The fog in the First Zone seemed to thicken with every step, turning the forest into a suffocating grey labyrinth.

Judas lowered his katana, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. Beside him, Nina was practically vibrating with anxiety, her ears twitching at phantom sounds that never materialized into threats.

They had circled the northern quadrant for an hour. They had checked the caves, the ravines, and the dense thickets where ambush predators usually lay in wait.

Nothing. Not a single monster scuttled in the underbrush. Not one roar echoed in the distance.

"This is impossible," Judas muttered, sheathing his blade with a sharp click. "Even if the mob density is low, it shouldn't be zero."

They headed back to the rendezvous point—a large, lightning-struck oak tree in the center of the zone.

Luna, Ezra, and Summer were already there waiting. Their expressions mirrored Judas's own confusion. Their weapons were clean, dry, and unused.

"Report," Judas commanded, though he already knew the answer.

"Empty," Ezra said, resting her massive Glacial Cleaver on the mossy ground. "We found footprints, but they are old. It is as if every living thing in this zone just… vanished."

"Did someone else clear it?" Luna asked, looking up at the canopy. "If a high-level party entered before us, they might have wiped the floor with the monsters."

Judas shook his head.

"Even if they did, the Rift respawns monsters continuously, unless the Rift is conquered. For the zone to be this sterile, the monsters would have to be dead for a long time."

"Maybe the Rift is closing?" Summer suggested with a yawn, twirling her Sanguine Scepter. "Maybe the core destabilized and the constructs are dissolving."

That was the most logical reasoning. If the Rift was unstable, the mana keeping the monsters alive might have faltered.

"If that's the case, we are wasting our time," Judas decided. "We head to the exit. We'll regroup at the village and gather intel."

He turned around, intending to lead them back toward the village.

BOOM.

A sound so deafening it tore through the air.

It started as a low thrum in the soles of their feet, then exploded upward, shattering the silence with the force of a collapsing mountain.

The air pressure in the zone dropped instantly, making their ears pop painfully.

"Down!" Judas screamed.

A shockwave ripped through the forest. Trees that had stood for centuries snapped like dry matchsticks. The fog was blown away in a violent, concentric ring of force.

He grabbed Nina and pulled her behind him.

"Ezra! Shield!"

The warrior woman was already moving. She slammed the flat of her Glacial Cleaver into the soft earth, kneeling behind it to create a barricade. She grabbed Luna and Summer, dragging them into the shadow of the steel.

Judas crossed his arms, flaring his aura to brace against the impact.

The wind hit them a second later. It was a wall of dust, debris, and raw mana. It scoured the bark off the trees and sent rocks tumbling through the air like cannonballs.

Judas gritted his teeth, his boots sliding backward through the dirt, carving deep trenches. He felt the impact rattle his bones, but his high Constitution and the new Shadow-Weave Tunic held the line.

Behind him, Nina whimpered, clutching his belt.

The shaking lasted for ten endless seconds. Then, as quickly as it had arrived, the violence ceased.

Dust hung in the air, choking and thick.

"Is everyone okay?" Judas coughed, waving his hand to clear his vision.

"We are fine," Ezra replied, standing up. She shook the dirt from her dark hair, her eyes wide. "What in the hells was that?"

Judas didn't answer. He looked toward the horizon, where the shockwave had originated.

The dust was settling, revealing the skyline of the First Zone for the first time.

And there, floating above the devastation, was a nightmare.

It was massive.

Its scales were the color of obsidian, absorbing the dim light of the Rift. Its wings spanned the entire breadth of the sky, casting a shadow that plunged the world below into twilight.

Horns like jagged mountains crowned its head, and eyes the size of houses burned with a golden, malevolent intelligence.

"A Dragon," Luna whispered, her voice barely audible. Her legs gave out, and she sank to her knees. "A True Dragon."

Judas felt a bucket of ice water dumped over his soul.

Fuck.

A True Dragon in a Minor Rift? That was impossible. That was against the laws of reality. A creature like that shouldn't fit in this dimension, let alone inhabit a beginner zone.

The beast opened its mouth. A rumble shook the earth again. It wasn't attacking. It was just breathing.

Judas's survival instincts screamed so loud they drowned out all thought.

'System! Open Couple Space!'

He reached out mentally, intending to shove everyone inside and hide in the space until the monster left.

[Warning.]

[Spatial Anomaly Detected.]

