《The Awakening Unknown》


 1 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1


    After being discharged from the hospital, I began noticing weird activities around me. It''s only been a month since that horrific accident, but for some reason¨Cnearly all of my wounds healed by now.


    Right now, I''m out jogging around town. As usual, whenever people see me they always have to stop and stare.


    It''s been like that my entire life. I have no issue with being tatted the title most handsome man in Athens. In fact, I love that title.


    But even so, I hate the attention I get. Since turning twelve, I always hated getting unnecessary attention. Even at the age of nineteen! I still hate when people stop and stare.


    I stop to rest, I had been jogging for nearly three hours now without a break.


    Recently, it''s been rather hard for me to sweat or become exhausted. So lately I have been stopping myself for occasional breaks.


    Besides my right, is the famous lake called goblin waters? It appeared around twenty or so years ago after a dungeon wall cracked open.


    Luckily, there were only a few injured from this. As soldiers who were in Athens at the time came together to stop the monsters that poured through the dungeon cracks.


    This only made Athens even more popular. Earning the third-highest tourist rates in the world.


    "Are you tired!" A voice behind me said.


    I turned around to see who it was, but to my surprise, it was my neighbor, "No it''s alright, I just wanted to take in the view here."


    She was an elderly lady, she was the one who helped me and my sister move into the apartment next to her. In her hands was a cup of chamomile tea. She always wore a kimono to remind her of her heritage, and where she lived before the war started.


    "Well¡ª still have some tea. It should be refreshing for you!" She said, holding it out to me.


    I grab the tea and sat down at the nearest bench around. And she followed, I didn''t ask why she was here.


    She normally did things like this, so it didn''t really bother me.


    All we do, however, is speaking about the world, and what I should do with my life.


    She was very wise, she came from Japan and was one of the first people to show signs of awakening.


    Scientists all around the world were secretly experimenting with their civilians. Of course, this caused an uproar.


    But when the Hellions began massacring humans, everyone turned to the government for support.


    Later on in her life, around three years after the Hellions declared war on humanity, she was brought to Athens for training.


    And for some reason decided to never return home in Japan.


    "Are you going to join the soldiers association?" She asked me.


    I looked at her in confusion, then said, "Why would I do that? I never awakened, to begin with."


    She sighed. But I still don''t know why? Throughout childhood, you are put through a series of tests. From the ages of one to five is the best time to test someone to see if they are compatible with Hellion blood.


    Some may still be compatible with it, so the government issues you to take at once again at the age of fourteen.


    But I''ve been through three different tests and each time it was shown to me that I was incompatible with the blood.


    "Abis! Something about you seems different since you were discharged from the hospital. Maybe you should get retested?"


    I noticed something different about myself as well, but It should be almost impossible for me to have awakened.


    My body completely rejects Hellion blood, and taking it may lead to my death. "¡­."


    I stared, looking at the beautiful scenery in front of me. "It cost quite a bit of money to get retested at this age!" I told her.


    "Don''t worry Abis, I''m sure that won''t be an issue!" She said smiling.


    I laughed nervously, but when looking into her eyes I can''t say no. She was the one who helped raise me and my elder sister when our family disappeared.


    I sighed and nodded my head in agreement, but how am I suppose to tell my sister about this.


    After heading home. My sister was waiting for me at the door with a smile plastered onto her face.


    "Abis, you got visitors!"


    I walk up the stairs to my apartment, to see two men in suits standing behind her.


    "Hello, are you Abis Uzun?" One of the men asked me.


    He was tall, far taller than me. He had a bald head and dark skin. He wore an all-black suit and kept his left hand tucked into his pocket.


    The other was shorter than him, around my height in size but was extremely skinny compared to anyone else I''ve seen.


    "We are with the Soldier Association! And we are under the belief that you have already awakened." He told me.


    The other one cut in to talk to his partner, "Are you sure this is the one that we are supposed to bring back. They said brown eyes, not gold!"


    The tall one stopped him with a single hand gesture and nodded his head.


    "His aura says it all!"


    "Abis, are you willing to come with us!"


    I take the time to think. Becoming a soldier is rather dangerous, but even if I happened to be a d-rank, the pay is still really good.


    I look at Ivy, then back at them before giving my answer. With a sigh, I say, "Sure¡­ I''ll become a soldier."


    Their faces look rather happy and they take me out front to a car. First I ask if they could allow me to change clothes first, and they agreed.


