NOVEL ONLINE FREE Ch. 5
Chapter 5. Sudden Rift
The night before the scheduled first synchronization, in the women’s dormitory.
Yoo Se-hee had heard my warning but, out of defiance, ignored it and lay in bed. I figured I’d just sleep it off.
‘Me, die? Yeah, right.’
But sleep wouldn’t come. Lying there, I couldn’t help but wonder what could possibly cause my death, as I had claimed.
‘If I die, what would it even be from?’
If I was trying to save her by urging an early synchronization, it meant her death would occur before the scheduled synchronization day. That would be tonight.
‘Something deadly happening at a training camp in the middle of nowhere…’
Various possibilities flashed through my mind and vanished. A rogue soldier with a grudge going on a shooting spree. An accident caused by an unidentified awakened beast descending from the mountains. An impulsive murder by a rival with a grudge. A terrorist attack targeting promising candidates. A sudden rift…
‘No way, that’s ridiculous.’
Sure, even a body adapted to starlight through a week of physical training would be helpless against such events, but the odds of them happening were slim to none.
‘If what I saw wasn’t the real future but some worst-case scenario that’s unlikely to happen, it makes sense.’
A fake future, not the real one. A skill like that wouldn’t be surprising for a one-star spirit to have.
With that conclusion, my mind eased, and sleep began to creep in.
Creak.
A strange sound came from the window.
“…!”
My senses sharpened, snapping me awake.
‘…An intruder?’
Carefully, so as not to make a sound, I slipped out of bed and approached the window, gripping a metal desk lamp as a makeshift weapon.
Clatter.
Someone outside opened the window. Raising the lamp above my head, I prepared to strike.
As a head emerged through the open window—
Whoosh!
I swung the lamp at the intruder.
Clang!
But the lamp was effortlessly caught by their hand.
Our eyes met across the lamp. Recognizing the face, Yoo Se-hee’s expression darkened.
“Lee Han-seong? You…!”
“I’m here to protect you.”
“…Don’t you know sneaking into the women’s dormitory gets you expelled?”
“I can’t let something like that stop me from saving you.”
My gaze was unwavering. Even if it was a misunderstanding, she could feel the sincerity in my intent to protect her.
Truthfully, she disliked me because of my flippant attitude. Discriminating based on star vessel size was fine—most people in the post-Cataclysm world thought that way. The issue was how openly I acted on it.
There were nice trash and garbage-grade trash; I was the latter. When I flirted with her before, I couldn’t hide that it was because her talent was the highest among her peers.
But the current me felt different. Instead of getting angry, Yoo Se-hee listened quietly.
“There’s no time. A sudden rift will open soon. You need to complete your starlight baptism before that.”
So, the future I claimed to have seen was about a sudden rift? Seeing me frantic over something that might not happen was oddly endearing.
But that wasn’t reason enough to undergo a starlight baptism in front of me. During the baptism, one was vulnerable to external interference, making it risky to do so with someone else present.
Sensing her distrust, I proved my sincerity with a skill.
“[I, Lee Han-seong, swear on my life to protect Yoo Se-hee.]”
Click!
My words transformed into chains of starlight, binding me.
She recognized the skill.
‘The
A vow was an oath to the heavens. Breaking it meant the heavens—or rather, a constellation—would exact a price.
Having heard of its weight, she was stunned.
“You believe me now?”
“You… really bet your life? You’re insane.”
She hadn’t expected me to go that far. When someone risked their life, it felt only polite to meet them halfway.
If the rift didn’t happen, so what? I could just think of it as doing the baptism a bit early. Since today was the scheduled synchronization day anyway, breaking the rules wasn’t a big deal.
“Fine. I believe you.”
At her agreement, I smiled brightly.
‘…Lee Han-seong, you really care about me, don’t you?’
My genuine joy didn’t seem as shallow as before. Trusting my vow, Yoo Se-hee sat cross-legged on her bed and began synchronizing with her spirit, diving into her inner self.
***
Watching Yoo Se-hee sweat transparently during her starlight baptism, I sighed in relief. I had worried about waste products from the baptism, but it was unnecessary. Her body, nearly fully adapted to starlight after a week, produced almost none.
“About an hour until it’s done…”
Even accounting for the baptism focusing more on accepting the spirit’s skills, treasures, and awakening skills than physical changes, it would take at least that long. If she had attempted Bone-Shedding Rebirth earlier like the other two, it might’ve taken three hours, including physical transformation.
“No time to visit the armory.”
The sudden rift, as I remembered, would open within the hour—before her baptism finished. Convincing her was the priority, so I came empty-handed, but facing monsters without a weapon was foolish.
“Well, I can make a weapon.”
With my contracted blacksmith spirit, ‘Non Smith’ (★), and his destiny awakening skill, it was entirely possible.
Non Smith, a talentless blacksmith, had burned himself out to create a masterpiece before his death, an achievement blessed by the Steel Constellation that made him a spirit. The resulting destiny awakening skill was 《Demonic Sword Forging》.
‘Activating a destiny awakening skill requires resolve to risk one’s life.’
My vow to protect Yoo Se-hee with my life had already met that condition.
Shaaa—
Using the metal lamp I took from her as material, I burned one of my nine lives from 《Nine Lives》 to pour out starlight.
《Demonic Sword Forging》!
In the swirling starlight, the lamp’s form gradually transformed into a sword.
A new demonic sword was born.
Gooo!
