A shrill yet gentle scream echoed from the end of the stone crevice—a voice that seemed to call out from a dream.
Rayne didn't answer. His eyes stared toward the source of that sound, piercing through the narrow gap between the rocks.
There, faintly, he saw the outline of a woman's body, moving softly as if signaling something.
"What's wrong, dear?"
"Come here quickly… I've been waiting for you~"
The tone was sweet, gentle, as if whispered directly into his mind.
Rayne showed no reaction. His face was calm, expressionless, but his steps slowly moved deeper inside.
When he was almost at the end of the crevice, he stopped for a moment.
The air around him grew warmer, as if the cold stone chamber had turned into a completely different place.
As he stepped out of the crevice, his vision seemed to pierce into another world.
A vast meadow stretched as far as the eye could see. The grass swayed softly in the wind, and the blooming flowers spread a sweet, soothing fragrance.
The sky looked so calm—and for a moment, this world felt peaceful, deceiving anyone who saw it.
It was like a small paradise born from the darkness of hell.
But that peace faded the moment Rayne saw the figure standing in the middle of the flowers.
A woman. Beautiful beyond the limits of logic—her skin glowed with a soft light, her eyes looked at Rayne full of affection, and her lips curved into a smile that could make anyone forget everything.
Her thin dress danced lightly in the wind, as if inviting touch.
Rayne froze in place, his gaze showing clear attraction.
Like someone unconscious, his feet moved, each step making a soft rustle among the flowers until only a few inches separated them.
The woman smiled wider.
"I've been waiting for you for so long," she said in a tone almost like a song.
Her hand reached out, her fingers trembling softly, trying to touch Rayne's cheek.
Rayne looked at that hand… then slowly lifted his own.
When his fingers were about to touch the woman's chin—
Grepp!
That soft sound turned into a scream of horror.
"Ukhh… Kkhakk!"
In an instant, Rayne's hand had already gripped the woman's neck, using his spiked glove that pierced directly into her skin, and dark green blood flowed between his fingers.
The woman's body stiffened, trembling violently. Her eyes widened between shock and fear.
"L-let me go!" she screamed, her voice turning hoarse, losing its former gentleness.
Both her hands struck Rayne's arm, but his grip didn't move an inch.
Rayne looked at her without anger and without mercy.
"Before you devour me… I'll devour you first."
His tone was flat, cold, but carried something piercing—like a blade freshly sharpened.
"N-no way—!"
Crattt!
Brukk!
Before the woman could react further, the sharp blade had already sliced through her neck in a single smooth motion.
The head flew, and green blood sprayed wildly. Her body writhed, transforming—her skin melted, her once-beautiful face dissolving into a rotten form that couldn't be described, then evaporating like black mist that merged with the surroundings.
In an instant, the meadow, the blue sky, and the flowers vanished.
What remained was only a narrow chamber, darkness, and silence.
---
A few moments earlier.
Rayne narrowed his eyes when he saw something move faintly behind the crevice.
"What is that? System, analyze."
{DING! The system cannot analyze the target from this distance, Master.}
Because of that, he moved deeper through the crevice, and soon after the system chimed again.
{DING!
Monster level 5
Abilities: high-level illusion, superior intelligence, and fast regeneration
Weakness: weak against sudden attacks and sensitive at the neck area}
Right after that, the system gave another notification.
{DING! Passive skill failed to cancel illusion}
{DING! Passive skill failed to cancel illusion}
{DING! Passive skill failed to cancel illusion}
The passive skill that granted illusion resistance failed to protect him from it.
However, he also knew one thing: realizing that he was inside an illusion meant he had already won half of the battle.
The rest was only execution.
That's why the real Rayne, who was trapped inside the illusion, could easily break out and kill its master.
---
"System, where is that Mora energy?" he said while staring at the body that slowly melted—merging with the ground.
{DING! Mora energy has been absorbed by the weapon's core. Would you like me to issue a notification for it?}
"No need."
Rayne crouched, staring at the ground where the creature had vanished, leaving behind only one small object—a dim crystal fragment glowing faintly.
It was called a monster core.
A monster core was the essence of life of every monster, containing abundant mana according to the strength of the monster itself. Monster cores were always used by humans to obtain mana instantly and had become common trade goods.
(A bit of information: genuine monster cores are extremely valuable because those usually sold are human-made imitations.)
If you were wondering why Rayne didn't take the monster cores from the three monsters he killed when he first came to this strange place, the answer was simple: he still didn't fully believe what he experienced back then was truly real.
But now it was different.
Rayne picked up the monster core. Though it was useless to him, it was a highly valuable material. If he could get out of this place, he could earn a fortune.
{DING! Do you want to store it in the storage space?}
"Storage space?"
{DING! Storage space is used to store any object other than living beings. You can store and retrieve anything easily.}
"How do I put it in?"
{DING! Just give the system command.}
When Rayne did that, the monster core in his hand immediately disappeared as if absorbed into nothingness.
Rayne smiled with satisfaction and tried to peek out from the crevice.
Since there had been no sound of heavy footsteps from the three-element stone giant monster for a while, Rayne could be sure it had failed to chase him.
"I guess this place can be my safe hideout."
He walked around the chamber, which wasn't very large—nothing but dirt, stone walls, and darkness thicker than outside.
After ensuring safety, Rayne glanced at the mission panel that still hadn't disappeared until now.
{Sword swings: 3183/10000
Time remaining: 15:38:05}
Since time kept running, he immediately took his stance and swung his sword repeatedly with all his strength.
After some time that felt heavy passed.
{Sword swings: 8956/10000
Time remaining: 00:24:31}
Brukk!
"Hosh... Hosh... Hosh"
Rayne knelt, leaning on his sword, his breath completely uncontrolled.
His body trembled violently as he stood back up.
Swoshhh...
Swoshh..
In that condition, Rayne kept forcing himself to swing—he knew time wouldn't wait for him.
"One thousand..."
"Just one thousand more!" he said firmly in his heart.
Until moments later.
Thanks to persistence and strong determination, he managed to beat the time and make 10,000 swings before the mission ended.
{Sword swings: 10000/10000
Time remaining: 00:00:03}
{DING! Congratulations, Master! You have completed your first mission. Reward obtained:
'Death Step'
Increases swordsmanship ability by 200%, slows time perception, allows reading enemy attack directions, makes the body reject pain and physical limits temporarily.
Note: can only be used when the chance of death exceeds 90%.}
"Hosh... Hosh... Hosh... Hosh"
Rayne dismissed his sword and leaned against the wall with his chest rising violently.
Without realizing it, he closed his eyes and everything turned silent.