'' Seth hissed, blood boiling in his veins. ''

  '' Nightmare said, his crimson eyes fixed on the duo.

  The blond Elementalist's cries and screams still echoed in Seth's mind. The youngster was Rank 13. He must’ve known Rifts were dangerous, so he’d trusted these two to keep him safe. And they’d sold him out like damn livestock.

  '' Seth answered, his voice cold as ice. ''

  '' Nightmare let out a low grow of anticipation, which rumbled through their bond.

  Seth nodded. ''

  ''

  '' Seth unsheathed his dagger. ''

  '' Nightmare replied, his invisible form gliding silently through the swamp toward their target, each step deliberate and soundless.

  Seth followed closely behind, his heart pounding into his chest as his core flooded his muscles with its mysterious energy. Padding forward, they both closed rapidly to striking distance while the duo of adventurers continued to walk, utterly oblivious of the danger closing in.

  Nightmare lunged first. The woman froze mid-step, her hands suddenly darting to the daggers at her belt, as if sensing something was wrong—but it was too late. The direwolf pounced at her, jaws snapping onto her shoulder in a swirl of thick, black smoke. Her scream tore through the swamp as her leather armor and flesh began to melt under the corrosive power of the spell. She twisted desperately, stabbing Nightmare’s flank with her dagger. The direwolf growled in pain, but he didn’t let go.

  "Nyra!" the armored man roared a dozen feet ahead, turning toward Nightmare while shoving the shackled prisoner to the ground.

  Activating his Nimble Ring, Seth phased out of Illusionary Emptiness and dashed forward. His dagger shot straight for the woman’s heart, but she parried just in time, her weapons meeting his with a ringing clash of metal.

  Seth's eyes narrowed, and he channeled dark lightning arcs into his blade while swinging it again. The electrified dagger made contact and sent painful jolts through her body, causing her to wince. Yet before he could follow up with another attack, aether burst out of her belt, wrapping her in a thin azure barrier.

  "Use Fire Storm!" her partner bellowed, charging toward them and pulling out his massive ax.

  Without wasting a second, Nightmare unleashed another density-enhanced Shadow Bite and the black, caustic smoke engulfed all the woman’s upper body. In a flash, the toxic cloud tore through the protective barrier before eating away at her flesh like acid.

  The woman screamed, dropping her dagger, and her trembling hand reached for the purple pouch hanging at her belt. But before she could grab anything, Seth lunged again, pouring a quarter of his Well into his arm, and buried his dagger hilt deep into her corroded chest. The woman's eyes widened in disbelief then rolled back, her body falling lifelessly to the ground.

  "No!" the man behind shouted.

  A giant ax whistled through the air toward Seth, forcing him to throw himself to the side. Quickly, he snatched up the woman’s Endless Pouch and sprang backward while casting Identify.

  As Seth activated his own Protecting Belt, aether encasing him into a shimmering blue layer, Quill roared and charged, blurring through the short space separating them, and swung his two-handed ax down.

  '' Nightmare shouted.

  The instinct of Seth's core kicked in and he raised his dagger to block the incoming blow. The massive weapon struck with devastating force, shattering his blade into pieces before sending him sprawling across the swamp. As Seth crashed into the roots of a tree and growled in pain, his aether barrier vanished instantly . It had been entirely drained by that single blow.

  Gritting his teeth, he rolled to his feet and immediately activated Illusionary Emptiness, vanishing from sight along with Nightmare.

  The Warrior, now enraged, let out a furious scream. "Coward! Face me!"

  Seth ignored the taunt and instead gathered aether into his hand, filling Fog Shroud’s grooves and engulfing the surroundings in a dense mist. Quill bellowed again, aether swirling around him and plunging into his body while glowing red lines appeared on all his armor and exposed skin.

  "Are you so scared you have to hide behind those spells?"

  Concealed within the fog, Seth drew an arrow and nocked it to his bow. The projectile flew straight at the Warrior with a sharp , striking his armor and leaving only a shallow scratch. Another followed, and then a third—all hitting their target but dealing nothing more than superficial damage. Copper arrows weren’t cutting it against the man’s Iron-Tier defense.

  "That’s all you’ve got?" the Warrior bellowed, swinging his massive ax in wide arcs, trying in vain to clear the fog.

