Thirteen hours after entering the maze, we reached the Crystal Cave on the first floor. We were still on the first floor—an area we had cleared in just a few hours last time—only because this specific mission began here.
"Hmm, I didn't know you could open a Rift like that."
"Hehe, you know everything, sir!"
The first floor contained four types of Rifts, including the Bloody Citadel and the Glacier Cave, which players could trigger deliberately. It had taken us this long because we first ventured to the second floor to hunt some Rank 8 monsters before doubling back.
By now, most other explorers would have moved to the upper floors.
I pulled a Rank 8 mana stone from my subspace and scanned the area. I had been here once, a long time ago. It was a hollow chamber with a thirty-meter radius, featuring a tombstone at its center. This was the place where those left behind—after the army and the great clans fled through the portals—had sought a way to survive. Back then, mages had expanded this cavern to create more space.
"Are you both ready?"
They both nodded. I placed the mana stone before the monument as an offering.
Rumble!
Vibrations surged through the first floor, radiating from the monument. A green portal spiraled open.
[You have entered a First Floor Rift.]
"Well, let's go."
Whoosh!
The portal's light illuminated the jagged outlines of a cave. Rusted train tracks lined the ground, surrounded by rotting wood debris. It was gloomier than it had been in the game.
The Green Coal Mine was one of the four Rifts on the first floor. Its layout was straightforward: you simply followed the tracks from the collapsed entrance until you reached the boss.
"What are you waiting for? Let's move."
I quickly led the others into the tunnel. My companions were reflexively scanning their unfamiliar surroundings, but I wanted to move fast—more people would be joining the Rift soon, and it was better not to cross paths with them. Amelia and I were fine, but Erwen had become quite famous in the city. Even among lower-floor adventurers, there was a risk she would be recognized.
Dash.
Once we were beyond the portal's light, Erwen summoned a spirit of darkness to cloak us. Moments later, the other participants entered the Rift.
"W-Woah! What is this?" started a man wearing low-quality equipment. He looked around dazed for a moment before realizing he was in a Rift. He grinned. "Am I the first?"
"Woahhh!" A second man jumped through the portal, tumbling to the ground.
"Hehe, nice to meet you!"
Since they're both men, nothing bad should happen if we leave them alone, I thought, pushing aside my worries.
"The sound won't reach them from here," I whispered. "Let's run."
"Okay!"
We sprinted through the tunnel to begin the clear. Our first encounter was, naturally, a goblin—though its physique was different from the ones on the first and second floors.
"Greuk!"
It was the height of a normal goblin but far more muscular, with a broad back and firm limbs. It wore a distinctive hat and carried a pickaxe over its shoulder.
"It's a Mining Goblin." This was a Rank 8 monster exclusive to the First Floor Rift.
"Kyaaagh!"
The aggressive creature pounced, swinging its pickaxe at the three of us. An ordinary goblin could never match the raw strength behind this thing's attacks.
"How annoying..."
Did it really think that would work? Any one of us could have cleared a first-floor Rift solo.
Stab!
Without even reaching for her arrows, Erwen used a wind spirit to blast the monster between the eyes.
[You have defeated a Mining Goblin. EXP +2]
A fatal shot. At our level, it was expected, but her method—aiming her index finger and firing a bolt of compressed air—was impressive.
Was that a real-life finger flick? I wondered. I'd had a phase where I was obsessed with Wuxia novels. Man, why can't I do something cool like that?
"Schuitz, is there a problem?"
"Yes, why are you staring at me, sir?"
"It's nothing. Let's go." I shook off the thought and kept moving. If I had to describe myself in Wuxia terms, I was likely a Martial Arts Master who had achieved near-indestructibility.
Anyway, I took the lead. The path was mostly a straight tunnel, but I kept my eyes on the ground. I stopped abruptly when I noticed the tracks were damaged.
"Why did you stop?"
"The tracks are cut. It should be right around here."
SMASH!
I swung my hammer into the cavern wall. Amelia jumped, asking if I was trying to bury us alive, but Rifts weren't that fragile. These breakable walls usually hid items.
CRACK!
The wall crumbled like Styrofoam, revealing a narrow side passage. Even in my shrunken state, it was a tight fit. I had to shuffle in sideways like a crab.
"We just made three million stones in one go." I retrieved a green gem from a hidden chest and retraced my steps.
"I didn't know the coal mine had secrets like that."
"But sir... can we get it out without a mage?"
"It's fine. Items like this don't require distortion magic." In Rifts, only structural objects like bricks or decorations needed magic for removal. Valuable loot was categorized as an "object" that could be carried out freely.
"Let's keep going. We have what we came for."
That was the only hidden item in the first phase, so I focused on speed. Soon, we reached a cliff where the bridge had mostly collapsed. The standard strategy was to take a detour through a side passage.
If only I still had my mobility skill, I could just jump across. Without it, we were forced to take the long way around, which was crawling with Mining Goblins. We spent thirty minutes carving through them before reaching the other side.
"This is easy. I guess that's the first floor for you."
"It's definitely different than I expected..."
Erwen seemed bored by the lack of challenge. It was the inevitable result of Seventh Floor players entering a First Floor Rift. In a typical RPG, we wouldn't even gain experience points for this, but perhaps we were being ruthless by "smurfing" in a low-level zone for XP.
"Don't be disappointed. Let's finish this and get out."
