The sky did not return to normal.
The crack remained.
Faint at first, like a fracture in glass that only revealed itself when the light hit it just right. But as the seconds passed, it spread, thin lines branching outward, distorting the air above the city in a way no one had ever seen before.
People stopped.
Hunters turned.
Voices that once filled the streets fell into uneasy silence.
Because instinct—
Was screaming.
---
[ System Alert ]
[ Global Distortion Detected ]
[ Gate Formation: Forced ]
[ Stability: Critical Failure ]
---
"This isn't a gate…" someone whispered nearby.
They were right.
It wasn't.
---
The rift pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
It tore open.
---
Not like a dungeon entrance.
Not contained.
Not controlled.
---
It ripped through the air.
---
A presence stepped out.
---
Not large.
Not monstrous in size.
But heavy.
Dense.
Wrong.
---
[ Entity: Rift Walker ]
[ Lv: ??? ]
[ Rank: ??? ]
[ Type: Non-System Lifeform ]
[ Status: Unregistered | Active | Adaptive ]
---
It didn't roar.
Didn't charge.
It simply stood there.
Observing.
---
The moment its foot touched the ground—
The system flickered.
---
[ Warning: System Authority Reduced ]
[ Area Control: Unstable ]
---
"…It's interfering," Sera said under her breath.
Her grip tightened around her bow, but she didn't move yet.
Because something—
Was off.
---
The Rift Walker tilted its head slightly.
Then—
It moved.
---
Not toward the crowd.
---
Toward Suho.
---
"…Of course," he thought.
---
"Suho—" Sera started.
"Stay back."
His voice cut her off immediately.
Not harsh.
But absolute.
---
She hesitated.
Just for a moment.
---
Then stopped.
---
Because she felt it too.
---
This wasn't something she could step into.
Not anymore.
---
Suho stepped forward.
Alone.
---
[ Hunter: Suho ]
[ Lv: 75 (C-Rank) ]
[ Title: None ]
[ Primary Trait: System Administrator (EX-Rank) — Hidden ]
[ Active Skill: Modifier (A-Rank) ]
---
The Rift Walker stopped a few meters away from him.
Close enough.
---
Its form shifted slightly, its outline distorting as if it didn't fully belong within the world it had entered. Its surface wasn't solid, not entirely, but layered with something that resembled fragmented space itself.
It looked at him.
Not like prey.
Not like an enemy.
---
Like recognition.
---
"…So you can see it too," Suho muttered quietly.
---
The system reacted again.
---
[ Alert: Unknown Signal Detected ]
[ Synchronization Attempt Initiated ]
[ Target: Hunter — Suho ]
---
The Rift Walker raised its hand.
The air bent.
---
Suho moved first.
---
[ Skill Activation: Modifier ]
---
The world shifted.
---
The attack—
Missed.
---
Not dodged.
Not blocked.
---
It simply—
Didn't connect.
---
A ripple passed through the space between them, as if the path of the attack had been rewritten entirely. The Rift Walker paused, its form flickering slightly as it processed the result.
---
"…You're not bound by it either," Suho said.
---
The entity responded.
---
It disappeared.
---
Then reappeared—
Directly behind him.
---
Too fast.
Too clean.
---
Its hand struck—
---
And this time—
It connected.
---
Suho was pushed forward, his body sliding across the ground before he caught himself. The impact wasn't overwhelming, but it carried something deeper than force.
Interference.
---
"…It's adapting," he thought.
---
Behind him—
Sera's eyes widened.
"…He got hit?"
---
[ Hunter: Kang Sera ]
[ Lv: 75 (C-Rank) ]
[ Status: Combat Ready | Restricted Movement ]
---
She stepped forward instinctively—
Then stopped again.
---
Because the air—
Changed.
---
Suho stood slowly.
Then—
He exhaled.
---
"…Alright," he said quietly.
---
[ Skill Activation: Modifier — Output Increased ]
---
The system trembled.
---
[ Warning: Authority Conflict Detected ]
[ Override Attempt: Escalating ]
---
The space around them distorted violently as Suho's influence expanded, pressing against the Rift Walker's presence directly. This time, it wasn't subtle.
It was force.
---
The Rift Walker reacted.
Immediately.
---
Its form shifted again, becoming sharper, more defined, as if stabilizing in response to the pressure being applied to it.
---
[ Entity: Rift Walker — Adaptive State ]
[ Lv: ??? ]
[ Rank: ??? ]
[ Status: Synchronizing ]
---
"…So you can adjust too," Suho said.
---
Then—
He moved.
---
Faster than before.
---
The distance between them vanished instantly as he stepped into range, his movement aligned with the smallest distortions in space itself. His hand lifted slightly—
And the world—
Bent.
---
The Rift Walker's next action—
Stopped.
---
Not completely.
But enough.
---
A fraction of control—
Seized.
---
Suho pressed forward.
---
The entity resisted.
---
Harder.
---
The space around them fractured, the system struggling to maintain stability as two opposing forces clashed directly for control over the same rules.
---
[ System Error ]
[ Conflict: Unresolvable ]
---
"…You're not part of it," Suho realized.
---
The Rift Walker responded.
---
Not with movement.
---
But with pressure.
---
The world around them cracked further, the distortion spreading outward as if trying to overwrite the system entirely. The sky above flickered violently, the fracture widening as something beyond attempted to push through.
---
Sera took a step back, her breath catching.
"…This is bad…"
---
It wasn't just a fight anymore.
---
It was a collision.
---
Between two authorities.
---
Suho's eyes narrowed.
---
"…Then let's test it."
---
He raised his hand.
---
And this time—
He didn't hold back.
---
[ Skill Activation: Modifier — Maximum Output (Restricted) ]
---
The system screamed.
---
[ Warning: Critical Override Detected ]
[ Exposure Risk: HIGH ]
---
Everything froze.
---
The Rift Walker—
Stopped.
---
Completely.
---
For a single moment—
Control belonged to Suho.
---
"…End."
---
The space around the entity collapsed inward, its form breaking apart as the distorted layers that made up its existence were forcibly separated. It didn't explode.
It unraveled.
---
Piece by piece.
---
Until—
Nothing remained.
---
Silence.
---
The sky sealed.
---
The system stabilized.
---
[ Entity Eliminated ]
[ World State: Restoring ]
---
Suho lowered his hand slowly.
---
Behind him—
No one spoke.
---
Because everyone—
Had seen it.
---
[ Warning: Multiple Observers Detected ]
[ Status: Exposure Level — Elevated ]
---
Sera stared at him.
Speechless.
---
Far away—
Inside the guild—
Screens lit up.
---
[ Alert: Unregistered Power Detected ]
[ Location: Urban Zone ]
[ Classification: Unknown Threat ]
---
And standing in the center of it—
Suho exhaled quietly.
---
"…That was too much."
---
Because this time—
He hadn't just fought.
---
He had been seen.