Overlapping Rift.
To put it simply—an overlapping stage.
You can only escape from the rift if you simultaneously fulfill two or more mission objectives given at once.
So, what about the difficulty?
Does it double when two stages are layered together?
Of course not. In an Overlapping Rift, the rule that 1 plus 1 equals 2 does not apply.
This is dangerous.
Pinenes’s expression hardened after checking the missions again.
[Stage: Escape], [Stage: Concealment]
The synergy between the two objectives was the worst possible.
Just moments ago, the party had been crossing a sky bridge with the tense feeling of walking a tightrope.
But what if monsters suddenly attacked from all directions during that dangerous crossing?
The odds of safely reaching the destination while dodging powerful flying monsters within the time limit would be close to zero.
Thump, thump. Sensing the threat of death, Pinenes’s heart began to race again.
If I mess up, it ends here.
Pinenes’s body was enveloped in light.
Enchant.
That cheat-level skill he’d obtained was his only means of fending off the attacks of the crows flying in from all directions.
Slash!
Blood burst forth, and the scent of it spread into the night sky.
As his sword drew a crescent arc, one of the crows flying in from the side was cleanly cleaved in half.
The +5 boost in strength and skill temporarily turned Pinenes into a swordmaster.
I’m strong.
He realized it in just a single exchange.
Speed, durability, flight capabilities—these crow monsters were on a completely different level than goblins.
Besides, the second stage’s objective was stealth.
He was supposed to exploit the enemies blind spots and survive the time limit, not face them head-on.
[Time until dimensional collapse: 7 minutes 27 seconds]
The problem was that, even knowing this, walking into the trap was the only available choice.
How many of them are there?
Caw! Screech!
Suddenly, the number of crow cries surged.
Having caught the scent of their comrade’s blood, the crows began to swarm toward the rooftop where the group stood.
Unlike goblins, these things weren’t cunning—they were aggressive.
The moment they spotted a target, they dove straight at Pinenes like hawks snatching prey.
In that instant—
“…!”
Pinenes felt his body move on its own.
His boosted strength and skill allowed him to perform feats impossible for a normal human.
Clang!
The claws of the crows rushing from the front only scraped against his armor.
At the same time, a dazzling X-shaped sword slash flashed from Pinenes.
Two crows caught in the arc burst into blood and tumbled down into the black abyss, vanishing from sight.
Tch…!
But the crow assault was far from over.
They didn’t flinch at the death of their kind—relentlessly, they targeted Pinenes alone.
Trying to withstand the attacks of these mindless monsters at the top of a building, barely able to maintain his footing, was a nightmare.
Clang!
In the instant the sound of metal rang out, Pinenes felt a burning pain on his back.
A claw had slipped through the gaps in his armor and grazed his skin.
I can’t move forward like this.
There wasn’t even time to blink.
The moment he leaned his body back, a sharp gust brushed his bangs.
Dodging by leaning backward didn’t account for balance—it was a desperate move.
But in a life-or-death situation, there was no time to worry about stability.
No, I’m reaching my limit!
Clang!
Pinenes’s eyes widened at the unexpected metallic noise.
His sword snapped just as he cleaved through another crow.
Caw!
The crow, impaled by the broken blade, plummeted below like a glitched-out graphic from a broken game.
What…? My weapon…
The longsword Pinenes had been using belonged to a mercenary who’d died during the tutorial.
It might have been good enough for an average human to use—but in the world of Sky Islands, its durability was laughably low.
Damn…!
He realized his mistake a moment too late.
In his first playthrough, he’d never used a “weapon from another dimension,” so he hadn’t thought to acquire a new one.
A mistake born from the disconnect between game and reality.
But in this world, even one mistake could mean death.
Five crows lunged at the now completely disarmed Pinenes—
BOOOOOOM—!
A massive explosion rang out at that moment.
“Guh…!”
Pinenes instinctively shut his eyes.
The sudden blast of heat against his face was unbearable.
But he quickly brushed off the heat with his glove and opened his eyes again.
The rooftop before him was now ablaze.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
And beyond those flames stood an old man, aiming his staff in Pinenes’s direction.
“Behind you! Watch out!”
So-hye, who had been standing beside the mage, shouted.
Whizz!
A sharp sound split the air, and an arrow grazed Pinenes’s cheek.
Turning around, Pinenes saw a crow stuck in the wall, flapping helplessly with an arrow embedded in it.
“I-I hit it! On the eighth try, finally…!”
Pinenes couldn’t bring himself to respond to So-hye.
Instead, he pressed a hand to his chest.
Thump! Thump!
His heart was pounding harder than ever—a clear sign of emotional turbulence.
It was obvious now that he wasn’t fully in control of himself in this moment.
Have I… lost my composure?
Unbelievable.
Since arriving in this world, his emotional fluctuations had been dulled, but he had never lost his calm—not even once.
“Pinenes-nim?”
“…!”
At the voice calling his name, Pinenes’s unrest instantly settled.
