CHAPTER 199: CHAPTER 199 : A CHALLENGE TO THE UNKNOWN (1)

Inside the grand halls of Avaloria’s most famous museum, where relics of kings, empires, and heroes stood in silent display, a calamity had broken through itself.

A rift, black and seething with unstable mana, had torn open in the center of the marble atrium. Its violent glow painted the statues and artifacts in a ghastly light, as if mocking the very legacy of Avaloria.

Outside, chaos reigned. Media crews from every corner of the empire had swarmed the plaza. Holo-drones buzzed in the air, projecting live feeds across crystal screens, while reporters pressed against the barricades with trembling excitement.

"This is unprecedented!" one breathless reporter spoke into her mana-mic. "A rift has erupted inside the Avaloria National Museum, one of the most treasured sites in the empire! And what’s shocking is that the guild handling this is not one of the top five!"

Another commentator cut in, his voice sharp with thrill. "That’s right! The guild currently inside is Shadow Legion, a rising star that just secured the tenth spot in the guild rankings! And at its helm—Lucifer Morningstar himself has entered the rift!"

The first reporter leaned forward, voice dropping as if sharing a secret. "And here’s the most curious part... Avaloria’s greatest hunter, Carter Brown, is also inside. But he has publicly stated he will not assist the Shadow Legion. He’s there purely to observe Lucifer Morningstar... claiming he’s interested in recruiting him."

Speculation erupted in every newsfeed, every broadcast, every mana-forum across Avaloria. "Could it be? The great Carter Brown seeking a disciple? If so, what does he see in this mysterious man?"

Crowds gasped, debated, and held their breath. An S-rank rift, a guild new to the elite rankings, and the legendary Sword Saint watching silently—Avaloria’s eyes were all fixed on one question. *Would Shadow Legion survive?*

---

Inside the rift, the world was a graveyard.

Corpses of monsters littered the battlefield, their bodies massive enough to blot out the twisted sky. A ’Crimson Direfang Wolf’, its fangs longer than a man’s arm, lay still, its throat torn open.

The carcass of a ’Venomspine Hydra’, its eight heads severed, leaked corrosive blood that sizzled into the ground. The hulking frame of an ’Ironhide Behemoth’, large enough to crush city gates, sprawled across a ridge, lifeless.

These were all A-rank monsters—each strong enough to battle a Master (Peak)-rank hunter alone. Yet here, they were nothing more than trophies of slaughter.

And amidst this sea of carnage, the most absurd sight:

Lucifer Morningstar, masked and unbothered, lay reclined on a beach chair. A cocktail glass clinked in his hand, a straw between his lips as he sipped casually. He looked less like a guild leader clearing an S-rank rift and more like a man on vacation.

Around him, the real war raged. Tyrion, Jaime, and Dayne—each Master (Mid)-rank—cut down beasts with efficient brutality. Tory and Jade, Master (Low)-rank fighters, weaved between their larger comrades, striking precisely where needed.

And then there was Carter Brown. Though he had sworn he would not interfere, he swung his blade with a ferocity that shook the battlefield, each strike drenched in barely restrained rage. To anyone watching, it was as if he had turned the monsters into an outlet for his fury.

The rift was almost cleared.

Alex—behind the mask of Lucifer—smiled faintly at the sight. But then his EtherPad buzzed violently. He frowned, remembering he had switched it off to avoid Lily’s calls. Now that it was back on, the notifications flooded in. Over twenty missed calls from her.

His chest tightened. ’She’s definitely going to kill me when I get back. What should I do...?’

Before he could decide, another set of notifications caught his eye. Messages from his secret bank account—the one he kept hidden from his sister. A sudden chill ran down his spine. ’No... no, it can’t be...’

He opened the balance.

Zero.

Not a single credit remained from the one hundred million he had painstakingly saved.

Tears welled up behind the mask.

A cruel voice echoed in his head. *[ You deserve it. ]*

"Shut up," Alex muttered.

’One hundred million credits,’ he thought numbly. ’My blood and sweat... gone in one hour.’ He scrolled, refreshed, scrolled again, but the number did not change. ’Why? I never scammed anyone. I never wronged anyone. Why me, god, why me—’

He inhaled sharply, steadying himself. ’There’s only one culprit I can think of... and she’s not answering my calls. Which makes her even more suspicious.’

A hand tapped his shoulder. Alex turned to find Carter Brown, his own face twisted into the same tragic grimace, eyes red as though holding back tears.

"Sir," Carter sniffed, "we... we cleared the rift."

Alex’s voice wavered. "Carter... I’m a good man, right?"

"Of course you are, sir," Carter said, valiantly choking back a sob.

"Of course I am," Alex muttered bitterly. "Then why me?"

Carter’s mouth twitched, but he forced the words down. Instead, he said gravely, "Also... we found something very mysterious in the rift."

That pulled Alex’s attention sharply. "And what’s this mysterious thing you guys found?"

Carter swallowed hard. "You should see it yourself. It’s... not something I can explain."

Confusion crossed Alex’s masked face. "Alright. Now I’m curious. Show me."

Carter led him across the ruined battlefield, to the corpse of the Rift Boss.

What Alex saw there made his breath still.

Another rift.

A massive, swirling gate of black and violet light pulsed where the Boss had fallen.

Carter’s voice was low and heavy. "Yes, sir. What you’re seeing is exactly what you think it is."

Alex stared. "How... how could this be possible?"

"Most people don’t know this," Carter said grimly, "but this isn’t the first time. Rifts within rifts... have been happening more often. More times than you could count."

