The portal before me pulsed with cerulean energy, its surface rippling like disturbed water. I stretched my neck, feeling the reinforced mesh suit flex against my skin as I scrolled through my interface one last time. Going for two E-tier rifts back-to-back is going to require optimal resource management.
"Let's get this over with," I muttered, stepping through the threshold.
The transition hit like a physical blow. Water—not quite liquid but denser than air—filled my lungs in an unexpected rush. My body's automatic response was immediate: panic, choking, the instinctive fight against drowning. The environment wasn't fully submerged but existed in a state of phase transition—air becoming water, water becoming air. The only reason I didn’t drown instantly was because of my tier.
[E-TIER RIFT: SUSPENDED DELUGE
Base Requirement: Locate and purify the Compression Core
Alternative Path: None]
I forced myself to relax, allowing my body to adapt to the semi-aquatic environment. Each breath came with effort, like inhaling through fabric. The reinforced mesh suit automatically tightened around my torso, providing counterpressure that made breathing a bit easier.
My Domain Engine's Hazard Sense immediately highlighted multiple environmental dangers within my 50-meter detection radius:
Pressure pockets—zones where water density suddenly increased, potentially crushing anything caught inside
Oxygen vacuum zones—areas where breathable elements were actively extracted from the environment
Current vortexes—powerful underwater currents that could trap or pull with devastating force
Liquefaction fields—patches where solid matter gradually dissolved into the water
Bubble eruption zones—unstable areas where explosive gas pockets periodically released
Hypersalinity pools—extremely dense, highly saline water that could dehydrate organic matter on contact
Pseudosurface patches—areas that appeared solid but offered no actual support
I took stock of my surroundings through the watery haze. I stood—or rather floated—in what appeared to be the remnants of an ancient structure. Massive columns rose from a submerged floor, supporting the partial remains of a vaulted ceiling. Beyond the structure stretched an endless expanse, punctuated by floating debris and distorted light rays that bent at impossible angles.
Movement caught my attention—dark shapes sliding through the water-air with predatory grace. Deluge Hunters, their bodies evolved for this environment, neither fully fish nor reptile but something disturbingly in-between. Their scales refracted light in patterns that confused the eye, making their exact positions difficult to discern.
I counted eight within attack range, with more approaching. No time for exploration.
My Supershock Baton hummed as it charged, gathering ambient dimensional energy. I took aim at the nearest cluster and triggered a discharge—lightning arced fifteen meters through the water-air, illuminating the medium in brilliant blue. Physics worked in my favor; the environment conducted electricity better than air but with more directional control than water. My arm also went numb for a second as I also took some damage, a slight miscalculation. I really needed to invest into more weapons, but I was saving for something special.
Three Hunters convulsed as the current passed through them, their bodies momentarily visible as perfect silhouettes before dissolving into particles. The remaining creatures scattered briefly, regrouping at a safer distance.
The Compression Core pulsed somewhere beyond my detection range, likely deeper into this sunken realm. I needed to move quickly before more predators arrived.
A current vortex swirled thirty meters ahead, directly in my path—a spiraling column of intensified flow that would trap anything caught in its pull.
"Amplify Hazard," I commanded, focusing on the vortex. The vortex tripled in intensity, expanding from three meters to nine in diameter. First Fracture Charge accumulated, triggering Reactive Fracture Tether.
My Speed surged by 50%, the world seeming to slow as my perception sharpened. The hazard detection range doubled, revealing additional dangers previously outside my awareness—including a massive pressure pocket hovering twenty meters below.
With enhanced speed, I propelled myself toward the amplified vortex, timing my approach precisely. The Deluge Hunters followed, their instincts compelling them to pursue fleeing prey. I passed the vortex's outer edge at maximum velocity, allowing its pull to accelerate me in a slingshot maneuver while the pursuing predators were caught in its intensified spiral.
Their bodies compressed as they spun helplessly, unable to escape the trap. The three-second speed boost ended as I rocketed forward, covering twice the distance I could have managed without the vortex assist.
A new threat emerged from the watery haze—a Pressure Leviathan, its massive form displacing enough of the semi-aqueous medium to create visible currents. Its body resembled an impossibly large octopus, though its numerous tentacles ended in bony, articulated claws rather than suckers. A shifting membrane pulsed beneath its bulbous head, generating the pressure waves that gave it its name.
The creature noticed me immediately, its single massive eye tracking my movement with disturbing intelligence. Three tentacles lashed out with unexpected speed, creating small shockwaves in the water-air medium.