Now’s not the time to get distracted.
Caw! Caw!
The giant crows were still circling the rooftop of the building.
So fire is their weakness, huh.
Thanks to the flames burning nearby, they were docile for the moment—but it wasn’t something that would last forever.
She calmly assessed her companions’ formation.
Kim Taesung and Lee Seyoung, wielding sword and shield, were focused on protecting the group, while the other two were providing ranged support?
If that was the case, then it was a solid formation—effective against flying monsters.
Even while he had briefly lost consciousness, the others had calmly made the best decisions.
Fwoosh!
That was when Pinenes caught sight of a new golden flame burning within someone’s eyes.
[Mage Raphhel]
-
Has not yet fully regained his power from the previous dimension.
-
As his mana recovers, he can wield increasingly diverse and powerful spells.
-
His specialty—the combination of flame and wind—is said to turn entire battlefields into seas of fire.
“Are you alright?”
The mage asked as he saw Pinenes’s dazed expression, wondering if he hadn’t fully recovered yet.
“We don’t know where to go or what to do to survive. If you’re not well…”
“Don’t worry.”
Pinenes stood up, stretching his knees.
“I’m not badly hurt. I just needed a moment to think.”
He stared at the old man radiating golden brilliance for a brief moment, then turned his eyes to the golden path stretching toward their destination.
With two points of light now risen, the path to the answer had revealed itself.
“We can get out of here.”
“Really?”
At someone’s voice, Pinenes nodded again.
“I promise.”
He threw his half-broken sword off the cliff.
He wouldn’t need it for what came next.
Clack.
Then, silently, he placed his hand on the mage’s shoulder.
Everyone looked puzzled by the unexplained gesture.
Enchant.
“Huh…!”
The mage suddenly inhaled as a subtle light enveloped his body.
A strength surged through him—greater than even in his youth.
And then, for the first time in his life, mana overflowed within him.
Empowered by the strength, the mage felt a elated rush, as if his entire body would burst.
“This power…?”
“Can you use flight magic, by any chance?”
“…Unfortunately, that’s not within my domain.”
At his reply, Pinenes clicked his tongue.
To reach their destination, they would still have to cross the narrow, one-meter-wide bridge.
“How many more times can you use the magic you just did?”
“As many times as needed!”
“Good.”
Pinenes quickly scanned their surroundings and led the group forward.
Through the twisted buildings of the overlapping worlds, following the golden path across the slender bridge!
“The bridge must never be destroyed.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
As the group moved away from the protective flames, the crows began to circle them again.
If they attacked now, it would be too late to stop them!
Sensing this, the mage raised his staff.
KWAANG!
A fireball struck one of the flapping crows, and high above—several kilometers in the air—a massive explosion bloomed.
As the crimson fireworks lit up the sky, the group dashed across the slender bridge suspended above.
“Faster.”
The most dangerous moment was while crossing the bridge.
Because if they cast spells while on it, the shock from an explosion could send someone flying.
To safely get across, they had to move in perfect coordination before the flames in the sky faded.
There’s more of them than I thought!
At some point, Pinenes stopped the group.
A dozen crows blocked the sky above the bridge they needed to cross.
If they clung to the bridge like that, it would be hard to attack without risking damage to the structure.
Just as Pinenes was trying to figure out how to lure the enemies away—
Fwoosh! Flames began to spin at the tip of the mage’s staff.
A different spell?
FWAAAH!
The flame spun faster and faster until it thinned into a flash, then morphed into a thick vortex that swallowed up the nearby crows.
KWA-AANG—!
After the heat died down, only a lightly scorched bridge remained.
Everything else was gone.
Flame Tornado.
A technique that infused fire into the flow of wind.
A higher-level spell than simply mixing elements together to cause an explosion.
“…It worked…”
The old mage’s fingers trembled as he gripped his staff.
As someone who had devoted his life to magic, it was a thrill beyond any pleasure to finally glimpse a realm he’d never reached before.
“I did it…! I, Raphel, finally succeeded!”
Tears streamed down the old man’s rugged cheeks.
What filled Raphel’s heart now was an overwhelming sense of joy and achievement.
“Good. Let’s move while we can.”
“Heh… hahaha…”
From that point, things progressed quickly.
Pinenes led the way, and Mage Raphel incinerated every obstacle in their path.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
With each blaze of swirling flame, monsters shrieked, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.
As the threats disappeared, the group picked up speed.
This is incredible…
Lee Seyoung couldn’t stop admiring at the relentless display of magic.
Though it’s probably thanks to that man’s power too.
Only recently a high school student, he was familiar with many game systems.
He remembered clearly how a soft light had begun to radiate from the old man’s body after Pinenes had done something to him.
It was definitely a buff-type spell.
The source of the mage’s newfound power.
At this rate… I don’t think we’ll lose.
Lee Seyoung raised his shield, ready.
Even if his strength was minor, he would help cover any gaps for the man and the old mage.
Yeah, as long as those two were fine—they could survive even this damned place.