The Riftborn Hunter

Aiden walked the city streets, Jenna's words echoing in his mind like a persistent drum.

Black Summit wants you.

He exhaled slowly, breath fogging in the cool night air. It wasn't a shock—he'd drawn eyes, whether he liked it or not. Surviving an S-Rank Rift was wild enough—soloing a dungeon just made him a puzzle no one could solve.

They want to know how.

That was the snag.

He couldn't let anyone dig too deep—not yet. The Source, the visions, his body healing faster than it had any right to—none of it added up, even to him.

But one thing was certain: if Black Summit was circling, others wouldn't lag far behind.

Aiden sipped his coffee—bitter warmth grounding him as the night breeze brushed his face. The cup was cheap, paper thin, but it steadied his hands after days of chaos.

Then—a distant boom.

The ground shivered beneath him. His head snapped toward it—a darkened street ahead, shadowed by looming buildings.

A pulse of Rift energy rippled through the air—raw, unstable.

Trouble.

A containment breach.

Aiden took a slow breath—logic urging him to turn back, let the Association mop it up. He wasn't their errand boy.

But shouts broke through—grunts of effort, cries of strain.

His fingers twitched—reflex, instinct.

He was already moving.

The street was a warzone—chaos spilling over cracked pavement. Four Hunters battled an unshackled E-Tier Rift Boss, their movements frantic, desperate.

[RAMPAGING SKORNSTRIDER - E-TIER BOSS]

It loomed massive—eight feet at the shoulder, insectoid limbs jittering with restless menace. Obsidian plating armored its bulk—near-impervious, glinting under streetlights. Cracks in its exoskeleton pulsed blue—Rift energy glowing, hinting at a regenerative edge that made it relentless.

Peak E-Tier—nasty, even for a team.

A spear-wielding woman lunged—her thrust sharp, aimed true. The Skornstrider reacted—fast. A bone-plated limb whipped out, slamming her side.

She crashed into a car—windshield shattering, glass raining. She didn't rise.

Aiden's eyes narrowed—the others were crumbling too.

A man with a reinforced gauntlet Trait swung—a full-force punch, muscle straining. The boss barely twitched—its retaliation came swift, a claw swipe sending him skidding across pavement, a groan trailing.

Another Hunter—shock baton crackling—circled, aiming for a plating gap. The Skornstrider pivoted—tail lashing like a scythe.

Crack.

He crumpled—weapon clattering, body still.

Aiden inhaled through his nose—jaw tight.

They weren't making it.

The last—a dagger user—panicked, voice shaking. "We can't—damn it, we need help—"

The boss turned—claws flexing.

Aiden didn't pause.

He moved.

And for the first time—

Surge Sight: Activated.

A jolt snapped through him—electric, alive—coursing his veins like a live wire.

His vision blazed—golden light flaring, sharper than foresight alone. Voltage sparked in his irises—tiny storms flickering. Lightning arced across his skin—wild, snapping, a surge of raw energy.

The world crystallized—every detail razor-edged.

His body knew—before his mind caught up.

[SURGE SIGHT: ACTIVATED]

[TEMPORARY STAT BOOST:]

[PERCEPTION +2.5]

[REFLEX +2.2]

[STRENGTH +1.8]

[AGILITY +2.1]

[ENDURANCE +1.2]

The Skornstrider lunged—claws aimed for the last Hunter.

Aiden was there—faster—grabbing the man's collar, hauling him clear.

The claw sliced air—empty, thwarted.

Aiden faced it—head steady.

He stepped in—close, deliberate—twisting past its next strike like he'd walked this fight before. Surge Sight guided—fluid, certain.

His knife flared—white-hot, lightning dancing along the blade, humming with power.

He drove it into the beast's side—deep, precise.

A blast ruptured—thunderous, electric—arcing through its plating, frying its core.

The Skornstrider convulsed—limbs jerking, blue glow sputtering.

It staggered back—Aiden pressed.

He leapt—above it—body ahead of time itself. His foot crashed onto its skull—force driving the knife deeper, splitting obsidian.

He twisted—blade grinding.

The beast screeched—body locking—lightning tearing through, fissures blazing white-hot.

Crack.

It collapsed—plating shattered, Rift energy bleeding into the air—gone.

Silence fell—heavy, sudden.

Aiden landed—light, controlled—rolling his shoulders as Surge Sight faded. His muscles ached—the boost receding—but the fight was done.

He stared at the boss's husk—sprawled, defeated.

Not long ago—F-Rank, blind—he'd have been dead in a heartbeat. No foresight. No Surge Sight. No chance.

Now?

He'd crushed a peak E-Tier boss in seconds.

And it hadn't pushed him.

He exhaled—sharp, steady—weight settling in his chest. His body was changing—power growing—step by step.

Where would it stop?

He flexed his fingers—staring at them—feeling the shift linger.

"That…" he muttered, voice low, "was something else."

He was stronger.

If he could harness it—

Next time, it wouldn't just be a boss he took down.

Footsteps—quick, firm—cut the quiet.

Aiden turned—hand on his knife.

Jenna stepped from the shadows—leather jacket scuffed, eyes wide with a fierce, quiet fire. "Kain," she said, voice rough but steady—relief beneath it. "You're alive."

He exhaled—tension easing. "Yeah. You?"

She nodded—stepping closer, gaze flicking to the Skornstrider's ruin. "Saw the breach—came running." Her eyes met his—steady, warm. "Didn't expect this."

Aiden shrugged—aching but firm. "Had to step in."

She crossed her arms—watching him, a mix of respect and something softer. "Black Summit's not wrong about you," she said, voice low. "That wasn't F-Rank."

His grip tightened—wary.

She stepped nearer—tone earnest. "You're more than they know. I see it."

A pulse flared—deep, beneath his ribs.