I accelerated the pace. We charged through the tunnels beyond the bridge, hunting everything in sight.
[You have defeated a Mining Hobgoblin. EXP +3.] [You have defeated a Mineral Slime. EXP +2.] [You have defeated a Copper Golem. EXP +3.]
Then, we reached the mini-boss.
[You have defeated a Goblin Bomber. EXP +4.]
No essence dropped, but we didn't have the tools to preserve it anyway. The second phase was combat-heavy, so it went by quickly. Afterward, we hunted for "Gobble Quartz"—a hidden mineral found near the mini-boss room. I found exactly three.
"One for each of us."
Amelia and Erwen frowned at the jagged stones I handed them.
"Are you... eating that?"
"It smells strange, sir. And it's sticky..."
"It's an elixir. It permanently increases your poison tolerance."
"If you say so." Having grown up in Noark, Amelia had a strong stomach. She swallowed hers first. Erwen followed suit, grimacing.
"How does it taste?"
"Surprisingly... like nothing."
"The texture is very unique," Amelia added.
"Really?" I popped mine into my mouth. The texture was indeed strange—soft on the outside but like chewing gravel on the inside. For a barbarian used to eating bone meal, it was nothing.
[You have consumed Gobble Quartz. Your Poison Tolerance has permanently increased by +3. (Effect does not stack.)]
We continued our scorched-earth policy, destroying every monster in sight and looting hidden chests. After descending a spiral staircase at the edge of a cliff, the third phase ended.
"This is the final part."
We reached the deepest section of the mine: a collapsed well. Normally, you'd need to find explosives to clear the way, but we had a more direct method.
BANG! BANG!
I shattered the corner of the blockage with the Demon Crusher. The debris gave way, creating a gap.
[The sleeping King of Green has awakened.]
In the center of a massive cavern, a giant green slime writhed and shrieked.
"Kyuiiit!"
It was King Baba, the Guardian of the Green Coal Mine.
Meanwhile, back at the entrance of the Rift, two men huddled in the darkness, lit only by a flickering torch.
"...Do we really have to go alone?"
"There's no choice. The portal is closed."
"I heard Rifts require five people... how did this happen?"
The archer sighed. He didn't know why the portal had closed with only two of them inside. They had waited three hours for more people to show up, but no one came.
"It doesn't matter. Let's move. If we want to clear this, we have to start now."
"O-Okay." The axe warrior, surprisingly timid despite his size, took the lead. The archer followed, covering him.
Damn fucking game, the archer thought. He usually considered himself lucky. He had stumbled into this world by chance, but he had survived by looting equipment from dead adventurers and thieves. This gave him the funds to grow steadily.
I thought finding a Rift on my third expedition was a blessing, but this is a nightmare.
Still, he remained on high alert. "Wait a minute."
"What is it?"
"Something's wrong. There should be Mining Goblins here..."
"Huh... do you know a lot about Rifts?"
"A bit. I like to study."
It was a lie. He had played the original version of the game back on Earth. He had never reached the endgame, but he knew the early stages perfectly. He had practically memorized the "Rookie's Guide" published by Elfnuna.
"Let's keep going. I don't know why the goblins are missing."
They moved forward cautiously until they saw the collapsed wall at the end of the tracks. The archer's eyes widened. "Someone was here first."
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Someone else entered the Rift. At least three people. They must have cleared the path ahead of us.
Relief washed over him so strongly his legs nearly gave out. Then, relief turned into greed. If there are no signs of a struggle, they must be strong enough to crush everything effortlessly.
They likely wouldn't care about a first-floor essence, which usually lingers for thirty minutes before disappearing. If he hurried, he could scavenge whatever they left behind—including hidden items.
"Let's go. Don't worry about the monsters."
"What do you mean?"
"There won't be any. Just follow me." The archer began to sprint through the dark tunnel.
By the time he reached the second and third stages, he realized the first group was thorough. The Gobble Quartz was gone. They knew every secret. But since the wall was broken, he knew there had been loot inside.
Forty minutes later, they reached the boss room. If the Guardian Essence dropped and they left it... it might still be there.
The archer and the axe warrior entered the final chamber.
Flash!
When they saw the essence pulsing in the air, hunger filled the archer's eyes.
"An essence...!"
"I know."
The axe warrior was merely surprised, but the archer was consumed by greed.
"That's the Guardian Essence—"
Thwack!
The archer jammed an arrow directly into the warrior's shoulder.
"Ahhh!" The warrior collapsed. He tried to reach for his axe, but his fingers wouldn't move.
Clang. The axe hit the floor.
"It's useless. I coated the arrowhead in paralyzing poison."
"W-Why are you doing this?! Take the essence! Just please, let me go!" The warrior begged, but the archer's eyes remained cold.
"You're just an NPC. Why do you care so much about your life?"
"NPC? What does that mean? Please! I have a daughter at home—"
"A 'Dragon' is a Protoss unit," the man laughed, twisting the arrowhead. "Hans Eliburn. That's my name. Well, it's not my real name, but it'll do."
"Y-You...!"
"I guess you figured it out. Sorry. I'm just saying this now so I don't feel bad later."
Crack.
The archer crushed the warrior's neck before he could finish his sentence.
"No different than killing a goblin." He stood up and approached the floating essence, a sharp smile on his lips. "Luck is on my side."
[The Slime Essence is being absorbed into your soul.]
The man felt truly lucky—until he saw the skill he had actually acquired.