    Inside my closet, was only sportswear. Since all of my normal clothes were dirty I changed into charcoal grey shorts and a compression shirt that matched my shorts.


    I also had some compression pants for under my shorts.


    I head outside, my sister Ivy hands me a healthy bar to eat on while I drove to the soldiers association.


    "Please safe!" She told me as I headed out the door.


    In front of me was the limousine they had prepared for me. But even now, I still can''t figure out why they are treating me with such luxury.


    Usually, if your rank is still not confirmed or is a low rank they treat you the same way they would treat anyone else.


    Because unless you''re a high level right off the bat, they see you as any normal civilian.


    "Get in, we''ll be taking you to the soldier association right away!"


    I entered the back of the limousine, of course, I was a little suspicious of them when entering.


    But when I saw what the inside looked like, I was actually amazed. I mean I''m this nineteen years old kid¨C


    Who has never experienced anything this fancy in my entire life!


    The seat were fluffy, with a bright red cover and tinted windows.


    I turn back and wave at my sister one last time, I found this to be rather fancy even for me.


    And wished to bring her along! But I''m sure that they wouldn''t listen to my request.


    The two recruiters sat in a row in front of me, and when I closed the door the vehicle began moving.


    I sat and absorbed the feeling of being in such a rich car. The interior was even bigger than expected. Being large enough to fit at least forty people at once.


    "Did Ms. Asano send you?" That was my elderly neighbor.


    "No! When she found out about trying to recruit you. She told us, that she would try her best to help us!"


    Ms. Asano has a great influence on the soldier association. After her brave rescue mission two decades ago¨C


    She became one of the most important figures in recent history.


    Earning countless amounts of nicknames, some even I wish to gain someday.


    She always told me that she saw some sort of potential hiding within me. Could this be what she meant?


    The skinny, shorter one turned to me.


    "Hey, kid! You want to earn some cool nicknames huh?"


    My eyes widened. Not because he said something amazing, or that I saw something.


    No, it was because of his question alone! I had said nothing about wanting a nickname and just thought it.


    Could he be possibly reading my mind?


    I mean there all sorts of cool abilities. But if he can read people''s minds, that would mean that I would have to be careful what to think.


    "How did you know what I was thinking?"


    "Its the matter of reading someone! Soon you''ll be enrolled in military training. That''s where you will learn to read people as I can!" He said bragging.


    That was when I realized, usually, I would catch on to something like this quicker.


    For some reason, I was in a car with two strangers. And I didn''t even know their names!


    "Umm, may I ask for your names?"


    The skinny turned back to me, "Why should we pretty boy! We might be your kidnappers!"


    Of course, his comment was slightly unsettling. But I can tell that he was really bad at conveying jokes.


    If that was one¡­


    The tall and more mature one opened his mouth for the first time during this car ride.


    "I''m Adam, and this is Lin! We are ranked among the best recruiters in the business. And it''s nice to meet you!"


    He then turned to his right and hit Lin in the back of the head.


    "Abis get comfortable! We will arrive at the association in half an hour!"

 2 Chapter 2: The Train

    That articulate voice behind me was my closest, and the most precious friend in my life, Alec.


    Ever since I lost my mother, it felt as if I was fated to lose everyone dear to me. I lost my father, sister, and brother, and was stuck with an abusive alcoholic of a step-father.


    I always thought to myself when going to sleep. "Why us?" and would pray every night to a god whom we didn''t know truly existed.


    But then, suddenly, on my ninth birthday. A new family moved next door to us. A soldier and an ordinary housewife, they had two children, one being a ten-year-old Alec.


    At first, I didn''t like Alec, he was pushy, loud, annoying, and spoiled. But after I got to know him that all changed.


    He was smart, outgoing, courageous, self-aware, social, and popular. It was always so easy for him to make friends. He could talk to anyone and instantly gain their respect.


    That''s why I never understood why he was always hanging out with me, and not the other popular kids. Besides being "smart" there was nothing special about me.


    I wasn''t funny, outgoing, or social. I couldn''t hold a proper conversation, and I suffered from depression and PTSD during my youth.


    But that''s probably why I became so attached to him. With no one besides my sister in my life, I chose someone who was completely different than myself. And that was why he was so hard to read and so mysterious.


    "Can I come with you? There are some shoes I want to get before heading back to the dorms."


