Chapter 807: First Day [3]

I woke up and stared at the ceiling for a moment.

It was quiet.

There was no one standing on the other side of a glass partition, looking at me as if I were some sort of dangerous object.

I wasn’t.

There were also no footsteps stopping outside the door either.

I slowly sat up.

Then I fell back against the pillow.

“…Oh.”

That felt rather good.

The mattress sank a little beneath me, and I pulled the blanket farther up before closing my eyes again. Even the temperature seemed just right.

I couldn’t remember the last time I woke up feeling this refreshed.

‘I could get used to this…’

The Guild Master was a man of his word.

This was a good room.

A very good room.

Ding! Ding!

My phone vibrated on the bedside table.

I reached towards it with my good hand, bringing it closer as a message appeared on the screen.

[Report to the equipment bay. Preparations are starting.]

“…..”

I read it twice.

Then I looked towards the ceiling again.

“Oh, right.”

There was a Gate.

**

Before I could reach the equipment bay, someone directed me towards an examination room. Apparently, even though I left the hospital, I was still forced to take mandatory checks from the doctors.

“Sit down.”

Ugh.

I almost sat on the table.

The doctor checked the screen beside him before looking towards my wrist.

“You’re not to use your nodes. For any reason.”

“Yes, I’ve been told.”

“I’m telling you again.”

“…You’re kind.”

He looked at me for a moment before reaching for the cuff around my arm. Once it tightened, I stopped moving and watched the numbers appear on the screen.

“Your vitals seem fine.”

“That’s good.”

“Any dizziness?”

“Not at the moment.”

He nodded and entered something into the computer.

“What about an itch around your nose?”

My nose twitched.

“…..”

I kept my hands on my knees.

“No.”

“Nothing at all?”

“No.”

It was a rather persistent little itch, too.

I resisted the urge to rub it as the doctor turned back towards the screen. Thankfully, he didn’t repeat the question.

Instead, he checked my temperature, shone a small light into my eyes, and asked me to follow his finger.

I followed it.

Then I followed it some more.

At this point, I felt that I was becoming quite good at being examined.

“Your bracelet.”

I looked down.

“What about it?”

“Take it off for a moment.”

My fingers stopped near the clasp.

The doctor reached into a small case beside his desk and took out another bracelet. It looked similar to the one I was wearing, although the band was slightly thicker.

“It’s a stronger version of the one you have now. It should help you better.”

“…Oh.”

I looked between the two.

Then I unfastened mine.

“Thank you.”

He handed me the replacement, and I carefully slipped it around my wrist. A little of the pressure behind my eyes eased as I secured the clasp.

That was rather nice.

I turned my wrist once before putting the old bracelet in my pocket.

“This doesn’t change what I said about your nodes.”

“Of course.”

The doctor studied me for another moment before moving the case aside.

Clank!

Right then, the door opened, and another person came in. Judging from his white robes and pad in his hand, he was likely another doctor.

I sighed.

‘Looks like this will take a while.’

***

“Where is he? Isn’t he supposed to be here already?”

“…I’ve been told he’ll be a little late. Something about a medical check-up.”

Marcus turned towards Adrian, his brows tightly furrowed.

“What exactly is the Guild thinking?”

Adrian continued checking the information on his tablet.

“I don’t know.”

“Third Order. We’re supposed to take him along and babysit him?”

“He’ll remain at the entry staging area. His limited clearance came through this morning. No diving and no node usage unless necessary.”

“Wow, and that’s supposed to be better? If he’s not allowed to use his nodes, then what even is his use?”

Vera placed her equipment case on the counter.

“Has anyone heard of Emile Crow before?”

Nobody answered.

She looked towards Tessa, who shook her head while testing the clasp on a harness.

“I checked the file. There isn’t much.”

“Then why assign him to us?”

Marcus asked.

Adrian finally lowered the tablet.

Two Fifth Order members and two Fourth Order members. Every person on the team held a specific role, and they were accustomed to working without needing to explain each decision.

An unfamiliar recruit was another responsibility.

One they weren’t particularly pleased to receive before a rescue.

“His assignment has already been approved.”

Adrian said in a low voice.

“That’s all I know.”

“Sonorous could be useful.”

Tessa pulled against the clasp before setting the harness aside.

Marcus looked towards the changing room.

“Provided he listens when someone tells him what to do, we won’t have any problems.”

Nobody immediately responded.

Eventually, Adrian turned back to his tablet.

“We’ll keep him at the staging point with the support crew. Focus on the extraction.”

The others nodded.

When Seth came out, they were already checking the next case.

***

The Gate stood beyond a line of barriers, with Guild vehicles parked along the cleared approach.

