BUA Headquarters.
Undisclosed Location.
In a certain room, fifteen people were gathered. Their figures were swallowed by a dark, heavy hue, concealing their expressions and identities alike. All of them sat behind a large, semi-circular desk, the shadows stretching across their frames as if the room itself refused to reveal who they were.
They were the Central Oversight Board (COB), the top executives of the BUA.
Nobody knew of their identities, nor were they each aware of each other’s identities.
"...What is the update on the current situation?"
A certain voice spoke.
The voice was muffled, making it difficult to discern the gender of the speaker.
"The recent Scout Reports have revealed the Gate to be an Anomalous Type Gate. They’ve all been extremely careful and have yet to start the scenario, but from the initial reports, the scenario takes place inside an Office."
"Any details on the Anomaly responsible for this reading?"
"Nothing yet."
"Hmm."
The members of the COB discussed the situation among each other.
It was rare for them to come together and talk with one another. It was essential to note that this only occurred when the situation reached a critical point. The last time this occurred was several years ago when the last Kermite-Class Anomaly was located.
"Should we start sending in members? There are several Guild Members who are asking for our permission to enter."
"...We should."
"Yes, let’s not delay things any further."
"But who should we send?"
"I’ve already thought of this."
One of the members pressed down on the table as a hologram appeared in the middle of the table. On it were details of several Guilds.
"Given our lack of information and the Scouts’ inability to properly initiate the scenario, it’s best that we send in a dummy team first. We’ll use this team to gauge the scenario and identify the primary source of the disturbance."
"A Suicide Squad?"
"Yes."
"I understand. I was thinking along the same lines. We can’t afford to lose the top elites. We can send them later when we have more information."
There was no shred of sympathy in the Board Members’ voices. They were all experienced veterans who had encountered thousands upon thousands of deaths in their entire lifetime.
To them, the deaths of several teams were a rightful sacrifice.
Especially when considering that all of this was being done for the greater good of the world.
"I’ve already compiled a list of the teams that should enter."
The hologram changed once more, displaying several emblems.
"The members that we can’t sacrifice are those of the King-Grade. They hold too much importance to be discarded like that. However, we also can’t have the teams be too weak; otherwise, they won’t be able to explore much of the Gate."
"Agreed."
"For this selection, I chose to prioritize several key factors, primarily, familiarity with the island itself and its designated Grade, which is the Queen Grade. As such, the Guilds I intend to send into the Gate will be: Malovia Island’s Severed Stars Guild, Sire Island’s Nate Guild, Thyme Island’s BlackRose Guild..."
One by one, Guild names began to be listed.
None of the other members said a word as they listened.
Until—
"...Andoria Island, Comet Guild."
The last team was called.
With a total of eight teams, the ’Suicide Squad’ was assembled.
"Does anyone have any complaints?"
"None."
"Approved."
"Approved."
"Approved."
With the approval of every member, the order was sent to those waiting in front of the gate on Malovia Island.
***
Swoosh! Swoosh—!
Figures began to appear one after another.
"This is the gate...?"
"I don’t feel anything."
The figures that appeared came from diverse backgrounds. Their uniforms bore different emblems, each marking a distinct Guild or organization, and their faces reflected a wide mix of ethnicities. Unlike Malovia, the Central Island had way more people.
At this moment, the world’s top elites were gathered inside the gate.
"This is an Office Space?"
Everyone had been briefed beforehand regarding the Gate.
The top scouts had been sent into the Gate in advance, with details regarding it being shared with every participant.
The only unfortunate thing was that there was a limit to the number of people who could enter at once.
The limit was one hundred people.
There could be no more than one hundred per mission.
This wasn’t an unexpected development. There were many gates that had a limit on the number of people who could enter.
And to no surprise, those from the Severed Stars Guild had been allowed to enter first.
"Those bastards."
The Section Chief clicked his tongue, glancing from his watch to the group gathered behind him. Fifteen people in total. Three Team Leaders, with the rest being the top elite members of the Guild, with the exception of Seth.
’...I’m not sure why the Guild Master insisted on bringing Seth, but I can’t refuse his orders.’
Seth was elite in his own way.
There was no denying that. However, with no node and his recent absence from Guild activities, he wasn’t the best person to bring. There were many others with more experience that he could’ve brought.
But that was the least of his worries.
Click! Click! Click!
Hearing the clicking sound coming from all directions, the Section Chief looked around. He stood inside a massive office floor stretching endlessly in all directions. Bright white lights glared from overhead, illuminating rows upon rows of cubicles that seemed to multiply the longer he stared.
Beneath their feet, the soft gray carpet muffled every step, swallowing the sound as if the room itself were holding its breath.
The clicking sounds...
They were coming from all directions.
’This isn’t too different from what the Scout Reports have said.’
The Section Chief’s face didn’t look so good.
The same was for the other people who were present at the gate. They all understood that the reason they had been selected wasn’t because they trusted them, but because they were supposed to serve as dummy teams for the eventual top elite teams.
’Fuck! Fuck! Fuck...!’
The moment the Section Chief heard the news of their approval, he knew that they were being sent over to die.
He wanted to complain, but this was an order sent over by the BUA.
Added to the fact that this was a global threat, he had no right to refuse.
Refusal meant treason.
’Fuck!’
The Section Chief gritted his teeth, looking around.
He could see the heaviness in their expressions as they glanced around. None of them was ignorant. Everyone understood exactly what this meant, and a quiet gloom settled over the group, suffocating the atmosphere with a cold, tense atmosphere.
But to make the situation even worse...
Bzzz!
Glinting under the bright office lights, the drone caught a glimpse of everyone’s reaction, displaying it for the entire world to see.
Indeed.
This Gate...
It was being broadcast to every leader and member outside.
The Section Chief opened his mouth, but soon closed it. He eventually turned his attention back towards his team, but just as he did, a person started moving on his own.
"Hm? Seth...?"
"Where are you going, Seth?"
Everyone grew alert.
Be it those from the Guild, or those from the other Guild.
All eyes fell on Seth.
"What are you doing?! It’s dangerous!"
Without saying anything, Seth continued to walk, moving past the first cubicle. Everyone held their breath in that moment, thinking that something was going to happen.
But—
"Eh?"
"Nothing?"
Much to their surprise, nothing happened to Seth.
Click! Click! Click!
The clicks of the keys continued to echo, their speed the same as before.
Surprised, everyone looked at each other.
Eventually, however, they all started moving forward.
Now that Seth had moved, they had no other choice but to move.
They knew that the moment he walked past the first cubicle, the scenario had begun.
The entire world held its breath.