Chapter 16: Preparation

After dropping off his sixth haul of rocks, Asterion hunkered down beside Theos, who was busy sharpening wooden stakes.

“Did you get an accurate tally?” Asterion asked quietly, grabbing one of the wooden poles and joining his friend in whittling it.

“I think so, but their routine is so erratic it forced me to count them by color,” Theos grumbled.

“I didn’t know you struggled with your numbers,” Asterion said in a low, cheeky voice. “If it’s too much to ask, I can count them for you.”

Theos gave him a playful smile, murmuring quietly, “Cheeky bastard.” Asterion’s grin only widened at the remark.

“I counted about two dozen,” Theos continued. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more inside their main cave. It gives me a strange vibe—there might be something worse in there.”

Asterion hummed, his gaze shifting toward the kobold encampment. “Rifts often have the strongest rift monsters guarding the exit, but they also offer the greatest rewards.”

“You researched rifts for your aspect, right?” Theos asked. “Can you give me a crash course beyond the basics?”

“I did,” Asterion replied, pausing as he grabbed another wooden pole. “I’m not sure if you know this, but the Adventuring Guild based its ranks on rift signatures. An adventurer’s rank is meant to correspond to the level of rift they can handle—so an Iron-ranked team is expected to clear an Iron-ranked rift.”

Theos nodded as he worked, though his expression turned a bit dry. “Figures. The guild’s always been anal about structure, hasn’t it?”

Asterion smirked. “Yeah, because it was founded in the Rheinian Empire. If there’s one thing Rheininians can’t stand, it’s disorder. They needed everything to be categorized, quantified, and given a proper place—including war. That same mentality shaped the guild’s ranking system, structuring adventurers by combat and magical capability—Copper, Iron, Steel, Silver, all the way to Adamantine—just like the rifts themselves.”

Theos arched an eyebrow as he picked up another pole but waited for Asterion to get to the point.

“This rift is Iron-ranked from what I sensed,” Asterion continued. “Which means we shouldn’t be dealing with anything beyond our strength—but an Iron-ranked team usually has more than just two people.”

Theos nodded, absorbing the information. He gestured for Asterion to continue.

“Nobody really knows how rifts came to be, though most believe they’re a natural magical phenomenon Gaia introduced to help her children grow strong,” Asterion continued. “They’re too varied in how they appear for me to list all the possibilities, but based on what I can tell, we likely need to complete this rift to be able to leave.”

Theos grimaced. “So, killing all the kobolds and whatever lurks in their cave?”

“Not necessarily,” Asterion replied. “It’s possible we only need to defeat one or the other. But the point is moot—we have to kill the kobolds either way. And I doubt you’d pass up the chance to slay whatever’s lurking down there.”

“You ain’t wrong,” Theos said with a toothy grin before his expression turned more serious. “But I don’t want to risk our lives more than we already have, and my ego isn’t worth the gamble.”

“It’s not just about ego.” Asterion set down his blade for a moment, his tone steady. “Killing a rift guardian often comes with special rewards.”

A flicker of excitement crossed his face. “And those rewards only get better when the rift doesn’t have to split them between too many people.”

Theos looked at him, a mix of confusion and excitement crossing his face. “What do you mean? Does a rift create a treasure for each person delving into it?”

“Sometimes,” Asterion replied. “But what I meant is that rifts that lock you into a challenge are called closed rifts, while the ones that let you come and go freely are open rifts.”

“Okay…?” Theos prompted, waiting for him to continue.

“In a closed rift, the rewards are often determined the moment the group of delvers is fixed.”

Theos frowned. “Wait, what do you mean by instance?”

Asterion groaned slightly while gesturing vaguely. “Space—or in this case, realms—can be layered. It’s possible for two people to enter the same gate together and appear in the same realm instance, but if someone follows right after, they’ll end up in a different layer—an almost perfect copy. The monsters, treasures, and rewards will likely be different, though, because their soul is distinct from those who came before.”

Theos exhaled, rubbing the back of his head. “Okaaay… so the one who enters alone has a better chance of getting better rewards?”

“There’s some debate on the subject,” Asterion admitted, “but the general consensus is yes—as long as they aren’t significantly stronger or older than those who entered before them.”

“Wait, why would a rift care how old someone is?” Theos asked, brow furrowing.

“I asked Mr. Seitz the same thing,” Asterion said, tapping his fingers idly against his knee. “It’s complicated, and I don’t fully understand it myself, but he explained that it’s not about age itself—it’s about the records of a soul and the power or rather tier of the rift. The fewer experiences and imprints someone has compared to the rift’s rank, the greater the rift considers the challenge to be—and in turn, it rewards those who manage to overcome it accordingly.”

“You make it sound like a rift is intelligent and more intertwined with the Akashic than Gaia,” Theos remarked, skepticism evident in his tone.

Asterion paused, considering the thought. “Mr. Seitz is a follower of the Akashic and Ordnung, like most Rheininians were, so I assume his perspective is somewhat biased. But part of me thinks it’s both. Gaia is the goddess of life and creation—perhaps, much like Khaos, she also utilizes the Records for our benefit when she wove the rifts into her creation?”

Theos hissed at the mention of the name, his expression darkening. Without a word, he peeked over the rocky outcropping to check on the kobolds—only to immediately duck back down.

Asterion tensed, his grip tightening around the hilt of his sword, half-expecting his friend to have been spotted. His muscles coiled, ready for a fight he signaled spotted?

