Ch 4 - Rift

The blue screen hovered harmlessly, as if it hadn’t just issued what could only be described as a threat. Evan whipped around, instinctively expecting something to appear behind him, but there was nothing.

Seeing him tense, Yuyan asked, "What’s wrong?"

"I think… we should leave," Evan said.

"Leave? What are you talking about?" Yuyan said. "Did you see something wrong?"

"No… I—" Evan cut himself off. There was no way he could tell the truth to Yuyan. "I need to go to the toilet."

The only thing on Evan’s mind was that he had to get away from here. He wasn’t sure what would happen with the curse triggering, but he certainly didn’t want to find out. Maybe a meteor would fall from the sky, or maybe monsters would leap past the walls and into the training field.

Yet the moment Evan took a step, he felt his foot slip on a nearby rock and he fell down. "Ouch!"

"Evan!" Yuyan tried to pick him up. Marcus, who was heading back from his spar with Harlan, also ran toward his two friends.

"Are you okay?" Marcus asked.

"I’m fi—!" Evan said.

Krrsssk!

Evan stiffened.

The three teens turned their heads toward the source of the sound. Floating right above them was a distortion in the air, like shattered glass suspended midair. The edges rippled and pulsed as if something on the other side was pressing against the boundary.

"It’s a Rift!"

"Get away!"

"Kids, move out of there right now!" Harlan shouted as he tossed aside his wooden weapon and dashed toward them.

Yuyan and Marcus hauled Evan to his feet, and the three students tried to retreat. They had barely managed a step when the Rift stretched wider, unleashing a violent gust that dragged everything toward its center.

"Save me!" Yuyan shouted as the three of them were ripped off their feet and lifted into the air.

Just before the portal swallowed them, Evan caught sight of Harlan throwing himself after them. "No!"

Evan had never imagined what it would be like to pass through a portal. Though he couldn't remember his own birth, he suspected the sensation might be similar. His body seemed to compress, stretch, and tear apart all at once. Yuyan’s and Marcus's grips slipped away as the turbulent current swept them apart, leaving Evan unable to tell where they had gone. Pressure bore down on him from every direction, so intense that for a moment, he thought he might burst like some grotesque balloon filled with blood and entrails. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the sensation vanished, and he was falling.

Crash!

Evan yelped as he hit the ground on his back, clutching the sore spot. Pushing through the pain, he stood up and surveyed his surroundings, finding himself alone inside an unknown forest. Yuyan and Marcus were nowhere to be seen, so the portal must have spat them out in different locations.

"You bastard System!" Evan shouted, giving the air a middle finger. "This has to be your fault, right! And that damned curse too! How else would that Rift literally open right behind me?!"

In response, the System said: [(๑˃ڡ˂๑)]

Evan raised another middle finger at the floating screen. Taking a few slow, deep breaths, he tried to steady himself. As a transmigrator, he really should have expected something like this to happen. He should have. But wasn't this a little too blatant? Wasn't the bad luck that followed protagonists usually more subtle? Like accidentally stumbling into some scheme the villain had prepared, rather than having a Rift literally open behind him and suck him in?

Who the heck cursed him? And why was this guy out to get him? Evan was sure he hadn’t crossed anyone with that level of power. He was just a poor guy barely managing to get by on minimum-wage jobs. When would he have had time to offend an all-powerful being? Did this guy spend his time on webnovel forums, and had Evan somehow offended him with his insults? That couldn’t be it… could it?

Setting those questions aside, Evan examined the forest more closely. At first, it appeared ordinary, but when he approached one of the trees, its bark changed color before him, shifting from dark green to ash gray, then bruised purple. Yeah, this definitely wasn't Earth.

Evan listened for any sign of nearby monsters, but the forest remained eerily silent. He recalled the emergency procedures he'd read about. If stranded in an unknown area, the safest option was to stay put and wait for rescuers.

With that in mind, he chose a spot away from the trees and settled onto a patch of grass. At least the grass looked relatively normal, though its blades curled and twisted like tiny corkscrews. Compared to the bizarre vegetation around him, that was good enough for Evan. He wasn't about to start touching anything.

Wrapping his arms around his bent knees, Evan wondered whether Reid had been notified about his disappearance. Would his brother come looking for him? Unlikely. Even if Reid was Reuel, he was still an unawakened civilian. There was no way the authorities would let him charge into a Rift. All Evan could do was hope the government would send capable Awakeners to rescue them.

Minutes passed before another system window popped up without warning. Evan stiffened at the sight and read: [The Curse of ■■■■■■ stirs.]

"Are you threatening me?" Evan asked.

Did the System not like him sitting on his butt here and doing nothing? Too bad for it, because Evan had no desire to play hero. He knew his limitations well, and he certainly couldn't clear a dungeon like this. He didn't even know what rank this Rift was. Even if it were only a D-rank dungeon, it would still be impossible for him to clear. No way. Let the professionals handle this.

Noticing his resistance, the System displayed another window.

[New Quest!]
[Objective: Clear the irregular B-rank dungeon]
[Time Limit: 24:00:00]
[Reward: ■■■■■■]

An irregular dungeon? He knew exactly how bad that could be. A B-rank dungeon was already dangerous enough, but the word irregular made his situation considerably worse. These dungeons were notorious for containing anomalies and threats that far exceeded their assigned rank.

"And what's with that reward?" Evan asked, pointing a finger at the frustratingly blacked-out boxes. First, the name of the guy who cursed him was censored, and now even the reward was hidden. "Are you messing with me?"

[(￢3￢)]

A vein throbbed at Evan's temple. Oh, how he would love to smack the System in the face. Unfortunately, he doubted the damned thing even had a corporeal form.

