Chapter 89: Back To Work

The next morning, the sun hung high above Zenith City as the metropolis fully awakened beneath it.

Traffic flowed through the enormous avenues in steady streams, public transports moved between districts, businesses opened their doors, and millions of people began another ordinary day in a world where enormous dimensional Gates could appear without warning.

Above the distant skyline, several O.R.D.O. patrol craft moved between towers while digital billboards cycled through advertisements, news broadcasts and public Gate advisories.

The Awakener District was already considerably busier by the time Jet arrived.

He stepped out onto the broad pedestrian plaza surrounding O.R.D.O. headquarters completely geared for combat. Unlike the preparation for his first trip into the Beyond, he wasn’t carrying a large backpack or enough supplies to survive several days away from civilization.

Earth Dungeons were different. O.R.D.O. controlled the entrances, emergency response teams remained available outside, and most White Dungeons could be cleared within several hours.

The Vorpal Blade was sheathed horizontally behind his waist, positioned so his right hand could draw it quickly without interfering with his movement.

He wore lightweight black combat clothing beneath a reinforced jacket, sturdy boots and gloves, while a dark cap covered most of his hair. His usual bandana remained wrapped securely around his forehead, concealing the tiny Primal Yin-Yang Rune between his brows.

Jet had barely crossed half the plaza when something parked near the headquarters entrance caught his attention.

He stopped walking.

Frey was leaning casually against a car Jet had never seen before.

It was low enough to almost hug the road, with an aggressive aerodynamic body constructed from dark metallic material that shifted subtly between deep blue and black beneath the morning sunlight.

Thin silver lines followed the vehicle’s contours from the front grille toward the rear, while narrow headlights gave the machine an almost predatory appearance. The wheels possessed no visible conventional brake assembly, and faint Mana circuits could be seen beneath the transparent sections surrounding the rims.

Frey stood beside it wearing his combat gear with his twin curved swords secured across his back, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

Jet slowly rolled his eyes.

Frey noticed him approaching and immediately grinned. "Don’t even start. Before you say anything, this one serves a completely different purpose."

Jet stopped in front of him and looked from Frey to the car before replying, "I haven’t said anything."

"Your face said enough," Frey complained as he pushed himself away from the vehicle. "And for your information, this isn’t replacing the Vanta. My father ordered this months ago."

"That explanation somehow made it worse," Jet replied.

Frey ignored him and extended his hand.

Jet caught it, and the two clasped hands before pulling each other into a quick shoulder bump.

"Three days," Frey said afterward, rolling one shoulder beneath his gear. "I almost started getting used to sleeping without something trying to kill me."

Jet gave him a sideways look. "You spent three days inside that ridiculous training facility your father built for you. Don’t pretend you were resting."

Frey’s grin widened. "I rested responsibly."

"You sent me a video at two in the morning showing you fighting a hologram."

"That was research."

Jet shook his head and started toward O.R.D.O. headquarters. Frey fell into step beside him, leaving the new car behind.

The headquarters lobby was even more crowded than the plaza.

Raiders occupied much of the ground floor, ranging from newly licensed Awakeners wearing inexpensive protective gear to experienced teams carrying equipment that probably cost more than Jet’s apartment.

Weapons were everywhere, although O.R.D.O. regulations required them to remain sheathed or secured inside the headquarters. Staff members moved between counters while enormous displays showed active Gates throughout Zenith City and the surrounding metropolitan region.

Jet and Frey bypassed the registration counters this time.

They already had licenses.

Today they were here to use them.

Several enormous holographic globes floated within the central section of the headquarters, each nearly four meters in diameter. Their surfaces displayed three-dimensional maps of Zenith City divided into districts, with dozens of glowing markers scattered throughout the projection.

Raiders stood around the circular terminals beneath them, selecting markers and bringing up information about active Dungeons.

Jet and Frey approached an available station.

Frey placed his identification against the reader first, followed by Jet.

[RAIDER IDENTIFICATION CONFIRMED.]

[F-RANK PROFESSIONAL LICENSE.]

[SEARCH ACCESS: AVAILABLE DUNGEONS.]

The holographic city expanded before them.

Jet selected White.

The number of markers immediately increased.

Dozens of white points appeared across Zenith City and its surrounding districts, although not all represented newly formed Gates. Some had been discovered yesterday or several days earlier and remained under O.R.D.O. management while licensed teams registered for clearing rights.

White Gates were overwhelmingly the most common dimensional phenomenon on Earth.

