Each step back through the corridor felt longer than the last. Not from fatigue—though his body was screaming—but from the weight in his chest.
He wasn't sure how much of what he just lived through was real.
But what mattered now was what he'd say. What he'd let them know.
He already knew one thing for certain—there was no way he could tell the truth.
Not all of it.
As he neared the end of the corridor, the thick, reinforced doors leading back into the facility began to unlock. The air changed. Lighter. Sharper.
And waiting just outside was President Kwon Haseok.
"Jaemin!"
The older man practically sprinted to meet him. His coat flared behind him, his shoes hitting the polished floor hard.
"Oh, thank God, you made it out alive!"
Jaemin blinked.
"...Yeah."
"I thought the chamber was empty—we assumed it was a hollow residual. What happened? How did all this—"
Jaemin cut him off, his voice steady. Tired.
"The chamber will disappear soon."
"What?"
Haseok froze.
"What do you mean disappear—"
"Listen to me carefully, President Kwon."
Jaemin stepped closer. His tone shifted slightly—measured, almost official.
"I'll only explain this once."
Haseok nodded slowly.
Jaemin continued, eyes fixed straight ahead.
"Director Gyeongnim was in there. Alive. And he tried to kill me. He wanted to purge weak Coreborns and access Aether Crest's secrets."
"That… can't be—"
"He's dead now. He died at the hands of the chamber boss."
Jaemin said, cutting off any hope for a rebuttal.
"The Coreborns that disappeared in the chamber? They never entered it. They died in unrelated Rift incidents. Gyeongnim manipulated the entire story. Faked the records. Lied to the Association."
Silence.
Haseok's face was locked somewhere between disbelief and confusion. A hundred questions floated behind his eyes, but he didn't ask any of them.
Jaemin knew why.
This wasn't the time.
Jaemin let out a quiet breath.
"The chamber will collapse on its own. I'll need you to tell the public that it's been dealt with. Completely neutralised."
Haseok hesitated for just a second. Then nodded, slowly. "Understood."
Jaemin turned to leave.
"Someone drop him home!"
Haseok called over his shoulder to one of the nearby officers.
"Make sure he's taken care of."
Jaemin paused. Looked back over his shoulder.
"You've done a great service to us, Han Jaemin."
The President said, voice soft but sincere.
Then he bowed.
Jaemin blinked. Unsure what to do with that. So he just nodded and kept walking.
No thanks needed.
He wasn't sure he deserved it anyway.
Because everything he just said?
Wasn't entirely true.
And the truth… would be far too dangerous.
As Jaemin stepped out of the building, the world had changed.
The sun was already over the horizon, the sky bleeding soft orange across pale morning clouds. He checked his phone and blinked hard.
5:23 AM.
"What the hell…"
It didn't feel like that long. Five or six hours, maybe. But he'd forgotten.
Time inside Rifts moved differently.
Especially domains like the Lapis Chamber. Long enough to feel like a nightmare, but short enough that the world barely noticed.
He didn't fight it. Didn't say a word.
Just slid into the sleek black vehicle waiting for him outside.
A luxury car—probably borrowed from the Association fleet. He barely noticed the seats, barely heard the driver say, "We'll be home soon." The moment the engine started to hum, Jaemin leaned back… and passed out.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The apartment was quiet when he got in.
He thanked the driver softly and took the elevator up, moving slowly, careful not to make noise. The hallway light was dim. He unlocked the door, stepped inside, and paused.
No movement.
Good. Nari was still asleep.
He slipped out of his shoes, padded down the hallway, and went straight to the bathroom. A quick rinse. He didn't even bother checking for food. His body felt hollow, but not hungry.
He dried his hair, dropped onto his bed, and was out in seconds.
It was noon by the time his phone buzzed.
At first, he didn't hear it. But the second time it vibrated—louder now, accompanied by a call tone—he stirred.
"...nnnngh."
Jaemin scratched at his eyes and reached blindly for the nightstand. His fingers smacked against metal.
CLINK.
His watch hit the floor.
"Shit… sorry, watch."
It took him another three seconds to realise he had just apologised to a watch. That's how tired he was.
He finally grabbed the phone and answered, his voice still half asleep.
"Hello…?"
"You're still sleeping, oppa?!?!?!"
Nari's voice exploded through the speaker.
Jaemin winced.
"...Nari?"
"You promised! The Department Advisory meeting's today, remember?!"
"Oh… yeah…"
He yawned.
"When was it again?"
"Three. PM."
She said, like he'd just forgotten her birthday.
Then softer.
"Oppa, if you're too tired… just say it. You don't have to come. It's okay. You've been coming home late a lot lately. I get it."
He stayed quiet for a moment. Let her words settle.
Nari was studying medicine. She wasn't oblivious—she knew how the body worked. She could tell when someone wasn't getting enough sleep, wasn't eating right.
Her concern was soft. Genuine. That familiar mix of younger sister instinct and medical intuition.
A small smile crept onto Jaemin's face.
"No, no. I'm fine."
He said gently.
"Don't worry. I'll be there."
"...Okay."
Her voice relaxed.
"Take care, oppa."
The call ended.
Jaemin stared at the screen for a second.
Then rolled onto his back, one arm over his eyes.
She didn't know a damn thing about what had just happened.
But she cared.
And right now, that was enough to get him moving.
Jaemin sighed as he pushed himself up from bed. His body felt lighter, sure—but his mind still hadn't caught up. He sat there for a moment, running a hand through his tangled mess of hair, half-conscious, half-existing.
Eventually, he stood.
Dragged himself into the bathroom. The shower took maybe two minutes, tops. His 15-minute self-care routine reduced to a blur of hot water, steam, and autopilot movements. He stepped out, damp, blinking away exhaustion.
