Chapter 65

The Rift is an extremely strange space. In an era where people level up and cast magic all over the place, and there’s even a magical girl wielding a gun in the back alleys, one might wonder what isn’t strange here. Nevertheless, strange things were just that—strange.

What exactly lies beyond the Rift? Is it another universe we’ve yet to discover? Or is it just another planet somewhere within our current universe?

It felt awkward to simply label the Rift as another world. For one, creatures turn into experience points upon death, the mobs are conveniently scattered for easier hunting, and defeating a boss monster can result in being ejected from the collapsing world. The most absurd part? A treasure chest appears after defeating foes. If this were reality, it would certainly imply that either the Creator or random physical phenomena went terribly wrong.

On the other hand, there are also greedy corporations exploiting the herb resources from the Rift and nations planning to maintain the Rift by leaving mobs alone in order to mine mineral resources. So, it’s hard to argue that it’s merely a different world. Our group is also studying related products but, from an academic standpoint, we hesitate to say the Rift is merely a simulation space.

While we’ve roughly concluded that the hunting grounds accessible via login are artificially created by the system, the Rift remains a mysterious space. For instance, while hunting grounds ban the use of guns, the Rift allows them—an odd difference indeed.

Despite this, there were certain premises tacitly recognized among explorers. One of them was that while Rifts could contradict each other, each Rift maintained an internal consistency. In other words, if you’re fighting goblins, orcs wouldn’t suddenly show up casting magic. Right? Though, come to think of it, they could appear, couldn’t they?

After briefly pondering where the boundary lies between normal variables and abnormal exceptions, I gave up. Honestly, even if a dragon spewing fire appeared as a boss while fighting goblins, I think I could understand it. Dragons? They could definitely appear. In fact, they’d almost seem ordinary. If anything, a giant cosmic octopus would be more appropriate.

Regardless, the Rift internally maintained some sort of consistency. For instance, when the Lizardman spread its arms in the swamp, the swamp itself deepened accordingly.

The Lizardman, flapping about without any weapon, neither threw punches nor revealed any hidden weapons as Doyugeon approached. It simply spread its arms forward. As if responding to some magical activation, the swamp that had previously only submerged the ankles expanded to hundreds of meters, swallowing up the jungle. Trees previously weakened by our magic rapidly sank into the mire.

Doyugeon, having jumped instinctively when the magic seemed to activate, found himself engulfed upon landing.

“Ah-a-a-a-k?!”

What’s this “Ah-a-a-a-k”? At times like these, one should quickly call out for help. I managed to pull him out with magic before his upper body submerged. Checking on the Lizardman, it seemed it wasn’t planning to cast any further magic, but it definitely didn’t look pleased.

I flew over to check on Doyugeon. His lower body was caked in mud.

“Can you handle it?”

Worryingly, I got back a reply lacking confidence.

“Perhaps if I could walk on the mud?”

“You can’t do that.”

Doyugeon looked dejected.

Sometimes his muttering suggests that mobs have poor synergy against melee weapon users, which is why overseas explorers rely on firearms. We’ve got this subtle situation in our country due to legal restrictions, but it’s unclear why the system bans firearms in the login hunting grounds. Even if illegal gun distribution were possible through the system, shouldn’t that be restricted in other ways? Is the prohibition of guns indicative of a forewarning that cold weapons have a brighter future?

I deflected an incoming magic projectile with magic of my own. The collision of magic caused an explosion before canceling each other out. I had done so out of worry that the magic might transform into poison, but it seems I might’ve overreacted. I supposed it was safe to stop worrying about toxic magic.

“Hey! How about I fly over there and stab it?”

“You can’t fly.”

“I’ll fly over there and slash it before landing.”

What is this nonsense?

“…You’re suggesting that I use magic to lift you so you can slash it?”

“Never mind that, just throw me!”

“Throw me…?”

“I can cut it down before I land!”

Is he alright?

I often think about this. It’s not just teenage issues that we should dismiss—it’s probably time to bring him to a counselor. This was exactly one of those moments.

“Besides, they can’t use magic when this close, so it’ll be irrelevant up close.”

Perhaps noticing the sour look I gave him, Doyugeon averted his gaze. I thought of saying something but decided against it. He probably knows it himself.

