SSS-Rank Awakening: My Talent Multiplies Everything

Meanwhile, Kael remained completely unaware of the trouble quietly gathering behind him. With no idea that someone had already begun planning how to hurt the people close to him, he continued along the road toward home, the familiar streets passing around him as the evening gradually settled in.

By the time he reached his apartment building, Kael parked his bike and climbed the stairs. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, only to find Lyra sitting in the living room with the television playing.

House of Seven.

Apparently, she had gone back to watching the show.

Fortunately, this time she wasn’t completely absorbed in whatever was happening on the screen. The moment Kael entered, Lyra turned her head toward him.

"You’re back."

"Yeah."

Kael closed the door behind himself and took off his shoes.

"Soo..."

Kael paused and looked at her.

"Soo what?"

"Come on, give me the gist." Lyra’s eyes immediately lit up with curiosity. "How was it? I mean, I don’t know what a new Rift actually looks like."

Kael stared at her for a moment before understanding.

Most ordinary people didn’t have the opportunity to enter an unexplored Rift. By the time the average Hunter entered one, the Association or a major guild had usually already explored the area, mapped out its environment, identified the monsters inside, and gathered enough information to make the expedition relatively predictable.

An unexplored Rift was completely different.

There was no guarantee that the information gathered beforehand would be enough. New monsters could appear, unfamiliar environments could exist deeper inside, and even the terrain itself could turn out to be completely different from what the first explorers expected.

For someone like Lyra, who had never actually experienced that kind of place, it was only natural that her imagination would run wild.

That also explained why she had been paying attention to him despite watching House of Seven.

Kael shook his head.

"Honestly, it’s nothing special. It’s just like your regular Rift, except it’s unpredictable."

He wasn’t lying.

There wasn’t actually much difference between an unexplored Rift and one that had already been completely investigated in terms of what existed inside. The difference was the amount of information available.

A controlled Rift had already been explored, mapped, monitored, and studied. Hunters entering one would generally know what kind of environment they were dealing with, what monsters lived there, what dangers they might encounter, and even where certain resources could be found.

An unexplored Rift had none of that.

Data was still being collected.

Every step forward could reveal something unexpected.

Lyra didn’t seem particularly satisfied with his explanation.

She stared at him for a few seconds, clearly waiting for more.

Kael couldn’t blame her.

When people knew that something was dangerous, mysterious, and largely unknown, their imagination naturally made it seem far more extraordinary than it actually was. Hearing him reduce an unexplored Rift to something as simple as an ordinary Rift with fewer known variables probably wasn’t enough to satisfy her curiosity.

"If you’re that curious, you can come with me tomorrow."

Lyra’s eyes widened.

"Can I?"

Kael nodded.

Her excitement lasted barely two seconds before she suddenly looked away and folded her arms.

"Forget about it. I’ll go myself when I become an S-Rank Hunter."

Kael couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Good luck."

Lyra gave him an annoyed look before apparently remembering something.

"By the way, Ezra said I should tell you something."

"What?"

"She said you should seek her out whenever you need healing." Lyra paused before adding, "She might not have the money to repay you for the armor, but she wants to pay you back with her skill."

Kael chuckled.

"How stubborn."

"That’s what I thought too."

"Sure. I’ll go to her if I ever need it."

He said it casually, though Kael knew the chances of that happening were rather low.

His natural recovery was already enough to deal with most minor injuries, and when combined with healing potions, even more serious wounds could be treated without requiring the assistance of another Hunter.

For the kind of injury that would actually force him to seek out a dedicated healer, Kael wasn’t certain Ezra was strong enough to handle it yet.

More importantly, even if she could heal him, the amount of mana she would need to spend could become a problem.

Kael hadn’t forgotten what he had discovered about Ezra.

There was another consciousness living inside her.

If her mana fell too low, there was a possibility that consciousness could seize control of her body.

Kael had no intention of allowing something like that to happen merely because Ezra wanted to repay him for a suit of armor.

But there was no reason to tell Lyra any of that.

"Anyway, I’m going to shower."

"Okay."

Kael left the living room and entered his room.

After taking a shower, he returned to the kitchen and prepared dinner. He ate alone before cleaning up and heading back to his room.

The rest of the night passed quietly.

Kael resumed his usual routine, entering the Start Room for a short period of cultivation before eventually returning to his bedroom.

Once everything was finished, he went to sleep.

Time passed.

Morning arrived.

Since there was no need for him to familiarize himself with his teammates or prepare for anything particularly complicated, Kael didn’t bother waking up early. He opened his eyes only a few minutes before eight.

He got out of bed, prepared himself, and ate breakfast before leaving the apartment.

The journey toward the new Rift was uneventful.

By the time Kael arrived, only a few minutes remained before eight in the morning.

His teammates were already waiting.

The other teams gradually began arriving as well, gathering around the entrance to the Rift while the Hunters prepared themselves for another day of exploration.

Kael looked toward the Rift.

There was still a tremendous amount of territory waiting to be explored.

Yesterday had only been the beginning.

Soon, the time reached eight.

"Let’s go."

The teams entered the Rift together.

The familiar distortion swallowed them one after another before depositing them inside the strange world beyond the portal.

Once they were inside, there was no need for further discussion.

Just like yesterday, the teams separated and moved toward different sections of the Rift.

And just like that, the second day of exploration officially began.

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