[Higher Beings possess True Sight. They can perceive fluctuations in space-time. Entering the Couple Space will create a visible distortion.]

[The entity will notice you. Even if it cannot enter, it will wait. You will be trapped.]

Judas froze.

'Oh fuck.'

Judas didn't hesitate.

"Everyone, inside. Now!"

He waved his hand.

"Husband?" Ezra reached for him. "What are you—"

She didn't finish. The world warped around them. Ezra, Luna, Summer, and Nina vanished instantly, sucked into the safety of the Couple Space.

Judas was alone.

He looked up at the Dragon.

The beast was turning its massive head, scanning the ground. It was looking for the source of the ants it had smelled.

"Fuck it," Judas hissed.

He turned his back on the monster.

Wind Dash.

He activated the skill, dumping his entire mana pool into his legs.

He didn't look back. He ran.

His figure became a blur. The trees whipped past him. He moved faster than he had ever moved in his life. His muscles screamed as he pushed them beyond their limits, tearing fibers that his vitality instantly worked to repair.

Hours passed. He didn't stop.

The village was miles away, but Judas ran like a man possessed. He channeled every ounce of stamina he had.

His lungs burned. His legs felt like lead. But the image of those golden eyes spurred him on.

Finally, the familiar wooden structures of the settlement came into view.

He skidded to a halt at the edge of his property, gasping for air, sweat soaking his new tunic.

He looked back.

Even from here, miles away from the Rift entrance, he could see it.

The shadow of the dragon was rising from the tear in reality, circling the sky above the mountains. It had exited the Rift.

It was real. And it was close.

Judas didn't waste time panicking. He switched into ruthless logistics mode.

He sprinted to the pond behind his house.

"Nibble! Nubble!" he roared.

The two spirits popped their heads out of the water, looking confused.

"Get in." He grabbed the furry potatoes by the scruff of their necks and tossed them into the void.

He looked at the pond. He had spent weeks cultivating these spirit fish.

He concentrated.

'System, terraform.'

Inside the Couple Space, he mentally carved a massive hole in the ground near the edge.

In the real world, he extended his mana. With a grunt of effort, he siphoned the water, the mud, and the fish, sucking them into his inventory space and immediately dumping them into the newly created hole inside the Couple Space.

The pond was dry in seconds.

Next, the crops.

He ran to the garden. His crops were halfway to maturity. Leaving them was a waste.

He didn't have time to dig them up gently. He used his mana to rip the topsoil layer entirely, transferring the dirt and the plants together into the Couple Space.

"Nibble, Nubble!" he projected his voice into the space. "Replant everything!"

Judas stormed into his house.

He stripped the house bare. Within five minutes, the only thing left was the wooden frame.

"Done."

He stepped outside. The shadow in the sky was getting larger. The dragon was widening its patrol circle.

He needed speed. Running on foot drained too much stamina, and he needed to save his strength for emergencies.

He sprinted toward the village square.

A detachment of the Royal Army was stationed there, guarding the supply wagons for the upcoming tournament. A group of soldiers stood around a hitching post, laughing and drinking.

Judas saw a sturdy black warhorse tied to the rail.

He walked straight toward it.

"Hey!" a soldier shouted, stepping in his path. He wore the crest of a Sergeant. "That's military property, citizen. Step away."

Judas didn't slow down. He didn't have time for diplomacy.

He stopped inches from the Sergeant's face.

"Move," Judas said softly.

"Are you deaf?" The Sergeant reached for his sword. "I said—"

Intimidation.

Judas released the restraint on his aura.

The killing intent of a man who had slaughtered hundreds of monsters, combined with the sheer, primal fear of the dragon he was running from, crashed down on the soldiers.

The Sergeant's eyes rolled back in his head. He collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

The other soldiers froze, their knees knocking together.

"Take... take it..." one of them whimpered, dropping his spear.

Judas ignored them. He untied the reins.

He swung himself into the saddle. The horse was skittish, sensing his agitation, but Judas clamped his legs around its flanks, asserting dominance.

"Hyah!"

He kicked the beast into a gallop. At this time, the villagers had already seen the shadow of the dragon as terrified screams echoed behind him.

Judas ignored that as he galloped.

"Fuck it," he muttered to the wind as he rode. "What the hell was that monster? Is it an Adept? No, higher. An Elite at least, maybe Master."

It wasn't something he could face. Judas slightly changed the direction of the horse to the north, where the people from the mainland were supposed to be gathered.

There might be someone who could fight that monster.

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