Emotion Hunter: System Awakening.

The Riverside District looked like a ghost town that had been abandoned in a hurry and then forgotten for decades....well, it was abandoned but damn.

Empty storefronts lined the cracked sidewalks.

Glass littered the ground even on the streets they were glittering under the street light, it was crunching under their boots with every step.

Street lamps flickered like they were running on dying batteries, throwing weird, jumpy shadows across graffiti-stained walls....at least there's graffiti.

The whole place looked less like part of a city and more like an apocalypse world...well its pretty close to that with Veils popping around the town alot.

"What a very cheerful place," Marcus whispered, voice low.

He tugged at the straps of his tactical vest, the surplus gear creaking with each step like it had already lived a few wars.

On him, it looked less military and more like a kid dressing up as 'soldier guy' for Halloween...but Riven could see past the look.

Marcus's eyes weren't playing dress-up though. They were sharp.

Determined.

They'd ridden the last bus out here, then walked the final kilometer through streets that had grown steadily more deserted the deeper they went.....the entrance of the town wasn't really deserted, it just looks abandoned but the town itself?...

Well, it looks like a war passed through there...buildings collapsing, there was even a skyscraper here....but It looked like something took a bite into the sides....I now look like a chocolate that have been bitten.

The Veil Compass hadn't wavered once again, its needle pointing like an accusation toward the far side of the district.

"There," Riven muttered, raising the compass again. Its glass face glimmers with the damaged streetlight, the needle trembling as if eager. "It should be right around that corner."

Marcus shifted his grip on the rusted pipe he'd insisted on carrying. "Right around the corner, huh. Like every bad horror movie.... cliché as ever...."

Riven ignored him, though he felt the corner of his mouth twitch....

The air itself was different here....thick, damp, like breathing through wet cloth. His skin prickled as though invisible static crawled over him....he had felt this before...

Marcus caught his sleeve suddenly. "Wait. You feel that?"

Riven paused, testing the air. "Feel what?"

"Like… electricity is in the air??. But it feels wrong. It's like it's humming inside my teeth."

And now that Marcus said it, Riven felt it too.

A vibration that wasn't sound but still pressed on the edges of his awareness, making his molars ache and his chest tighten.

"Veil energy," Riven murmured. His throat was dry. "We're close."

They rounded the corner and stopped dead in their tracks...

Reality had been torn open.

The Veil floated between two collapsed apartment buildings like someone had taken a knife and slit the world wide open.

A jagged circle, about eight feet across, shimmering with that awful gray light that bent and shifted like oil on water.

Unlike the small tear that had briefly appeared in his apartment, this one looked stable...dangerous.

Marcus let out a slow whistle. "Holy shit. It's actually real."

The ground around the Veil was empty...eerily so.

No monsters prowling, no bones, no blood.

Just the Veil posted above the ground.

Riven checked his phone. 11:47 PM. They'd been walking for almost two hours, though it felt longer under this oppressive quiet.

"So," Marcus said finally. His tone was forced with him trying to be as casual as possible, but his grip on the pipe was white-knuckled. "Do we just… walk through it?

"That's the plan." Riven slung his pack off one shoulder and drew out the Resonance Blade. It slid from rod to spear form in a smooth shimmer, the weapon humming faintly as though excited....

"If things go ba—" Riven began.

"I run like hell and call for backup," Marcus finished quickly. "We've been over this, dude. Don't give me the speech again."

Riven allowed himself the faintest smirk. "Right." He adjusted his grip on the spear. The metallic tang of Veil energy stung his tongue. "Ready?"

Marcus's laugh was tight, nervous. "Nope. But let's do it anyway."

They approached together, steps slow, weapons ready. Up close, the Veil was even worse.

"I can see land," Marcus whispered. "Like… rocky ground. Red sky. No sun. What the hell?....so that's how your Veil ascent looked like??".

Riven didn't answer. His heart thudded in his chest as he stepped closer, the air around got heavier with each step he took.

He braced himself, then let the Veil take him.

Crossing felt like being dunked headfirst into freezing water while someone twisted his stomach inside out.

Reality stretched, then snapped back....too bright like there's lights on his face.

The first thing that hit him was the smell.

The air reeked.

It smelt like...

Rotten meat. Sulfur. Even the odd smell of blood.

It clawed down his throat...he felt like he was gonna puke so badly...

The sky above was a dark, bloody red. No sun either.....just an endless glow of red that painted everything in shades of nightmare.

They stood on cracked red stone. Jagged spires jutted upward from the ground like broken teeth.

Off in the distance, ruins loomed....remnants of structures that had never been human.

The angles were too strange,

too Alien.

"This place gives me the creeps," Marcus muttered, fumbling for his flashlight even though the glow made it unnecessary.

Riven swallowed his bile. "Stay sharp."

Then the system chimed.

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[Gray Veil Entered: Crimson Wastes]

[Threat Level: Low to Moderate]

[Dominant Species: Stone Goblins, Crystal Spiders]

[Environmental Hazard: Unstable Ground Formations]

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Stone Goblins.

Crystal Spiders.

"Bad news?" Marcus asked, watching his face.

Riven exhaled slowly. "It's the stones Goblins.....they're tougher cousins of the ones I fought before. And there's spiders too."

Marcus's whole body stiffened. "Oh, great. I hate spiders. Why does it always have to be spiders?"

