
The instant Seria’s mana flared, Grain’s complexion visibly paled.
It seemed that Seria’s enhanced magic was too overwhelming for Grain’s unique constitution to handle.
Even someone like Grain, who could easily withstand high-level spells cast by the student council, was struggling.
What on earth had Seria become?
Whatever it was, one thing was clear: Seria’s capabilities were essentially sealed off now.
I didn’t see this coming at all. How could things go so wrong?
As a result, Seria had no choice but to focus solely on supporting Grain.
“Are you really okay? You still don’t look well.”
“I’m fine. If anything, I should apologize. I’m just being a burden again.”
“It’s fine. We have Rudion, so it’s not a problem even if I don’t step in.”
Seria said this as she looked at me.
No, hold on. I’m the one who desperately needs your help right now!
Please, just carry me through this.
“Right, Rudion?”
“Uh… Yeah. Sure.”
There was no way I could say otherwise.
I guess I’d just have to make the most of Grain’s excellent abilities. That had been the plan from the beginning, anyway.
But… was Seria really okay with this?
“Seria.”
“Yes?”
“I mean, are you really fine with this?”
“With what?”
“You’ve come all the way to the Rift and can’t do anything.”
“Oh… It’s fine. It’s not like I came here to shine or anything.”
Then why were you so upset when you thought you couldn’t join us?
“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? I wanted to come with you. Can’t you take a hint?”
“…Oh. I see.”
“Still, thanks for being considerate.”
I wasn’t even surprised anymore. She was so blunt I didn’t even know how to react.
“Hey, you two. It’s great that you’re close and all, but could you keep the flirting for when you’re alone?”
Grain, clearly exasperated by Seria’s sudden display of affection, changed the topic.
“So, Rudion, do you know where the others went?”
“Of course.”
“Then let’s head in a different direction.”
“…Not joining them?”
Join them? There was no need for that.
Moving ahead of them and taking out the Rift first would be much better than trailing behind and reacting to whatever they faced.
It was a calculated decision, both for safety and efficiency.
[This feature is currently locked.]
[Unlock condition: Clear 5 Rifts with a contribution rate of 40% or higher (2/5)]
It wasn’t because I wanted to meet the inventory unlock conditions. Definitely not.
Even if it was, my decision wasn’t thoughtless. It was based on solid reasoning.
Taking advantage of Grain’s exploration skills and my experience as a seasoned player?
This was the quickest way to clear the Rift, hands down.
I hadn’t even tried yet, but I was confident.
This plan only worked because Grain knew I had taken down demons before.
Unlike the other student council members, Grain trusted me a bit more.
“Grain, just do as Rudion says.”
“But still—”
“All we need to do is follow Rudion. Got it?”
“…Yeah, got it. I got it, so could you stop staring at me with that smile? It’s kinda terrifying, you know?”
Seriously, Seria, please stop indoctrinating people into having infinite trust in me.
I appreciate it, but now Grain is looking at me like, “What on earth did you do to her?”
I swear, I didn’t do anything. Seria just trusts me to an abnormal degree for some reason.
I guess I’ll have to live up to that trust, huh?
Man, this is a lot of responsibility.
“I’m gonna scout the area for a bit.”
To repay her trust, the first step was to get a grasp on the map. There was no way we could start clearing the Rift without knowing what we were up against.
Suppressing my slight excitement at the thought of unlocking my inventory, I cautiously moved through the area, keeping my guard up as I surveyed the surroundings.
A sprawling orange-tinged plain, littered unnaturally with scattered bone fragments, and ancient trees with blackened leaves rising here and there.
It didn’t take long to realize that this map was completely different from anything I’d encountered before.
Of course, each element on its own was familiar.
Orange plains, bone fragments, black-leaved ancient trees—these were all objects that existed within actual Rifts.
But they were supposed to belong to separate maps. They weren’t supposed to appear together in one place.
A composite Rift, huh? Looks like the maps really got mashed together.
Realizing this, I returned to the group, only to hear Grain drop a bombshell statement.
“It’s pretty vast, isn’t it?”
