Jason let out a small breath as he did a quick mental calculation in his head before he finally answered Francis’ question.
"Since the Gate just appeared, I don’t think it’s going to break anytime soon, but with the sheer amount of mana that was taken from Mount Sinai, there’s a chance that the Gate could break prematurely due to an oversaturation. If I had to estimate, I’d say we have three weeks at most before the Gate breaks."
"We are so fucked."
The person who spoke hadn’t intended for his voice to echo through the hall like that, but everyone there was a superhuman, and they easily heard what the man said! Many superhumans agreed with the man’s sentiment! In truth, the superhumans knew that Jason’s presence was like a cheat code that allowed them to survive against most dangers that were way above their power level! But even with Jason’s presence, there was something about Gates that prevented anyone from taking them lightly!
If this Gate Boss had hundreds or even thousands of subordinates that were all around TITAN Rank I, then there was no way Jason would be able to deal with it alone! And if they added in the traps and complexity that were always present inside the Gates, as well as the unique skills possessed by the monsters, then it was likely that the Blue Gate would be too much even for Jason!
But everyone was shocked when Jason spoke up.
"I understand your concerns. I was also shocked when I felt the sheer power from that gate. But that doesn’t mean we have the liberty of time. Apart from a few outliers, everyone in this room is pathetically weak, and the aura of the Gate alone will likely be enough to kill you. So I can’t allow all of you to enter that Gate with me. I will be going through the gate in exactly two weeks. In that time, I want you all to put all your effort into growing as strong as possible. The only superhumans I will allow to come along with me are those who have achieved at least an SSS Rank by two weeks. Everyone else is just going to hold me back."
The murmuring in the hall grew even louder when people heard this. There were some who were actually happy to hear that they were too weak to go into the Gate, while there were some others who didn’t like the fact that they couldn’t enter unless they were up to a certain Rank. One of the people who wasn’t happy about this was a short woman from Germany who had a hard look on her face. The woman’s name was Gretha, and she was an S Rank. Gretha had been an A Rank just one month ago, and she had been diving into Gates at an astronomical rate since Jason took over as the leader of the new world! Gretha wanted to prove herself as one of the strongest superhumans, and to do that, Gretha needed to enter even stronger Gates! But Gretha knew that there was no way she would be able to reach SSS Rank in only two weeks! Gretha raised her hand and spoke loudly to Jason!
"And what of us who still want to enter the Gate? Shouldn’t it be our choice? This Blue Gate is a chance for us to grow even stronger, so can’t you allow us to enter so we can also gain a power boost from it?"
Jason looked over at Gretha, and he saw the determination and focus on her face. It was obvious that Gretha really wanted this, and if it were any other situation, then maybe Jason would have praised her determination, but at this moment, Jason just frowned at Gretha.
"Don’t be a fool. This isn’t a game where you can waltz into danger and expect your teammate to be there to save you if things go wrong. The gates that you’ve been entering so far, the Red, Orange, and even the Yellow Gates; they are all child’s play compared to what’s inside the Blue Gate. None of you here has been allowed to go close to the Blue Gate, and that is because the mana flowing out from that Gate alone has enough pressure to kill a regular S Rank. If the mana flowing out from the Gate is that dense, then how powerful do you think it would be inside the actual Gate? If you wish to enter the Gate, then by all means, be my guest. But do not expect me to babysit you even for a second."
Jason’s hard tone and unrelenting verbal assault actually managed to make Gretha frown while looking down, and some of the weaker superhumans turned away in shame! It felt like Jason was a parent reprimanding his children for being too weak, and many superhumans who hadn’t put enough effort into their own training felt shame fill their hearts! But Jason wasn’t saying all of that just to try and embarrass the superhumans! Jason couldn’t risk sending the weaker superhumans into the gate! The superhumans here were literally Earth’s strongest fighting force. They were like baby lions that had still not grown up properly, and Jason knew that sending them into a Blue Gate now would be like telling a lion cub to go and claim territory from an older lion! You would be destroying its potential before it could properly grow!
Jason needed to nurture these superhumans, and in order to do that, he needed to show them that there was still a long way for them to go and make them desperate to gain power! More than Jason urging them to grow stronger, the superhumans also needed to have that hunger for themselves! They needed to crave power like they craved food! They needed to face danger with the knowledge that surviving against that danger was going to give them even more strength! That was the only way they could become strong enough to protect Earth in the future! Jason couldn’t hold their hands forever!
Jason looked over the gathered superhumans, and he read their power levels. There were only about ten to fifteen people here who were already close to becoming SSS Rank. Stragga was still the only SSS Rank, but Jason knew that some other superhumans like Francis Luud, Helga, and Katarina would definitely be able to reach SSS Rank in two weeks or less! Jason picked out the ten to fifteen people who he felt would also be able to reach SSS Rank at the end of the two weeks, and Jason sent out subordinates through the shadows to follow these people.
’Keep an eye on them, and make sure they don’t sense you. But if you feel they’re about to die inside a Gate while training, then help them.’
This was Jason’s order, and the subordinates responded that they understood! Jason’s eyes finally travelled towards someone who was standing at the back of the hall, and Jason raised a brow when he saw that it was Agiel. Agiel had a small frown on her face as she stared at Jason. Agiel had cut her hair even shorter so that now it was a bob that framed her face perfectly. Jason remembered that Agiel was also an SS Rank the last time he met her, and Jason was actually a little disappointed when he saw that Agiel was still an SS Rank even now. Jason knew just how much Agiel loved to fight and improve herself, so the fact that she was still an SS Rank made him think that she was starting to neglect her training. Jason turned away from Agiel to give some final words to the people in the room, and he failed to see how Agiel’s face squeezed into a frown as she turned and left.