After letting Nari know, Jaemin set the plan in motion. One week. That was the timeframe he gave himself to clear the Echo Rift as much as he could. No delays. He packed accordingly—days' worth of food, drinks, and some essentials—cramming them all into his inventory storage. Once inside the Echo Rift, time flowed differently.

  The moment he entered, he started pushing—hard.

  TING!

  [Level 21 Complete.]

  [Log File Acquired.]

  He barely even looked at the message. Another log, another random file. He didn't read it. Didn't care. The question stuck in his head, though—how were these logs even showing up here? There were no signs of people ever being in this rift before. No footprints. No gear. No trace. But he shoved the thought aside.

  Level by level, floor by floor.

  Most levels were simple. Some required clearing Abyssal mobs, others had light puzzle traps. But compared to the 200 platform ordeal he endured alone to gain the Core of Tempest, this was easier—far easier. He had the Resonants now. And they were efficient.

  Jaemin barely lifted a finger in the lower levels. The Resonants did the work. Clean, swift, mechanical killing. He simply gathered the drops—runes, gear, Focus Shards, useless trinkets with high merchant value—and pressed on.

  TING!

  [Level 38 Complete.]

  [Log File Acquired.]

  Again, he ignored it.

  At intervals, he stopped to unload. The rift had no time penalty, so he used store tokens and began converting materials. The vendor screen blinked to life.

  Total Focus Shards: 897,057,947

  He stared at the number for a few seconds. He could get anything. Legendary daggers, rare armours, and artifacts. But he didn't. Not yet.

  He scrolled the shop tabs—some gear required a million shards, some required titles, some required specific verses he hadn't unlocked. But mostly, he didn't know what lay beneath the levels. There was no guide, no online record, nothing. Just unknown territory.

  So, he saved up.

  From level 40 to 61, he hit a minor spike. The abyssals were stronger; some even had shields and elemental resistances. He switched tactics—used "Thunderbolt" and "Divine Winds" to cleave through groups, followed up with "Shadow Walk" to cut down stragglers. Warden and Ink handled the frontlines. The Mourners flanked. Shrouds ended whatever was left.

  Fast. Controlled. Efficient.

  TING!

  [Level 63 Complete.]

  [Log File Acquired.]

  He tapped the file by accident this time. Just a line.

  [Unit-73: Biome holding. Project Overseer phase delayed.]

  Jaemin blinked.

  "Unit… what?"

  But he closed it again. Didn't matter now.

  He kept going.

  By the end of Day 2 inside the rift, he had reached Level 71. His inventory was overflowing, even after selling most gear. He was sitting on almost 1.2 billion Focus Shards, hundreds of fragments, runes, two artifacts (one locked), and about 38 more log files. None of which made sense.

  He didn't stop. Couldn't stop. The deeper he went, the more... quiet it got.

  And that tree—still gleaming far in the distance, floor after floor—was getting brighter.

  He knew something waited. Something big.

  But he wasn't ready yet.

  ****

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  After finishing his license to officially become the President of a Covenant, Yoon Taeha dove straight into studying the structure, operations, and management systems that governed the Coreborn community. The responsibilities were heavier than he imagined, but he already had a plan. Every night, while staring at documents, taking calls, or reviewing guild alliance structures, one thought anchored him: Hyung-nim will be the Acting Commander.

  The distinction between titles mattered.

  The President was the registered owner—handling capital, social relations, alliance negotiations, and the Covenant's public image. But the Acting Commander? That was the real seat of power. They led the raids, commanded the force, assigned duties, and had executive combat authority. And Taeha knew—Jaemin wasn't built for desk work. He was built for war.

  So the structure was simple:

  Yoon Taeha: President

  Han Jaemin: Acting Commander

  He filled out the documents that way without hesitation.

  But all of it was meaningless unless one thing happened: the Covenant had to be sanctioned and backed financially. That meant going through his father, Yoon Jaekyun, the head of Samhwa Dynamics, a weapons-tech conglomerate deeply tied to the Coreborn world.

  Now, Yoon Taeha was seated across from his father in his private study—a cold, grey-walled room where nothing ever felt warm. His father sat across the mahogany desk, flipping through the documents Taeha had brought.

  Silence.

  Only the soft rustling of paper and the faint clinks of a gold watch against the desk filled the space.

  Yoon Taeha swallowed.

  "So, tell me, Taeha, this file you presented, what should I expect from this... What's in this..."

  Yoon Jaekyun asked, not even glancing up—his eyes still fixed on his tablet.

  "It's... paperwork..."

  Yoon Taeha replied, his voice quieter than usual, lacking its usual energy.

  "I know, a file usually contains paperwork. I'm asking you what it is for."

  Yoon Taeha's palms were sweating. His throat was tight. All he could think about was his Hyung-nim… and what he told him.