    I nodded my head and walked towards the class exit. From the corner of my eye, I could see him glaring at the students when he walked by.


    "Alec, you don''t have to threaten everyone who picks on me. It''s fine, I''m an adult at this point."


    He let out his usual sigh, and will later disregard everything I just said moments ago. In his mind, he thought I was being too much of a pushover, and that I should fight back. And in a sense, he was right.


    "I¡ªI just never understood, how wherever you go someone will always find a reason to hate you. This is our fourth school since junior high, and it always happens."


    "What can I do about it? Change their minds? They decided to not like me for their reasons, I don''t care either way!"


    "That''s what I mean! I remember back in Junior High, they beat you so badly that you were admitted to the hospital. You were covered in blood, bruises, and cigarette burns, and all I or anyone else could do was see what they had done to you. And what makes it worse, they didn''t even get into trouble.


    If that were to happen again, I would probably lash out."


    I could say nothing. I was his best friend and yet, he always felt as if he was responsible for what happened in the past. He was right, I couldn''t just let people pick on me.


    As a child, I wrote off my brother and sister disappearing as nothing more than a misunderstanding. Until I reached high school, I pretended as if I only had one sibling and that I had never seen what happened to them.


    The doctors passed it off as childhood trauma, and that my brain developed an "escape" to ease my mind. My past has always been blurry, however, and I just wish that all the traumatic events would just fly away. But it didn''t.


    I used to praise my step-father and view him as a hero. But as time went on, I saw how much of a rotten, filthy bastard he truly was.


    Just the thought of that sick, alcoholic piece of shit makes me nauseous. A sick man who got a thrill off of molesting women and little girls. He never deserved to live or have a normal life.


    I wanted to kill him. There were so many times that I wanted to kill that man, but couldn''t.


    I mean, what could I have done?


    He was a soldier. Not only was protected by the government and seventh document, but he has those damn abilities that allowed him to crush me and my sister alive at any time.


    And honestly, if not for Alec and his family; there is no doubt in my mind that I would have been dead much sooner.


    Alec lived right next to us. So I would usually go over to his house to sleep or eat dinner. Alec''s father was a high-ranking soldier, so my step-father never tried getting me from there.


    My older sister on the other hand was in a much different situation. She was older than me and had aspirations of becoming a doctor someday. Her goal was to be admitted into the medical field early, and move me and her out of that house for good.


    So she was barely home.


    Alec''s dream was to someday become a high-ranked soldier like dad. In his mind, there was nothing his father couldn''t do, so he wanted to be just like him.


    And since his father had so much authority, he had me and Alec paired to share a dorm room with each other. It was no surprise to me, he did things like that all the time.


    "Have you tried Burton''s pasta yet? It''s pretty good!" he said.


    "Are you telling me that Timothy is selling food?" I asked.


    "Huh, you didn''t know? His family owns a restaurant, so he''s planning on taking over the family business."


    "...."


    Honestly, I was speechless. Timothy is another friend that I met through Alec. He was a gamer so me and him got along pretty well. He was also quite popular, being one of the funniest people I know.


    "Well if you say it''s good, then it must be really good. You critique everyone else''s food who isn''t your mom."


    "Not everyone. I don''t critique your cooking."


    "That''s because you don''t know how to cook, so you force me to make it the way your mother does."


    "But I''m surprised¡­ You never complimented Timothy, or admitted he was good at anything, never." I told him.


    "And also learn how to cook! I won''t always be there to cool for you."


    "Gasp, and where do you think you''ll go, die? I doubt that. You may not look like much, but you''re the survivor type, I know and you know it." He told me. "Also, I''ll just get a girlfriend who can cook."


    "You didn''t need to stop walking to say that!" I said laughing to myself in the school hallway.


    ***


    We arrived at the store. What he excluded from me, was that it was going to be a two-hour walk to get here.


    "I wish you told me we were going to be coming here. We could''ve called a cab or something."


    "Sorry, sorry. I completely forgot about cabs!"


    The store was quite famous, it was well-known for lots of reasons. Soldiers got discounts, the water scandal they had going on, its name is "Buy Now". But there was only one reason why people still shopped here.


    Cheap good-looking brand clothes.


    After the hellions emerged and claimed they were going to kill all of us. Stores were eradicated. A thing of the past. But after creating barriers in every area we reclaimed, we were able to return to what felt like ordinary society.