After fifty years of records, humanity understood their appearance frequency well enough to maintain permanent response infrastructure around major population centers. In a metropolis the size of Zenith City, seeing ten or more new White Gates appear during an ordinary day wasn’t unusual.

Some days produced fewer, others considerably more, but White Gates were common enough that O.R.D.O. maintained dedicated discovery teams whose primary job was locating, securing and registering them before civilians accidentally entered restricted zones.

Green Gates were less frequent.

Zenith City could still expect several new Green Gates during an average week, sometimes clustered together during periods of elevated Mana activity.

They attracted more experienced Raiders because their monsters, materials and Mana Crystals were correspondingly more valuable, but they also demanded stronger teams and stricter clearance requirements.

Blue Gates represented another substantial drop in frequency. A city could go several weeks without one appearing, although Mana fluctuations occasionally produced multiple within a shorter period.

Their emergence received immediate O.R.D.O. attention, and access was controlled far more carefully because a failed Blue Dungeon could become a serious threat if its conditions deteriorated.

Yellow Gates were rarer still.

Zenith might see only a handful across an entire year, and their appearance was significant enough to generate alerts throughout the professional Awakener community.

Guilds competed for clearing rights, O.R.D.O. deployed specialists to establish containment zones, and civilians near the manifestation site could be temporarily evacuated depending on the Gate’s stability.

Beyond Yellow, ordinary appearance patterns became increasingly meaningless.

Orange, Red, Violet, Black and Crimson Gates were rare enough that O.R.D.O. didn’t treat their manifestation as routine Dungeon activity. When one appeared, especially near a populated region, emergency protocols could begin before anyone knew what waited on the other side. Streets closed.

Response teams mobilized. Guilds received priority summons. At the highest levels, Continental authorities could become involved before the first Raid Team ever entered.

Those Gates weren’t opportunities people casually browsed from a public terminal.

They were emergencies.

Jet filtered them from his thoughts and concentrated on White.

They were both still 1-Star Awakeners. Their objective wasn’t glory.

They needed Mana Crystals.

More specifically, they needed enough Mana Crystals to begin pushing their Star Saturation upward. Frey already had a substantial lead at forty percent, while Jet’s progression had been weighted heavily toward his Divine Rune because of their extended Beyond expedition.

That imbalance needed correcting.

Frey leaned closer to the projection and opened the first listing. "This one appeared yesterday. Office complex, western district. Estimated sixty to eighty monsters."

Jet read through the information. "Too many registered teams interested."

The listing already showed several pending applications.

Frey dismissed it and selected another. "Underground parking structure. White Gate. Preliminary environment classified as cavern."

Jet examined the recorded monster indicators before shaking his head. "Low Mana Crystal yield estimate."

"You’re picky for someone with an F-Rank license," Frey said.

"We’re specifically hunting saturation, so yes, I’m picky."

Frey couldn’t argue with that.

They continued browsing.

Around them, other Raiders did the same. A five-person team nearby debated whether a recently opened forest-type Dungeon was worth the travel time.

Two women wearing matching Guild insignias were checking monster classifications on another globe, while an older Raider stood alone comparing three separate White Gates based on material estimates.

The atmosphere was completely different from their first visit.

Back then, Jet and Frey had been outsiders trying to enter this world.

Now they belonged here.

Jet opened another Dungeon profile.

[WHITE DUNGEON — ZN-W-77104]

[Location: Northern Commercial District]

[Environment: Ruined Settlement]

[Estimated Monster Population: 35–50]

[Known Classification: 1-Star]

[Estimated Clear Time: 3–5 Hours]

[Primary Resource Projection: Mana Crystals / Beast Materials]

[Registration Status: OPEN]

Frey’s expression changed immediately.

"This one."

Jet studied the profile rather than agreeing immediately. The projected Mana Crystal yield was better than most of the listings they had checked, and the estimated population was manageable. More importantly, there were no unusual instability warnings attached to the Gate.

He opened the preliminary monster report.

Several species had already been identified by O.R.D.O.’s reconnaissance equipment, although the boss remained unknown.

Frey read beside him before tapping the Mana Crystal projection. "Good yield, not too many monsters, and nobody has registered for it yet. Unless you’ve suddenly developed a passionate hatred for ruined settlements, I think we’ve found our Dungeon."

Jet was about to answer when movement behind them drew closer.

Someone stopped only a short distance from the terminal.

Then a voice sounded behind them.

"Hello."