Chapter 78: Hassle?

Guryeol City, 9th Sector

The name of this city itself revealed where it was located. If one were to compare its position with the geography of the old Earth,Guryeol City would exist in the region where South Korea once stood.

It was situated far away from both Antrox and the UNIX City Sector that Neolan had previously visited, making it a distant destination from his earlier activities.

The liveliness of Guryeol City could be seen even from a distance, as advanced flying objects transported goods through the air without a single human inside them. Their movements were controlled by artificial intelligence, allowing them to deliver supplies between markets, facilities, and residential areas without interrupting the flow of traffic below.

Despite the advanced technology of the year 2705, however, Guryeol City possessed a unique characteristic that distinguished it from almost every other city sector.

Unlike the towering skylines commonly found throughout the Federation, Guryeol City had only two skyscrapers. Every other structure consisted of small houses, ordinary facilities, and markets that stood close to one another, giving the city a surprisingly simple appearance.

Even with its advanced transportation systems and automated infrastructure, the city had preserved a relatively low skyline, making it look considerably different from the technologically developed cities Neolan had encountered before.

On that matter, one might wonder how these city sectors and countries functioned and were mapped out across the world. The answer was that, except for the Marsona Empire, the entire world operated under the Federation’s treaty, with its authority held by the ten great Noble Families.

The countries that had once existed independently had all been unified under the Federation, and their former territories were now organized into cities within its jurisdiction.

Neolan could be seen walking down one of Guryeol City’s roads, his left wristwatch remaining active as he examined the holographic screen displayed in front of him. A massive rift, measuring five times his own height, stood ahead in the middle of the road. The Association had already taken precautions and established a barrier around it, ensuring that ordinary people remained unaffected by the dangerous spatial phenomenon.

After a moment, Neolan stopped in front of the barrier surrounding the rift. During his previous visit to another rift, there had been no barrier for two reasons: the rift had been relatively low-ranking, and the robots deployed by the Association could handle it without difficulty.

This one, however, was a Sealed Rift recorded as S-rank, and the highest-ranking monster residing inside it remained unknown.

Neolan stared at the massive tear in space, his gaze fixed on the red chains wrapped around it. They appeared to hold the rift in place, making it look as though whatever remained inside was being restrained by a prison rather than contained within a spatial anomaly.

"This can give me what I need, though..." He paused before looking behind him, remembering that three additional Awakeners were required to accompany him if he wanted to enter a Sealed Rift.

Even though the Association knew who he was, it had refused to let him enter alone. In fact, it was precisely because of his identity that the Association had immediately rejected his request to proceed without a team.

’I could enter an ordinary S-rank rift, but... it still wouldn’t provide me with the life-and-death experience I need.’ He remembered that there was another strategy to obtain that experience, but he felt that it still wasn’t risky enough.

For now, Neolan turned his attention toward the three Awakeners standing behind him. One of them wore a yellow-and-white suit specifically designed for battle, its advanced construction making it suitable for combat against powerful monsters.

"Why did ya stop, Neolan? Scared now that you’ve come face-to-face with the real thing?" he asked, provoking Neolan with a childish grin.

Neolan exhaled at the unnecessary provocation before replying, "Maximus, for starters, I was the one who mentioned coming here alone, but you three accompanied me anyway. It’s just that... I feel scared of you three." He maintained a calm expression while delivering his response, showing little interest in taking Maximus’s words seriously.

"After all, what will happen if you three die in there?" Neolan added with an amused expression. Maximus and the other two immediately responded, their teeth clenched as they spoke in cold voices, "You Ashburns really are arrogant, you should remember that you’re merely a B-rank, while we’re S-ranks."

"Exactly! You should remember that," Maximus continued. "If we don’t accompany you inside, your death is practically certain. We might still be able to escape, but what about you?" His tone remained firm, and the other two clearly shared his opinion regarding the difference in their ranks.

"You should also understand that we’re the ones holding the leverage here. If we refuse to enter and report the situation to the Association, your entry into the rift itself will be cancelled." Maximus spoke coldly, making it clear that he had no intention of letting Neolan forget their position in the team.

Although Neolan belonged to one of the ten great Noble Families, the three S-rank Awakeners were determined to make use of their advantage. Neolan cursed inwardly. ’Tch.’

He then turned toward the rift once again and replied, "Alright, fine. I apologize. Now, it’s time to go inside." With that, he activated his wristwatch and tapped a few options on its holographic interface, causing the blue barrier surrounding the rift to disappear immediately.

Maximus and the other two sighed before following Neolan. "I can’t believe that a B-rank is ordering us around," Junwoo remarked as they approached the rift.

Beside him, Kiozo responded smoothly, "What can we do? He’s from one of the ten Noble Families, and also... he holds a higher Federation rank than us." The advanced VR glasses covering only his eyes remained in place as he spoke.

Neolan heard their complaints but didn’t respond to a single criticism. His mind was already growing tired, as though he had been forced to form a team with children instead of working alongside capable Awakeners like those he had known in his previous life. ’Sigh, hassle after hassle. I should get this over with quickly and shift my attention to my main objective of investigation.’

After reaching the rift, Neolan extended his hand and placed it against one of the red chains made entirely of energy. The moment he touched it, his entire being was pulled inside the rift without warning. The other three followed one after another, each touching the chain and being drawn into the sealed space.