    The government still governed the same, the citizens still sleep the same, we still eat and socialize the same way as before. Cities were rebuilt and technology was brought back to the original condition as if nothing happened.


    But once you become a soldier you''ll see the truth, the fear the hellions put into our hearts. It always returns.


    After buying some new clothes, and Alec buying his new pair of shoes we left the store. We looked at the sky and noticed the sun was beginning to set.


    "It''s starting to get dark, we should hurry up." He said.


    "It''s your fault for bringing us here in the first place! Were those shoes really that important?"


    "Yes! These are new, not very many people have them, and they''re comfortable." He told me.


    "Sigh, anyway my feet are beginning to get sore. Let''s get on a train instead of walking." I said, pointing at the subway.


    "Sure, but how long has that been there?"


    "Since the beginning, let''s go,"  I said.


    We walked into the cold subway waiting for the next train. As expected, there weren''t too many people here, and the benches were empty. The lights flickered, but not enough to bother me. The smell was disgusting, resembling that of a rotten animal.


    By the time the train arrived, the sun had already set turning the day into the night. With the train nearly empty, getting seats wasn''t too hard to do.


    "Yes, we got seats!" Alec exclaimed.


    "Hey Abis, did you finish that game I lent you a few years ago?" He asked.


    "The one you gave me two years ago? I thought I gave that back?"


    "Well¡ª you did. But I''m not talking about that game."


    "Hmm?"... "Oh, you mean Cement Hunt¨C"


    "Shoosh¡­ you need to be more quiet, what if someone heard you? We''re in college now, they can''t know we play that."


    The cemetery hunter series were games targeted towards kids. But it was so unpopular that not even kids wanted to play it. Alec, got it and fell in love with the game. So to stop playing it so religiously he gave it to me to hide.


    "Why did you even bring it up?" I asked.


    "I just wanted to know about it. I couldn''t care less."


    He always had that weird habit of bringing things up during inappropriate times and then regretting it later.


    "It''s fine, isn''t it? I mean there''s not many people on the same part of the train and we''re talking pretty low."


    "...Even so¨C" He said checking his surroundings.


    When I looked around, I saw two other people in our area. One was a very elderly woman dressed in an all-blue buttoned up trench coat, with the blue earring and a tattoo on the back of her neck.


    The other was a bald middle-aged man, he had a long scruffy beard and an even longer trench coat. His hands were tucked into his pockets but I could see that he wore dirty white gloves, with a smartwatch attached to his wrist.


    ''...I doubt there''s anyone nearby who even knows what that game is. It''s not popular, even amongst kids.'' I thought.


    "Anyway, our first raids are coming up soon. I can''t wait to start." He said smiling.


    We were already getting used to college life. And were waiting for the chance to go unto this raid and complete it. But at the time, I felt as if my hunch could be right.


    "Alec, stop talking. Don''t mention another thing about this mission until we get back to the dorms." I whispered.


    He was quick to catch on. I didn''t realize it sooner, but I noticed something off about that old woman. And it was her skin.


    Her skin somehow seemed¡­ forced. That her wrinkles weren''t there and that whoever that person was gave themselves wrinkles.


    "Listen, saying anything until we get back home is too dangerous. I don''t know who they are but¡ª"


    "They? There''s only one."


    When I looked back, I realized that the man had disappeared. "He was standing right there," I said pointing to the left of us.


    But what got even weirder, was the woman disappearing so after; without making a sound.


    That was when I knew, something seemed familiar.


    ¡¸End¡¹

 3 Chapter 3: Preparation

    "What happened out there?" Alec asked.


    "Upperclassmen playing another prank!" I replied


    "No¨Cnot that, I mean what happened on the train?"


    "That old lady was staring at us, along with that, her skin was fake and they disappeared soon after I told you to stop talking."


    He was completely drained, after coming back here from the train; we walked straight into our upperclassmen pranks.


    We were sprayed with water, tied up by a rope, and chased for around two minutes before we hid.


    He took off his jacket and hung it on the clothes rack. Our dorms were rather large, if anybody were to see the college''s dorms they would think it was a condo or apartment instead.


    After carefully placing my shoes at the entrance, I laid on the couch exhausted from all of the walking and worrying.


    "Tomorrow, we''re going to be preparing for the raid coming up in two days. To be honest, I''m a little excited." He said.