Theos shook his head before raising three fingers, followed by the sign for Patrol.

Asterion paused, his gaze shifting to the stack of smaller rocks and sharpened spikes. Nearby, the larger boulders he had positioned sat ready to be hurled, capable of causing serious mayhem. But catching three of the scaly creatures now was an opportunity they couldn’t afford to waste.

He signaled Ambush.

Theos considered for a moment before giving a thumbs-up, then silently drew his mace from its loop, shifting into a crouch.

Asterion mirrored him, lowering his stance as he extended his spatial perception toward the source of the hissing and snapping—the sharp, guttural sounds of the kobold tongue drifting through the ravine.

They tracked the kobolds from a safe distance, waiting until they had wandered far enough from their camp before springing the ambush.

Asterion used his gravity power to levitate a rock in their path, and as soon as the kobolds rounded the bend, excited chittering and barking erupted among them. They pointed at the floating stone, their attention entirely fixated on the unnatural sight.

Meanwhile, Asterion and Theos descended, their gravity reduced to almost nothing, allowing them to land silently behind their prey. They exchanged a determined glance before Asterion released his hold on the rock, letting it fall to the ground with a sharp crack.

The kobolds barely had time to register the sound before Theos lunged, his mace coming down in a brutal arc. The weapon crushed the skull of the rightmost kobold with a sickening crunch, its body collapsing in an instant.

At the same time, Asterion drove his bronze blade into the chest of the leftmost kobold, feeling the resistance as he pierced through lung and ribcage. He had missed the heart in his rush. Cursing under his breath, he activated Mass Shift, increasing the density of his blade for just a moment. The sudden shift ripped a bloody perpendicular line through the kobold’s smaller frame, spilling its organs and blood onto the rocky floor.

The third barely had time to let out a panicked yelp before Theos’ hand snapped out, closing around its throat like a vice. With his Titan Strength, he crushed its neck in one smooth motion, the sickening snap marking the end of the ambush.

They didn’t have much time to waste in case they had been heard, and both of them pulled their hunting blades and began to extract the monster cores from the Kobolds.

It was Asterion’s first time butchering something so humanoid, but he pushed past the discomfort quickly. Butchering meat and beasts had been a necessity since he was little, though he definitely preferred slaughtering chickens over this.

He was faster than Theos and immediately set to work butchering the second kobold. As soon as he extracted the small, bloodstained crystalline marble, he held it up for a moment, watching the swirling mass of compressed mana shine within its core before tossing it to Theos. His friend caught it but hesitated, moving to hand it back.

“It’s your kill,” Asterion hushed. “We can split them equally later, but for now, I’d rather you grow stronger.”

Theos grimaced but didn’t argue. As the frontliner, with an ability to self-heal through his Vitality aspect, he knew Asterion was right. With a sharp nod, he clenched the core and began absorbing its essence.

They left the kobolds’ cheap weapons behind, scrambling to return up the cliffs. This time, Theos even allowed Asterion to cling to his back as he leaped the height in a single bound with Asterion’s assistance.

Once at the top, they wasted no time setting up their position. They had no way of knowing how long it would take for the other kobolds to notice their patrol’s absence—or how they would react when they did.

Working carefully to avoid detection, they planted the spikes in strategic locations, communicating only through sign language.

Once their preparations were complete, they took deep breaths to steady their nerves and recover some stamina. Asterion pulled out the core he had yet to absorb, rolling it between his fingers. The swirling mass of energy inside pulsed with a faint blue light, shifting hypnotically within the crystalline shell.

With a final glance, he pressed the core against his skin and absorbed it. The solid mass liquefied, seeping into him before vanishing completely. Asterion immediately circulated the mana, feeling a brief but intense rush of energy flood through his body. His muscles tingled, his senses sharpened, and a satisfied smile crossed his face.

“You got past some threshold, didn’t you?” Theos whispered quietly.

“I think so,” Asterion replied, letting the mana circulate through his system. There was a newfound firmness to it, a density that hadn’t been there before. “It feels… good.”

“Good, because this next part is probably going to suck,” Theos muttered grimly as the distant yapping and barking grew more agitated.

Asterion took a deep breath, steadying himself as they both peeked over their now-reinforced position. Their modifications hadn’t been noticed yet, but that was only a matter of time. Below them, more and more kobolds were gathering in the heart of the camp, their gestures sharp and frantic as they barked and snapped at each other in what seemed like a heated argument.

“Makes them seem almost intelligent,” Theos remarked.

Asterion nodded. “Yeah, but real intelligence in rift monsters usually doesn’t appear until Gold-tier.”

Theos picked up one of the stones from the pile beside him. “You ready?”

Asterion grinned, channeling his gravity magic as one of the large boulders he had placed nearby slowly lifted into the air.

“Alright,” Asterion said with a playful smile, “hold off on throwing your little rocks until I’ve thrown my big one.”

Theos let out a dry chuckle, the anticipation growing palpable between them.

Asterion tensed, rapidly circulating his mana as he channeled it entirely into manipulating the gravitational pull around the massive boulder. He strained as it began to gain momentum and began hurtling toward his target, adjusting its trajectory slightly by increasing its downward pull, ensuring it would strike the densest cluster of kobolds with devastating force.

With a final release of control, he let go, watching as the boulder followed the arc he had set, plummeting toward its target.

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