The rowdiness in the space had diminished a lot since I arrived.
Nearly everyone around us had formed groups of four. There were quite a lot of golden core hunters, though not as many as silver cores, and since no one knew each other's core colours until they stated them, many teams ended up balanced.
There were also those who lied about their cores, mainly bronze cores acting like silver. I honestly could not blame them. If they ended up on the losing end of the stick because of their core type, they would end up dead.
My team was a little different.
I was the only white core.
Redy had a golden core. The lilac-haired girl, Xiao Mei, who was coincidentally a top idol and the daughter of that taxi driver, was also a silver core.
And lastly, the big-boobed woman, Manami, who the others called Mommy, was a silver core.
All in all, our team was balanced. Though it did not hold a candle to Jake's team. One white core, one black which was equivalent to a white core, a golden core, and knowing Jake, the member he picked would be at least a gold core.
I let out a sigh, leaning further against the wall.
Mommy stared at me with concerned eyes. Her feet twitched slightly, like she was planning to approach me, but she paused instead and relaxed.
Now that I was done sizing everyone up in the large space, I was sure that no one was physically stronger than I was, not even Jake Kim. Perhaps others could have stronger unique skills for now, but equalization could still put us on equal footing in that regard.
I stood straight and stared at my team. 'Well, except for them.'
I did not know where the three girls came from or why they chose me from the crowd, even going as far as sharing their Geass with me.
A part of me wanted to believe that the Night_Hawks had sent them to protect me, but I knew that was not the case.
If Boss really wanted to protect me, she would not have made it so obvious. If she did, people, especially the government who were already on edge because of their return, would surely come after me.
Before I came out this morning, I had spent a lot of time researching the rift, though not before visiting Aoki.
Just as I suspected, she was in fact a former member of the Night_Hawks. Though she was not one of the seven seats, she had been the head of Noona's faction.
According to her, after Noona sent her a message about my arrival, she tried to find me and nearly mistook Jake for me. Luckily, I showed up on the day she was about to start training Jake.
'I guess all things work together for good.'
The information I got about the rift was vague. Rumours mixed with truth, making it hard to distinguish between them.
But the one concrete thing I learned was that, just like normal rifts, it was a crack in space that released 'dust'. Once the 'dust' accumulated enough, it would form a barrier around the area, like a small domain for the boss monster and its mobs.
Unlike other rifts, however, the rift world could only release fog twice a year. The first time was used to enter the gate, and the second to come out of it.
When it was activated, everyone around would be teleported to the same place in the rift world.
It could be a city, a prison, the king's bathroom, or some unknown forest from which one could not escape.
Once I entered, I planned on finding Jake and the others and working with them to find a pillar to return home, but not before increasing my level as much as I could.
'Since not everyone escapes that world, does that mean there are Meltonians there?'
It was certainly a possibility, since natives of that world still existed and the rift did not kill you if you stayed too long.
Considering the fact that the EXP gained in there was twice as much as other rifts, that meant any Meltonian there would be insanely overpowered.
I stretched slightly. "Hey, Cordelia, don't you think it's about time you show me the map?"
Cordelia who sat on the floor with her eyes closed, turned to look at me. "No, not yet. I have shown you my sincerity by revealing my stats, but I am not sure if you would run away once you see the map."
I nodded. "Fair enough."
'Though you did not show me your real stats, at least the Geass part was real.'
[You cannot hide your intention.]
It was such a shitty Geass that I would not wish it on… actually, thinking about it properly, I did wish it on everyone. If not for her Geass, I did not think I could trust her.
"Don't worry, Al, we can all pull our weight."
I glanced at Mommy, her soft, angelic voice ringing in my ear. "Yeah, I know you can."
She smiled brightly.
Mommy's Geass was one of the weirdest ones I had ever seen.
I nearly blushed just thinking about it.
[Your sex drive is tripled compared to that of a highly sexual person]
Not only was it tripled, it was tripled on top of someone already highly sexual. Literally libido pro max.
Mei's Geass, on the other hand, was somewhat similar to mine. She had to follow a single emotion that shaped her path. Hers was anticipation, while her ability was temperature reduction.
As I continued brooding over everything, the loud voice of the earlier hunter rang through the space.
"I hope everyone has finished forming your teams!"
I looked up at the buzzing sound. Above me was a small box clipped to a drone. It was not just me. There was one hovering above each candidate.
The hunter continued as the drones lowered. "Inside each of those boxes are fog pills. I suggest you all use them wisely, since there will be no other source once you enter that world!"
I raised a brow. 'That doesn't sound good.'
I had already been thinking about the possibility of stronger hunters being in that world, but since hunters were no different from normal humans without fog, did that mean the hunters inside would actively hunt newbies?
Just that thought sent shivers down my spine.
So not only was the world dangerous, but we also had to play a deadly game of tag with those far stronger than us.
I glanced around, and it seemed I was the only one thinking that far ahead.
The hunter did not elaborate as he continued. "The rift will soon be activated, and you shall all be transported inside it. In the name of the ancient blood, Val Arcain, and the goddess Syr'Nathira, I pray for your success."
The space fell still, and I could feel the tension building. Fear, happiness, anger, disgust, surprise, anticipation, all kinds of emotions filled the air.
The hunter gave a small bow. "Without further ado, let us begin."
The small crack in space behind him widened, and dust began pouring out, enveloping the area.
My vision blurred, and screams of panic rang in my ears before everything finally went still.
Ding!
[Dear hunters of Meltonia, prepare for your first rift.]
[By the name of the ancient bloodline Val Arcain, I wish you the best of luck.]
[Let the blessings of the one who controls colours be with you~]
My vision finally cleared. In the vast, echoing darkness, I heard:
[Welcome to the Rift World, Asterion, Allen Park!]