Hair still wet, he walked over to his wardrobe. Opened the doors—and froze.
Nari had told him to wear something decent.
He stared into the closet.
All he had were hoodies, oversized sweatshirts, plain tees, and a rotation of tracksuits that had seen better days. His eyes landed on the only thing that remotely counted as formal: a worn-out suit jacket with dust on the shoulders.
His old suit.
He held it up and gave it a quick look-over.
"Yeah… that's not gonna fit."
He had grown since then. Not just taller—his frame had filled out. Trying to squeeze into that thing now would probably tear the seams. He shoved it back and sighed again, deeper this time.
He'd been meaning to buy new clothes anyway.
Plus, with how many Rift Crystals he had stockpiled? He could trade them in and still afford to get a proper haircut, new shoes, and maybe some groceries for once.
"Screw it. I'll shop."
He tossed on something comfy—clean joggers, a fitted black tee, his old grey jacket—and sat on the edge of the bed.
Still tired. Still recovering.
FWIUP–PING!
The interface flashed across his vision.
Status:
Name: Han Jaemin
Level: 50
Status Effect: Null
Fatigue: 0/100
Valour Surge: 1000/1000
Title: Ascendant Arbiter
Verse: Overseer
HP: 12,000 / 12,000
XP: 13,970 / 14,500
Skillset:
1. Dash
2. Brute Strength
3. Healing
4. Super Jump
5. Flight
6. Master Swordsman
7. Dual Daggers
8. Binary Orbital Overload (Weapon Specific)
9. Phantom Grasp
10. Storm Call
11. Divine Winds
12. Thunderbolt
13. Shadow Walk
14. Wraith
15. Biome Burst (Available after reaching Lv. 65)
16. Core Override
Jaemin stared at the list.
And smiled.
He'd earned all of it in one hellish chamber. Every level, every inch of power. Every time he'd doubted himself, he kept going. And now?
He wasn't even halfway through understanding what he'd unlocked.
There's more in there. Hidden skills, passive boosts, synergy fusions—he hadn't even touched the Focus Scanner's deeper layers. His hand hovered near the side of his vision, tempted to dive in.
But not right now.
Right now, he needed to survive something scarier than an abyssal.
A university meeting.
With a faint chuckle, he stood up. ran a hand over his damp hair. Checked the time.
1:12 PM.
Enough time to shop, get cleaned up, and still make it to the university.
Time to look human again.
As Jaemin adjusted his clothes and combed a hand through his damp hair, his eyes flicked back to the Focus interface, fingers twitching slightly.
And then there it was, the Gateway Cavern.
His army.
He still didn't know what to call it, honestly—"army" felt way too dramatic. But that's what they were. Abyssals reborn, now tethered to him through the Core Override.
What haunted him, though, was this:
He hadn't seen them fight properly. Not a real, open clash—not yet.
Not the Warden, and especially not the Maiden.
That thought lingered.
"If they're an extension of my core... then they probably level up with me." He muttered under his breath.
It made sense, right? The deeper his resonance, the stronger they'd become.
He opened the Gateway Cavern panel.
Gateway Cavern-
[Resonants: 34/35]
Tier III – Shroud· (x22)
Tier II – Mourner· (x1)
Tier I – Revenant· (x1)
His eyes lingered on a name.
"Level 10…"
He whispered.
"By default."
No one else had that kind of starting point. The Vanguards and Arcanists were all at Level 1. Even the Warden, with his insane lightning spear, started at 7.
But her?
Level 10, straight out of the gate. No skill showcase. No aura display. Just a kneel and total submission.
Jaemin scratched his head, annoyed—but also intrigued.
He wasn't the kind of person to play favourites… but damn it, he was curious.
Curious how strong she could get.
How far could she go?
Hell, if she fought at Level 10 and still held back—what the hell would she look like at Level 20?
He exhaled sharply, shaking the thoughts off.
"Not the time for this."
He muttered, rising from the bed and grabbing his wallet and phone.
The focus interface blinked one last time, still hanging in his vision like a quiet reminder.
[Resonants linked. They are your shadows now. And shadows grow longer as light grows stronger.]
Jaemin blinked.
"…Alright, that was weirdly poetic."
He then wondered.
"What would Taeha even think of this…?"
The image formed in his mind almost instantly—Taeha, jaw scraping the floor, eyes bulging like cartoon golf balls, just pointing at the army of Abyssals like.
"Hyung-nim… what on earth is all this?!"
Jaemin snorted.
A small smile crept across his lips as he stretched back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"That idiot would probably faint, wake up, faint again, then beg me to show it off like a flex."
Taeha wasn't the type to judge—he was loyal, loud, and annoyingly wholesome when it came to Jaemin.
Even when Jaemin went radio silent for days, Taeha would never get mad. Just pop up with a meme or a
"U alive?"
Text that somehow always landed at the right time.
He sighed, rubbing his neck.
He didn't want to tell anyone about the Resonants. The moment anyone caught wind of him commanding abyssals, it'd be hell. The Association would flip. He'd probably get blacklisted, "evaluated," or locked in some chamber with a thousand questions and a microscope.
But Taeha… might just be the one exception.
Out of everyone, the kid always showed up. Never made Jaemin feel weird for being tired, or absent, or... weirdly strong for a weakling.
Jaemin pulled his phone close, opened his chats, and hovered over Taeha's contact.
He stared at the screen.
Didn't type anything.
Just locked it again and tossed the phone onto the bed.
"Not yet."
He muttered, turning on his side.
"Soon. Just not yet."
The room stayed still.
Only the distant sound of traffic from the street below buzzed quietly.