The Lizardman appeared frustrated, perhaps trying to figure out whether or not it could kill us. Judging from the simple magic projectiles it had been firing, it appeared that it could be taken down with a single magic spell. Maybe the Rift’s level was considered high because of its brutal environment and the boss fights which often resembled aerial battles.

Capturing it right now and clearing the Rift would be convenient, but there’s no need to do so. It doesn’t seem particularly dangerous, and there’s no indication of anything extraordinary.

Actually, I didn’t come here to hunt. I just tagged along with Doyugeon. Though, he’s usually the one to make contact anyway.

Reflecting briefly, I moved the magic energy. It spread gently, covering the swamp and forming a wide platform.

“If there’s no ground, you can use this platform.”

I borrowed a famous line from Marie Antoinette for comic effect. Is this intellectual playfulness? It feels satisfying. That’s why I read books, right?

“Should I catch you?”

Doyugeon hesitated, pointing to himself. After failing to make me throw him, he likely decided to leave it to me.

“Of course. Ah, don’t worry about the platform flipping. I’ll make sure it’s stable.”

Despite the platform flipping once before when I tested it carelessly, I was confident it wouldn’t happen if I focused.

I set Doyugeon on the platform. Contrary to my concerns, the moment he touched down, he rushed toward the Lizardman without checking the platform’s stability first. Trusting it, or perhaps being too polite to inspect it?

The moment Doyugeon’s blade approached, the Lizardman pushed it back with a magic-infused palm. The blade faltered and missed its mark. Without faltering, Doyugeon adjusted his stance and smoothly lunged again. Once more, the blade was deflected.

For some reason, his technique seemed odd. Was it extraordinary after all? Not really? Is it good after all?

After a few exchanges, his blade finally slipped through the Lizardman’s guard. In an instant, the Lizardman was slashed and pierced, scattering experience points.

I approached.

“Was that a tough mob?”

“It wasn’t strong. Just… a new style.”

“Is that so?”

“It was defensive, right?”

“True, but nothing particularly notable.”

“That’s good enough. Most mobs don’t use martial arts anyway, giving us little to learn.”

Doyugeon demonstrated two slashes. Hmm. They do seem different, one is “sak,” the other is “shak,” right? …Probably.

“Right, it’s amazing.”

I gave a round of applause. Though I was inwardly confused—what was the difference? My listless reaction wasn’t lost on Doyugeon, who looked dejected. Honestly, I didn’t see the difference—my bad.

Let’s change the subject.

“Let’s open the treasure chest. Who knows? Maybe something good could come out this time. It’d be a shame not to.”

Seemingly agreeing, Doyugeon squatted before the treasure chest. His expression wasn’t hopeful. Experience suggested otherwise and, per the Explorers’ Guild’s analysis, the chances of getting something good were practically nil.

The chest opened.

[D-Rank / Special Longsword from the Marcilion Workshop]

A D-Rank sword. Of course, it’s disappointing. Why even bother showing a reward chest if it’s going to be like this?

Checking on Doyugeon to comfort him, his face was surprisingly elated. Hmm?

“Of course! There has to be a time for this, right!”

His genuine happiness threw me off. What’s going on here? Oh—I get it now. D-Rank items rarely appear, don’t they? Thinking about it, that’s true.

What have I been thinking till now? It’s all because this system assigns grades so strangely. I’ve only ever encountered a B-Rank item once, never seen an A-Rank, and I’m not even sure if S-Rank items exist. This makes D-Rank items feel better than they seem.

Doyugeon jumped around hugging the sword, thrilled.

Hmm…

This feeling of disappointment must be real. If he’d just ask, I could easily buy him something better. I don’t understand what’s happening.

“Congratulations.”

As we wrapped up the Rift-clearing, the sky started breaking apart. Nevertheless, today’s results weren’t bad. Feeling good is all that matters.

Speaking of which, does he even need to use a sword? Is it simply out of habit that he keeps using one without much thought?

There are plenty of other good weapons besides swords—like guns, for instance. If he’d just had one, this fight could’ve been resolved safely from a distance. Even though Doyugeon clearly excels with swords, I don’t see why he must keep using them. They’re more dangerous and less effective.

Perhaps I should get a gun.

Sounds like a good plan.

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Note: The bottom banner and the slider elements in the original text do not relate to the translated story and thus have been omitted.

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