Unfortunately, there wasn’t a storage ring left in the Sanctuary. Even though Hunter wasn’t very hungry, he still had a quick breakfast in the grove. When he was finished, he flowed out of the building like a dark breeze.

As he closed the doors behind him, he checked his mini-map. He counted thirteen targets. They were all stragglers that had survived Hunter’s purge a couple of days ago. Satisfied that the quest wouldn’t take long, Hunter started running toward the nearest cluster of imps. As he ran, he loosened the self-imposed speed restrictions, and he was practically flying over the terrain.

Within minutes he stumbled upon a trio of imps, and Hunter sprang into action. He activated Gale Rush and caught the first demon in its bony head. The end of Hunter’s staff punched through the skull of the imp and shattered the bone around it.

Hunter concentrated his mana to push wind through his staff. It spiraled down the length of his spire and exploded around the end of his staff.

Congratulations! You have earned the Active Skill: Wind Lance Lvl 1.

The results were as horrifying as they were powerful. The imps head exploded into a wave of shipped bone, black blood, and gray matter.

Without pausing, Hunter withdrew his staff and spun around to smash the flat side of his staff against a second imp’s face. Hunter’s Eye of the Hurricane identified the perfect part of the skull to strike. Just above the imp’s wide nose, there was a part of the bone that developed by joining together in a central point. When Hunter’s staff struck the point, the junction was obliterated, and the invisible pressure that held the entirety of the skull together was disrupted. The bone was released from its restraints, and the rest of the skull bloomed like a bloody flower.

Hunter dismissed the typical notification informing him that he neglected to receive experience for the latest kill before torquing his hips and launching his staff like a throwing spear. As it was leaving his fingers, he pushed mana into the end of the spire. Wind swept through the rifling on the staff surface and caused it to spin like a bullet. It left his grasp like an arrow launched from a bow. It flew through the air to cave in the final demon’s chest, and it kept moving. The wind whipped around the staff and grievously damaged the surrounding tissue. The force of the attack blew the demon backward until it was pinned against the ground but Hunter’s weapon.

Congratulations! You have earned the Passive Skill: Black Wind Augmentation Lvl 1.

Hunter retrieved his staff and studied the results of the battle that lasted mere seconds. All three demons were dead, and their bodies were already mummifying before his eyes as the Black Wind robbed them of their remaining life force.

The teenager frowned. His strength had increased by leaps and bounds, and he was no longer the frightened kid that almost died to his first imp. It was truly impressive how far he had come in such a short span of time. Hunter’s success presented a problem. The fight didn’t last long enough for him to test the limits of his new bloodline and the skills associated with it. The imps weren’t even a challenge. Hunter hoped that he could earn more of the skills that he felt were just dwelling underneath the surface of his kata.

Unfortunately, all of his battles were completely safe, and not a single one of his skills leveled up. It was an indication of why the tieflings were so underpowered. If they had been fighting safely and in large numbers, then it made sense that their progress was so stagnant. It seemed the new world didn’t reward cowardice. Not that Hunter thought he was courageous—he just had no choice in the beginning. It was kill or be killed, and his skills developed accordingly. Now that he knew the value of struggle, he wondered if the rest of civilization outside of the Rift would come to the same conclusion.

Oh, well. Hopefully, the ghorum put up more of a challenge.

Hunter didn’t bother picking up the demon’s fallen equipment. He had no use for them, and he didn’t have a storage ring with which to hold them. Now that he was fully freed from the influence of greed, he didn’t want to risk his newfound balance by introducing unstable elements to his psyche. He had enough unstable elements, just being a teenager.

Breaking into a sprint, he ran toward the next collection of enemies. Soon, it had fallen just as quickly as the last. He rinsed and repeated his journey until he had eliminated every remaining imp in the Rift. When the last one fell, he received the notification he was waiting for.

Congratulations! You have completed the quest: Clearing the Rift I. Return to the quest-giver to receive your reward.

Hunter smiled at his achievement and then looked up at the sky. The sun would be going soon, and he could probably make it to the Sanctuary or the Outpost, but not both. Although his movement speed had been improved since his first days in the Rift, the imps had been spread out around Snodgrass Mountain. None of the various groups have been close together, and he had to go on a wild goose chase each time to catch up to the imps. It was like they knew their end was nigh and were trying to avoid their fate.

Hunter decided he would return to the Sanctuary for the night and then travel to the Outpost in the morning. He didn’t want to stay the night in the tiefling village. For one, he didn’t have any money to pay for his stay, and two, he didn’t trust a single soul in the settlement. They looked out for themselves first and foremost, and he wouldn’t put it past any of the humans-turned-demon to resist the impulse to knife him in the dark over imagined riches.

Decision made, Hunter began the journey toward the Sanctuary. As he was running, he realized that now that the majority of the danger was over, he was enjoying the new world. Hunter had a hard time feeling the same rage toward the Archivist that he felt before. The guy was still a dick, but it was hard to argue with the results.

Thoughts about the Heavenly Host and their eternal war occupied Hunter until he returned to the Sanctuary. Once inside, Hunter grabbed some refreshment from the grove. When he was sated, he started practicing with his staff in the central room. He skirted around rubble while thrusting, sweeping, and striking pretend foes. He felt like his movements were being subtly guided by his Kata of the Black Wind. Now that he no longer had any demonic taint, he could benefit from the full level boosting properties of the Sanctuary. Hunter didn’t learn any new skills or level his existing ones, but he felt more in tune with his weapon.

By the time he was finished, his trousers were soaked in sweat—he had discarded his tunic early into his practice—and he was breathing heavily. He checked his stamina reserve and noticed that it was almost entirely depleted. Hunter hadn’t even noticed the drain while he was moving through his forms.

Feeling more confident in his new weapon, Hunter set it aside and went about his regular routine. Soon he was lying in bed and reflecting on his experiences during his brief contests before drifting into a dreamless sleep.