Seeing Seraphine standing before them, alive and well, brought a rare moment of relief to both Yun Jin and Merlin.

Merlin, in particular, looked almost giddy. "You made it," he breathed, taking a step forward as if to confirm she was real.

Seraphine nodded with a small, composed smile. "I did. Thanks to you."

Yun Jin chuckled. "Well, it’s good to see you in one piece."

Now that he got a closer look, he noticed that her outfit had changed. Gone was the practical battle gear she had worn in the dungeon. Instead, she was now dressed in the flowing white-and-gold robes of a priestess, the symbol of the church embroidered over her chest.

Merlin caught it too. "You… joined the church?"

Seraphine inclined her head. "After surviving that dungeon, I took it as a sign. A divine omen. I believe I was spared for a reason, and so I decided to dedicate myself to a higher path."

Yun Jin blinked. "...Huh."

Something about that made him feel a little uneasy. He had fought, bled, and risked his life in that dungeon—yet now, somehow, his accomplishment was being attributed to divine will?

Well, whatever made her happy. He wasn’t about to argue.

"Now that we have four people, this should be enough for a proper party," Yun Jin said, shifting the topic. His gaze turned toward Seraphine. "By the way, what rank are you now?"

He already knew Merlin was a Rank B adventurer, and last time he saw Seraphine, she had been Rank D.

Seraphine smiled faintly. "Still D, I haven’t taken the advancement test yet."

Yun Jin nodded, then turned to Reva. "And you?"

Reva crossed her arms. "B-rank."

That got his attention. "Not bad," Yun Jin mused. "I’m C-rank myself. Guess I should take the full exam at some point."

Reva raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you’re C-rank?" She frowned slightly. "But you beat me in one punch…"

Yun Jin smirked. "So you lost despite having more raw power than me."

Reva’s eye twitched. "What level are you?"

"Fourteen."

A beat of silence.

Reva’s expression stiffened. "…You’re joking."

"Nope."

Seraphine, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. "I’m Level 11."

Reva’s hands curled into fists. "Unbelievable." She muttered under her breath before exhaling sharply. "I’m Level 19. You mean to tell me I lost to someone five whole levels below me!?"

She stared at Yun Jin in disbelief, her pride clearly shaken.

Merlin chuckled. "It’s not that surprising. Yun Jin is—well, let’s just say he’s an exception to normal standards. You can’t measure his strength by levels or rank alone."

Reva turned to him, skeptical. "Then what level are you?"

Merlin’s chest puffed up slightly. "Twenty-five."

Reva’s jaw nearly dropped.

"Wait, hold on. Every ten levels is a major threshold in power," she muttered, mind racing. "The difference between 19 and 20 is massive. You can’t just bridge that with skill alone."

She stared at Merlin, only now realizing what she was dealing with.

Merlin, now pleased with himself, added, "Oh, and I’m also a B-rank adventurer. That makes us equals!" He grinned, extending a hand.

Reva blinked, still processing, before breaking into a wide smile. "I guess that means I’m strong too!"

Without warning, she grabbed Merlin’s hand and shook it—too hard.

Merlin yelped as his feet left the ground, his entire body lifted slightly off balance from the sheer difference in physical strength.

The moment their hands met, Reva frowned slightly. Something felt… off. His grip wasn’t quite what she expected.

She narrowed her eyes. "Wait. Are you a boy?"

Merlin froze.

His ears turned red. "Y-Yeah."

Reva blinked. Then a delighted grin spread across her face. "Ohhh." Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Who was the genius that dressed you like this?"

Merlin shrank slightly. "It was—"

"Me," Yun Jin cut in, smiling smugly.

Reva exhaled in disbelief. "Unbelievable. I can’t believe I just complimented this guy." She shook her head, muttering under her breath.

Yun Jin simply chuckled and gestured for the group to follow. "Alright, let’s get this over with. We need a mission."

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

—

At the guild counter, Yun Jin browsed the available jobs, eventually settling on a C- Rank Rift.

"Since it’s hard to find scouts for C-Rank gates in this town, we don’t have much information on it," the receptionist explained. "That’s why the reward is higher."

Yun Jin frowned. "Higher?"

The receptionist pointed toward the bottom of the mission posting, where fine print detailed the payment.

5,000 gold.

Yun Jin’s brow twitched. "Wait… so I missed out on the reward last time?"

He hadn’t even thought about it. After clearing the last rift, he had rushed to save Seraphine, then got tangled up with Ardent. He never came back to claim his payment.

It didn’t even occur to him that dungeon-clearing gave out gold.

His priorities had been focused solely on the challenge.

The receptionist gave him a knowing look. "You need to be careful, though. If you clear the rift without our confirmation, then there’s no reward. Only one party can accept the mission at a time, and if eight hours pass without completion, another team can take it."