    "Yeah, in all honesty, I''m nervous," I told him.


    "Nervous, huh? It''s not like you to openly express your emotions like that, so what''s wrong?"


    "...on that train, I saw two people. One was an elderly old lady, whose skin was prosthetic. The other was a middle-aged man wearing a long brown trench coat, he wore a torn brown hat, and also had filthy white gloves on.


    When we began talking about the raid, I noticed the old woman look back first. The man tried pretending as if he wasn''t listening to us, but the train was still moving when he disappeared, soon after so did the lady." I told him.


    "I''ve rather seen you this concern with something like this. Do you want to report this to the school tomorrow?"


    "It will probably be fine." or so I thought. "I''m just curious as to who those people were."


    At that very moment, we heard a soft knock at the door. At first, it wasn''t very noticeable, the sound drowned out by the sound of our voices.


    But the second knock was more firm and slightly louder.


    I stood back up from the couch I was sitting on and walked over to the door. Looking through the peephole, all I was able to see was a figure of a female.


    Unlocking all of the locks that kept the door close, I twisted the round doorknob opening the door.


    "Hey, Abis!" the female said. I looked down to see Oma, one of my other friends I met in high school.


    Looking at her, I asked, "Why are you here?" she looked up at me and moved me out of the way.


    "You two got lucky being paired together in this large dorm!"


    "Is your dorm any different?" Alec asked.


    "Hmm, oh, no. But I wasn''t paired with anyone I know. Plus the girl that I was paired with is never there, so I can''t even make friends with her."


    She turned me, looking up at me she said, "I was hoping I could sleep here for tonight."


    "....Huh?"


    "Why do you want to stay here?" Alec asked.


    "We used to have sleepovers all the time, back when we were still in high school. Can we not now?" I said.


    "Where will you sleep? This isn''t anything like high school." I told her.


    "You have that couch!" She said pointing, at our couch.


    "I''m not letting a girl sleep on the couch! If you give me one good reason why you should stay here, I''ll give you my bed."


    "...I feel like I''m being watched." She told me. "Every night when I go to lay down, I feel a pair of eyes staring at me. They feel lifeless and cold. And has been bothering for months."


    I looked at her, her story was so convincing. Her eyes spoke the truth, yet her voice did not.


    At that point in time, I couldn''t tell whether she was lying to me or not. Even though her voice spoke lies, her eyes told the truth. Something was bothering her, so I gave in.


    "Sigh, fine you can have my room. Just let me clean up first!" I told her.


    "Wait! Where are you going to sleep, Abis?" Alec asked.


    I scratched the back of my, opening my door. "The couch, where else will I sleep?"


    In my mind, I knew what Alec was thinking. He too believed that whatever was watching Oma, would come here as well.


    ***


    Arriving in class, there was already a large project set-up in the classroom. There were seats filled with strange orbs, paper with ancient markings written on them, but evermore, there were no desks in the classroom anymore.


    The classroom was quite large. The room was designed to hold at the bare minimum of sixty-three students. Most classrooms outside of this university are not that large.


    In fact, there were no dorms or even schools the size of the U\u0026A let alone classes.


    Today we were going to prepare for our raid tomorrow. We were going to do things like sharpening and polishing our weapons, go over everything we learn this semester, practicing formations, and learn as much as we could about the gate we will be raiding.


    "Alright, class, can you all follow behind me." Professor Johnson said, leading us out of the classroom.


    We walked through the wide hallways of Atum University.  Alec was beside me, and Oma caught up to us.


    Oma wasn''t in our class, but she was also a first-year and every first-year was forced to be a part of this.


    "Today you will start the day off relearning everything you learned through the course of this semester." He told us.


    Inside were the same chairs that were in the classroom when I first came in. The only noticeable difference being they had headsets attached to these. They were all lined up against the wall with the same amount of space between each of them for us to relax properly.


    "All of you will attach yourselves to these headsets and will probably return even more information than you had before today. This machine will tell you everything you need to know in ten-minutes or less. It will explain everything about the gate we will be entering, the type of monsters, and even your weaknesses. Understood!"


    "Yes!" We all said in unison.


    Every seat had a designated person. Alec was seven seats down, but luckily Oma was right next to me.


    "I guess mine will be two minutes because I have no weaknesses," Oma told me.


    I couldn''t help but let out a chuckle at what she just said. Ever since I met her, she has always been confident in her abilities. She was small but incredibly agile and strong.


