"Good evening. We’re coming to you live from the site of the Gate. It has been one week since its sudden appearance, and authorities report no meaningful progress in understanding or containing it.
What we do know is grim. Multiple major Guilds have confirmed the loss of several elite members during attempted expeditions inside. Officials are calling the impact devastating , both strategically and emotionally, as some of the most skilled operatives have not returned.
With each failed attempt, public concern continues to rise. The central question now echoing across the nation is this: If every effort ends in failure, when will it stop, and what will it take to overcome the Gate?"
Reporters lined up before the Gate.
By now, there was no one who didn’t know about the Gate.
This was a global crisis.
Fixing the microphone in her grasp, the reporter turned in the direction of the Gate once more, her hand trembling for a moment.
"With so many sacrifices... What will it take to clear this Gate?"
Her words carried heavily in the air, prompting the expressions of the crew besides her to grow grim.
At this moment, it wasn’t just her and the crew.
Almost everyone on the island, and those who were following, wore the same expression.
For a Gate to claim so many experts...
Was there going to be an end to it? Who could clear this Gate? Could it even be cleared in the first place?
The more they thought about it, the grimmer the situation felt.
In the midst of the atmosphere, the sudden shuffling of footsteps prompted the people stationed outside the Gate to raise their heads.
".....!"
"——!"
The faces of many changed at the sight that greeted them.
Moving past the crowd gathered at the front of the gate, several figures stepped forward, each dressed in different attire that marked them as members of entirely separate Guilds. There were at least a dozen of them, their presence alone enough to draw attention.
But the moment they appeared, the atmosphere changed.
The shift was obvious.
The chatter died instantly.
The air tightened.
And every pair of eyes turned toward them.
"It’s them!"
Some couldn’t hold back their excitement as they watched the group approach. In particular, the reporter nearly bounced in place. She snatched up her microphone with both hands and spun toward the camera, shouting, "Hurry! Hurry!"
Needless to say, the cameramen didn’t need to be told by her, as they quickly got all the equipment working before the reporter started speaking.
"They’ve finally made their move! They’ve finally made their move!"
Her voice contained a strange sense of excitement.
"At last... the Paragons have taken the field!"
There existed a global ranking for recruits: a list of the top 1000 individuals in the world. Those who managed to place on it were known as Paragons . They were the elite among elites, the pinnacle of talent and potential, and the backbone of humanity’s future fighting force.
Each Paragon was worth in the tens of millions, with not even Kyle and Zoey making it into the rankings.
The only one who had ever reached the rankings in Malovia Island was Clora, but even she quickly lost her ranking.
It was an extremely competitive list that only accepted the absolute best.
*
Pop!
The bubble gum popped.
Geneva brought the gum back into her mouth before looking at the group next to her.
"How long until we dive?"
"...Give or take, an hour."
Anderson replied while glancing at the crisp watch on his wrist. Its titanium finish gleamed under the light, perfectly matching the sharp, dark suit he wore. With a smooth motion, he brushed his dark hair back, his expression composed and stern.
"I’ve already made the necessary preparation for the Gate. However, the higher-ups are demanding that we stay for one more hour. They need more time to analyze the Gate."
"Tell them to hurry up."
An annoyed voice replied.
Staring at her long nails, Cassidy clicked her tongue.
"We’ve spent the last few days looking through all of the footage. We more or less know what we’re dealing with."
She turned, her dark braids brushing her cheek, to the burly black man nearby. His arms were crossed, and when their eyes met, there was a quiet recognition between them. Both were siblings and came from the same Guild.
"...They’re doing this because we’ve yet to gain any information regarding this boss. They are afraid that something might happen to us if we’re not careful."
His voice was rather deep, and among all the paragons present, he was one of the highest rank.
Rank 47 — Kai Latcher.
Pop!
With the bubble gum popping again, Geneva brushed her long blonde hair away and yawned.
"If that’s the case, I’ll get some rest for now. I’ll conserve my energy for now."
Her tone was calm, but there was an obvious annoyance beneath it. Although they were all deemed as Paragons, they understood that they were still far from the pinnacle. They all understood the reason why they were being sent.
’Boss.’
They were sent in order to learn more about the ’Boss’.
It had become pretty obvious that the standard of the groups sent was not sufficient to obtain more information about the ’Boss’. It was for this reason that the Guilds felt the need to send them.
She was aware of it.
They were aware of it.
And soon after she left, the space turned silent.
Nobody made a sound as they readied themselves for the inevitable Gate.
***
Meanwhile.
Inside the Gate.
Click! Click! Click! Click!
The clicks of the keyboard continued to echo throughout the Gate. They were relentless. Almost endless.
Within this atmosphere...
"Have any of you seen anything?"
Holding onto the walkie-talkie, the Section Chief spoke. His eyes were tired, and his hair was disheveled. He had long lost track of time, and for the past few hours and days, he had done nothing but stare at the monitor.
Even now, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do.
The layout in front of him was completely different from what it was in the past. He only had a fixed number of points, but he had used all of them up for the setup before him. But even with so much time passing, he was clueless about what he was supposed to do.
The worst part...?
Step!
He could still feel the steps coming from outside.
Just the sound was enough to send him on edge as he focused his attention on the monitor.
’I don’t entirely know what has happened, but given the screams that I’ve heard each day, I can assume that whatever is out there is extremely strong. It isn’t wise for me or anyone to leave. The problem is that... I don’t quite understand what I’m supposed to do.’
Nobody did.
Everyone was stuck in this endless limbo where they had no choice but to remain stuck in the cubicles, ’working’.
If not for the fact that everyone had brought food and drinks, they would’ve long since starved to death.
’This can’t go on like this.’
"Seth."
The Section Chief tried to communicate with Seth, but he received no response. It had been like this for a while.
This made him worried, and just as he was about to follow up—
Ding!
A notification suddenly appeared on his monitor.
Almost immediately, the Section Chief straightened his back as he looked at the monitor.
It was there that he saw a red dot.
Right at the entrance of his area.
The moment it appeared, the Section Chief felt the surrounding noise come to a complete standstill as his breathing paused.
Ding!
Another notification appeared.
One that caught him off guard.
[Red will not forget your favor if you help]
[Will you help?]
▶[Yes] ▷[No]