As Stark and Lana stepped out of the car, they were immediately greeted by the sight of numerous fellow classifiers, each huddled in their respective groups, discussing strategies and final preparations.
In front of them all was a weird monument, and a crimson closed off portal that looked like a shut-eye from afar in the center.
The Crimson Moon Squad had already reached the location before Lana and Stark, a proof that their travelling method was way more effective.
They soon enough found the leader, Vex, and from there regrouped all the members one by one.
“Only 20 more minutes,” Vex spoke while pointing at the closed portal, “Then let’s prove to all those fuckers that we’re the stronger ones…!”
This was a competition between all factions, and every single one of them was looking at one another, the sole purpose would be to come out of this shitty place alive while conquering it.
Whatever there was inside, they would need to face it.
Not even ten minutes later, they heard a voice coming from their left.
“HAHAHA VEX, YOU LOOK DESPERATE!” a burly man with a brown heart in his hands laughed, he seemed to be another ‘Soul Wielder’.
“Jack… you never get tired of doing shit like this, do you?” Crimson Moon’s leader sighed.
“You have a reached a new low it seems,” his eyes were burning with an aura the same color of his heart, “Inviting two newbies to such a rift is basically suicide!”
By this point, many people were looking at the commotion.
“I do understand Lana since she is extremely talented and you will actively make sure she is fine, but him?” he pointed at Stark, a wide grin on his face, “You are begging for him to be eaten or what? Plus what is that stupid mask?”
It was obvious from all the different powerful people in this space that Lana and Stark were some of the weakest ones, plus their auras were also lower (although on Stark’s part it was only because he hadn’t activated Domination, otherwise it would be just as much as all the others)
“Stop caring about my members so much, Jack, maybe it’s because you don’t focus on your team that you all have been slacking off lately,” Vex retorted, and many people laughed, enjoying the show.
“…” Jack was furious, “Well… let’s see if your little newbie will survive inside that rift…” he groaned, “A LEVEL 16 PARTICIPATING IN A LEVEL 35-50 HELL-LEVEL RIFT IS CRAZY,” he shouted that last part on purpose for everyone to hear.
And immediately, all eyes fell on the masked Stark.
“Is Crimson Moon crazy, did they hire a level 16 newbie?”
“And look at that ugly mask, pfft~ that guy is as good as dead…”
“This is suicide, does he have a death wish?”
Murmurs spread across all the groups of classifiers.
“…” Stark was just looking at everything unfolding with a blank expression on his face though since he didn’t care about any of these people and their opinions.
Plus, what good would it be for him to get mad over such petty things.
“You are a grown adult, and i’m a kid, so please act like one,” Stark smiled while responding to Jack, and yet again another row of laughter echoed.
“You little…” Jack gritted his teeth, but a white-haired woman, probably his teammate, grabbed his shoulder and asked him to let it go, so he went back to his group.
As the tension in the air eased slightly, Vex turned to Lana and Stark with a reassuring smile,”Don’t worry about Jack, he’s all bark and no bite,” he said, patting Stark on the back, “You’ll prove them all wrong once we enter that rift.”
But almost all the Crimson Moon Squad members were thinking like the others: Stark is pushing his luck with that rift, and he is surely gonna die inside, although they weren’t saying it and acted friendly.
They had no bad intentions, but logic was their priority, and it didn’t make sense for someone that is level 16 to attempt that.
Well… every member except for Vex that is, since he could sense Stark’s aura and determination, and without any doubt they were some of the strongest he had seen.
Stark felt a surge of determination coursing through him as he stood before the closed portal, the hushed whispers and doubtful gazes of the other classifiers fading into background noise.
He adjusted his bunny mask, the intricate design seeming to gleam with an inner light as he focused on the challenge ahead.
Vex gathered the team together, his voice cutting through the tension in the air. “We’re not here to back down from a challenge. We’re here to show what we’re capable of. No matter what lies beyond that portal, we face it together, well except for Stark since… you know…”
The countdown began, marking the final moments before the portal would open. As the numbers dwindled, a sense of anticipation hung heavy in the air.
Stark could feel the energy crackling around them, a mixture of fear and excitement swirling within everyone.
And then, with a resounding hum, the portal slowly creaked open, revealing a swirling mass of dark energy pulsing within.
[PORTAL OPENED]
The crimson portal was now available for everyone to use, and so people rushed inside, wanting to be the firsts to explore that place.
“Nobody is allowed to leave a Secret Rift before it is completed, so watch out, especially you, Stark,” he patted the black-haired boy’s back and headed toward the portal alongside the other members.
“Are you sure you wanna go alone?” Lana stayed back for a few seconds to confirm with Stark, and he simply nodded, so she went alongside the others.
‘Welp,’ he stretched while grinning, still sensing the gaze of those that were still outside on him, it seemed like he had become a target to many in such a short amount of time, ‘Let’s just… level up…’
And so he entered as well, ready to reach level 25 and spin the [Class Wheel] again, and maybe, just maybe, complete that rift and get all the rewards too…?
As he stepped inside the portal, the world around Stark blurred and twisted, the once familiar scenery dissolving into a whirl of colors.
A rush of wind tugged at his clothes, and his heart pounded in his chest as he was pulled deeper into the unknown.
It was a completely different sensation from the one he had when getting inside the [City Ruins], but it was just to remind him that this rift was on a whole other level.
‘No… it can’t be worse than this…’ he remembered the Domination Trial and the hellish bosses he had to defeat, in comparison, this would be NOTHING.
And so he entered.
[Level 35-50 Hell-Level Rift: The Valley of Shadows]
[Good luck!]