Alex’s voice sharpened. "And? What’s the catch?"

Carter exhaled. "The rifts found inside others are always more mysterious—and more dangerous—than anything we’ve seen."

Alex’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Carter’s face grew solemn as he gestured toward the pulsating rift-within-a-rift. His voice carried the weight of months of unspoken dread.

"Since you’re new to this field, sir, you don’t know. But this... it started happening six months ago. On the day the sky changed. The day night fell over the world in broad daylight, and that colossal titan of constellations appeared. And then... it took the shape of a mythical tree."

Alex’s eyes narrowed beneath his mask. His mind reeled.

A familiar voice echoed inside his head. [ Host, he’s talking about the day you awakened. ]

Alex stiffened. ’The hell is happening...? I’ve already changed so many things, altered so many paths. So why does the world keep twisting itself into something unrecognizable? Even the scraps of the future I knew are turning to dust in my hands.’

He turned sharply to Tyrion and the others. "Did you guys know about this?"

Tyrion stepped forward, his tone steady but grim. "Captain, we only heard rumors. Whispers of hunters disappearing... of rifts birthing more rifts. But none of us believed it. Not until now."

Alex nodded, though unease gnawed at him. ’In all the rifts I cleared these past six months, not once did something like this happen. So why here? Why now?’

He faced Carter again. "Have you ever tried clearing one of these?"

Carter’s expression darkened instantly. His voice was hard, almost desperate. "Sir, don’t even think about it. I was on vacation when this started, but I kept getting reports from my guild. And I went to see some of these anomalies myself. I didn’t believe it at first. But what I saw..." He shook his head. "A rift inside another rift is not natural. It’s not supposed to exist."

Alex tilted his head. "So no one has tried clearing it before?"

Carter exhaled heavily. "Of course people have. Fools who thought they could snatch treasures beyond imagination, secrets hidden from the world. They believed they can inherit power of god’s."

A smirk crept across Alex’s lips beneath the mask. "And? They went in, didn’t they?"

Carter nodded grimly. "Yes, sir. Hunters entered. Not just reckless ones either. Even Grandmaster (Peak)-rank hunters. Thousands went in... the first time it happened."

Alex’s eyes sharpened. "And?"

Carter’s voice dropped to a near whisper. "None returned. Not a trace. For six months, they’ve all been... gone."

Alex exhaled slowly. "Then they died greedy-ass deaths."

"That’s what we believe," Carter admitted. "After that, the Hunter Association forbade anyone from entering these anomalies. We cannot afford to lose more of our brightest to the unknown."

Alex tilted his head slightly. "So, the Association bans it, and everyone obeys like good little dogs?"

Carter’s jaw tightened. "They had to. Even our best technologies—the live-stream arrays, the tracking beacons—they all fail the moment someone enters. It’s like those who go in... are cut off from the world entirely."

Alex let out a long breath. "So these rifts are dangerous. Unmeasurable. Untouchable."

"Yes," Carter confirmed. "The Association gave them a name. Paralflux dungeons. They’ve been declared off-limits to all hunters."

For a moment, silence fell. Then Alex chuckled, low and amused under the mask. "What if someone did clear one?"

Carter actually laughed—short, bitter, and tinged with disbelief. "Only a fool would think of such madness. Entering is suicide. Talking about clearing it is—"

"Answer the question," Alex cut him off, his tone sharp.

Carter swallowed and said reluctantly, "If... someone cleared it, they’d write history. They’d be the first. And if they came back alive, the knowledge they’d bring—the treasures, the secrets—it would be priceless. Empires would fight to own them. And their fame... would be unmatched."

A voice immediately echoed in Alex’s head. [ Host, you’re not seriously thinking what I think you’re thinking... are you? ]

Alex smirked. "And what the hell am I thinking?"

The system’s voice wavered. [ ...The exact thing I’m thinking. ]

"Keep your useless thinking to yourself," Alex muttered. "Right now, I’m only thinking about one thing—becoming the best. Testing my strength properly against something that no one else dared touch."

The voice snapped back. [ You’re a lunatic! You just heard no one ever returned from those rifts! ]

Alex chuckled softly. "What do you think?"

The system’s reply was dry, almost resigned. [ I think I’m a lunatic too, for even asking. ]

Slowly, Alex reached up and removed his mask. The action froze Tyrion, Jaime, Dayne, Tory, and Jade in place. For six months, their captain had never shown them his true face—not even once.

Their breaths hitched. Tory and Jade felt their hearts stutter, almost mesmerized by the striking, unmasked man before them. They bit their lips, forcing themselves back to composure.

Tyrion’s voice trembled slightly as he bowed his head. "Captain... so you’ve finally decided to trust us. I’m honored... to see your real face."

Jaime and Dayne both nodded firmly.

Alex smirked. "As you should be."

Then his tone hardened. "Tell Selena to handle everything in my absence. I might be gone for a while."

Confusion flickered across their faces—then horror dawned. Realization crashed into them like a wave.

"Sir... no, you can’t!" Carter suddenly barked, almost panicking. "You’ll die if you enter that thing!"

Alex glanced at him, eyes gleaming with reckless resolve. "I’ll think about that when I’m dying."

Before anyone could stop him, he stepped forward, smirk still carved on his lips, and leapt headfirst into the swirling Paralflux dungeon.

Silence drowned the battlefield.

Not even the corpses of the monsters seemed to move anymore, as though the entire world itself held its breath.

------

A/N:

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