“Are you— afraid of me?” I asked Leah.

  Her eyes never left Regis’s lifeless head, which was now submerged firmly in the red puddle he made. My eyes, however, were locked onto another chilling set of notifications.

  ———————————————

  Notifications [2]

  > First Blood! Conditions activated for a Skill acquired.

  > Skill [Light] has been gained.

  ———————————————

  “The hell?” I muttered at the screen. Was the Plus Menu happy that I killed two people?

  ———————————————

  Skills

  > Tier 0

  [Basic Healing]: Heals minor wounds of a target within a small range. Spoken and channeled through a Staff.

  [Light]: Emits a small light. Spoken and channeled through the Host’s arm or Staff.

  ———————————————

  My stomach did a little flip. My heart was pounding like a drum with a stuttering kick. It felt like it was threatening to burst out of my chest, coupled with the throbbing in my head. I had done something truly irreversible and the true, terrifying reality struck me. And the Plus Menu gave me a seemingly useless spell. Was it mocking me? Or do Skills show up like that because I do certain things? My whole body began to shake even more— I felt guilty that the murders didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.

  Was it because I was mentally and physically different from the humans from my old world? Or has this latent violent tendency always lived in the shadows of my heart even in the past? There they were again— those pesky guilt-tripping thoughts were replaying to make me unravel.

  I was also worried that her plan to eliminate those two would nullify our little teamwork together, but to my relief, she shook her head. There wasn’t a trace of hostility coming from her— something that I learned I could sense somehow here.

  “You just seem different now,” she said. Her gaze followed me as I traced my flight path back to the wall.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” I shrugged. The conclusion was simpler now: For my fast and slightly overzealous friend here, I’ll make sure that we’re the ones out of here. Or, at least try not to be a burden. So, I stamped my spiraling thoughts out mercilessly. I was Kathleen, now.

  And the first order of business? I scanned the rubble, searching for that stick of mine, and also praying it wasn’t shattered in the battle. A dagger was nice for killing things, I supposed, but I preferred the old classic. A big staff was good for giving people a good beatdown.

  A tag suddenly flashed in the middle of the rubble, but it disappeared. I think that was it! I quickly started pulling heavy bricks out of the way. This— I paused. I picked a brick up, watching it crack in my grasp when I applied pressure. This was clearly the Attack Power attribute at work, wasn’t it?

  Oh well, I tossed it to the side and began the rescue excavation. Sure enough, my child was buried beneath a large pile of debris. My beloved, [Common] Healer’s Warped Staff, was lying on the ground. Well, it was quite dirty, but at least it was in one piece. Whatever wood this thing was made of, it was beyond Common to me.

  “Well,” I turned to Leah, who was watching me bustle about with her jaw on the ground. “What do we do now that we have…”

  ———————————————

  — RIFT MUTATION HAS FULLY MANIFESTED —

  An Emissary of the Armoured One tracking the scent of your Bearer’s Blood has arrived in this World.

  ———————————————

  ———————————————

  THE RIFT IS NOW RANK S

  ———————————————

  “What is it? Kathleen, your face—“

  “Forget my face, we gotta get out of here,” I hissed. Can’t we get a rest around here? I even planned to check on my Status, and now this?

  Then, as if someone shut off all the lights, the Shrine and the blue luminous bricks fell into complete darkness. Leah didn’t even have the time to question me when a loud guttural roar thundered through the halls outside.

  “Something big is coming,” I whispered. Leah’s face was barely visible, but in the dim, flickering light I could see that it was etched with true fear.

  “The Boss room is beyond this area, and once it's killed, a Portal will appear,” she said. “Kieron said they were planning to ambush us up ahead. Whatever caused that commotion might make them think twice.”

  More howling reigned over the halls, but it seemed muffled and more distant now.

  “Do you think any other Hunting Parties could be around thinking the same thing?”

  “A boss is many times stronger than even the Shrine Guardians,” Leah said. She was looking towards another exit on the opposite end of the defunct crystal. “And— Her Ladyship and the Young Master are also present. They might be after that— big thing you mentioned. How did you know that would happen?”

  That was a question I couldn’t exactly tell her, so I simply created a cop-out excuse. I couldn’t exactly explain that I’ve been leveling up every fight.

  “I could feel it through my limited magic,” I said. “The disturbance in the air gave me the creeps.”

  “R-Right,” Leah hesitated. Then she strode towards the exit. “Well, let’s hurry!”

  And we were off again. In addition to the clanging noises of battle ringing in the Shrine Rooms, things were now shaking violently. The Emissary was searching for me. I couldn’t let this sweet fanatical girl fall prey to it, could I?

  “Is there a way out of here?” I huffed behind her. My Plus Menu didn’t have a map, and we were practically running in the dark. “Out of this Rift, I mean.”

  “If the boss is slain, we get teleported out,” Leah skidded to a stop. “There are instances of exit portals appearing in Rifts, but… The chances of finding such a boon now is…”

  She fell quiet. Ahead of us was another intersection. This world, or Rift, just had to be a biome specifically called a Goblin Labyrinth. Dark and damp, complete with green freaks crawling around. I’d normally like places like these, but only without the drama of Invaders and Mutations. There were too many corridors and no time to explore each one of them. There was a small cavern in the wall to hide in and catch our breaths.

