6:00 PM – Zone Black, Underground Exit
Lin Xuan stepped into the chill evening air, the auction hall fading behind him. The streets above bustled like nothing had happened.
But in his interface, the system was whispering a different story.
[New Faction Unlocked: Shadow Players]
[Description: Elite individuals who treat the Rift as a global gameboard. Objectives unknown.]
[Alert: Nightfox has marked you.]
He smirked.
"Marked, huh? Guess I'm finally on the board."
He tapped into the Nether Exchange again. New tabs appeared.
[Blacklight Bounties]
[Contract Duel Arena – IRL Combat League]
[Forbidden Crafting – Blueprint Fragments Required]
One tab blinked red: Urgent Mission – Code Black
Location: Abandoned Rail Station, Zone 6-B
Time: ASAP
Objective: Intercept illegal Rift-Tech transfer
Reward: ???
Risk: S-Class or above
Lin Xuan didn't hesitate. He accepted.
7:20 PM – Zone 6-B, Abandoned Rail Station
The place was quiet.
Too quiet.
His boots barely made a sound as he entered the rusted platform area, past shattered vending machines and graffiti-covered walls.
Then—
[Hostile Detected]
Six shadows dropped from above. All wore Rift-hardened gear. All armed.
But their helmets bore no faction symbol.
[Unknown Operatives – "Freelancers"]
[Contract Status: Kill on Sight]
"Target acquired. That's the Reality Hacker," one said.
"Extract the Echo Reflector. Kill if necessary."
Lin Xuan chuckled.
"You boys picked the wrong bonus level."
He raised his hand.
[Skill Activated: Phantom Draw]
[Item Summoned: Blackthorn Blade – Reality-Manifested]
He moved first.
A blur.
The first enemy didn't even scream—just dropped.
The second managed to block—but Lin Xuan feinted, then shattered his visor with a backhand slash.
The others responded fast—real players. Experienced.
One threw a net grenade.
Another launched a stun wave.
He side-stepped both.
Then activated his new passive:
[Siren's Embrace – Passive Skill: Echo Dampening]
[Effect: Immune to sound-based stuns within 10-meter radius]
The stun blast fizzled around him like harmless mist.
He rushed forward, eyes cold.
Two strikes. Three.
Precision Rush engaged mid-combo.
Their formation collapsed.
One tried to flee.
[Skill: Whisper Step – Engaged]
He appeared behind the runner.
A silent flash—blade through the spine.
[All Hostiles Neutralized]
But—
A slow clap echoed through the station.
From the shadows emerged a tall man in crimson tactical armor.
Scar across the face. Eyes cybernetic.
[Entity Identified: Red Specter – Blacklight Field Commander]
[Threat Rating: Tier-A+]
"I told them," the Specter said, voice metallic. "Send dogs, get corpses."
He tossed something forward.
A cube. Rift-tech.
It hovered—and cracked open.
[Reality Rift Generator – Mark II Activated]
A vortex exploded behind the Specter.
From it crawled a Rift Beast—ten feet tall, bone-white, with no face and too many arms.
[New Enemy: Echo Ghoul Alpha – Rift-Class Beast]
[HP: 14,000 | Weakness: Unknown]
"You want a real fight?" Specter grinned. "Let's play."
Lin Xuan's eyes gleamed.
"Finally."
Boss Fight – Echo Ghoul Alpha + Red Specter (Dual Encounter)
Lin Xuan didn't back off.
He activated Shadow Split again, sending clones to flank.
The Specter drew twin Rift sabers—he wasn't just a summoner. He was a Player.
The Ghoul lunged.
Lin Xuan rolled under its arms and vaulted off a column, bringing his blade down across one of its limbs.
-512 HP
Not much. But it bled.
And its scream—
[WARNING: Area Pulse – Mental Instability Incoming]
He gritted his teeth. Popped a Focus Serum.
[Buff: Clarity Surge – Duration: 60 seconds]
The Specter moved in—fast, brutal, trained.
They clashed.
Steel against steel.
Every swing real.
Every hit lethal.
Then—Lin Xuan backed off, pulling a glass vial from his coat.
[Item: Rift-Flame Essence – One Use Only]
He smashed it on the floor beneath the beast.
Flames erupted—purple and violent.
The Ghoul reeled.
[Status: Burning – HP Drain Active]
Then—
Lin Xuan dashed past the Specter mid-combat and leapt onto the Ghoul's back.
He drove his blade deep into its spine—twisted—and activated Overdrive.
[Blackthorn Blade – Overdrive Mode: Bleedstorm]
It screamed—
Then exploded into mist.
[Echo Ghoul Defeated – Rift Essence x2 Acquired]
The Specter was already gone.
Not dead. Escaped.
But Lin Xuan didn't chase.
He just stood there.
Breathing hard. Covered in blood and Rift-dust.
A new notification popped up.
[New Title Earned: Solo Duelist – Cleared Dual Encounter Without Assistance]
[New Reputation: Blacklight Tier-S+]
He exhaled slowly.
"This is getting fun."