    She is also very skilled at many things, such as knitting, drawing, and anything precision-based.


    "I''ll give you nine minutes!" I told her.


    Two other professors walked into the classroom. One was Professor Smoker! Smoker was a nickname he earned before becoming a professor, and the other I forgot his name.


    Professor Smoker was tall, built, and hairy. He always wore tightly fit shirts, and always kept his arms crossed. He had a scar that his stubble naturally covered and was once known as the great Tank Smoker.


    The other professor was of average height, he had short brown hair and classes. He was very skinny and had no scars or blemishes on his face or body.


    "Okay, now put the headset on!" Professor Smoker yelled.


    ?Headset on?


    My surroundings looked identical to space. But instead of an empty black void with stars, it was blue. There were stars all around me and in front of me was a small blue screen.


    ?Name: Abis Uzun


    Age 19


    Height 182cm


    Eye Color Crimson Gold (Rare)


    Rank Unranked


    ERROR, ERROR, ERROR?


    For some odd reason, the blue screen that withheld all of my information became distorted, and a robotic voice screaming error appeared more and more the longer I stayed in there.


    I tried tapping the screen to leave the space, but it became too distorted for me to touch.


    ?Malfunction, the system must be rebooted?


    All I felt were three hands grabbing me. When I came too, everyone was already finished with their learning and were now staring at me.


    "What went wrong? This machine was made specifically for him!" Professor Johnson said.


    "Maybe it''s because he doesn''t have any abilities!" The other professor said.


    "No that can''t be right! All of the other students without abilities were able to finish the tasks." Professor Smoker rebuttal.


    I opened my eyes to Oma and Alec sitting right beside me. The three professors were talking at the entrance of the door and all of the other students had already left.


    "Are you okay Abis?" Alec asked me, while I was trying to sit up.


    When I lifted my head, both Alec and Oma forced me back down onto Oma''s lap. "You may not like to be treated like this, but you almost died. You need to rest." Oma told me.


    "Almost died? I feel fine."


    "The machine malfunctioned for some strange reason. We tested your seat to see what the problem was, but everything was fine. Do you know anything that would be helpful?"


    I looked at the professor and shook my head when I sat up my head became dizzy and it was hard for my focus.


    "Out of nowhere, the machine started screaming Error into my ears. I tried to leave, but the screen became distorted and I couldn''t touch it anymore. I fell unconscious, and when I woke, you were all here."


    "Mr. Uzun, are you able to participate in tomorrow''s raid?" Smoker asked.


    "Yeah, I''m fine. I just need some sleep."


    ¡¸End¡¹

 4 Chapter 4: Raid Begins

    I could feel my heartthrob instead of beat. The pain and suffering I was experiencing were too much to handle, and I just wanted to die already. The locket I was carrying around shattered into millions of different little pieces.


    With my body tearing itself down, I held his lifeless body in my arms as I watched him die. Telling myself dying was the only way out, I laid him on the ground and picked up the dagger.


    Nothing besides the chilling words "Do it" playing in my mind. Getting louder and louder as I felt my heart giving in, my bloody, torn-up body collapsed.


    ***


    Getting off of the bus, and finally arriving in front of the gate we were told to patiently wait for the last class to arrive.


    "Abis, do see that?" Alec said, tapping my shoulder.


    I looked to where he was looking and saw the same old lady from the train, staring at us from across the street.


    "No¨CNah, no way that''s the same lady we saw on the train yesterday," I told him.


    "So you do recognize her?" Oma said behind us.


    "Huh? Have you seen her before as well?" Alec asked.


    "No, but I found it weird that she was staring at us for so long. Ever since we got down here, I noticed her." She said.


    "Hey, Abis? Do you think we should go over there and talk to her? She looks like she wants to talk." He said.


    I believe that I turned and looked Alec in his green eyes, and then back at that woman. To me, it became apparent as to what was going on, but I''m not too sure about Alec and Oma.


    "How the hell does she look like she wants to talk? Did you not even realize? Her entire eye color changed."


    Oma turned to us and then pointed in the old ladies direction. "Umm, where did the old lady go?"


    The worried tone in her voice and the sudden disappearance of the old lady somehow frightened me, leading me to ask.


    "Were you watching her?"


    "Yes, I never took my eyes off of her! She just¡­ suddenly disappeared, into thin air."


