Emotion Hunter: System Awakening.

The Red Veil was massive.

Unlike the subtle gray rifts they'd entered before, this dimensional tear blazed with crimson energy that hurt to look at directly. It stood fifteen feet tall and twice as wide, pulsing like a giant heartbeat.

Heat waves distorted the air around it, and even standing fifty meters away, Riven could feel sweat beading on his forehead.

"That thing looks angry," Jake said, adjusting his tactical vest nervously.

Maya was checking their medical supplies one final time, her movements sharp with anxiety. "Remind me again why we thought this was a good idea?"

"Because we have eighteen hours before the Hunter Guild decides we're too dangerous to negotiate with," Riven replied, purchasing the Emergency Recall Tokens from his system shop.

Three small crystals materialized in his palm, each one glowing with soft blue light. "These will get us out instantly if things go bad."

He handed one to Maya, one to Jake, and kept the third for himself. Marcus already had one from their previous mission preparations.

"How do they work?" Jake asked, examining the crystal.

"Crush it, and it teleports you back to the entry point immediately. Don't use it unless someone's about to die."

Marcus was studying the Veil with enhanced senses, his expression troubled. "Something's wrong with this place. I can feel... intelligent beings. Lots of it. Whatever's in there is organized."

-------

**[Red Veil Detected: The Burning Wastes]**

**[Threat Level: High]**

**[Dominant Species: Veil Orcs, Flame Salamanders, Heat Wraiths]**

**[Environmental Hazards: Extreme temperature, toxic atmosphere, gravitational anomalies]**

**[Warning: Recommended team size - 6+ experienced Hunters]**

-----

"Six experienced Hunters....," Riven read aloud and let the silence drag out.. "We're four college students, two of whom have never been in a Veil before."

"Too late to back out now," Maya said, securing her medical kit. "The Guild knows who we are. Running won't solve anything."

They approached the Red Veil as a group, weapons ready and communication gear active.

The heat intensified with each step, and by the time they reached the threshold, it felt like standing next to an open furnace.

"Stay close," Riven said, activating the Resonance Blade in its spear form. "It's an Unknown environment with hostile creatures, and we don't know how time flows in Red Veils."

They stepped through together.

The heat hit them like a physical blow.

The air was so hot it burned their lungs, and the landscape beyond defied comprehension.

Jagged black rocks jutted from red sand dunes, and in the distance, they could see what looked like crude settlements built from bone and scrap metal.

The sky was the color of dried blood, lit by no visible sun but somehow providing harsh, oppressive light....it seems similar..

"Jesus Christ," Jake gasped, already soaked in sweat despite the tactical gear. "How do things live in this?"

Maya was checking her temperature readings. "Forty-seven degrees Celsius. We'll dehydrate in hours without proper cooling."

Before anyone could respond, Marcus grabbed Riven's arm. "There's Movement. Multiple of them and closing in fast."

From behind a cluster of black rocks, three figures emerged.

They stood nearly eight feet tall, with gray-green skin that looked like leather armor. Crude weapons made from bone and scrap metal gleamed in their massive hands, and their eyes held hostile gaze.

Veil Orcs.

-----

**[Threat Detected: Veil Orc Warriors x3 - D Rank Creatures]**

[Stats]

[High strength]

[tactical intelligence]

[heat immunity]

---

**Grashk's POV**

The pale-skins had finally come.

Grashk crouched behind the watching-stone, studying the four creatures that had emerged from the red-tear.

The three were obviously weak...even stumbling, sweating, carrying their weapons like they'd never used them.

The fourth, the dark-haired one, radiated something different. It had Power, but unfocused.

He felt the pale skin was Dangerous but stupid.

"Easy prey,"he thought, signaling to his pack-brothers. "The small female looks ready to fall over. The tall male shakes like a leaf-mouse. Only the power-one might fight."

But Grashk was patient. He'd seen many pale-skins come through the red-tears over the seasons.

The smart ones stayed in groups, moved carefully, retreated when threatened. These ones? They wandered into orc territory like lost cubs.

"Wait," he gestured to Morgak and Vresh. "Let them tire. Let the heat do it's work. Then we hunt."

---

Riven felt the orcs' presence through his enhanced senses, but couldn't pinpoint their exact locations. The heat was already affecting his concentration, and Maya looked ready to collapse.

"We need shelter," he said, scanning the hostile terrain. "This environment will kill us before any monsters get the chance."

"There," Marcus pointed to what looked like a cave entrance carved into a large rock formation. "There will be Natural cooling and its also a good defensible position."