"No thanks. Not interested," Evan said, crossing his arms. "Like I said, I'm just a useless, no-good webnovel reader. I'm not cut out to be a hero. And don't you already have one? Reid. That guy's a reincarnator. Why don't you stick to him?"

Evan couldn't understand why he had been chosen when there was already a perfect candidate in this world. If Reid was truly Reuel, then that man would easily save the world. He would defeat every enemy with his endless talent and charm countless people into becoming his comrades. He was the classic protagonist through and through, the kind with upright morals and limitless potential. Earth would be in safe hands if Reid became the protagonist.

If it were Evan in his place, though? Best-case scenario, he would die very quickly. Worst-case scenario, he would probably become the reason the world ended. So yeah. No thanks.

The System flashed the warning once more.

[The Curse of ■■■■■■ stirs.]

"I don't care. I'm not moving from this spot," Evan growled before squeezing his eyes shut. Probably a bad idea considering he was in the middle of a dungeon, but at least he didn't have to see the System anymore.

A minute or so passed in silence. Evan was tempted to peek several times, afraid that a monster would leap from the shadows and maul him, but he held on through sheer stubbornness. If he died, then so be it, he convinced himself.

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!"

The scream jolted Evan into alarm. He immediately sprang to his feet and faced the direction of the sound.

In the distance, he spotted Yuyan racing toward him, a wolf hot on her heels. Its dark fur was matted and uneven. Six glowing yellow eyes burned beneath a heavy brow, and rows of jagged teeth protruded from its muzzle.

"Evaaaaan! Save meeeee!" Yuyan shouted.

Evan froze for a second before spinning around and sprinting in the opposite direction.

"Why are you fleeing from me?!" Yuyan screamed as she chased after him.

"Why are you following me? What do you expect me to do?! I can’t beat that thing!" Evan shouted back.

"Aren’t you a guy! You should help a damsel in distress!"

"Damn you, I’m in distress right now because of you!"

"I thought we were friends!"

"Do you know that when running away from bears, you don’t have to outrun the bear? You just need to be faster than the slowest person!"

"You heartless bastard!" Yuyan screamed.

The wolf growled and swiped at her. Yuyan shrieked and, fueled by pure panic, sped up. To Evan’s horror, she began overtaking him.

"You asshole!" Evan screamed as he heard the monster closing in behind him.

"It’s your turn to deal with it!" Yuyan shouted back.

Evan pumped his legs harder and surged ahead. A heartbeat later, Yuyan shot past him again. They traded the lead again and again, each desperate not to be the one closest to the wolf. Behind them came its snarls and the occasional snap of its jaws.

Skrrt!

Yuyan’s foot slipped on a slick tree root jutting out from the ground.

"Ugh!" she screamed as she crashed hard.

Evan skidded to a stop and glanced back in horror as the monster caught up. Despite its size, it was surprisingly slow, but it was still gaining on them. If they kept moving, they might be able to escape and hide once they put enough distance between them, but Yuyan had fallen.

Run.

This was his chance. If he ran now, the monster would definitely shift its attention to Yuyan. In a dungeon like this, someone dying wouldn’t be unusual. No one would blame him. No one would know he had abandoned her. It was her fault for getting chased in the first place. He had been fine just sitting there alone.

Run.

Run.

Run, you moron!

Yet Evan’s feet stayed planted, heavy as lead.

"I do not fear being wounded. Even if my body is pierced by countless swords, I will endure it. If my sacrifice allows another person to live, then it will have been worth everything."

It was what Reuel had said back then, standing before the Demon King. Idealistic words from a typical protagonist, the kind Evan used to scoff at while reading. It was stupid. Only an idiot or a fictional protagonist would say something like that. Everyone was selfish. Everyone cared only about themselves. Constantly risking your life for others was the height of foolishness.

So why was it echoing in his head now?

Are you stupid?

You’re just a civilian.

You’re not an Awakener.

It’s impossible.

The best thing you can do is flee.

Nobody will blame you.

Nobody will know.

Evan moved.

His hand grabbed a nearby branch and snapped it off.

Stop.

He charged toward the wolf.

Stop it!

He pointed the sharpened end of the branch toward it.

Evan had heard stories about mothers lifting cars to save their children and soldiers pushing through grievous wounds. He had never known how much of it was true. Now, with his heart pounding and adrenaline coursing through his veins, he finally understood. Instinct had seized control, leaving his body to move before his thoughts could catch up. The moment the monster lunged at the fallen Yuyan, he crossed the distance in a single leap and thrust his makeshift weapon into its gaping jaws.

"Aaaargh!" Evan screamed as he drove forward.

The wolf struggled against the unexpected branch lodged in its mouth, swinging its claws wildly at him. Evan kept pushing, driving it deeper and deeper until it pierced straight into the monster’s brain.

Shnk!

The wolf’s body hung in the air for a second before Evan’s arms finally shook, as if only then realizing how heavy the monster was. He let go of the tree branch and dropped to his knees.

"Evan! I knew you would save me!" Yuyan cried out as she wiped at her tears and snot.

Evan pressed a palm against his forehead and said, "Yeah, whatever. Just shut up. If you make too much noise, you’re going to draw more monsters and we really can’t—"

A buzzing noise came from above. Evan looked up to find several winged creatures hovering overhead. They seemed small and almost delicate at first, but the longer he watched them, the more unsettling they became. Thin, spindly limbs supported semi-translucent bodies that glowed faintly in the dim light, while veined wings beat with a soft hum. Their faces were almost human, with oversized eyes that caught the light like glass beads and impossibly wide smiles reminiscent of those creepy horror dolls.

"Oh shit."

A/N:

Evan: I’m not a hero! I don’t want to become one.

Evan: plays the hero anyway

Please leave a comment if you enjoyed the chapter. Reading your comments always helps keep me motivated!