Yun Jin nodded. "Got it. I’ll be sure to claim the gold next time."

He turned back to the others. "Let’s go."

Seraphine hesitated. "Wait." She bit her lip slightly. "Because of me… you lost the last reward."

Yun Jin glanced at her. "Don’t worry about it."

"But—"

She looked genuinely troubled. "How much was it? I can pay you back."

Her soft, guilty expression made Reva sigh. "Oh, for—"

She elbowed Yun Jin lightly. "Don’t think anything weird."

Yun Jin exhaled sharply, rubbing his ribs where she had hit him. "Ow. What the hell? I was just trying to remember how much that quest paid out."

"You were staring at her!"

"I was thinking!"

"You’re the one with the dirty mind!"

The back-and-forth bickering had Merlin barely holding back laughter.

Seraphine, meanwhile, had gone completely red, looking between the two in confusion. "I—what?"

Reva sighed, shaking her head. "Never mind." She quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, I still can’t believe you’re actually representing House Altheron."

She motioned toward the carriage they had arrived in.

"Yesterday, I thought you were just joking when you announced that in the arena. And now, here you are, riding around in their fancy carriage, representing a rival faction, killing their champion, destroying half the coliseum, and then escaping like it was nothing!"

Yun Jin simply smirked. "Yes, I am."

--

The carriage rolled to a smooth halt in a secluded clearing at the outskirts of town, the soft rustling of trees the only sound accompanying the faint hum of mana in the air.

Yun Jin stepped out first, his sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings. The magic in the atmosphere was dense, like a pulse just beneath the skin of reality—a telltale sign of a rift’s presence.

The entrance itself shimmered a few meters away, its surface rippling with unstable energy.

Wallace followed closely behind, stepping down with practiced ease.

Before Yun Jin could say anything, the butler had already begun setting up. With a simple movement of his fingers, a golden sigil spread across the ground, unfolding into a fully arranged basecamp—sheltered resting areas, a small fire pit, and even a table neatly prepared for use.

“I will remain here,” Wallace said simply.

Yun Jin turned to the others. “Anyone hungry before we head in?”

Seraphine shook her head. “I ate before leaving the church.”

Merlin, too, had eaten that morning. And Yun Jin himself rarely felt the need to eat more than necessary, especially before a fight.

Then, a faint sound.

A low, nearly imperceptible growl.

Yun Jin’s smirk widened as he turned.

Reva had her arms crossed stiffly, her face carefully neutral.

“…That wasn’t me,” she muttered, her voice just a bit too defensive.

“Oh?” Yun Jin tilted his head slightly, amusement creeping into his tone. “We can wait.”

Reva bristled. “It’s just—your damn punch yesterday. My ribs are still sore.”

Merlin, already digging through his bag, pulled out a neatly wrapped sandwich from Wallace’s supplies. He unwrapped it slightly, revealing the thick slice of roasted meat nestled inside, the juices glistening under the sunlight.

“Here,” he said, holding it out.

Reva hesitated for all of two seconds before snatching it.

“…Thanks,” she muttered, before devouring the entire thing in under a minute.

“Alright. Now we go.” Reva, now fully reinvigorated, didn’t wait for further discussion. Without hesitation, she spun on her boots and strode straight toward the rift.

"Hey!" Yun Jin’s hand shot out instinctively, fingers brushing against her wrist—

But she was too fast.

She stepped forward without pause, disappearing into the swirling light of the portal before he could stop her.

Yun Jin sighed, shaking his head. "Impulsive," he muttered under his breath. Then, turning toward Merlin and Seraphine, he exhaled and gestured toward the rift.

"Buff inside. Discuss abilities once we're in."

Merlin, standing beside Seraphine, gave an exasperated laugh. "Yeah, let's get inside before she charges ahead and gets herself killed."

Seraphine merely nodded, securing her bracelet before turning back to Wallace one last time. The butler handed her a small pouch of extra rations, and with a respectful dip of her head, she accepted them before stepping toward the rift.

One by one, they entered.

The moment Yun Jin stepped into the rift, the sensation hit him.

A twisting pull, weightless yet forceful—like being drawn through space itself. He felt the unnatural ripple pass through his body, distorting everything for a split second before it settled.

It wasn’t unfamiliar.

The first time, when he had first arrived in this world.

Then when he entered the rift that led to the Dryad.

But this time—it was stronger than the Dryad’s rift, still, it couldn't compare to the first.

The moment his feet touched solid ground, he knew something was wrong.

[Title Effect: The First Forerunner has activated.]

[Anomaly detected.]

Then, in a single instant—

The entire rift turned red.