Author's Preface
Three days later, Blue entered the Association leader’s office. Titus stood from behind his desk, the same unimpressed look on his face. “Have a seat, Blue.” Blue sat without a word. “Just a few documents to sign,” Titus said, gathering the papers in front of him. “Before that… are you sure about this? This won’t be a normal raid. You’ll be required to clear it on your own.” He paused, watching Blue carefully. “You can still say no. We can come to an agreement and work toward your A-rank promotion instead.”
“I’m sure, sir,” Blue replied calmly. “This is the quickest way to get what I want right now. There’s no point in delaying the inevitable.”
Titus studied him for a moment, then gave a small nod. “Very well.” He slid the first document across the desk. “This states the Association will not be held liable for any injury or death that occurs inside the gate.” Then the second. “This one outlines the gate itself, along with the stipulations required to successfully become a ranker. If you fail, you won’t be promoted. You’ll remain B-rank and must wait a minimum of ninety days before attempting again, and that’s assuming a gate worthy of a ranker exam is even available.” Titus’ eyes didn’t leave him. “I’ll ask you again. Are you sure?” Blue didn’t hesitate. He picked up the pen and signed both documents without a second thought.
While Blue signed the papers, across town Grayson approached two guards stationed near the gate. “Excuse me, gentlemen.” He flashed his identification with an easy smile. “I’m here to inspect the gate. Just making sure everything is in order for tomorrow’s ranker exam.” The guards exchanged a glance before stepping aside. Grayson walked past them, pulling a small device from his pocket, a meter designed to measure the fluctuations of a gate. He moved slowly around it, taking his readings, eyes flicking across the display as it shifted. When he finished, he lowered the device and turned back toward the guards. “Thank you, gentlemen,” he said politely. Then he smiled. “Everything is perfect.”
The next day, the gate pulsed a deep red. This gate stood just a few miles from his house, a residential area that was under construction. "These things really just do show up anywhere and everywhere." Blue thought to himself as he stood in front of it, just as he had many times before. But this was the first time he would enter alone. His hands started to shake. Eve stepped forward and took his hand. “You don’t have to do this right now, Blue. Your safety is more important.”
“I do,” Blue said. “Not just for what we talked about… but for myself.” A short silence passed between them.
Behind him, Grayson, Aaron, and Titus stood near the guards, watching. All of them were here to see if the boy who had been a D-rank just six months ago could really clear an A-rank gate like this and become a ranker. Blue glanced back and gave Aaron a quick nod, then turned and walked toward the gate. “Good luck!” Grayson called out, raising a hand, a hint of excitement breaking through his usual calm. Blue stepped forward and entered. And that was when everything went wrong. The gate began to crackle, red streaks of energy streaked from the gate and struck the ground like lightning. Then the gate condensed and shrunk until it was gone... vanished into thin air.
Aaron stared, then let out a sharp breath. “You’ve got to be shitting me…” He turned toward Titus. “Titus… you mother- That’s an S-class gate. They’re the only ones that close when someone enters. You set that boy up again.”
“Again?” Grayson said, cutting in. “You mean you’ve put him in danger before?” Grayson turned with a scorned look toward Titus.
Titus didn’t respond. He stood there, eyes fixed on the empty space where the gate had been. It had been checked. Over and over for three days. Slowly, he turned and walked away, heading straight for his car. He got into the back seat. “Association. Now.” The door shut, and the car pulled off.
Eve dropped to her knees, her breath unsteady. Aaron stepped beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” he said quietly. “That kid’s stronger than we think.”
“Why does this keep happening to him?” Eve said, her voice tight. “He’s just trying to find a pendant… save Murim…” The words left her mouth before she could stop them. She froze. Grayson had heard. He turned slightly, looking in her direction for a moment, then smiled faintly and began to walk away. “…Interesting.”
Blue stood in a wasteland. Gray clouds hung low overhead, and an awful stench filled the air. This wasn’t the terrain described in the document he had signed. A loud crackle suddenly filled the air, sharp enough to make him turn. The gate behind him collapsed in on itself and vanished without a trace. Blue’s heart dropped. Everything about this was wrong. He took a breath and steadied himself. If he couldn’t go back, then the only way left was forward.
As Blue moved through the wasteland, he spotted a towering structure in the distance, or at least the shadow of one through the fog. “I suppose I’ll head there.” He unslung his backpack and checked his supplies. Two bottles of water, some jerky, a few granola bars. “…Damn. This might not be enough.” He zipped it back up and slipped it over his shoulders. “I’ll have to use it sparingly.”
