The moment Noel stepped through the swirling silver-blue portal, a chilling sensation enveloped him, and a wave of nausea hit him like a punch to the gut. His balance faltered, causing the world to spin momentarily before his boots landed on the cracked stone. A dry, bitter wind brushed against his skin, and the sky above was a haze of grey and black.
Noel clutched the handle of his worn-out duffel bag tightly as he tried to get a clear view of the Rift they just entered. He could see many crows circling the sky lazily, their faraway caws sounding like funeral bells. A necropolis stretched out all around him, with tombstones sticking out of the ground at weird angles. Ancient trees stood there half-dead with blackened leaves twisting around them, and ruins that were only partially buried rose up from the ground like broken bones.
"A cemetery?" Katherine muttered as she surveyed her surroundings, instantly going on high alert as she pushed her senses to the limit.
"Shit. An undead rift? This is going to be troublesome." Gabe muttered warily, his grip tightening around his battle-axe, a guarded look on his face as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.
The rest of the party also muttered irritably under their breaths as they huddled together, readying themselves for combat as they observed their surroundings.
Rifts were usually portals to ruins of ancient civilizations, and they were very unpredictable. One moment they could lead to the frostbitten remnants of a fallen Ice Empire, and the next could be a desert ruin that had been swallowed by the passage of time.
Only first-rate guilds and above had the resources to decipher what lay beyond a portal. This was why many people opted to join guilds, as not only would they be guaranteed a steady amount of income, but they could also reduce the casualties they faced while raiding rifts.
High-tier rifts from B-rank to S-rank usually led to the fallen empires or ancient civilizations, while low-tier rifts from F-rank to C-rank only led to a part of the ancient civilization. Naturally, the dangers associated with high-tier rifts were immense, yet the rewards and treasures they offered could instantly transform a third-rate guild into a second-rate guild, and with enough time, it could even transform into a first-rate guild.
"This is no time to gawk." Katherine stated seriously, drawing everyone's attention to her.
"Standard formation. Wind and Lara; you take the flanks. Vale, you'll take the lead, and Carl, you'll scout ahead. The rest of you, stay in the middle and make sure to keep your eyes open." Katherine raised a hand as she issued orders, her expression hard.
At her words, everyone moved without argument, falling into the formation—everyone except Noel. He hovered near the rear of the group and tightened the grip on his duffel bag, silently pulling out a cheap dagger for protection. Although the dagger's blade had numerous chips, it was the best he could currently afford.
Once the group was ready, they started their journey into the necropolis, completely ready for battle. However, despite walking for over ten minutes, they had yet to encounter monsters of any sort.
As the group advanced deeper into the necropolis, Carl, the assassin who was scouting ahead, suddenly shouted, his voice sharp with alarm.
"I can sense some movement ahead!"
"Prepare for battle!" Katherine, the party leader, instantly yelled in a tense voice. She pulled her bow from her back in one fluid motion, her fingers deftly nocking an arrow and drawing the string to her cheek as she scanned for a target.
A few moments later, the first wave of enemies emerged from the ground. Rodents, each of them the size of a mastiff, screeched as they clawed their way out of the cracks. Their claws were long and decaying, perfect for tearing through flesh, and despite their large size, they were very agile.
Vale let out a roar and charged straight at the undead rodents, his shield slamming one rodent mid-leap as his armor glowed faintly. The undead rodent immediately stumbled to the ground, but before it could recover, Lara instantly moved, her blade flashing as she cleaved through its skin with a clean, practiced motion.
Katherine also let loose a volley of arrows that were quick and precise, striking the undead rodents right at their heads. The undead rodents that were hit fell to the ground as their lives drained out of them.
As the battle got more intense, one of the undead rodents slipped through the chaos and immediately charged at Noel.
Noel panicked slightly as the menacing undead rodent approached him at top speed, and he immediately started tracing his magic circle in the air, sweat dripping down his brows. However, with the speed of the undead rodent, it was uncertain if he could draw the magic circle faster than the undead rodent.
Faster! Come on!
Just as the undead rodent raised its claws to swipe at Noel, the pale black magic circle underneath his feet was finally completed, and a single skeleton emerged—tall, the height of an average human, thin and fragile, and wielding a rusted short sword.
Shit… Any slower and I would've died.
Without waiting for instructions, the skeleton charged forward and attacked the rodent. However, the rodent was very agile, and it evaded the skeleton's clumsy swing. The rodent then immediately lunged and latched onto the skeleton, clawing and gnawing at the bones. Noel panicked immediately and ran over to help his summon, stabbing wildly at the creature until the rodent finally let go.
