CHAPTER 107: A PORTAL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY?!

Riley, however, didn’t retract his hand. He merely chuckled, his voice calm, confident, almost disarming.

"You deserve it," he said, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

Koel froze, his heart trembling at the words.

Riley’s gaze softened only slightly, though his aura remained sharp, resolute.

"I’ll be counting on you in the future for more..." His words trailed as he turned, his cloak brushing lightly against the stone floor.

He lifted a hand and waved dismissively as he walked away, his back toward the stunned young blacksmith.

Koel’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor. He stood frozen, unable to fully process what had just transpired.

"Y-Yes... you can," he muttered weakly, his voice almost reverent, though Riley had already turned away and was leaving the shop.

At his feet, his dog—Rusty—ran up and tugged lightly at his worn trousers, as if to bring him back to reality, to remind him of the present.

But Koel barely noticed. His entire being was transfixed on the figure walking steadily out the door.

The sound of footsteps faded into the distance, and Koel’s lips trembled faintly, his grip tightening around the gold coin as if it were the most precious treasure he had ever been entrusted with.

And then, just as Riley reached the threshold of the building, a faint flash appeared in his vision.

[Blacksmith Koel is awed by your kindness and patronage!]

[Your Relationship with the blacksmith has been affected!]

[Relationship with "Koel Lamar" has shifted: Neutral — Revered!]

Riley smirked faintly at the glowing notifications, his mind calm yet inwardly calculating.

’Good,’ he mused silently. ’It should be smooth sailing from here.’

Riley stepped out of Koel’s shop, walking towards the same alley he passed earlier, before stepping back into the bustling city street.

The street greeted him again with the same noise of haggling traders, players darting back and forth, and the ever-present mixture of curiosity and greed etched onto every face.

He adjusted his pace, walking with his usual calm composure, his footsteps carrying him back towards the center of the city.

But he had barely taken more than a dozen steps when the ground suddenly lurched beneath him.

Rumble—!

The cobbled street trembled violently, cracks spreading across the ground like jagged scars.

Stalls shook, wooden stands toppled, and baskets of fruits rolled wildly. A startled cry tore through the air, quickly followed by another.

Within seconds, screams echoed all around as panic surged through the traders and players alike.

"An earthquake?!" someone shouted, clutching onto their cart.

"My goods!" a merchant wailed, trying desperately to steady the barrels of grain before they toppled over completely.

The chaos spread in an instant—people clutching each other, some crouching low in panic, others covering their heads in fear of falling debris.

Dust and smoke rose as pieces of loose stone fell from rooftops, and the entire city seemed to tremble under the weight of something unseen.

Riley, however, stood still amidst the chaos. His expression didn’t waver, not even for a second.

Instead, the corner of his lips slowly curled upward into a smirk. His eyes, sharp and calculating, glinted with a dangerous excitement.

The quake intensified for a moment, strong enough to throw weaker players off their feet. Then, just as suddenly, the skies overhead began to darken.

Boom!

A deafening roll of thunder cracked across the heavens, shaking the air itself.

Thick, ominous clouds gathered at a frightening speed, blotting out the sun.

The once bright and lively city center was now blanketed in a sinister twilight, the shadows deepening across every corner.

Screams of fear rose higher.

"What the hell is happening?!"

"No... this doesn’t make sense!"

Players stumbled, wide-eyed, their gazes darting upward as the atmosphere twisted into something unnatural.

Whispers spread like wildfire, desperate explanations passed from one to the next.

Some tried to convince themselves it was part of a normal world event, others clung to denial, insisting it was just the weather system at work.

But none of them had answers. None of them could understand.

None of them—except Riley.

His smirk widened, his eyes glowing faintly in the darkened light.

He tilted his head back, watching the storm churn overhead as a low chuckle escaped his throat.

"It’s finally starting..." he muttered under his breath, his voice almost drowned by the storm’s roar.

Inside, his thoughts burned with anticipation.

’The first event of the game...’

Lightning flashed again, illuminating the terrified expressions of the players around him.

To them, this was sudden, inexplicable, terrifying. But to him—this was a moment he had been waiting for.

Right on cue, a sharp notification appeared before his eyes, glowing in golden letters against the backdrop of the storm.

[The First Event of Apocalypse is about to begin!]