  ****

  At the store, when Yoon Taeha met Jaemin:

  "And then, I just got the report saying my core is stable... I still can't believe it, Hyung-nim..."

  Yoon Taeha said to Jaemin.

  "Hmm. Quite a shocker. Nonetheless, I'm happy for you... Taeha."

  Jaemin gave a faint smile.

  Seeing this, Yoon Taeha's face instinctively gave a bigger smile.

  "Also, Hyung-nim... I have my Covenant license exam soon..."

  Yoon Taeha said, scratching his head.

  "Good luck, Taeha."

  Jaemin responded.

  "I mean, I studied well—"

  "Not for your exam..."

  Jaemin cut him off.

  "Oh? What for then, Hyung-nim?"

  "To propose this idea to your dad..."

  Yoon Taeha went silent.

  Jaemin reached into his pocket and handed something to Taeha — a keychain-sized plushie of a smiling quokka.

  "I bought it recently. Its face resembled you. Consider it good luck from me. Do well..."

  Jaemin said calmly, patting his back.

  "Also, I'm gonna be out of reach for a week or so."

  Jaemin added before turning and walking away.

  ****

  In Yoon Taeha's slightly sweaty and shaky palm was the little charm his Hyung-nim bought for him. He wanted to hold it tight, but instead held it gently, as if not wanting to hurt the plushie.

  "Those… are the paperwork of my Covenant…"

  Yoon Taeha finally spat it out.

  "Oh? Is that so?"

  Yoon Jaekyun replied, finally putting his tablet down and looking up at Yoon Taeha.

  "Your brother is doing the same things. I don't know why you so suddenly felt the need to do so."

  Yoon Jaekyun's voice was low and calm — it was nerve-wracking.

  "I-I had this idea for a long time, and so I began building whatever I could…"

  Yoon Taeha replied.

  "Well, it's nice to see that you made an effort."

  "Eh?"

  Yoon Taeha was practically frozen hearing such a response from his dad.

  "So tell me, who are the two members in your Covenant?"

  When forming a Covenant, you needed two members: the President and the Acting Commander.

  "Well, I'm the President… and Hyung-nim is going to be the Acting Commander."

  "Hyung-nim?"

  Yoon Jaekyun narrowed his eyes. He didn't know who this "Hyung-nim" was.

  "Oh, um, he's a friend."

  "Well, Taeha, you can't tell me that you want to make a Covenant with someone who is your 'friend.'"

  "Well, he is the survivor of the Multi-tiered Rift incident."

  Yoon Taeha said.

  An audible sigh was heard from Yoon Jaekyun.

  "Hmm. Well, I guess I know who that man would be... Han Jaemin?"

  Yoon Jaekyun asked.

  "Yes, Dad. That's my Hyung-nim."

  Yoon Jaekyun was silent for a moment. Then—

  "I'll sanction your paperwork with Samhwa Dynamics authority and provide the route to fund the Covenant. BUT."

  For some reason, Yoon Taeha knew that but was coming.

  "Your friend will have to sign a contract with Samhwa Dynamics. It will only state that he cannot leave the Covenant...that he is bound to us."

  "Oh? Well, that's fine, Dad. He will."

  Yoon Taeha said.

  Honestly, if that's all it took, then he didn't mind it.

  "Good... I'm looking forward to it, Taeha."

  His dad said before getting up and leaving.

  "One last step left…"

  Yoon Taeha thought, looking back at the plushie he was still holding.

  ****

  Status:

  Name: Han Jaemin

  Level: 69

  Status Effect: Null

  Fatigue: 0/100

  Valour Surge: 80000/80000

  Title: Ascendant Arbiter

  Verse: Overseer

  HP: 190,000 / 190,000

  XP: 151,000 / 160,000

  Skillset:

  1. Dash

  2. Brute Strength

  3. Healing

  4. Super Jump

  5. Flight

  6. Master Swordsman

  7. Dual Daggers

  8. Binary Orbital Overload (Weapon Specific)

  9. Phantom Grasp

  10. Storm Call

  11. Divine Winds

  12. Thunderbolt

  13. Shadow Walk

  14. Wraith

  15. Biome Burst

  16. Core Override

  17. Core Regeneration

  Jaemin stared at his skill stat window. A few new skills had been unlocked. His eyes settled on Biome Burst.

  "Hmm, can't wait to see what it finally is…"

  He muttered.

  He scrolled down to the two newest skills:

  18. Aetherbrand Execution

  19. Black Sun Invocation

  Before he could inspect them, his gaze dropped to the broken cliff below. His resonants stood at attention, all eyes on him. Ink grinned like a kid.

  Jaemin smirked and got to his feet.

  "Could've told me if y'all were done."

  He said, collecting the loot.

  As he headed toward the towering tree, he thought, Why is the maiden still not out…

  Then he stepped below, to the next level.