  Seth moved swiftly and silently, reaching the Rogue's lifeless body. The moment he grabbed the twin daggers, he looked at Nightmare, who had been circling the Warrior.

  '' Seth said, sneaking closer while casting a glance at the prisoner who was somehow trying to run away with his shackles. ''

  ''

  They both nodded and sprang into action in tandem. Seth rushed toward the Warrior, staying low to dodge the anticipated ax’s sweep and slashed Quill’s flank. Almost simultaneously, Nightmare pounced on the other side and sunk his fangs into the man, black smoke hissing and melting his battered armor. The Warrior screamed in pain and swung his massive axe wildly, but by then both Seth and Nightmare had already slipped back into the dense fog.

  For a tense minute, they kept playing this deadly game—dash in, strike, and retreat—each well-timed attack wearing down the Warrior's armor bit by bit and adding fresh wounds to his large body. Despite the man’s best attempts to counterattack, he only managed to graze them, his axe and wild kicks striking air more often than not.

  '' Nightmare said, bolting out.

  As the fog thinned, Seth and the direwolf prepared for the final assault. Seth funneled the last bit of his aether into his arm, while Nightmare summoned a high-density Shadow Bite. They moved as one, surging forward with precision and perfect synchronization.

  “Go to hell!” the man roared, seemingly sensing something before slashing his ax horizontally and spinning around.

  The large weapon became a deadly blur, turning into a whirlwind of raging aether that caught Seth off guard. He instinctively ducked, but the weapon's blade still struck his shoulder, carving a deep, searing gash.

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  “Argh!” he hissed through clenched teeth, stumbling back as blood dripped from his wound.

  With no choice but to retreat, he and Nightmare abandoned their attack as the Warrior transformed into a vortex of destruction. The air crackled with energy and the man’s spinning ax shredded everything around him, churning swamp water into a frothy chaos and sending debris flying in every direction.

  The swirling tempest surged toward Seth and forced him to dash a dozen yards away, activating Haste and using Nimble Ring’s remaining aether. Each step sent jolts of pain through his shoulder, blood gushing out from his injury and splashing onto the ground.

  The moment the Warrior’s whirling spell finally ceased, Nightmare spotted an opening and pounced, sinking his teeth into the man's corroded back. At the same moment, Seth lunged forward, pushing through the pain, and slashed Quill's neck with one dagger before driving the other straight into his chest. The Warrior let out a last gurgling gasp, blood bubbling out of his mouth before collapsing, his back slamming into the muddy ground.

  Seth stood still, staring at the dead man’s empty gaze for a moment, before tearing a strip from his bloodstained academy uniform to wrap his shoulder wound, tightening the fabric until most of the bleeding had stopped. Casting a quick glance around to confirm there were no nearby Fishlords, he reached into his Endless Pouch and retrieved a Healing Potion.

  After popping the cork with his thumb, he gulped down the red liquid and sighed in relief at the tingling sensation spreading through his arm. Then, he turned and spent several long seconds taking in the sight of the two dead adventurers and the pools of blood around them.

  They were the first humans he had ever killed, yet he felt nothing—no churning in his stomach, no pang of guilt in his chest. As if what he’d done was something trivial.

  '' Nightmare said, approaching him. ''

  Seth sighed, looking over at the prisoner in the distance, who was now dozens yards away, looking at them. ''

  Kneeling down, he grabbed the Warrior's Endless Pouch and let his consciousness delve inside. It was smaller than Seth's, about thirty cubic feet, but it was filled to the brim. Herbs, ores, weapons, artifacts like communication orbs, and more… enchanted shackles. With aether, he retrieved one of the seven Escape scrolls inside and a black key, which he promptly Identified.

  Seth turned and made his way toward the prisoner, Identifying him as well.

  Reaching him, Seth crouched and inserted the key into the shackles. The moment he turned it, the aether hovering on the metal surface vanished and the metal clasps sprang open. The man pulled them off, tears welling up in his eyes.

  "Thank you," he mumbled, bowing his head.

  "It's fine," Seth replied. "Do you know who those people were?"

  The man shook his head. "No. They approached me in a tavern in Arthuri, the Sleeping Ox, a few days ago. Then we met there again this afternoon to come here. They were supposed to help me Rank up for one week. They said their Adventurers’ branch was the best at it."

  "Do you remember its name?"