"Create Hazard," I called out, manifesting a bubble eruption zone directly between us. The environmental matrix responded instantly, creating a pocket of volatile gas that expanded rapidly. Second Fracture Charge accumulated, refreshing my speed boost.
The Leviathan's tentacles struck the bubble zone at the exact moment of maximum expansion. The gas pocket detonated with concussive force, severing one tentacle completely and damaging another. The explosion propelled me backward, allowing me to maintain distance while scanning for my objective. The water-air seemed to part before me, resistance minimized by my speed.
My Supershock Baton had recharged. I took aim at a newly arrived group of Deluge Hunters and triggered another discharge. The lightning strike chained between four creatures, their bodies illuminating briefly before dissolving. Yet again the environment reflected a portion of the damage; there was no helping it.
A faint pulsing glow caught my attention through the watery haze—the Compression Core.
It floated in what appeared to be an ancient amphitheater, now submerged and partially collapsed. The Core itself resembled a perfect sphere of swirling energy, approximately one meter in diameter, suspended above a stone dais. Surrounding it were seven crystalline formations arranged in a precise geometric pattern.
The path to the Core presented a new challenge—a massive oxygen vacuum zone blanketed the entire approach. This hazard actively extracted breathable elements from the already oxygen-poor environment, essentially creating an underwater desert where nothing could respire.
"Invert Hazard," I commanded, targeting the vacuum zone. The hazard reversed its properties instantly, changing from oxygen extraction to oxygen production. Third Fracture Charge accumulated.
Reality fractured as three charges consumed themselves. The dimensional fabric tore with a sound like screaming metal as something utterly incongruous appeared—antimatter pockets. Dozens of tiny spheres of perfect nothingness, each no larger than a marble, materialized throughout the environment.
"No, no, no," I gasped, immediately recognizing the catastrophic potential. Antimatter—the perfect opposite of normal matter—would annihilate anything it touched, converting both substances entirely into energy. Even microscopic amounts could generate devastating explosions.
The water-air medium reacted violently as antimatter particles encountered normal matter. Micro-explosions erupted in all directions, each releasing intense energy and light. The semi-aquatic environment partially contained these reactions, the density slowing the chain reaction that would have been instantly disastrous in normal conditions.
I couldn't breathe. The explosions consumed oxygen faster than the inverted vacuum zone could produce it. My lungs burned as I forced them to process the increasingly thin medium, each breath yielding less sustenance than the last.
The Pressure Leviathan retreated from the antimatter field, its natural instincts recognizing the extreme danger. Smaller creatures weren't so fortunate—Deluge Hunters caught in proximity to antimatter particles simply ceased to exist, converted to pure energy according to general relativity principles.
I needed to reach the Core before the antimatter reactions consumed all available oxygen. With antimatter particles floating unpredictably through the environment, direct paths became deadly gambles.
"Negate Hazard," I called out, targeting a pressure pocket between me and the Core. The hazard collapsed instantly, its energy dissipating harmlessly. First Fracture Charge accumulated, triggering Reactive Fracture Tether.
With enhanced speed, I navigated through the antimatter field, each movement calculated to avoid the deadly particles. The water-air's refractive properties made the particles visible as tiny distortions, allowing me to plot safe trajectories between them.
My lungs screamed for proper oxygen. Black spots danced at the edges of my vision as hypoxia set in. I'd miscalculated—the inverted vacuum zone wasn't producing oxygen fast enough to counter both the antimatter consumption and my increasing respiratory demands. My Health hit 73 and was rapidly decreasing.
I reached the edge of the ancient amphitheater, my body moving on instinct and training rather than conscious thought. The Compression Core pulsed before me, its rhythmic energy signature now clearly visible. The surrounding crystalline formations appeared to be stabilizing its position, preventing it from either expanding or collapsing.
My Supershock Baton had recharged. I aimed at the nearest crystalline formation and triggered a discharge. The lightning struck with precision, shattering the crystal instantly. The Core's energy pattern shifted, becoming slightly less stable but more accessible.
The water-air around the Core seemed different—denser yet somehow more breathable. I pushed forward, reaching the dais where it hovered. According to the rift parameters, purification required direct energy modulation through all remaining crystals simultaneously.
"Hazard Conduit," I commanded, focusing on a nearby hypersalinity pool.
