My Wives Are Cute Origin Beings

6:30 pm

It took a long time for Alan to reach the rift where his group was waiting for him, not because it was far away from his place. Because his grandma, his brothers, and his sisters didn't let him go until he treated his wounds. After he applied the necessary treatments, they still wouldn't let him leave and suddenly started forcing him to rest and skip work for the day. 

After a lengthy discussion filled with half-truths, they finally relented. Although he felt guilty about lying to them, he didn't want them to worry about his trip to Rift. They are unaware that he had been working in rifts for two years, a secret he kept from his grandma.

Reaching the rift, Alan found himself amid a large gathering of people. Some were there to congratulate the awakeners for successfully clearing the rift, while others had come to catch a glimpse of their favorite heroes. 

Reporters crowded the scene, eager to capture exclusive news for their respective companies; the air was filled with the sounds of camera flashes and loud cheers. The vibrant atmosphere highlighted the stark contrast between awakeners and non-awakeners. A world Alan dreamed of being a part of one day.

Rifts could appear anywhere in the world without warning; their timing and location were unpredictable. All anyone could do was hope that an awakener was nearby when one emerged.

This time, the rift had appeared in the field of a school, prompting an immediate evacuation of all the students to a safe area, while a group of awakeners stood guard, ready to respond to any unforeseen dangers. Meanwhile, another team of awakeners was tasked with clearing the rift as swiftly as possible to prevent a rift burst, a catastrophic event that would allow the dreadminds led by their leader to escape.

If that happened, not only would the dreadminds wreak havoc, but once they escaped, the rift itself would vanish, taking with it any rewards that could strengthen humanity in the ongoing battle against these dark forces.

Fortunately, the team tasked with clearing the rift completed their mission just in time, preventing the dreadminds from escaping. 

After all, how could they fail? They had the strongest awakener of the clan overseeing this area and also the big brother of the leader of bullies who had made him miserable, which was also the reason why Alan couldn't think of getting revenge on them.

Ignoring this crowd, he moved towards finding his teammates; after a minute, he spotted them in front of the rift. A group of three people collated in front of the rift, their loud laughter echoing through the area.

"Hello, Mr. Tanaka. Sorry for being late."

He bowed and greeted them, not out of fear but because he had an immeasurable respect for this man. This man, the leader of their group, helped him at the lowest point of his life. The man has a muscular body and a towering height; his beard flowed like cascading silk, long white as snow; it hung down to his chest; and he has a very loud voice, which gives an impression of a strict personality, but this is the total opposite of that—a total blockhead.

"No problem, buddy, we just arrived here." Tanaka gently smacked in the right shoulder of Alan, which caused him a little pain, which he was unaware of. The other two people—he is not close to them like he is with Tanaka, but they always help him with the work. Before he joined, they were a team of three for mining work in the rift. They had been working as a group for 3 years, and he was a newbie and the weakest in the group.

"Let's go. We have to do a lot of work today. This is going to be a long day. We are the only team for this job, and for non-awakeners like this, the only job that can help us earn more than decent."

They all nodded their heads in sync. They have to report as quickly as possible to the clan that is in charge of this area. Those who didn't awaken their power could work as delvers, and their work was to mine in the rifts after it was conquered and deliver it to the clan in charge of the respective area, and they all knew exactly what those in power could do with their authority.

They all made their way towards Rift. 

After walking for a minute, they spotted a green cloud, whose outer area was spinning like a vortex; this was the entrance of the rift. They all collected the required weapons for the mining, donned safety vests, and entered the rift.

A green color rift means it's the weakest, and its boss dreadmind and rewards are not the greatest for established awakeners, but for a person who just started walking on this path, the rewards will be a divine elixir for them. That's why all the clans will not let a single thing go to waste.

As they walked into the rift, tall, jagged walls rose around them. A faint glow from the moss lit their path, casting flickering shadows. The air was cool and thick, carrying a smell of dreadminds blood that made their noses twitch, and every sound bounced off the stone, making it feel like someone was close behind.

"Folks, ease off; don't think of anything bad; we will just do our work and leave; first we will mine the crystals."

Tanaka, sensing their face filled with fear, tried to calm them. No matter how many times you come inside a rift, you never know when your life might be consumed by it.

Alan and Tanaka picked a pickaxe and shovel; their job was to mine, and the other two worked to place the crystals in the carts and all the other things that Rift would offer them.

After working for an hour, they all decided they would rest for some time before resuming their tasks. Normally, a total of 5 teams are assigned by the clan to do this, but for some reason, they are the only team that accepted the job, and that's why the work is so laboring for them today. 

"Tanaka, I heard your son will take the awakening exam next month." Takeda, who just finished placing all the crystals in the carts with Teruya.

Yeah, I'm a little worried about him; although he is talented, he inherited my dumbness, and he is sure to fail the written exam." His smile faded into a frown.

"Haha, I guess you should send him to Alan; he is smarter than all of us here academically, hey Tana—"

Before he could finish, Tanaka swung his pickaxe in Takeda's direction.