Chapter 81: The Double Rift
Terrence desperately wanted a concrete answer, but all he got in return was the uncertain, bewildered look in his beasts’ eyes.
A dungeon rift appearing directly inside another dungeon rift was completely unheard of. Even as someone who was extremely adamant about reading every available resource in the past to compensate for his lack of natural talent, he had never once encountered a single text or study explaining such a phenomenon.
’This could be an entirely new phenomenon,’ Terrence pondered, his mind racing. ’Dungeon rifts originally formed through the tearing of dimensions caused by fluctuating mana in the environment. Ever since the great catastrophe, mana has been abundant across Earth. So, there’s a distinct possibility that space tearing itself apart inside an existing rift is a real phenomenon.’
Yet, despite his logical deductions, Terrence couldn’t reach a definitive answer to his burning question.
’Maybe... there’s a chance that dungeon rifts are actually entire worlds—smaller localized dimensions where wild beasts live. If so, these rifts simply serve as spatial portals connecting different worlds together. That theory actually makes sense, considering humanity has always casually viewed dungeon rifts as mere spawning points where beasts originate.’
Terrence gave a slow nod. He at least had a working hypothesis he could hold onto for the moment—even if the topic hadn’t been tackled in the prestigious academies back in the capital city, or perhaps it was something high-ranking researchers were actively keeping quiet about.
Terrence stood frozen, utterly torn on whether he should step through to test his theories.
As an unknown amount of time ticked by intense silence, he let out a frustrated sigh, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck in irritation.
’This is so damn tiresome. Why do I always have to encounter bizarre anomalies like this when I’m just trying to farm basic beast cores?’
Right at that thought, he abruptly paused, another sudden realization flashing through his mind.
’What if... there’s an overwhelming abundance of high-tier beasts waiting inside that rift? If that connected world absorbed all the beasts from this immediate area, it could be a treasure trove, right?’
He even briefly considered the wild possibility that the portal might just be a localized shortcut to another geographic location on Earth. However, leaning heavily into his immediate training goals, Terrence forced himself to believe the option that promised a massive cluster of huntable beasts.
He exhaled another heavy sigh.
’But what if there’s absolutely nothing on the other side? Argh! I’ll never know for sure unless I actually step through and see it with my own eyes!’
Unbeknownst to Terrence, the Shadow Hound had been quietly observing his inner turmoil with its cute yet ferocious eyes. The beast could clearly sense how difficult and stressful the situation was for its master.
While the hound weighed the high probability of danger lurking inside the unknown portal, it instinctively wanted to keep Terrence out of harm’s way.
Driven by a fierce impulse to protect, its heart decided to test the safety of the dimension first before allowing its owner to set foot inside.
Without waiting for a verbal command, the Shadow Hound suddenly lunged forward and leaped straight into the portal, leaving Terrence standing there with his eyes wide in absolute shock.
"Wait!" Terrence yelled out, reaching his hand forward.
The Shadow Hound vanished into the swirling orange vortex in a split second. The portal’s intense suction energy made his hair dance wildly in the draft, his wide pupils reflecting the glowing orange hue of the spatial light.
His heart skipped a beat as his outstretched hand stopped mid-air, grasping at empty space.
"What the hell is it doing..." he muttered under his breath.
A soft, gentle pressure nudged his shoulder as the Sky Dragon headbutted him gently, continuing to hover steadily by his side.
Terrence shifted his gaze toward the baby dragon, finding it staring back at the portal with bright, twinkling eyes. The young creature seemed to intuitively sense that the rift posed no immediate danger to them.
Terrence let out a weary sigh, receiving a faint, comforting mental message from the Sky Dragon assuring him that stepping through wouldn’t prove fatal.
While the portal generated a volatile aura of space-tearing energy, it fundamentally possessed the same safe travel nature designed to seamlessly transfer living creatures from one dimension to another.
Terrence clicked his tongue in annoyance, biting his lower lip as he steeled his resolve and pushed his body straight into the orange rift. The Sky Dragon glided in right behind him.
He kept his eyes wide open during the transition, actively anticipating any immediate ambush or environmental threat that might unfold in a split second.
The moment he passed through the dimensional barrier, Terrence quickly adjusted his center of gravity to stabilize his balance, landing squarely on uneven, rugged terrain.
His boot stepped down firmly onto a smooth rock protruding from a lush, grassy ground. A gentle breeze kissed his exposed skin, and a wave of warm, natural sunlight bathed his face in comforting radiance.
Terrence instinctively raised his head to inspect his new surroundings, taking in a wide, sweeping clearing flanked by dense stands of normal, healthy green trees.
This place was starkly different from the corrupted landscapes back in his homeland, where foliage had horribly mutated and adapted to toxic mana saturation. Instead of the perpetual, darkened sky of Earth’s rift zones, this realm featured a vast, brilliant blue sky overhead.
Clean, fluffy seas of white clouds drifted gracefully with the wind, and the surrounding tree leaves rustled softly in the peaceful breeze.
He felt completely breathless as he witnessed the pristine landscape before him. Was a place this pure and untainted truly possible inside a dungeon rift?
Suddenly, bright glowing text materialized directly across his line of sight:
[You have discovered an unknown dimension.]
[Warning: You must leave this dimension within 24 hours. You do not belong in this realm.]
[Consequence of Violation: Permanent removal of the System and immediate death of all contracted beasts.]
Terrence’s brows furrowed deeply as he scanned the harsh system notification, but he ultimately brushed the immediate panic aside. He simply made a firm mental note of the strict countdown, reminding himself that he absolutely had to exit before the deadline expired.
For now, he wanted to briefly take in the breathtaking scene unfolding around him.
He took a few cautious steps forward, lightly skipping over mossy rocks scattered throughout the tall grass, his combat boots crunching softly over smaller pebbles embedded in the soil.
Following an arbitrary path downward, he eventually halted at the edge of a steep, dropping slope, his movements freezing entirely as his eyes locked onto the valley floor below.
’A human settlement...?’ he questioned internally, his jaw slacking slightly as tiny, distinct structures resembling houses came into sharp focus far down the valley.
Terrence breathed calmly—or at least attempted to force his racing heart to slow down—as he desperately evaluated the visual evidence before him.
’This isn’t just a monster lair... This is an entirely different world.’