  “An exit, huh?” I said, then shook my head. I pictured the Boss of the Rift as a large goblin king, capable of giving all the parties hell. I wasn’t even sure what the glowing crystal did for us. I raised the mottled scroll of the map. “Finding the Boss room might be impossible, too.”

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  Leah shook her head.

  “We are Hunters,” Leah sighed. “I’m with you. No matter where we end up. We’ll have to remain on guard. Though, your strength is—“ Her face flushed again. “— a lot more than I thought. Forgive me.”

  She bowed. Why is she like this? We’ve truly gone through too much, haven’t we? The awkwardness lingered in the air for a moment between us, before I made up my mind. I had to make it less personal, or less likely that she’ll latch onto me. If things came to it, I had to make sure she was safe.

  “You say I’m strong,” I said, trying to remain aloof. “But the things that we’ve gone through, in this so-called Test, I— I wouldn’t have made it without you being there for me. So, keep your chin up, alright?”

  I didn’t hear her speak for a moment. I couldn’t help but think I said the wrong things. Obviously, I wasn’t calibrated enough for such pep talks. But it was the best I could do. She could take it or leave it.

  “That’s not what I mean,” she said. “Kathleen.”

  “Hm?” I struggled to look her in the eyes, but I felt a pair of hands rest on my shoulders. What’s with this change of mood?

  “I will uphold my promise to you,” she said. “I will see that you’ll survive.”

  “But,” I protested. “I’d rather you would.”

  “That’s not what a Ravenclast Knight, no, that isn’t what she would want me to do,” Leah said stoically.

  “We might get through this and live, but,” I sighed, “so what? They’ll just throw us into another portal.”

  “Enough of that,” Leah suddenly snapped back at me. Fury was gaining fire in her eyes, so I wisely shut my mouth. Her hands gripped the bloodstained hilt of her sword and she stood straighter. “I won’t leave you behind. Weak or strong. I won’t. Her Ladyship wouldn’t do that, and neither shall I. It is my oath to her and the Ravenclasts.”

  Should I tell her that leaving the weak behind was exactly what Emily would want from her? I remained silent, but an inexplicable tension had taken root inside of me. You poor bird, if only you were a little more selfish, I wanted to mutter. Instead, I could only nod and watch a girl get taken advantage of by a greedy Family. We had to go before the mutation and the invader could find us.

  The crash of a collapsing wall resounded nearby, forcing us into action. That’s when I saw it. A giant silhouette of a seven-fingered hand emerged out from the darkness, smashing through another Shrine Room. Its claws left enormous gashes as it widened the path, apparently to accommodate its massive body. Glowing red eyes the size of bus headlights illuminated a head shaped like a bull’s, revealing huge hooked horns that shattered the hall effortlessly. I knew what it was, without even needing the Plus Menu’s reminder.

  It was a minotaur, who in this moment, was dragging itself towards us, squeezing its entire massive frame like it was crawling into a tight air duct. A bunch of question marks floated above its head in bold red text next to its level, for good measure. Leah saw it too, and immediately grabbed my hand to take off running.

  Before we could, a group of goblins burst out of a locked doorway, bolting past us as the minotaur’s pandemonium exploded through the hall. They ignored us, rushing down a side pathway, letting out frantic screeching as they fled. It was then I got a better look at the minotaur.

  It was stone grey and its face appeared to be more human than I would have preferred. Weren’t minotaur heads supposed to be more cow than human? Even its jaw was stretched out to grotesque proportions, as if it was imitating the appearance of a bull. And its legs were missing. In their place, a slug-like ooze gushed out from the bottom of its torso, leaving a trail of destruction and nasty slime as it dragged itself towards us.

  I shuddered before we began to join the terrified goblins as they fled. The tag hovering over it said it is a minotaur, so therefore, it was. And of course, I knew how the old saying goes: When life throws giant and evil minotaurs after you, run away in terror.

  The goblins seemed like they wanted to attack us, but the oppressive black magic surrounding the minotaur forced them away and their self-preservation instincts kicked in. Leah charged ahead, like she knew where to go. The air was getting thinner, the noise of crumbling walls getting shoved aside effortlessly and loudly behind us filling the hall. I turned to see a hallway-sized arm smashing through the corridor.

  It was gaining on us with the force of a derailed train. Its ugly horned head gored through a pillar, letting out a roar as it sent a few green bodies flying into stone walls in pieces like chopped moldy celery. A rock crashed into my chest, sending pain and me flailing onto the floor, the world twisting in my vision. I heard massive bones cracking like thunder trapped in shattering drums. It was clearly intending to devour whatever was in front of it. A hand pulled at me. Leah’s.

  “Fuck off,” I yelled. “Just run, Leah!”

  “No! I won’t leave you behind!” The human knight yanked me up like an uprooted weed. “[Fortress Ground]!”

