The Legendary Demon Hunter’s Cursed Brother Chapter 8: Ch 8 - Rescue

Read chapter 8 of The Legendary Demon Hunter’s Cursed Brother by DraftingMoon on NovelPedia.

All eyes were fixed on the Rift as it crackled with violent bursts of energy, scattering sparks into the air. The space along its edges rippled and warped, twitching in uneven spasms, while its shape subtly distorted every few moments before snapping back into place. [Warning: Rift Stability at Critical Levels. Structural Collapse Expected Shortly.] The blaring warning appeared on the screens of the Rift monitoring devices. Reid stared at the red message, his hand reaching for his phone once more as he dialed the number he had contacted. It rang only once before someone picked up. "Director Shin, the Rift is collapsing," Reid said, barely controlling the tension in his voice. "...I've already contacted the higher-ups," Director Shin replied. "The earliest they can get an A-rank here is six hours from now." "That'll be too late," Reid said. There was no way the Rift would remain stable for another six hours. At this rate, it would collapse within the hour, if not sooner. "Can't they ask the guilds for help? I'm sure they can spare an A-rank to come here." "You know very well that the government's relationship with the guilds has been strained lately, Reid," Director Shin said. Reid did know. The two sides had spent years butting heads. The guilds hated government oversight, while the government refused to leave organizations capable of leveling city blocks without supervision. "So they're not going to do more?" Reid asked. He had expected as much. At the end of the day, it was only a B-rank Rift. Since it was collapsing rather than breaking out, the damage would be limited. Four people would die: three civilian children and one C-rank Awakener. In the grand scheme of things, that wasn't much. People died every day. Some fell victim to monsters, others to ordinary crimes, disease, or old age. Awakeners also lost their lives clearing Rifts on a regular basis. Compared to that, four deaths barely registered. There might be some public outrage if the story got out. A few headlines. A few angry comments. Then people would move on. It wasn't enough to stir the government into action. "...I'm sorry. I'll try contacting some guild members personally. I know a few of them. I'm sure I can—" "No need," Reid said. "That'll put you in a tough spot, Director. I'll handle this." "What are you talk—" Reid ended the call and pocketed his phone. Then he marched toward the Rift, drawing the attention of the crowd gathered nearby. The captain of the rescue team, who had been standing with his subordinates watching the Rift with conflicted eyes, shouted, "Hey! What are you doing?! Stay back from the Rift!" "Sorry, but I need to save my brother." With that, Reid stretched out his hand and stepped into the Rift, disappearing from view. *** “We’re so dead,” Yuyan said. Evan inwardly agreed. The four of them stared up at the towering monster before them. Evan didn't know what this thing was, but it was no B-rank monster. It was at least an A-rank boss. Was that why the Rift was considered a B-rank dungeon? Because the enemies were so weak that they could be handled by a single C-rank Awakener, but it made up for it by hiding a secret boss one rank above what it was supposed to have. Perhaps the existence of this tree monster explained why the pixies and wolves had been hiding in their nests instead of roaming around and attacking them. There was a bigger creature that ruled this land. Not that understanding the reason would help them at all. No matter how Evan thought about it, they were going to die. Not even Harlan could do anything about it. “Run, kids!” Harlan shouted as he dashed toward the monster's leg. He swung his sword at it, but only managed to leave a shallow scratch on the monster's thick trunk-like foot. Still, it was enough to draw the monster's attention. Evan grabbed Marcus and Yuyan, who were still frozen in shock, and dragged them away. The two stumbled before managing to regain their footing as the three of them tried to flee. The m