They moved toward the shelter, but Maya stumbled after only a few steps. Jake caught her arm, his own face flushed with heat exhaustion.

"The medical supplies include cooling packs," Maya gasped. "It's In the blue pouch."

As Jake dug through their gear, the attack came.

The first orc charged from their left flank, it's bone club raised high.

Riven barely got his spear up in time to deflect the blow, the impact sending shockwaves through his arms.

The creature was impossibly strong, and the heat seemed to energize rather than weaken it.

"Maya! Jake! Get to cover!" Riven shouted, switching his weapon to twin daggers for better mobility.

The second orc flanked them from the right, forcing Marcus to engage with nothing but his enhanced combat knife.

The third circled behind, cutting off their retreat to the Veil.

It was a coordinated attack by intelligent predators who knew exactly what they were doing.

Riven looted his own fear, converting it to enhanced speed, but the overwhelming heat made every movement sluggish.

His enhanced reflexes helped him avoid the orc's next strike, but he couldn't find an opening to counterattack.

Marcus was holding his own through sheer determination and the shared combat instincts from their emotional anchor, but his human-grade equipment was no match for the orc's natural armor and superior reach.

Maya and Jake had reached the cave entrance, but the third orc was already moving to intercept them.

"Jake!" Riven yelled. "Use the recall crystal!"

"Not without you!"

They had to leave now!

Riven made a desperate decision, looting not just his own emotions but reaching out through the team connection to draw on their shared determination.

------

**[Team Emotion Detected: Collective Resolve]**

**[Warning: Untested group looting may cause system overload]**

**[Do you wish to proceed?]**

------

"Yes!"

Power flooded through him like liquid fire. The combined resolve of all four team members converted into raw strength, and for a moment, the oppressive heat felt manageable. His daggers blazed with golden energy as he launched himself at the nearest orc.

The strike connected, cutting deep into the creature's torso. It roared in pain and rage, stumbling backward.

But the system overload hit him immediately. His muscles spasmed, his vision blurred, and he could feel his enhanced abilities burning out like an overloaded circuit.

---

**Grashk's Perspective**

The power-one had hurt Vresh badly, but now he was failing. His pack-brothers moved in for the kill, but something was wrong. The pale-skins weren't running like they should. The shaking male had pulled out something that glowed blue, and the small female was shouting orders instead of cowering.

*Unnatural,* Grashk thought. *These ones have pack-loyalty. Dangerous.*

He signaled for retreat. Wounded prey that fought back was often more trouble than it was worth, and Vresh needed attention before he bled out.

*Let the heat finish them,* he decided. *We hunt easier prey.*

---

The orcs withdrew as suddenly as they'd appeared, dragging their wounded companion with efficient teamwork. Riven collapsed to his knees, the system overload leaving him barely conscious.

"Use the Recall crystals!" Maya shouted. "Everyone, now!"

They crushed the blue crystals simultaneously, and the world twisted around them. One moment they were surrounded by burning wasteland, the next they were back in the rural field where they'd entered the Red Veil.

Riven was unconscious before he hit the grass.

When he woke up twenty minutes later, Maya was checking his pulse while Jake stood watch.

His system interface was flickering erratically, showing errors and warnings he'd never seen before.

"How bad is it?" he asked weakly.

"Bad," Maya replied. "Your temperature spiked to dangerous levels, you had muscle spasms consistent with severe overexertion, and you've been unconscious for twenty minutes. What did you do in there?"

"Looted emotions from the whole team at once. The system warned me it was untested."

"And you did it anyway?"

"It was that or watch you all die."

Marcus helped him sit up. "We gained some experience, but not nearly enough. Those orcs were toying with us. If they'd wanted us dead, we would be."

Jake was staring at the Red Veil, which continued to pulse with crimson energy. "So what now? We're still not strong enough to matter to the Hunter Guild, and we have..." he checked his watch, "sixteen hours before they come looking for us."

Riven's system interface stabilized enough to show his status. Still Level 3, but with some experience toward Level 4. Not nearly enough to make a difference.

"We try again," he said, struggling to his feet. "Different approach, better preparation. We have to get stronger."

"Riven," Maya said quietly, "you nearly died from system overload. If we go back in there—"

"Then we find a way to manage the power better. Or we find different opponents. But we can't face the Hunter Guild as we are now."

His phone buzzed with another message from the unknown number: "Mr. Duke, this is your final notification. Report within 16 hours or enforcement teams will be dispatched. "

"Inspector Kane."