"What's going on? We weren't told anything about a rift." The girl named Yeon-woo began to speak while hugging her body due to the cold.
What had just happened was a total anomaly; after all, Neo Tyran has machines and technology that detect rifts. If there is one, the hunters are informed immediately.
"Shit, this isn't possible, it's fucking bullshit!" Henry began to shout, angry.
"This is your fault. If you hadn't suggested attacking it, we would have completed the mission by now," explained one of the hunters.
His frustration was understandable; they were trapped in a rift, and the monster had escaped.
"My fault? It's not my fault that the association didn't inform us about this rift," Henry responded. For him, this was an outrage from the headquarters.
("What the hell just happened? Did no one see that girl from before? It's obvious no one saw her; if it weren't for the system's warning, I wouldn't have either.")
Martyn reorganized his thoughts as he looked over the entire scene. The forest, once a beautiful green with lush vegetation, had turned into icy mountains with barren trees.
The cold was overwhelming; it would be difficult to survive in these circumstances.
"The best thing we can do is start looking for things to survive. We don't know how this rift's time compares to the human world; it should have already been located."
The hunter Varek gave his opinion on the situation. He was right; if they wanted to survive, they would have to find every possible advantage.
"God, I hate this. It was probably that damn Kaldvargr; I'm sure he made the rift to escape," Henry complained while storing his weapons.
"Alright, listen up. First, we need clothes for the cold. Since we're in a rift, there should be beasts we can hunt."
Henry took on the role of leader and began giving instructions to the group. As he said, the most sensible thing would be to start with clothing.
("At least he has some brains.")
Martyn thought the same. If they had to fight the Kaldvargr again, they needed to be more than ready; now that it was in its natural environment, it would be stronger.
"Alright, so here's the plan: Roy and Martyn, since you two are the weakest, you'll stay at the back carrying our stuff and let us know if you see anything behind us. I'll go in front with the axe guy and the spear guy; we'll be the main defense. The mage stays in the center with the archer."
Henry quickly took the lead. Despite his egocentric and violent attitude, he was good at organizing. Everyone followed his orders and positioned themselves as he instructed.
"Shit, why do I have to be right next to you? If a beast attacks us, I'm dead," Roy complained after positioning himself next to Martyn.
"What? Can't you defend yourself?" Martyn responded gruffly.
He knew better than anyone that if a beast approached them, he could fight without problems, but he wanted to maintain the facade of being a weak impure for a bit longer.
"Even though I'd like to say yes, unfortunately, I can't. I don't know if you noticed before, but my blessing allows me to follow spirits' instructions; outside of that, I'm useless in a fight, that's why I have this sword at my waist," Roy explained with a face that was a mix of embarrassment and sadness. "But unlike you, I can be useful sometimes," the girl finished, despising Martyn.
("I see, it seems receiving a blessing doesn't mean you'll be successful, huh...") To Martyn, receiving a blessing was the best thing that could happen to someone, but it didn't seem as easy as he thought.
"Hey, why did you want to be a hunter? Going to your death just for money is stupid," Roy continued the conversation, this time interested in Martyn. It seemed she had some interest in the guy.
"Nothing in particular, I just wanted to see what it felt like, to see if it excited me," Martyn responded with a smile.
"I see, you're one of those idiots who think doing risky things makes you look more manly. Hate to break it to you, but it doesn't work," Roy criticized Martyn.
"Wow, looks like you figured me out. What about you, what inspired you to become a hunter?"
Also interested in the girl's reasons, Martyn asked. It was rare for such a weak girl to want to be a hunter.
"Unlike you, I do it for good reasons. I need money to pay for my studies; I want to be a rift researcher."
Roy said her dream, looking quite happy.
At first, Martyn's face wrinkled when he heard the word money. After all, the girl started lecturing him about it, but after hearing her out, he agreed it was a very noble reason.
"Did you hear that?" Interrupting the conversation, Henry stopped to ask. It seemed he had heard something. "No, what do you mean?" Martyn asked.
"I didn't hear anything; maybe it's your imagination?" Yeon-woo responded, seemingly confident in her archery skills.
("Better safe than sorry, then...")
[Skill]
[Analysis]
Quickly, Martyn was able to feel the area better, noticing something strange; it was as if there were several shadows around.
[Warning]
And with the warning sound confirming his suspicions, Martyn decided to speak:
"Guys, I think there is something," Martyn would say, getting the group's attention.
"What, is it your impure fear? You don't need to be scared, hahaha," responded the axe guy, who didn't trust Martyn.
"Shut up, I'm sure I heard something. Mage, take care of it," Henry responded, letting Martyn lead.
Following Henry's orders, the mage raised his staff to begin analyzing the environment. Several eyes could be seen above it. After finishing the analysis, he spoke:
"We have problems, we're surrounded by several steel-fanged wolves," Varek explained, putting everyone on the defensive.