“Well… Rifts are always big.”
“This one’s bigger. My guess is that the interior is about three times the size of a normal Rift.”
“…You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
Three times the size? So, this Rift wasn’t just a combination of three different maps in design—it retained their full combined scale.
If we wandered aimlessly, we’d struggle with exploration, let alone clearing it.
So memorizing the entire map beforehand won’t do much good, huh?
It seemed like any hope of a shortcut was dashed.
Feeling a little deflated about losing my chance to take the easy route, I noticed Grain eyeing me with a sly grin.
“Thinking of giving up on splitting up and joining the others after all?”
“…Is that a challenge?”
“No, I’m saying don’t waste your energy and just help each other out for once.”
This person sure knew how to poke at a veteran’s pride.
“I’ll have to decline. We’ll stick to moving separately.”
“…Seria, is he always this stubborn? Can’t you convince him otherwise?”
“I’m sorry, Grain. When Rudion gets like this, there’s no stopping him. But isn’t he cool? Look at him, all focused and determined to make it work.”
“…I can’t believe this. Why did I even come along?”
Naturally, no trial like this was going to make me back down.
“Even if I can’t cheese this, it’s not unmanageable. After all, isn’t tackling new content the hallmark of us hardcore veterans?”
A Rift I’ve never seen before? Even better—it stirs my sense of challenge.
And standing right next to me is Grain. Letting someone else claim the first clear in this situation?
My pride as a veteran would never allow it.
I’ll carry this Rift clear with a hyper-carry, unlock my inventory, and cement my victory.
“Senior, could you come over here for a moment?”
Time to rely on you a bit, Grain. I’ll be borrowing your talents.
Grain glanced at Seria as if silently pleading for her intervention.
“…I really can’t stop him, can I?”
“You could try forcing him to quit, but look how motivated Rudion is—it’d be a shame to kill his momentum. Just follow him.”
“Yeah, yeah… Of course you’d take his side. It’s my fault for tagging along. This is on me.”
After briefly exchanging words with Seria, Grain heaved a heavy sigh and approached me.
Alright. Let’s do this.
Leaving the Rift just to treat an injury is incredibly inefficient. You’d have to retrace your steps back out, and then travel the same route to return—an ordeal that becomes exponentially worse the farther in you are.
“This is the right path, right?”
“Probably.”
“Probably? Check again!”
No matter how good someone’s memory is, walking through unfamiliar terrain for hours inevitably breeds confusion.
Even following a meticulously recorded exploration route, disputes like this can still arise.
Of course, this particular issue stemmed from someone else covering for Grain’s usual role.
Meanwhile, Alkine, watching over the group in her self-appointed role of “protector,” felt a sudden pang of frustration creeping up on her.
No. Stop it. You know what happens when you let those thoughts take over.
In the past, she might have dismissed the situation with a shrug.
But ever since the last exhilarating Rift clear she’d experienced alongside Rudion, it had become harder to suppress that pent-up frustration whenever things didn’t go smoothly.
The momentary lapse earlier, when Grain got injured, was entirely her fault.
Frustration, bottled up and thought to be swallowed, had surged back without her realizing it. And it drove her to act recklessly, abandoning her role as protector in favor of simply cutting down the enemy in front of her.
Because of that single impulse, she lost track of Grain in her blind spot and nearly cost her her life.
I have to protect everyone.
Although she’d admitted to herself before that she’d welcome someone stepping in to help, she also knew it was unrealistic.
Here in the Rift, Alkine was the strongest. If anyone could ensure everyone’s safety, it was her—and her alone.
Don’t entertain pointless thoughts. You’ve always done this, haven’t you?
She forced herself to focus, swallowing her frustration once again, and opened her mouth.
“One wrong decision in a Rift can endanger everyone, so stay alert.”
…But who was that statement really directed at—the people in front of her, or herself?
“Yes, ma’am! Understood, President!”
“I’m sorry! I’ll be more careful! Ah, and… it turns out this is the right path!”
“Fine, let’s move.”
Unable to know for sure, Alkine swallowed her lingering frustration yet again.