The highly saline water detached from its original position and surrounded me in a swirling aura approximately ten meters in diameter. The dense, salt-saturated solution created a temporary barrier between me and the remaining antimatter particles. The hazard's non-damaging effects were reduced by 90% for me due to my Resilience and ability working together, but I could still feel the constant drain against my health as pressure drew moisture from my body.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
HP: 59
The crystalline formations responded to the salt concentration, their surfaces becoming more conductive. Perfect. I touched the second crystal, channeling energy from my baton through it. The formation glowed briefly, then reconfigured its molecular structure to match the Core's purification requirements.
Five crystals remained. The antimatter reactions had begun to fade as available reaction material diminished, but oxygen levels remained critically low. My vision tunneled further, consciousness hanging by a thread as my body struggled to extract sufficient oxygen from the environment.
I worked methodically, touching each crystal in sequence, allowing my salt aura to enhance conductivity while channeling baton energy. Fourth crystal. Fifth. Sixth.
HP: 44
My Supershock Baton had recharged for the final crystal. I triggered a discharge directly into it, completing the circuit. All six remaining formations glowed in unison, creating a geometric energy web that enveloped the Core.
The Compression Core's pulsing accelerated, its swirling energy patterns shifting from chaotic turbulence to orderly flow. The purification had begun.
I couldn't breathe. My salt aura had created a temporary sanctuary from antimatter, but oxygen depletion within my protective bubble had reached critical levels. The edges of my vision darkened completely, consciousness fading despite my desperate attempts to remain awake.
"Consume Hazard," I gasped. The salt aura dissipated as its energy flowed into me, restoring vital resources and reducing Exhaustion. Third Fracture Charge accumulated.
Fortunately, the Fracture Charges didn't have time to manifest before the Compression Core completed its purification cycle. The rift shuddered as dimensional stability reasserted itself and I found myself back in the RMC gasping for air. Hopefully the rift entities that had been converging on my position will appreciate the gift wrapped Fracture I had left behind.
[RIFT CLEARED: SUSPENDED DELUGE
SURVIVAL RATE: 100% (SOLO)
CONTRIBUTION: VOLT (100%)]
Level: 13 → 14
E-tier core × 1 = 999cr
Deluge Essence: 22 × 175cr = 3,850cr
Pressure Crystal: 15 × 225cr = 3,375cr
Leviathan Fragment: 4 × 500cr = 2,000cr
Antimatter Residue: 6 × 350cr = 2,100cr
Compression Core Shard: 1 × 1,500cr = 1,500cr
BASE TOTAL: 13,824cr
SOLO BONUS (×10): 138,240cr
I took me a few hours to recover, but lacking any serious injuries I was ready to go again. The portal pulsed with energy so dark it seemed to absorb surrounding light rather than emit its own.
SPEED: 13 → 14
After allocating my new attribute point, I stepped through without hesitation.
Perfect, absolute darkness engulfed me. Not dimness, not shadows—true darkness, the complete absence of light. My eyes strained uselessly, detecting nothing despite being wide open. I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face.
[E-TIER RIFT: BLINDFOLD LABYRINTH
Base Requirement: Locate and activate the Illumination Nexus
Alternative Path: None]
My Domain Engine's Hazard Sense immediately highlighted multiple environmental dangers within my 50-meter detection radius—not visually, but as impressions in my mind:
Sound traps—areas where noise was amplified and distorted to disorienting levels
Abyssal pits—seemingly bottomless drops that appeared without warning
Echo chambers—spaces where sound reflected in unpredictable patterns, creating false directional cues
Spatial compression zones—areas where dimensions literally folded, creating impossible geometry
Memory fog—patches where cognitive processes became impaired, including spatial awareness
Phantom walls—barriers that existed only when approached from certain angles
Sensory inversion fields—zones where input from different senses became crossed or reversed
I took a cautious step forward, foot testing the ground before committing weight. Solid stone. Another step. Still solid. Despite the absolute darkness, my Hazard Sense painted a tactile map of safe passage through this lightless realm.
A sound like whispered voices reached my ears, emanating from multiple directions simultaneously. Void Wraiths—entities composed of semi-solid darkness, virtually invisible even in normal lighting conditions. In this absolute blackness, they would be completely undetectable by conventional means.
Their whispers grew louder, converging on my position. They could sense me, while I could only approximate their locations based on sound alone.
My Supershock Baton hummed as it charged. I took aim at the direction of the loudest whispers and triggered a discharge—lightning arced fifteen meters through the darkness, momentarily illuminating a nightmare tableau. Dozens of Wraiths, their forms like tattered shrouds wrapped around vaguely humanoid shapes, floating at various distances. Three caught in the lightning's path dissipated with hissing screams, while the momentary illumination burned an afterimage of my surroundings into my retinas.
