Chapter 8 Night of the rift

Seo Jun-Ho stood on the roof of the warehouse that evening and watched the darkened city. The red sky had turned almost black, with only the glowing runes from the distant tower providing light. Their market camp remained secure for now, with reinforced barriers and watch rotations in place. The four survivors had eaten well and rested, gaining enough strength to be useful in a real fight. Kage patrolled the perimeter silently, his larger body moving with quiet power.

Jun-Ho had just finished assigning the final watch when a deep rumble shook the ground. A massive rift tore open directly in front of their market walls, wider and brighter than any they had seen before. Dozens of monsters poured out at once. There were crystal wolves, armored boars, venom lizards, and several ogres mixed together in a chaotic horde. The system had clearly escalated the threat during the night.

“Defend the camp!” Jun-Ho shouted as he jumped down from the roof. “Hold the barriers! Do not let them breach the warehouse!”

He grabbed his reinforced pipe and charged toward the main wave. The first group of crystal wolves reached the barriers ahead of the larger monsters. Jun-Ho met them head-on. He swung his pipe in wide arcs, crushing skulls and breaking spines with each strike. His enhanced strength allowed him to kill a wolf with a single solid blow. Kage fought beside him like a true partner, tearing into wolves with powerful jaws and using his crystalline spikes to slash anything that came close.

The survivors held their positions well. They used the market stalls as cover and attacked with spears made from broken pipes and knives. One survivor fired the scavenged handgun with careful shots, targeting legs to slow the monsters down. The coordinated defense worked at first, but the sheer number of creatures began to overwhelm them. Two ogres smashed through the outer barrier on the left side, allowing more monsters to flood into the camp.

Jun-Ho turned and sprinted toward the breach. An ogre swung a massive metal beam at him. He ducked under the attack and drove his pipe upward into the creature’s jaw with full force. The impact lifted the ogre’s head and staggered it. Before it could recover, Jun-Ho jumped onto its chest and struck the same spot repeatedly until the ogre collapsed. He immediately moved to the second ogre, using his agility to dodge heavy swings while landing precise hits on joints and soft areas.

Kage received a mental command through the Beast Command skill and moved to protect the survivors. The wolf grew even more aggressive, taking down multiple smaller monsters and buying time for Jun-Ho to handle the larger threats. A venom lizard leaped at Jun-Ho from the side and clamped onto his arm. The venom burned, but his resistance skills reduced the damage. He grabbed the lizard by the neck, ripped it off, and slammed it against the ground before crushing its head.

The battle grew more intense as the horde continued pouring from the rift. Jun-Ho’s body moved with relentless efficiency. He killed without pause, his pipe becoming a blur of motion. Blood and monster parts covered the ground inside the market. One survivor went down after a boar gored his leg, but the others dragged him back and continued fighting. Jun-Ho fought his way to the injured man, killed the attacking boar, and quickly fed him a piece of leftover Signature Dish meat. The regenerative effect stopped the bleeding within seconds and allowed the man to stand again.

The largest threat arrived late in the fight. A massive Alpha Ogre, nearly four meters tall and covered in thicker stone-like armor, stepped through the rift. It roared loudly and charged straight toward Jun-Ho, smashing through stalls and smaller monsters in its path. This creature was clearly the leader of the horde.

Jun-Ho knew this would be the decisive battle. He used his full speed to close the distance while avoiding the Alpha Ogre’s crushing steps. The creature swung both fists downward. Jun-Ho rolled between its legs and struck the back of its knee with everything he had. The joint cracked but did not break. The Alpha Ogre turned faster than expected and backhanded him across the chest. The blow sent Jun-Ho flying into a concrete wall, cracking several ribs and knocking the air out of his lungs.

He pushed himself up immediately despite the pain. Kage attacked the Alpha Ogre from behind, biting at its legs and drawing its attention. Jun-Ho used that moment to climb onto a tall market structure and leap onto the creature’s back. He wrapped one arm around its thick neck and repeatedly drove his pipe into the gap between its armored plates. The Alpha Ogre roared and thrashed violently, trying to throw him off. It slammed backward into walls and stalls, but Jun-Ho held on with determined strength.

After several heavy strikes, the pipe finally pierced deep into the creature’s neck. Thick blood poured out. Jun-Ho continued stabbing until the Alpha Ogre stumbled and fell to its knees. With one final powerful thrust through the base of its skull, the massive monster collapsed completely. The remaining smaller monsters lost their coordination after the Alpha’s death and began retreating toward the closing rift.

Jun-Ho stood among the piles of corpses, breathing heavily. His body was covered in blood and wounds, but he remained standing. He quickly ordered the survivors to secure the camp again while he processed the most valuable corpses, especially the Alpha Ogre. He cut out the heart and prime meat sections and prepared a quick recovery meal over the fire.

When he ate the fresh Alpha Ogre heart, new power flowed into him.

[You have consumed Alpha Ogre Heart (High Quality)] 

[Strength +28] 

[Vitality +24] 

[Endurance +22] 

[You have gained the passive skill: Stone Skin (Level 1)]

The gains helped heal his injuries faster. Kage ate his share and grew even stronger, now reaching Jun-Ho’s shoulder height. The four survivors also received portions and recovered from the intense fight. They looked exhausted but proud of how well they had defended their camp.

Jun-Ho checked his status after the battle.

[Name: Seo Jun-Ho] 

[Class: Beast Sovereign (Mythic)] 

[Level: 19] 

[Strength: 178] 

[Agility: 112] 

[Vitality: 148]

[Endurance: 135] 

The night raid had been costly in effort but valuable in growth. Their camp had held, and the group had fought together effectively for the first time. Jun-Ho reinforced the broken barriers using the fresh monster corpses and assigned double watches for the rest of the night.

As the sky began to lighten toward morning, he stood in the center of the secured market and looked at his people. The successful defense proved they could survive together. The tower still waited nearby, its entrance now looking more inviting after the night’s violence.

“We enter the tower at first light,” Jun-Ho announced. “Eat, rest briefly, and prepare. This camp will be our home base while we explore the first floor.”

The survivors nodded with renewed determination. Kage stood tall beside Jun-Ho, a symbol of their growing power. The long night of fighting had strengthened them all and prepared them for the greater challenges that waited inside the black spire.