  The ground lit up like a beacon, instantly catching the minotaur’s attention. If he was planning on eating the rocks and goblins before, now he was focused on extinguishing the bright light. Dammit, bird, are you trying to get us killed together? I scowled at Leah, whose attention was entirely directed at the beast.

  She was prepared to stand tall. I, on the other hand, was scared out of my mind. It howled, scrambling towards us, mouth open and arms wide. The winds and tiny rocks scratched my skin, snapping me out of my petrified state. Think, Kathleen, I focused inward. The light pissed it off, and I have a certain Skill that supposedly emits it now. Of course, maybe the Plus Menu gave me [Light] for this very reason, but it seemed so useless. I had to channel it into that new Skill of mine with the slim chance of blinding it so we can get out of here. Visualizing the massive pulsing ball of blue light, I channeled it directly through all of the gates.

  My bones in my legs and arms felt like they were going to snap in half, but magic tendrils burst out from the ball. I could see the flow directed to the ground. The staff rattled in my hand, shocking it like I just gripped an electric flyswatter by the racket. I swore a hundred times in my head. It didn’t seem like a useful Skill, but it was now or never. Go little light! Despite the minotaur’s swinging hand came crashing down on us, the magic shot through me, forcing my arm to raise the staff as I had done before.

  “[Light]!” I screamed.

  The magic was more powerful than I thought. The staff’s tip lit up like a supernova. The wind grew hot as bright rays lanced out like spears. As I opened my eyes again after the pain subsided. I didn’t feel its massive hand swat us. That Skill worked! The minotaur flailed, and the dark shape of its other limb came crashing towards us. I yanked the still focused Leah aside and dove with her to the ground. The air above us went cold like a rushing river, along with a wave of dirt. It was sinking back into the dark, clutching its face and horns in apparent agony. Shock painted Leah’s face as she leaned up. I was on top of her, my head pounding and my cloak weighed down from dust, breathing heavily.

  “You— You saved us!”

  She reached up, arms wide to pull me into an embrace. I swatted one aside and grabbed the other. Now isn’t the time for breaking people’s personal bubbles, bird!

  “Are you crazy? Let’s run!”

  Leah didn’t look upset over it and quickly got up with me. The determination and fervor on her face was highlighted by the Fortress Ground’s residual energy, more intense than ever before. Then we took off running. That thing won’t be stunned forever.

  We swung around a corner, only to approach a crossway, pushing past the goblin crowds who ran in random directions. Torch lights were bobbing up ahead. Other Hunter parties were there at the end ahead. The minotaur’s stampede shook dust from an archway above us on our heads and its gurgling bellows rattled the teeth in my skull. Those Hunters probably weren’t friendly and they most definitely were blocking the way.

  “Left? Right?” I called to Leah.

  “Dammit,” Leah swore, skidding to a halt. “That’s the boss room, We have to go forward.”

  I realized that the crossway opened up into a vast chamber— a circular pit. The towering outline of a massive gate stood tall above them, emitting a faint light that reflected off a circular pattern of black polished rocks, like obsidian. As we got closer, a massive skull of a monster served as the central fixture of the gate. Before we even entered the main chamber, a massive wall of light formed between the entrance. I slammed into it, getting repelled back onto the ground by a shocking force. This was a Fortress Ground, but it wasn’t ours.

  “Kathleen!” Leah once again helped me up.

  “Well, well, well,” someone sneered from behind. It was fucking Kevin! “If it isn’t the trash healer and the last survivor of her batch, here to watch our Hero take out the boss, huh?”

  His blubbery exterior twisted his whole head into a snarl as he laughed. Another laughter joined in, then I saw my brother Eric’s sycophantic face emerge. The smoldering torch smoke drifted in small tendrils in front of him, making him look particularly twisted. Tiffany was nowhere to be seen.

  “Should have known you two would leave your fellow Hunters behind,” Eric fanned the flames, mock rebuking us. “You think you’re worthy of the Great Ravenclast Hero or Her Ladyship? I think not.”

  My mind raced. Based on me getting flung back, I doubted there was a way I could barge my way physically through that magic barrier and rip both of them apart. Additionally, there was no telling that he couldn’t simply cast another one the second the Fortress Ground fades. Plus, their levels were higher than Leah’s.

  We’d have to go to another place and hide, assuming I could prevent the bird from flying headlong into the minotaur’s jaws under some pretentious righteous call of duty. I noticed that there were other entrances into the main chamber as well, but there was no reason to go if we could simply wait for the boss to be annihilated by those high-leveled Ravenclast Family members.

  “You!” Leah shrieked, but the sounds of a mechanism clicking into place and a string being wound back taut stopped her. Kevin was wielding a crossbow. Cheater, I groaned.

  “Get out of our sight,” Kevin snarled. He held up the crossbow, aiming it at Leah. “I’m already being merciful by not running you through.”

  I tugged Leah’s arm, signaling her that it wasn’t worth it. A flash of indignation and unwillingness still remained on her face, but she knew it like I did: We had no choice but to back into the crossway and take another branching path.