A group composed of several individuals waited inside a tall chamber, rows of large monitors humming softly as thick tubes connected them to a swirling portal suspended at the center of the room.
Besides the soft hum of the computers, the room was otherwise silent.
"How is the situation? Any information?"
Breaking the silence, one man spoke up. Wearing gold-rimmed glasses, he was the Section Chief of the Hoarding Department. Clement White. Despite being green-lit by the BUA to dive into Gates once again, the events in Malovia still haunted the minds of many present.
"...Section Chief, we’re waiting for more information. I’m trying to get a visual on the situation, but we can’t see anything. The only good thing is that we can still measure their vitals. There’s been no deaths yet. We might be able to make it in time."
"And how long do you think that is?"
"I... I am not sure."
The technical agent replied as he twinkled with the device that connected to the Gate.
Feeling the Section Chief’s burdensome gaze, he could only quietly swallow his words before getting to work.
The Section Chief crossed his arms, his foot tapping against the floor.
"I need you to hurry. The World Congress is just around the corner. We can’t afford to lose our recruits. Especially not this batch. This batch will be the one that will place us in a good ranking. They’re the ones that I spent so much time developing. They’re even better than any team from the main guild. If we lose them, then we’ll—"
WHIIIIIRL!
A loud whirling sound cut the Section Chief short as the Gate suddenly began to fluctuate. His expression, along with those of the others present, changed as they all turned toward the technical agent, who stared at the Gate with a flustered look.
"Wait, what...? This doesn’t make sense. Why is the gate fluctuating? Is the gate imploding? No, that isn’t the case. The numbers don’t suggest that. Then...?"
Hastily scanning the digits appearing on the computer beside him, his expression slowly shifted into something strange.
"What’s wrong? What’s with that expression?"
The Section Chief pressed the agent, who didn’t answer but instead looked at the gate.
That was when a change occurred. Several shadows appeared a moment later, their outlines growing clearer as the figures everyone had been anxiously waiting for finally emerged from the Gate.
"....!"
"They’re here!"
The room stirred.
Everyone rushed the group at once, their minds filled with questions, but before any of them could voice them out, they stopped.
Because...
"....."
"....."
They finally took notice of their expressions.
Dull expressions hung on their faces, like those of someone who had just seen a ghost, as they stared blankly at their surroundings.
The Section Chief raised his hand, stopping everyone from speaking as he looked at the group in front of him with clear worry. Eventually, however, he turned his attention towards the one who seemed the most clear-headed.
"Catherine."
His voice was soft.
"Hey, Catherine."
Approaching her, he nudged her shoulder, prompting her to look up to him, exposing her twisted expression.
’Oh, fuck. Not again...’
The Section Chief sucked in a breath as he eventually asked, "What’s going on? Can you tell me exactly what happened?"
***
The room was exactly as I had left it. As I finally emerged, I looked toward the meat grinder just as it ground to a halt. Moving towards it, I grabbed it and placed it away.
’...I think I’m going to turn vegetarian for a while.’
Just the thought of meat made me feel nauseated.
Feeling a sense of exhaustion, I turned to look at the chair, and just as the thought of sitting down crossed my mind, I looked down at my clothing and shook my head.
"No, maybe I shouldn’t."
Thankfully, my clothes were an item.
By simply pressing on them, I was able to change in an instant.
I was now wearing a simple black shirt with jeans. Without further ado, I finally sat down on the chair and leaned back, allowing my eyes to finally close for some rest as my head began to twitch.
’Kill...! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!’
Words echoed over and over inside my mind as the darkness swallowing my vision slowly deepened, shifting into a heavy, suffocating shade of red. What followed was an extreme sense of weakness as the effects of the knife started to finally wear off.
I wasn’t flustered by the sudden turn of events.
I had long been aware of the consequences of my actions. Power didn’t come free, and everything I had done was to test the limits of the power that I had been granted.
’Two hundred and three...’
These were the number of anomalies that I had killed back in the Gate.
It was also the limit of the knife.
Any more and...
"It would be for the best if I don’t exceed that number."
Opening my eyes, I stared blankly at the ceiling. Countless red dots swam across my vision as heat began to seep through my body.
Maybe I was starting to run a fever.
"No, I... very likely have a fever."
Thankfully, this appeared to be the extent of the consequences. At least, for now. But there was something more pressing for me to think about.
’In other words, I fell for a trap.’
Was this all a test for me?
’I don’t exactly know what their goals are, but they appear to be aware of my abilities. This is rather troublesome. But to make things even worse, the one responsible for all of this appears to be inside the Guild.’
I pressed my lips together, feeling the skin on my arms prickle.
"Goosebumps. I’m getting goosebumps."
Outside of that, however, it wasn’t all bad. Taking into consideration its words, I more or less could tell that it wasn’t aware of my ’new’ abilities.
’...I hope you enjoy my gift. It should entertain you for a bit.’
It didn’t.
Perhaps without the knife, I would’ve struggled against the boss. But with it in hand, it took no time at all for me to deal with it.
A <C> ranked Hoarding Boss...
’But still, this isn’t an ability that I can just use as I wish.’
A powerful urge to cut down everything in front of me lingered, added to the fever; I really had to pace myself when using this ability in the future.
I could only imagine what the side effects might have been had I prolonged my exposure or gone even further down the rabbit hole.
Still, this wasn’t all for nothing.
I now had a clear understanding of the knife and its abilities. I also had an idea of my limits.
If utilized properly, this could very well serve as a good weapon for me.
’But I’ll need to be careful.’
"...I wonder when Kyle and the others will come here."
Checking the time, I tried to push all thoughts aside. There was a lot I needed to think about, but I was in no state to do so. The knife’s influence was still strong, and the more I thought about the situation, the greater my bloodlust became.
Reaching for my pocket, I took out several crystals. They were the ones I had gained from clearing the Gate. In total, there were about seven of them, and they all looked rather pure.
’Not bad.’
Checking them to the side where they faded into the darkness, I looked at my phone.
"They should be here soon."
I had already contacted my squad. They were supposed to arrive soon.
Thinking about my squad, I suddenly started to miss them. It had been a while since I had last seen them. How were they doing?
"As far as I’m aware, they should be doing well. It isn’t like they participated in the Malovia Gate incident."
They had been a little bit too weak to participate.
"I should probably give them a call. Remind them that I still exist."
Thinking about how much I had neglected them, a bitter smile tugged at my lips. Just as I was about to make the call, a sudden knock stopped me mid-motion.
Knock! Knock!
I didn’t even have the time to look up when the door opened.
Shortly after, a pair of green eyes met my sight.
"Excuse me."
Her voice was soft, almost polite, but her actions told a different story; she entered as if the room were her own and took a seat in the chair opposite me.
"I’d like to talk with you for a moment."
I could only stare at her in silence.
Quietly placing my phone down on the desk, I could only offer her an insincere smile as I mumbled to myself, ’...What is this crazy bitch doing here?’