There was silence in the jungle. Ryu and the Rift Beast were looking at each other—a hunter and an enemy, but between them, there was neither fear nor rage like in a usual battle.
On the beast's half-human face was a soft smile, and in its red eyes, a strange recognition was shining.
Ryu just stood there, his face looking truly calm for the first time.
"You… know my name?"
The beast gently spoke in its deep voice,
"…You won't remember… but we've met before."
A small glimmer appeared in Ryu's eyes, as if his mind was trying to recall old memories, but nothing came.
In a soft tone, he asked,
"You all aren't just monsters… are you?"
For a moment, pain appeared in the beast's eyes. It slowly lowered its massive claw, as if it didn't want to fight.
There was a faint human sadness in its voice.
"…We too were once human."
Ryu stopped in his tracks. His face remained calm, but in his eyes, curiosity and quiet concern were surfacing.
"Human? Then how did you end up in this form"
The beast was about to answer,but suddenly a loud crack echoed through the air. A new rift opened above the jungle, and pitch-black energy began falling down.
Terror and pain flashed in the beast's eyes.
"No… not again!"
Ryu tried to react immediately, but before he could, the dark energy plunged straight into the beast's body.
The beast roared in agony—it started writhing in pain, its human face slowly began to distort again, and that madness returned to its glowing red eyes.
"Tch… someone else is controlling this rift."
The beast roared, leaping toward Ryu—but every movement was filled with pain, as if it didn't truly want to fight.
Ryu held back his hand and said softly,
"You don't want to fight… but someone is forcing you."
The beast continued to roar, its body transforming further, its claws becoming sharper.
The pressure in the jungle became overwhelming.
Ryu brought back his old arrogance in his gaze and softly said,
"Alright then… I won't let you suffer for long."
He wrote something in the air with his finger, and a golden magic circle began floating around him.
But just then, the beast paused for a second and spoke softly in a human voice
"Ryu… don't kill me… there are… there are more like us…"
Ryu stopped for a moment. His face turned calm, and he took a slow breath.
"More? All of you…"
Before he could finish, the beast roared again and attacked.
Ryu quietly closed his eyes and said,
"…Alright. I'll set you free."
He raised both his hands. Golden rings were shining brightly, spinning like lightning in the air.
The beast threw its full weight at him.
The moment they clashed, the ground shook violently and a powerful explosion echoed through the air—
And just then, a new line flashed in Ryu's system:
[Hidden Truth: "First Hero of Rift – Connection Confirmed"]
Ryu's eyes opened wide for a moment, and his face—finally—looked genuinely surprised.
"First Hero? You… you weren't just some random monster…"
The light emitting from the beast's body grew stronger, and its human face reappeared for a moment.
It smiled gently and said,
"…You'll remember everything… Ryu."
And then, in a bright flash, its entire body turned to dust. The jungle fell silent, and Ryu stood there for a moment, quietly staring at the place where the beast had been.
He slowly closed his eyes and softly said,
"Looks like this game isn't as simple as I thought."
And in the sky, that same pitch-black crack was growing larger—like something else was preparing to emerge.
---
— TO BE CONTINUED —