Stone passages branching in multiple directions. Ancient architecture consumed by darkness. And in the brief flash, a faint directional indicator—a subtle glow far down one corridor that might be the Illumination Nexus.
The remaining Wraiths surged forward, their whispers building to a disorienting cacophony. I felt cold, insubstantial tendrils brush against my skin as they reached me, each touch drawing warmth and energy.
HP: 100 → 95
"Create Hazard," I called out, manifesting a sound trap directly around me. The environmental responded instantly, amplifying the Wraiths' whispers to painful, structure-shaking volumes. First Fracture Charge accumulated, triggering Reactive Fracture Tether.
The Wraiths recoiled from their own amplified sounds, their whispers becoming weapons against themselves. With enhanced speed, I sprinted down the corridor where I'd glimpsed the distant glow, relying on my Hazard Sense to navigate obstacles I couldn't see.
My detection range had doubled with the speed boost, allowing me to map the labyrinth more effectively. The passage twisted in impossible ways, sometimes doubling back on itself in defiance of normal geometry. A spatial compression zone layered the path ahead, folding three-dimensional space like origami.
"Negate Hazard," I commanded, targeting the spatial compression. The hazard collapsed instantly, space unfolding back to normal Euclidean geometry. Second Fracture Charge accumulated, refreshing my speed boost.
With enhanced speed, I navigated the now-straightened passage, covering ground rapidly despite the perfect darkness. My footsteps echoed strangely, suggesting the corridor opened into a much larger space ahead.
The echoes confirmed it—I'd entered a vast chamber. The acoustics indicated high ceilings and distant walls, though absolute darkness rendered the space as visually nonexistent as everything else. My Hazard Sense detected an abyssal pit occupying much of the chamber floor, with only a narrow path circling its perimeter.
The whispers of pursuing Wraiths grew louder again, joined by a new sound—the rhythmic breathing of something much larger. A Void Monarch, guardian of darkness realms and capable of extinguishing light itself. Its exact position remained unclear, but its presence filled the chamber with palpable menace.
My Supershock Baton had recharged. I triggered a discharge toward the breathing sound, lightning briefly illuminating another nightmare tableau—a colossal entity perched at the chamber's center, its body like solidified shadow articulated into vaguely insectoid form. Eight glowing eyes reflected the lightning's light, immediately focusing on my position.
The momentary illumination revealed something else—a bridge crossing the abyssal pit, leading to a central platform where a complex mechanical structure stood. The Illumination Nexus, dormant but intact.
The Void Monarch roared, the sound physically painful as it reverberated through the chamber. It launched itself from its perch, the displacement of air the only warning as it swept toward me.
"Amplify Hazard," I called out, targeting an echo chamber at the chamber's edge. The hazard tripled in intensity, transforming the Monarch's roar into a devastating sonic weapon that bounced throughout the space with multiplied force. Third Fracture Charge accumulated.
Reality fractured as three charges consumed themselves. The dimensional fabric tore with a sound like shattering glass as something utterly incongruous appeared—superconducting quantum crystallization. Tendrils of perfect zero-resistance material sprouted throughout the chamber, growing like metallic vines at impossibly accelerated rates.
Where normal matter encountered these perfect conductors, electrons flowed without resistance, creating cascading quantum effects. Temperature plummeted instantly as thermal energy transferred with perfect efficiency, freezing the air itself into crystalline patterns. The absolute darkness remained, but now filled with perfect conductors of energy and information.
The Void Monarch screeched as superconducting tendrils attached to its form, quantum entanglement spreading through its shadowy mass. Parts of it froze instantly, becoming brittle enough to shatter when it attempted movement.
I wasn't immune to the effect. Superconducting filaments brushed my reinforced mesh suit, cold penetrating instantly, freezing sweat and condensation against my skin.
HP: 95 → 85
The quantum crystallization accelerated, forming complex geometric patterns that followed mathematical rather than biological imperatives. I needed to reach the Nexus before the entire chamber became an uninhabitable quantum computer operating at near absolute zero.
"Invert Hazard," I commanded, targeting a memory fog patch between me and the bridge. The hazard reversed its properties, changing from cognitive impairment to perfect recall and enhanced spatial awareness. First Fracture Charge accumulated, triggering Reactive Fracture Tether.
MANA: 70 → 60
With enhanced speed and temporarily perfect spatial awareness, I navigated the narrow path leading to the bridge, avoiding superconducting tendrils through intuition and enhanced proprioception. My body moved with mathematical precision, finding gaps in the growing quantum crystalline forest.