The rodent thrashed violently as Noel's dagger stabbed into its hide, but it was like trying to cut through dried leather. Furious at Noel's intervention and repeated stabs, the rodent ignored the skeleton's attacks and lunged straight at Noel.
Noel instantly tried to evade the attack, but he was far too slow for the monster. Just as the sharp, gleaming claws were about to slice him apart, a pitch-black arrow immediately pierced through its skull, and the rodent collapsed to the ground, twitching for some seconds before lying still.
Noel looked around, breathing heavily. The rest of the Hunters had already finished off the monsters and were busy collecting the Mana crystals left behind.
"Thank you." Noel muttered under his breath, but Katherine did not even spare him a second glance, already preparing to move forward.
"Keep up, Necromancer." Gabe snickered, his battle-axe stained with the black blood of the undead rodents.
After the battle with the rodents, the group continued to advance further into the necropolis. More undead rose from the ground, and while the opponents were tough, the experienced hunters took them down swiftly.
Noel remained at the rear of the team, cleaning up the few enemies that escaped the joint attacks of the Hunters. Despite his efforts to contribute significantly to the team, his actual contributions were minimal. By the time they faced their fourth wave of undead, his skeleton was already on the brink of death, and he had no choice but to cancel his summon.
Luckily, I'm able to get 7 Mana crystals so far. If I can sell them for a thousand credits each, I should be able to extend Julius' stay at the hospital by another week.
Noel tightened his grip on the small pouch at his side as he walked. His ribs ached with every step—his healing balm barely dulled the pain, but he didn't complain. To him, pain meant he was still breathing, and breathing meant he was still earning.
"This has to be one of the easiest undead runs we've had all year. The loot isn't terrible, either. If the guardian doesn't give us more trouble, I'll buy us drinks for a week!" Gabe chuckled, wiping some black blood off his axe.
"Really? Then I'll hold you to that!" Lara smirked, sporting a relaxed expression.
Just as Gabe was about to reply, Katherine immediately raised her hand, signaling the rest of them to be quiet.
"Leader? What is it?" Gabe asked as he stared at his leader. This was the first time since the raid started that he was seeing such a grim expression on her face.
The rest of the Hunters directed their gazes at where Katherine was looking, and in the next moment, they all sported grim expressions as well.
A massive ancient seal was carved into the ground—a wide, cracked magic circle filled with unreadable runes and faded symbols, past a collapsed gate and behind a wall of broken statues, and at the center of it all sat a broken throne, which was weathered with age, with a jagged spear embedded into the stone next to it.
The air grew heavier the closer they looked, with every breath becoming harder to take. It was as if the very ground rejected their presence. The Hunters all felt extremely sluggish, and their reactions were dulled. Faced with this type of piercing aura, it would be a miracle if they could even take a step forward, not to mention protect themselves.
"This isn't normal for an F-rank rift." Katherine said, her fear fully evident in her voice.
"We should turn back." Lara added quickly, her eyes darting toward the direction they came from. She was extremely terrified, and the only thing she wanted to do was get out of this place as quickly as possible.
The rest of the Hunters quickly agreed with Lara, and they all made preparations to retreat, but before they could take a single step, the temperature dropped, and the world shifted.
The ancient seal suddenly lit up faintly, and the tomb behind the throne cracked open. A figure over two meters tall, clad in ancient black armor that was cracked and battle-worn, emerged from the tomb. A massive greatsword that was nearly the size of a man rested on its back. Its helmet was rusted, but beneath it, eerie blue light glowed in its eye sockets.
"What the hell is that thing?" Noel asked, his body completely frozen and his eyes completely wide from fear.
"An Undead Knight…" Katherine whispered in terror.
"That's a Marshal-level Guardian! This shouldn't be here—!" Lara muttered, completely horrified by the ominous aura of the Undead Knight.
"We need to run. Now—!" Gabe screamed, gripping his battle-axe even tighter as he prepared to run.
"Everyone—!" Katherine's eyes widened in horror, but before the words could leave her lips, the Undead Knight raised its massive greatsword, and in the next second, it vanished.
A scream suddenly echoed in the air, followed by the sound of steel clashing and something wet splattering across the stones. The next second, one of the hunters dropped to the ground, bisected cleanly at the waist, his body hitting the ground in two parts.
Katherine stared at the dead body of the hunter in horror and screamed at the top of her voice.
"Run! Get out of here!"
Nonetheless, it was already too late. The Undead Knight swung his massive greatsword again, and chaos unfolded.