He took a step forward. A hand shot up from the ground beneath him and grabbed his ankle. Blue let out a loud sharp yell, the sound echoed louder than he expected. He stomped down hard, crushing the hand until it released him. “What the hell was that?” He glanced around, then muttered under his breath, “And what the hell was that scream… Ilho would never let me live that down.” Shaking his head, he started forward again.
After a few miles with nothing in sight, a figure appeared ahead, barely visible through the fog. It looked human. “I thought I was alone in here…” Then another shape appeared beside it. And another. Within seconds, dozens of shadows began to take form through the fog. As they drew closer, the sounds reached him... gargled grunts, broken yells. They looked human. But they weren’t. Gray skin stretched tight over bone, eyes sunken deep into their sockets, bodies twisted and worn. Their fingers were long, ending in jagged nails that caught what little light there was. Blue stood there for a moment, taking it in... Then they started moving. And then they started sprinting toward him.
The first ghoul reached him faster than he expected. Blue shifted to the side on instinct, his body moving before his mind fully caught up. His hand shot forward, striking through its chest and sending it crashing to the ground. It didn’t stay there. The body twitched, limbs jerking as it forced itself back up. Blue frowned. “…that's not normal.” The ghoul lunged again, its movement uneven but relentless. Blue stepped in, grabbed its head, and twisted sharply until something gave. It dropped for a second, then started moving again. His eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he drove his foot down, crushing its skull into the dirt. This time, it stayed down. The rest reached him. Five, maybe six at once, closing the distance as they broke into a full sprint on all four limbs. Blue didn’t wait for them. He moved.
One came straight at him and he knocked the strike aside and drove his elbow into its jaw, sending it stumbling. Another rushed from his side, fingers reaching, and he pivoted, his leg snapping out and caving in its chest. The third grabbed his arm, its grip stronger than it should have been. Blue tore free, but not before its nails scraped across his sleeve and the skin beneath. A shallow cut. He felt it. That was enough. Blue stepped forward into the next one, his hand closing around its face before slamming it into the ground hard enough to crack bone. Another followed immediately, and he drove his fist through its throat, ripping it apart before it could reach him. They didn’t slow down.
Even as bodies dropped, more shapes pushed through the fog, replacing them just as quickly. There was no hesitation in them. No fear. Just movement. Constant. Unending. Blue cut through another group, his strikes tighter now, more direct. Heads crushed. Necks snapped completely. Anything less, and they kept coming. He dropped another and turned. More were already there. “… Shit.” His jaw tightened. “This seriously isn’t normal.”
They pressed in again, forcing him back a step before he shifted his footing and released a burst of qi, sending several of them flying and clearing space around him. Bodies hit the ground. Some stayed down. Others twitched. Blue stood in the opening, his breathing a little heavier now, eyes fixed ahead. Through the fog, more silhouettes formed, pushing forward like nothing had changed. The tower still stood in the distance. Waiting. Blue steadied himself. Then stepped forward again. The next few hours passed much the same. Short moments to breathe. Then more of them. The ghouls were relentless. They came in waves, in numbers that didn’t seem to thin no matter how many he cut down. Pain didn’t slow them. Only deliberate, killing strikes... crushing skulls, severing heads, kept them down. Anything less, and they kept coming.
To buy himself space, Blue stepped back and drew on his qi, channeling it into his blade. He swung once, a wide arc of sword energy cutting through a large group rushing toward him, cleanly severing their heads before they could reach him. For the first time in a while, there was space. Blue let out a breath and dropped where he stood, falling back onto the ground. He braced himself with his hands, steadying his breathing. “…Holy shit. This is crazy.”
He reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of water, taking a long drink. “Eve didn’t say ranker gates were like this…” He still didn’t know. This wasn’t a normal gate meant for a ranker exam.
At the edge of the tower, far in the distance, A figure stood on a high balcony, looking down over the wasteland. He raised a single finger and pointed forward. A gate opened. From it, more figures began to pour out, moving in a steady stream toward Blue’s location. “Go on,” the figure said quietly. “Play.” A low, distorted laugh followed, echoing across the wasteland.
Even from where he stood, Blue heard it. And a dreadful chill ran down his spine. The laughter echoed again. Blue didn’t move this time. He stood up sword in his hand at his side... blood dripped onto the ground. He stared toward the tower. Then more figures stepped out of the fog. Not dozens. Hundreds. Blue let out a slow breath. “…Fucking of course. This is going to be a long ass day."