The bridge itself had begun to transform, superconducting material spreading across its surface. Each step required careful calculation—too slow and the crystallization would overtake me, too fast and I risked missing my footing in the absolute darkness.
EXHAUSTION: 0 → 30
My Supershock Baton had recharged. I triggered a discharge downward into the bridge, using the brief illumination to confirm my position and observe the rapidly deteriorating conditions. The lightning conducted perfectly through the superconducting material, traveling the entire length of the bridge instantly and illuminating the Nexus at its center.
The Illumination Nexus resembled an ancient mechanical astrolabe, its concentric rings studded with unlit crystals. According to rift parameters, activation required precise energy distribution through all rings simultaneously.
The Void Monarch had partially freed itself, shattering its frozen components with brute force. Its form now resembled a fractured shadow, jagged edges where perfectly smooth darkness had been. It circled the chamber, avoiding the densest concentrations of superconducting material while searching for me.
"Hazard Conduit," I commanded, focusing on a sensory inversion field near the bridge's end.
STAMINA: 100 → 50
The sensory inversion detached and surrounded me in a swirling aura approximately ten meters in diameter. Within this field, input from different senses became crossed—sound registered as tactile sensation, touch translated to visual impressions, temperature became auditory information.
Initially disorienting, the inversion actually provided an advantage in the lightless environment. The cold from the superconducting material "sounded" like high-pitched tones in my perception, while the Void Monarch's movements created "visible" ripples across my skin. The hazard's negative effects were reduced by 90% for me due to my Resilience and ability working together, but I could still feel the constant neurological strain as my brain struggled to process the crossed sensory information.
I reached the Nexus platform, my inverted senses translating the mechanism's details into tactile impressions. The astrolabe required rotational alignment—each ring needed to turn until its crystals formed a specific pattern.
Working methodically, I turned the outer ring until resistance indicated correct positioning. The quantum crystallization continued spreading throughout the chamber, superconducting tendrils now reaching the platform itself. The temperature dropped further, my breath condensing and freezing instantly before my face.
HP: 77
Second ring aligned. Third. The Void Monarch located me, its fractured form sweeping toward the platform with renewed fury. Fourth ring. Fifth. My fingers moved with decreasing dexterity as the cold penetrated deeper.
My Supershock Baton had recharged. I triggered a discharge into the Nexus itself, the lightning conducted perfectly through the now-aligned rings. Energy surged through the mechanism, illuminating the crystals in sequence from outer ring to inner core.
The Void Monarch reached the platform just as the final crystal illuminated. Light—brilliant, perfect light—erupted from the Nexus in a spherical wave that expanded outward at the speed of photons. The Monarch screamed as illumination touched its shadow form, its substance evaporating where light penetrated.
The superconducting quantum crystallization began to destabilize under the intense photonic bombardment, perfect conductivity disrupted by targeted energy packets. The chamber revealed itself fully—an enormous cathedral-like space with intricate architecture previously hidden by darkness.
For a single, awe-inspiring moment, I witnessed the perfect marriage of light and structure—illumination caught in superconducting crystal, refracting and multiplying through perfect geometric patterns. The cathedral blazed with light that seemed to exist in higher dimensions, revealing colors beyond normal perception and architectural impossibilities that defied conventional geometry.
"Consume Hazard," I commanded, removing the sensory inversion field. My senses normalized as the field's energy flowed into me, restoring vital resources and reducing Exhaustion. Second Fracture Charge accumulated.
The Illumination Nexus stabilized, light settling to a steady, radiant glow that filled the chamber completely. The Void Monarch had disintegrated entirely, unable to maintain cohesion in an environment saturated with pure light.
[RIFT CLEARED: BLINDFOLD LABYRINTH
SURVIVAL RATE: 100% (SOLO)
CONTRIBUTION: VOLT (100%)]
Level: 14 → 15
E-tier core × 1 = 999cr
Void Essence: 18 × 200cr = 3,600cr
Echo Crystal: 12 × 225cr = 2,700cr
Monarch Fragment: 5 × 450cr = 2,250cr
Quantum Superconductor: 8 × 400cr = 3,200cr
Illumination Prism: 1 × 1,800cr = 1,800cr
BASE TOTAL: 14,549cr
SOLO BONUS (×10): 145,490cr
As reality shifted around me, returning me to Earth, I calculated my rewards from the double-rift run and contemplated my next attribute point.
I needed more speed. Always more speed.
SPEED: 14 → 15
TOTAL CREDITS: 489,711
Almost half way to new gear.