Several personnel were checking equipment beneath a temporary shelter. Thick hoses ran past their feet, connecting to the pumps waiting near the entrance.

Seth stopped beside the others, adjusting one of his sleeves.

His face remained uknown to the rest due to his disguise. From time to time, he’d hear people asking about him. Some even pointing at him.

“Water level?”

Adrian approached the person monitoring the scout feeds.

“Still within the projection. The upper gallery is dry, and all seven civilians are accounted for.”

“The return line?”

“Secured and checked. The scouts are waiting for you.”

Adrian studied the latest images before looking towards his team.

“Crow, you stay at the entry point. Don’t follow us into the flooded passage.”

Seth didn’t answer at first.

Only when he recalled he was Crow did he nod.

“Understood.”

Marcus picked up the last case, muttering something under his breath. Probably nothing nice.

They entered.

The smell of chlorine reached them almost immediately.

Water covered the lower steps beyond the entrance, reflecting the lights that stretched along the ceiling. Farther ahead, the passage opened towards the pool hall.

The same lane ropes from the recordings floated on the surface. But the water had risen several tiles higher along the walls.

A scout stood beside the equipment on the entrance landing.

He pointed ahead.

“The line follows the left wall. There’s a turn before you reach the gallery stairs.”

Adrian nodded.

“Show Marcus.”

While the two checked the route, Vera crouched beside the water.

She rested her fingers against the damp tiles, her attention moving towards the passage as she activated her node. After a moment, she traced a route across the map on her wrist display.

“They’re still together. The civilians are above us, beyond the tunnel.”

She marked the position.

“I don’t sense any movement away from the gallery.”

Tessa stopped the scout before he could follow Marcus.

“Your hand.”

The scout looked down.

A strip of cloth wrapped around his palm was dark with blood.

The scout raised his hand slightly.

“It happened as I was fixing the line.”

“Let me see.”

She removed the cloth and held his wrist. A faint light gathered beneath her fingers, spreading across the cut before its edges slowly drew together.

“Can you move it?”

The scout flexed his fingers.

“Yes.”

“Then check the spare breathing sets. We’ll need them ready for the injured.”

He nodded and moved away.

Marcus secured the extraction line to a support beside the steps. When he pulled on it, the fitting tilted slightly.

He frowned.

After adjusting it, he activated his node. A faint barrier appeared beneath his hand, holding the fitting in place.

He pulled on the line again.

This time, it didn’t move.

“Ready.”

Adrian checked each of them before looking towards the water.

“Vera leads. Marcus secures the turn. Tessa, we assess the two injured before moving anyone.”

They responded almost together.

Behind them, Seth remained near the equipment, watching without saying anything.

Adrian was about to step down when Vera raised her hand.

“Wait.”

Her gaze settled on the strip fixed to the wall.

The water moved past one of its markings.

Then the next.

Tessa looked towards the monitor beside the pumps.

“That’s too fast… The water is rising too fast.”

“Could be displacement.”

The scout suggested, his eyes similarly on the markings.

Vera shook her head.

“Nobody else entered. It can’t be displacement.”

Across the hall, the lane ropes started moving.

Not towards the passage.

But upwards.

One scraped against the bottom of the gallery stairs before coming loose. Water spilled over a step that had been dry just moments ago.

Adrian stepped back.

A voice crackled through the scout’s earpiece.

“The stairs are going under. We need to move now.”

“How fast?”

There was a short pause.

“…Very fast.”

Marcus stepped in front of the lower stairs and raised his arm as water rushed towards them. A barrier appeared, stopping the water before it could reach the equipment.

“Move the cases!”

Tessa and the scout immediately reached for them.

Adrian placed his hand against the wall.

For a moment, the water stopped rising.

It didn’t fall, but the pressure against Marcus’s barrier weakened.

Then Adrian’s jaw tightened.

“It’s starting again.”

The marker disappeared beneath the surface.

The scout stared at it, his breathing heavier than before.

“H-how is this possible? It shouldn’t be at this level yet!”

Marcus adjusted his footing.

Above them, a light flickered.

Flick!

Then another.

Flick! Flick!

A sharp sound came from across the hall, and an entire row of lights went out.

Vera immediately switched on her flashlight.

Before she could turn towards the others, the remaining ceiling lights went out.

Darkness took over.

***

I lifted my head.

For a moment, there was nothing beyond the narrow beams moving across the water.

The pool looked considerably larger without the lights.

Or perhaps I just couldn’t tell where it ended anymore.

My brows rose as a familiar window appeared before me.

“…..”

I looked at the window that appeared before me and blinked twice.

This was supposed to be a Ranked Gate.

Now it was an .

“That’s funny.”

I muttered the words under my breath.