NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: Novice Rank Advancement Task
After Sam completed the corrupted rift, word of its existence spread like wildfire across the continent.
It didn't take long before major news outlets and awakening associations began broadcasting emergency notices.
Reports warned that a new type of rift had appeared, one that didn't follow any previous pattern.
They urged all awakeners to proceed with caution, especially now that it was confirmed such rifts could manifest anywhere.
Though Sam's accomplishment was mentioned in passing, his name and face were kept out of the reports.
Officially, the identity of the "sole survivor" who cleared the corrupted rift was left anonymous.
Whether that was David Union's doing or someone else's choice, Sam didn't mind. Fame wasn't what he needed right now.
A few hours after returning, Sam received a short message.
It came directly from David.
[We have informed the association about you. Go there to receive the location of the rifts.]
As promised, David had reserved three rifts for Sam alone.
Rift reservations weren't rare, but they were incredibly expensive.
Entire guilds sometimes paid huge sums to secure exclusive access.
The fact that David had gone out of his way to spend that kind of money, just for Sam, was strange.
Sam didn't understand the reason behind it, but he wasn't about to reject the opportunity either.
The next day, he entered his first reserved rift: [Night Plains].
It was expansive, quiet, and full of shadow-type monsters.
Sam tore through it in a few hours, leaving no survivors behind.
At the end of the rift, a wave of warmth hit his chest.
Ding!
[Congratulations to Sam Walker for leveling up to Level 9 of the Novice Rank!]
He moved on without hesitation.
The second day, he cleared the [Crumbled Ruins], a dusty, labyrinthine dungeon filled with skeletal beasts and collapsing stone halls.
By now, his rhythm was smooth, his movements fluid, his mind focused.
His kills were clean, efficient, and every item he found was sent straight into his [Spatial Inventory].
Finally, on the third day, Sam stood before the last rift.
---
[Name: Moonlight Forest]
[Rank: Novice]
[Recommended Level: 10]
---
The rift was quiet.
But Sam had grown used to that. He knew the rhythm of rifts. This one wouldn't be different, at least, he hoped not.
From the first step inside, a strange pale glow lit the forest. Trees shimmered under the soft silver of the sky above, and the wind carried the scent of moss and moonlight.
Still, Sam didn't slow down.
He carved through beast after beast, clearing the area without stopping. They were fast, feral, and vicious, but they weren't strong enough to stop him. None of them ever were.
And finally, after a long, winding path, he stood before the final challenge.
---
[Name: Moonlight Wolf (Rift Boss)]
[Level: 10]
[Description: A wolf that uses the power of the moon in the night sky above to charge its attacks.]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: It doesn't matter. Kill it.]
---
Sam narrowed his eyes.
Fwish! SLASH!
With a single, decisive motion, he swung the [Primordial Sword], a flash of crimson cutting through the misty air.
The boss never stood a chance.
It fell before even letting out a roar, its body collapsing to the side with a soft thud, silver light fading from its fur.
To Sam, it wasn't even a fight. It was an execution.
One swing. That was all.
And then—finally:
Ding!
[Congratulations to Sam Walker for leveling up to Level 10 of the Novice Rank!]
[You have reached the maximum level of the Novice Rank! You may now go through an advancement task to reach Apprentice Rank.]
"Good," Sam muttered, smiling faintly as he watched the golden panels appear. "It took way too long."
He already had the power of an Apprentice rank, or stronger. Now, he could finally advance properly.
"I'll go through with my advancement task," he said without hesitation. "Give it to me."
Ding!
[Very well, Primordial.]
Sam's expression shifted slightly.
The system had directly addressed him.
Normally, advancement tasks varied slightly depending on class and attributes, but they were always designed to match the awakener's current level.
Not too hard, not too easy, balanced.
But Sam wasn't like the others. And this wasn't a normal situation.
Ding!
[Chosen Difficulty: Hell]
[Giving appropriate advancement task...]
Sam sighed. "Of course."
He braced himself. Another panel appeared.
[You are strong, Primordial.]
[You will be given the hardest advancement task possible. Do not disappoint us.]
His chest tightened slightly as he read it.
Something about those words felt... heavier than usual.
Then came the final panel, and when he read it, his heart skipped a beat.
[SSS-Ranked Advancement Task: Conquer the First Sub-Layer]
"…Wait, what?" he muttered, blinking twice. "What sub-layer?"
Before he could even begin to understand what that meant, [Hell-Mode Analysis] activated.
[Hell-Mode Analysis: Underneath every layer of the Forsaken realm lies a much harder version of itself, also called a Sub-Layer. No one has discovered them yet. But very soon, the world will tremble.]
Sam exhaled, rubbing his temples.
"The events of the game strike again…" he murmured. "Well… better than nothing, I guess."
It was only the first layer, after all. He had cleared worse. Or so he thought.
Then came one last message.
[You have a really bad feeling about this.]
"Oh," Sam said quietly.
That wasn't reassuring.
He exited the rift and returned to the cheap hotel he'd been staying in for the past few days.
He sat down, eyes on the ceiling.
From "bad feeling" to "really bad feeling"... that escalation was something he didn't want to ignore.
Sam had begun to notice a pattern. The more progress he made, the more the world seemed to push back.
Like something behind the system was watching him, testing him. Throwing challenge after challenge in his path.
There was no "hero" in this version of the game. So all that pressure had to go somewhere. And it seemed like it was all aimed at him.
But he had no choice. He had to complete this task, no matter how impossible it seemed.
He was about to stand up when his phone buzzed.
It was a call from Alicia.
He accepted.
"Hello!" she greeted cheerfully, her voice light and bubbly. "I heard you actually managed to clear all the rifts!"
"Yeah," Sam replied with a sigh. "Got to level 10."
"Perfect!" Alicia said excitedly. "Me and Lily hit level 10 too. Weird how we got there faster than you, but I bet your class is insane."
"Hm."
"Oh, and guess what advancement task I got?" she asked, practically vibrating through the call.
Sam raised an eyebrow. "What, kill ten bosses? Upgrade one of your skills?"
"Nope!" she laughed. "The system said I got the hardest advancement task. Something about a sub-layer?"
Sam froze.
His grip on the phone tightened slightly.
"…Wait… what?" he whispered.
And just like that, without warning, a crimson panel appeared before his eyes.
[The bad feeling you had intensified.]
"…Fuck me."