The inspector’s next words confirmed Ethan’s worst suspicion, making his entire body freeze.
"You both are assigned to the S-rank rift."
For a moment, Ethan wondered if he had heard wrong. Then the collective gasps around him answered for him.
The students nearby stared at him as if they were already looking at a corpse, and whispers immediately spread through the group.
"An F-rank Guide in an S-class rift?"
"That’s basically a death sentence."
"How unlucky can someone be?"
Ethan couldn’t even hear the rest of their comments because only one thought kept repeating inside his mind.
I’m going to die.
I’m actually going to die a second time.
No.
Absolutely not.
He had already experienced being torn apart by monsters once in his previous life. He had fought, struggled, and suffered just to survive, and now that he had somehow been given another chance, he refused to throw it away because of some ridiculous academy test.
Looking up at the instructor, Ethan tried his best to keep his expression calm despite the panic building inside him.
"Sir, I’m an F-rank Guide, and you’re sending me into an S-class rift? That’s practically a death sentence."
The instructor only smiled.
It wasn’t a kind smile.
It was the exact expression of someone who had been waiting for this opportunity.
The look in his eyes was almost like he was silently saying, Didn’t I tell you I would teach you a lesson?
Ethan immediately understood. This was his punishment. The instructor had promised to teach him a lesson, and now he was making sure Ethan remembered his place.
Still, the instructor cleared his throat and put on a fake professional expression. "It is not a death sentence. Your partner is an S-class Sentinel, so naturally, you will be assigned a higher difficulty rift. This is simply according to academy protocol. I am not targeting you personally."
Yeah, right.
What a load of bullshit.
Before he could say anything, Drey, who had remained silent beside him the entire time, finally spoke. "Alright. Let’s go."
Ethan turned his head towards him in disbelief.
Go?
Go where?
There was no way this man was seriously expecting him to willingly walk into his own death.
"Don’t tell me—"
He didn’t even get the chance to finish his sentence before Drey turned his head slightly, fixing him with a cold, impatient glare. "Are you going or not?"
His tone remained arrogantly calm, almost as if they weren’t discussing entering a dangerous rift filled with monsters capable of killing students. "You should know that staying behind is not an option, so stop wasting time and let’s go."
Ethan stared at him.
This man really had a talent for making people want to punch him. With a frustrated sigh, Ethan followed behind him toward the S-class rift gate. Apparently, he was really doing this after all...
Great.
Just great.
"Oh Lord, please don’t let me die a second death, i promise I won’t complain about this life anymore." Ethan silently prayed as they approached the gates.
Once all students had been assigned to their respective teams, the supervising professors and instructors arrived at the training grounds to monitor the examination. The massive rift gates stood before them, swirling with unstable energy. Each gate was different depending on the level of danger contained within, and even from a distance, Ethan could feel the terrifying pressure coming from the S-class rift.
The instructor announced the beginning of the practical examination and the moment the command was given, the rift gates opened. One by one, the teams entered.
The moment Ethan stepped through the S-class gate, his entire body instinctively tensed. The world on the other side was nothing like the academy’s training grounds.
The sky was dark and covered with thick clouds that moved unnaturally above them. The ground beneath his feet was a strange mixture of black stone and twisted vegetation, while an eerie silence filled the entire area. It was as if the entire world was holding its breath, waiting for something to appear.
This was a rift. A separate space created by unstable energy where monsters gathered and evolved. Unlike normal environments, rifts were unpredictable. The stronger the classification, the more dangerous the creatures inside became.
And this was an S-class rift, a place where even experienced Sentinels could lose their lives.
Ethan swallowed slightly.
Okay.
Maybe panicking was justified.