They moved forward anyway, each step echoing against the cracked ground.

Loose stones rattled underfoot, every sound amplified by the silence pressing on them.

It didn't take long to find their first monster.

A Stone Goblin crouched behind a boulder, gnawing on something unidentifiable but fleshy.

Its skin was gray and rough, almost like rock itself. Its claws looked sharp enough to carve through steel....well fortunately or unfortunately....it's also short, like a 10 years old kid.

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[Threat Detected: Stone Goblin – F+ Rank]

[Compared to the normal goblins this ones comes with]

[Enhanced durability. Increased strength.]

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Its manageable. But tougher than the fodder he'd fought before.

Marcus crouched low, his pipe raised, eyes wide but steady. He nodded once.

Ready.

Riven felt their emotional anchor hum.

The connection thrummed in the background.

He could feel Marcus's nervous energy....but instead of distracting him, it grounded him.

Reminded him he wasn't doing this alone.

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[Emotion Detected: Determination (Self)]

[Emotional Anchor Present: Marcus Chen]

[Do you wish to Loot this Emotion?]

-------

"Yes."

The determination surged, a shared resolve threading between them.

Marcus's breathing slowed.... steadied.

-------

[Mental clarity will be distributed to host and anchor]

-------

Riven's focus sharpened into something like steel.

He crept closer, using the jagged terrain as cover.

The goblin was still lost in its meal.

Riven struck fast, spear driving clean through its rocky back and piercing the heart.

The creature hissed once, then went limp, collapsing without even seeing him.

-------

[Stone Goblin Slain]

[5 Survival Points Gained]

-------

Marcus blinked. "Holy shit. That was… fast. And kind of badass."

"Stone skin doesn't help against precision strikes." Riven yanked the spear free. There was no blood stain on it though.

They pushed deeper into the Crimson Wastes, cautious but quicker now.

The emotional anchor made every movement feel smoother.

Balanced.

Riven's boldness kept Marcus steady, while Marcus's natural caution reined in Riven's impulses.

It worked.

Until the spiders came.....

They found the first Crystal Spider perched on a ridge, its body glittering like stained glass.

It was the size of a dog, legs thin and sharp, every step clicking against the rock.

Its black diamond eyes fixed on them, alien and hungry.

-------

[Threat Detected: Crystal Spider – E Rank]

[High speed. Poison attacks. Pack hunter.]

-------

Marcus whispered through clenched teeth, "there's one spid-"

"—there's usually more," Riven finished grimly. He scanned. Sure enough, faint gleams shifted in the shadows. "I count three more."

They're pack hunters with Higher ranks..

They even have unknown poison. This wasn't a warm-up fight.

Riven's mouth was dry. "Marcus, I'm going to loot some fear to boost my speed. You cover my blind spots and call positions."

Marcus's jaw clenched. "Got it."

Riven reached inward, tapped the fear gnawing in his gut and Looted it.

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[Fear Looted Successfully]

[Effect: Reflex Surge – Speed and reaction time increased]

[Anchor Effect: Partner gains tactical awareness boost]

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The world shifted....it looked Slowed.

Every spider movement dragged, like they were caught in syrup.

His body felt lighter, faster. Through the connection, Marcus straightened.

"I see them," Marcus said firmly. "Two on your left, one circling behind."

The first spider leapt,it's fangs was dripping...with something yellowish, it's already black body was also gleaming in the red light.

Riven twisted, his daggers flicking into his hands. A Cross-slash....perfectly executed.

The spider shattered midair, it's fragments raining down.

The second came in low. Marcus's warning gave him the heads up he needed, the dagger flashed up into the spider's gut.

"Behind You!, Duck!" Marcus shouted.

Riven dropped, sweeping both daggers in a brutal arc upward. Crystal legs snapped against the short sword.

The spider burst apart like brittle glass.

-------

[3 Crystal Spiders Slain]

[12 Survival Points Gained]

-------

Riven straightened, chest heaving, adrenaline still crackling in his veins.

Marcus just stared, eyes wide. "I could feel it, man. Not your thoughts, exactly… but your instincts. Like I knew what you were about to do. It was freaky as hell, but it worked."

Riven's grin was sharp. "The anchor. You're riding diluted versions of the emotions I loot. Fear turned into tactical awareness. Determination into confidence."

Marcus shook his head. "So basically, we're half psychic during fights. This is insane."

Insane, yes. But effective....

They spent another hour prowling the Crimson Wastes, slaying scattered goblins and spiders, mapping the cracked terrain.

Each fight sharpened their rhythm. Marcus's warnings kept Riven safe; Riven's ferocity carved a path forward.

The Survival Points stacked up steadily.

By the time the Veil shimmered back into view, Riven had enough points to buy Marcus a real weapon from the system shop...a basic blade, but better than rusted pipe metal.

More importantly, they'd proven something tonight. That they weren't just surviving. They were evolving.

Together.

Marcus grinned tiredly as they approached the Veil. "So… how was that for a first date?"

Riven barked out a laugh, the tension finally cracking. "Not bad. Next time, though? You're buying dinner first."

"Deal. Just… no crystal spiders on the menu." Marcus grinned back.

They stepped through the Veil together, and the world warped back into the empty Riverside District.

The air felt thin, too normal after the Crimson Wastes.

But Riven felt different. Stronger....maybe Marcus felt the same way....time will tell.