The words sent a rush of adrenaline through him. Riley’s body trembled slightly, but not from fear. No—his entire frame shook from excitement that he could no longer contain.

In his past life, this same event had been nothing short of a nightmare.

Back then, when he had been nothing more than a weak, struggling player barely scraping by, this event had crushed him.

He had been hunted, targeted, and humiliated relentlessly by stronger players. Everything about it had been horror and despair.

He remembered vividly the cold helplessness of being cornered, the sting of betrayal, the suffocating feeling of weakness.

It had been the same with so many events after that.

Again and again, he had faced the same brutal cycle—too weak to fight back, too powerless to resist, too unworthy to grasp the rewards that would have changed his fate.

But now...

Now he wasn’t that same helpless player anymore.

He clenched his fist tightly, feeling the new strength coursing through him thanks to the Champion Armour Set, feeling the shadows coiling faintly around his being, ready to respond to his call. His eyes gleamed dangerously in the half-light.

This time, it would be different.

This time, he would no longer be the hunted.

This time, he would stand at the very top, crushing everything in his path.

And this time... finally, he would enjoy it.

A quiet laugh escaped him, growing sharper as it carried into the rumbling chaos around.

He ignored the panicked cries, ignored the scrambling players clinging to their possessions. For Riley, the storm wasn’t a threat. It was a stage. A grand opening act, tailored for him.

And he was ready.

The earth rumbled once again, but this time it wasn’t just a tremor.

The cracks beneath Riley’s feet began to widen, splitting apart with sharp, ear-rending groans as stone and dirt gave way.

Dust flew into the air in thick plumes, stinging the eyes of nearby players and NPCs.

Stalls collapsed, wooden frames snapping under the strain of the shaking earth, and several traders screamed as their goods spilled out across the ground.

The fissures spread forward like veins, jagged and relentless, crawling across the cobblestones as if a giant hand was tearing the city apart from beneath.

A few players stumbled while trying to keep their balance, crashing to the ground with startled cries.

Some NPCs tripped over their own legs as the quakes sent baskets, barrels, and crates rolling wildly down the streets.

Apples and coins scattered in every direction, clattering and bouncing with chaotic rhythm.

Then, without warning, the cracks surged outward in a straight line, converging at a distant point.

A thunderous explosion split the air as a massive trench ripped open in the distance.

The sound was like a mountain being torn apart, echoing across the city so violently that birds scattered from rooftops and the shrill sound of cracking stone drowned out even the screams.

Around the edges of the trench, strange sparks of yellow light began to flash.

They weren’t like ordinary lightning—each spark was sharp, jagged, and almost alive, crackling across the jagged walls of the chasm as though feeding off the destruction.

A dark yellow glow slowly pulsed from deep within, painting the broken stones with an eerie illumination.

The crowd froze for only a second, staring in horror and disbelief.

Then chaos erupted again. Several players and NPCs who had been standing too close to the trench lost their footing as the ground beneath them tilted.

Screams tore from their throats as they slid down the loose soil and crumbling stone, tumbling helplessly into the glow.

Their cries didn’t last long. The moment their bodies touched the strange light, they vanished.

No blood. No remains. Just silence. Their final shrieks echoed across the square, raising the hairs on everyone’s necks.

Panic set in instantly. More screams filled the air as the sight of people being swallowed alive by the glow spread terror through the crowd.

Traders abandoned their stalls entirely, kicking aside their goods in their desperation to flee.

Wooden carts tipped over, spilling wares across the street as frantic players and NPCs shoved past one another, trampling anything in their way.

Yet, not everyone ran.

A handful of bold players—faces twisted with both fear and curiosity—hesitated.

One group, their hands on their weapons, crept closer to the trench.

Their steps were slow and deliberate, as though they were approaching a feral beast.

The closer they got, the louder the strange hum from the glow became, vibrating deep within their bones.

When they reached the edge, what they saw froze them in place.

From within the trench, the dark yellow glow twisted and spun, forming a swirling spiral that pulsed with an unnatural rhythm.

It wasn’t just light—it was movement. A vortex. A portal. The spiral stretched endlessly into the darkness, pulling at their vision, as though daring them to step forward.

One of the players gasped loudly, clutching the edge of his sword.

His eyes widened, and his voice cracked as he shouted the words that would ignite the crowd’s confusion further.

"T-There’s a portal there!"