With little iron in the lamp, the resulting sword was a dagger, about the length from elbow to fingertip. It was slightly short, but the dark, murderous aura coiling around the blade, creating a serrated edge, ensured its lethality.
‘Now I’m a bit more at ease.’
Losing one life wasn’t a waste when I considered how this dagger would save me in the future.
As I finished my preparations—
Wheeeeng!
An emergency siren, linked to the rift detector, blared across the training camp.
‘It’s here.’
Looking out the window, I saw a rift tearing through the pale full moon. Crack! Snap! The rift’s tendrils expanded, striking the ground like black lightning, summoning pairs of monsters each time.
—Grrr!
Gray-furred giant wolves, dire wolves. Green goblins riding their backs, goblin riders.
While sudden rift monster spawns were random, they were more likely in open areas, so most appeared in the training field. The camp’s layout, with the women’s dormitory below and the men’s above the field, meant monsters could go either way.
Whooosh!
A mountain breeze blew. Night winds in the mountains flowed downward. The monsters’ stench wafted toward the women’s dormitory, but their noses caught the scent of the men’s dormitory above, turning their heads.
—Grargh!
Sniffing the human scent, the monsters charged toward the men’s dormitory.
I remained calm. Though my absence weakened the men’s side, I wasn’t worried.
‘Yu-seong and Seong-cheol will handle the men’s dormitory just fine.’
The two promising candidates, who had completed their starlight baptism early, were reliable.
The problem was here.
Even if spawns favored open spaces, there were exceptions.
Crack!
A rift tendril struck Yoo Se-hee’s window, shattering it and entering the room.
Pop!
A dire wolf and goblin rider materialized at the tendril’s end.
“Hup!”
I was already moving before they appeared.
‘Fighting in this cramped room puts Se-hee at risk. I’ll kill them before they can react.’
Using
Tap! Stab!
I plunged the demonic dagger into the goblin rider’s chest.
—Gurgh…!
Once wounded, it was over. The dark aura coiling around the dagger pulsed like veins, greedily draining the goblin’s life through the wound.
Poof!
The goblin turned to a mummy, then ash, scattering instantly. In return, the dagger grew sharper and stronger, sending a wave of pleasure through my mind.
‘…Focus!’
Nearly swept away by the ecstasy,
—Grrrng!
The wolf, belatedly realizing its master’s death, bared its hostility. But only briefly.
“Wait.”
I stopped the confused wolf with a firm command and collected loot from the goblin rider—a whip left where its body vanished, imbued with the star power holding the rider’s skill.
Wooong.
Henrietta’s star within me resonated, signaling its desire for the rider’s skill. As expected.
Henrietta’s achievement, which made her a spirit, was surviving a monster abduction. It was no coincidence her skills were
‘The monster that abducted her was a goblin.’
I judged the goblin rider’s skill as the key to promoting Henrietta, and I was right.
‘Acquire.’
Flash!
The whip’s handle resonated with my inner star, and the star power within it flowed into Henrietta’s star. At that moment, I achieved the world’s first spirit promotion.
[Conditions met. One-star spirit ‘Henrietta’ is promoted to two-star (★☆).]
[New general skills
[Destiny Awakening Skill
But the system messages didn’t stop there.
[You are the first to promote a spirit!]
[Achievement ‘First Spirit Promotion’ accomplished!]
[Acquired sufficient merit to awaken as a one-star.]
[The twelve supreme constellations of the Celestial Palace bless your achievement!]
[Destiny Awakening Skill 《Transcendence》 blooms!]
Following the spirit promotion, a message announced my own one-star awakening.
And since a follower’s rank reflected their constellation’s—
The cat sleeping within me roared like a tiger.
—Nyaaa!
[The presence of the Unnamed Constellation becomes slightly clearer.]
[Stigma 《History Alteration》 blooms.]
My constellation, having regained some of its rank, recovered a lost authority, which was etched onto my soul as a new stigma.
But something was off.
Grrrrrr!
The gazes of the twelve constellations, here to bless my awakening, lingered. Instead of fading, they revealed their hidden ranks, their presence growing stronger.
[The Epicenter Constellation expresses puzzlement at the overlapping first record.]
[The Cycle Constellation detects a distortion in causality and glares.]
Boom! Crash!
Thunder roared as their presence overwhelmed the world, as if it screamed under their weight. The sudden rift paled in comparison.
Twelve radiant constellations, each glowing like a giant eye, stared down at me.
[The gazes of the twelve supreme constellations observe your soul.]
Their transcendent gazes, devoid of regard for lesser beings, pierced my soul, turning my mind blank.
Instinctively, knowing my regression mustn’t be exposed, I focused all my mind on
But
—Nya.
A cat’s meow echoed within, blocking the constellations’ gazes. My constellation, having regained some rank, shielded my pre-regression memories.
‘…I’m saved.’
Unable to find anything amiss, the twelve constellations withdrew their gazes. Though reluctant, they retreated to avoid the world’s backlash from further interference.
[Achievement ‘One Watched by the Twelve Constellations’ accomplished.]
Crack!
Even their brief interference had consequences. The sudden rift, exposed to their immense presence, grew more unstable, expanding its scope, allowing stronger monsters to emerge.
And that wasn’t all.
—Gurgle.
The dire wolf beside me foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
“Cough.”
Yoo Se-hee, mid-baptism, was bleeding from her nose, coughing up blood.
‘Synchronization rate overload…!’
If this continued, she would die.
But I had no intention of letting that happen. I had sworn as much.