Rifts operated on vastly different principles than standard labyrinths or dungeons. While they could manifest as sprawling mazes or straightforward monster dens, rifts imposed unique laws and terms that affected every single entity inside their borders.
Discovering those hidden conditions proved exceptionally tricky. Not every rift announced its rules upon entry, and only a select few gifted possessed the talent required to identify those parameters clearly.
Because of that unpredictable nature, most adventurers actively avoided rifts. They preferred targeting standard dungeons, knowing they could easily conquer those environments by simply gathering more allies or bringing stronger weapons.
Solomon had not bothered learning what kind of rift this was, what specific monster resided within, or what the hidden conditions entailed. He had simply heard the anomaly was an A+ grade danger zone harboring a formidable boss.
However, rifts offered one distinct logistical advantage. Unlike a standard dungeon where the entry portal spawned challengers at the very beginning of the first floor, a rift transported a new party directly to the exact coordinates where the previous exploration team had left off.
Solomon stepped out of the swirling purple vortex and found himself standing inside a freezing canyon carved between towering ice mountains. He exhaled a breath of frosty vapor and began walking through the frozen valley.
[James_hayes: new biome unlocked!]
[1Fizzy: wait is this a labyrinth or a rift?]
[Foodball: it looks freezing in there.]
[Tyler_Klare: grab a coat Solo Man!]
"This is an active rift," Solomon told the floating bronze owl. "This is actually my very first time stepping into one, but I know the theory behind how they work."
He navigated the winding canyon and hopped down a series of frozen boulders to reach the final descent. The narrow passage suddenly opened up into an endless horizon. A sprawling ground of soft, deep powder stretched out beneath a gray sky, while fresh snow began to fall steadily over the landscape.
"This is not a good environment," Solomon muttered, brushing snowflakes from his gray academy uniform. "I have never actually fought a battle in a snowy area before. My footwork is going to suffer."
Meanwhile, a solitary figure watched the silver-haired boy leave a distinct trail of footprints through the fresh snow.
The watcher stood high upon a distant mountain ridge. He wore a two-dimensional black mask painted with interlocking crimson triangles. It was the exact same inquisitor who had visited the academy weeks ago to interrogate Solomon inside a pocket domain.
The inquisitor looked down at the freezing valley and recognized the boy immediately due to his striking silver hair and the mechanical bronze owl fluttering diligently beside his shoulder.
’What is he doing here?’ the inquisitor wondered, crouching behind a frosted rock to remain hidden. ’Why would a first-year academy student wander into an A+ grade anomaly? There is zero logical reason for him to be in this sector.’
He narrowed his eyes beneath the painted mask. He had suspected something was remarkably off about the boy during their first encounter at the academy. This presented the perfect opportunity to uncover the truth.
The inquisitor closed his leather-bound report journal and tucked it into his dark robes. He decided to track Solomon from the elevated mountain ridges, choosing to observe from a safe distance without descending into the open snowy horizon.
[Mezz_3863: bro is shivering right now.]
[M00N: snow maps are always the worst.]
[Zoomtech: watch out for hidden traps under the ice.]
[Wesley_Smith: I don’t think traps should be our concern.]
A short while later, the weather deteriorated rapidly. The gentle snowfall escalated into a blinding snowstorm, marking the official perimeter of the boss stage.
The inquisitor watched the boy trudge deeper into the howling wind. ’Seven seasoned Holy Knights and almost the entire Azure Moon vanguard perished to that boss monster,’ the masked man muttered to himself. ’Solomon is going to die down there. He has no idea what he is walking into.’
The inquisitor gripped the frozen rock. He recalled how fiercely Professor Balzac had defended the boy, actively interfering with the interrogation to protect his student.
Suddenly, a vivid flashback surfaced in the inquisitor’s mind. He remembered standing back-to-back with Balzac many years ago, back when the lazy professor still wore the inquisitor uniform. They had executed dozens of perilous missions together, clearing heretical encampments and surviving impossible odds under the banner of the Church Union.
The masked man let out a deep sigh.
’A kid this young does not deserve to perish in the snow simply because he is an idiot who does not know when to avoid a dangerous situation. Balzac, you piece of shit. Why do you always make things troubling for me even when you are not around?’
The inquisitor performed a quick running start and leaped off the high ridge. He plummeted toward the valley floor and landed gracefully on the powder, utilizing his talent to avoid sinking into the deep snow.
He took a step forward but immediately froze in place.
He stared at the bronze owl hovering near the boy’s shoulder. He could not safely approach Solomon without appearing on the live stream. The Holy Empire and the Church Union were legally prohibited from directly monitoring academy broadcasts. They bypassed the restriction by purchasing recorded clips from underworld brokers, though the process cost a fortune in resources.
Since the twelve popes of the Church Union had already taken a keen interest in Solomon’s abilities, they were undoubtedly paying close attention to his footage. If a sanctioned inquisitor randomly appeared on the boy’s live broadcast, he would face severe disciplinary action from his superiors.
The inquisitor crouched in the snow, desperately trying to figure out a way to warn the boy from a camera blind spot so he could stop him from triggering the rift conditions.
However, it was too late. Solomon had already marched directly into the center of the boss area.
A shimmering panel of glowing blue text materialized in the air above the snowfield, announcing the rules of the domain to all challengers present.
[CLEAR CONDITION: DEFEAT THE WINTER SNOW SERPENT.]
[RIFT LAW: NO USE OF AURA.]
[Stinosaurus: NO AURA?!]
[2Lazy2Care: that is a crazy debuff.]
[Brerell: how is he supposed to fight an A+ boss with no aura?]
[Fatal_Beauty: this is a death trap!]
[Frendscham: Solo Man has to rely on pure physical stats.]
Solomon stared at the glowing condition and let out a quiet chuckle. A confident smirk stretched across his face.
"I drained my aura reserves completely anyway," Solomon muttered to the camera lens.
He shifted his stance on the slippery powder and drew Eden’s Penance from his back. He squinted through the blinding snowstorm, scanning the whiteout conditions to locate his opponent.
He heard a rushing sound from above. Solomon looked up at the turbulent sky and finally spotted his target.
A colossal Winter Snow Serpent coiled elegantly around the peak of the adjacent ice mountain, its crystalline scales reflecting the ambient light as it detached from the rock and floated effortlessly through the freezing air.
The monster hadn’t spotted Solomon yet. Perhaps because he was alone and hadn’t made his presence known.
"I am having a hard time keeping my eyes open in this snowstorm. I doubt the owl can focus it well. What the hell is that thing? A worm?"
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