  "The Black Hounds," the man said, eyeing Quill's corpse in the distance.

  Seth clenched his fists and remained silent for a few seconds before handing the prisoner back his gear and an Escape Scroll. Given the man’s Well Capacity of twenty-six, Seth assumed he would have enough aether to activate it. "Use this and leave the Rift. Once you’re out, stay away from that request office. Sooner or later, that branch will probably be looking for you when they find out two of their people have been killed."

  Swallowing loudly, the man nodded and crushed the scroll in his palm. Then, his form dissolved in a swirl of glowing particles, leaving Seth and Nightmare alone with the bodies.

  Seth attached the Endless Pouch of the Warrior to his belt and examined the contents of the Rogue's velvet bag. It wasn't nearly as full, but he could still sense many resources, a few blue vials, and half a dozen scrolls—all being Escape scrolls except for one.

  Seth pulled that one out and filled Identify’s grooves.

  Seth thought with a grimace.

  He tucked it away, deciding to consult Professor Reat or someone from the Champions of Chaos about the spell later. Using it without knowing its effect or aether cost would be foolish.

  '' Nightmare suggested. ''

  Seth rolled his eyes. They had likely made a fortune in mere minutes, looting the possessions of these two human traffickers. It was more profitable than any hunt they’d ever been on. With a sigh, he pulled one of the communication orbs with tons of writing inside and examined it.

  Seth clenched the crystal orb tightly in his palm, threatening to shatter it, and turned toward the Rogue’s corpse to cast Identify.

  , Seth thought as he sifted through the rest of the conversations.

  '' Nightmare said. ''

  '' Seth answered, slipping the orb back into the bag.

  ',' the direwolf grumbled.

  Seth attached the Rogue's Endless Pouch next to the Warrior's before eyeing the Fishlords’ village in the distance. '' he said. ''

  They spent the rest of the morning and afternoon sleeping in their hidden nook. When evening came, they ate a quick meal, then prepared for their hunt. Seth strapped the dead woman’s twin daggers to his thighs and drew them out briefly, Identifying them.

  Seth thought, putting back the black daggers in their sheath strapped to his thighs.

  '' he said, turning to Nightmare.

  '' the direwolf muttered.

  ''

  Leaving their temporary hideout, Seth and Nightmare ran through the swamp and made their way to the Fishlord village. Once the tall wooden walls came into view, they both vanished into Illusionary Emptiness. Carefully, they slipped through the entrance and weaved around the empty huts.

  In the heart of the village, they found fewer than thirty one-finned Fishlords and only three two-finned remaining. Normally, at this time of the night, the Fishlords would be chanting or torturing prisoners, but tonight they just stood around, making low, uneasy sounds. Seth couldn’t understand their language, but their body language was clear.

  '' he said, his eyes scanning the two dozen Fishlords. ''

  From the number he and Nightmare had slain, there should be at least fifty left, but it seemed that over the past week many had deserted—with good reason.

  '' Nightmare said, a few huts away. '.'

  Seth spotted the five shackled prisoners by a large building behind the Fishlords’ gathering. ''

  Moving like shadows, Seth and Nightmare crept behind the huts until they reached the captives. Seth kept a close eye on the humanoid beasts nearby, checking for any sign of threats. Then, like a phantom, he appeared behind the frightened prisoners, pressing a finger to his lips. "Stay quiet," he whispered, meeting the wide, fearful eyes of each of them before sneaking over to the closest one: the blond Elementalist.

  The youngster's eyes went even wider when Seth took out the black key and slid it into his shackles. A , and the enchanted restraints opened, the aether on their surface dissolving in a wisp of cold night air.

  "Take this," Seth said, handing him an Escape scroll before moving to the new prisoner. "Wait until I free everyone—"

  Before he could finish, the young man’s lips began trembling violently and tears poured down his cheeks, mingling with the dirt. "I—I can’t…stay. I ha-have to leave!" he cried, voice cracking with fear. Then he activated the scroll, and his body disintegrated into a swirl of blue aether.

  Seth didn’t have time to react before all the Fishlords’ heads snapped toward him in unison. A loud roar then shattered the silence, and from the main hut to the left stormed the towering, three-finned Fishlord. Its bloodshot eyes zeroed in on Seth.

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  January 15, 2026 (8h30PM ET)

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