    "Well old women don''t suddenly disappear into thin air. This is the second time she did this already. ...that means she is most likely a mage-type or not human." Alec said.


    "Wait¡­" He said, trying to finish his thoughts. "If she''s a mage type at such an old age, that means she''s an important person¡­ right?"


    "Explain some more¡­" Oma said.


    "Sigh, the "great dominance war" ended I believe around twenty-seven or so years ago, right? That means if she gained any abilities at her age, she''s either filthy rich or participated in a rebellion war against the hellions.


    No matter what her role was then. Anyone who participated in that rebellion was treated as heroes. And judging by her appearances, she isn''t capable of becoming a soldier now, because her body is too weak to handle the serum."


    "I¡­ see." She said mumbling to herself. "Well, by the way, thanks for letting me stay at your dorm again last night."


    "It''s fine, you''re rather cute when you''re sleeping in my bed. Just get up earlier next time." I told her.


    In my mind, I thought to myself that it would be much smarter to tell a teacher about what we had just seen. But it''s far too late for that.


    Most of the time, telling instructors or raid leaders things just like this you just get ignored since they''re so deep into the upcoming battle.


    In a gate, it''s life or death. So being mentally prepared is the most important thing before entering.


    The next bus arrived, it''s been around two to three minutes since we arrived, so we didn''t have to wait very long.


    "Okay! Does everyone have their armor and helmets on?" Professor Smoker shouted.


    Everyone nodded their hands and raised their hands, shouting "Yes!" at the top of their lungs.


    "Great! Does everyone have their weapons, flashlights, or crystals?"


    Once again, we all shouted "yes" as loud as we possibly could. Looking at him stand on his pedestal.


    "Okay, are you already ready!" He shouted, lifting his golden shield into the air with the lion printed in the middle shining.


    The other professor, who I believe his name is Brian, I''m not sure though, opened the gate. By unsealing the gate, and being granted the ability to enter, you need a certain key.


    Without the key, you are unable to unseal the gate you want to enter. To obtain this gate, you make an appointment with the gatekeepers and they''ll give it to you.


    When it opened, it resembled that of a portal. They say when you get used to the gates they become nothing special. But the first time you ever see it, it''s one of the most beautiful things you''ll ever see. And that''s exactly what I felt.


    We all walked towards the gate, the feeling around the area was chilling nonetheless. Inside was even worse.


    The once sunny sky was blocked out by rain-filled clouds, the buildings were torn apart, and the entire area reeked of piss and blood.


    It was cold, and there were no monsters in sight. I could see the fear of many students. Their expressions frightened, I could tell many of them wanted to go home.


    But not Alec or Oma. For some strange reason, they were as calm as you could be. I mean, even I was a little scared of just being in here.


    ***


    As we walked further, I couldn''t help but notice how deserted this place was. There was just something that felt off being here.


    From what I know, this is a C rank gate with monster C or lower residing within it. C rank gates are also known as the "Middle Rank" or "Average Rank" by many.


    Due to it being the only ranking where the gates are not too hard, yet not too easy either. A and S rank being too hard to participate in, yet alone breathing in, and D or lower being far too easy, C rank was the perfect balance to send weaker or less experienced soldiers.


    This was seen as perfect for first-year students. We didn''t have to worry about our lives, since we had A-ranked soldiers here with us. But we were also able to let loose.


    Students were not ranked yet, we didn''t get ranked until after we graduated from the university. Once you graduate, they will give a permit and paper worksheet to take up to the registration office.


    After that, you show them your paperwork, ID, permit, teacher signature, and then they''ll send you to some sort of room.


    People who didn''t get into university or simply skipped it are permitted to take a series of tests to get approved as a soldier.


    "Be careful." One of the pro-soldiers told me. "I see a dangerous amount of Goblins nearby."


    I looked ahead towards Alec and Oma who were standing behind professor Smoker at the head of the formation.


    I was in the back, with two soldiers guarding me. One was able to sense or detect any life nearby, and the other was a mage. They were both A-ranked soldiers, so a gate of this caliber shouldn''t pose too much of a fight.


    We walked further down the destroyed city and met a large abandoned building. Professor smoker turned towards and lowered his shield to the ground.


    "This is where the monsters have been hiding! I don''t understand myself, but if we want to complete this raid we will go in to defeat every monster and finish off their boss."


    Professor Smoker looked rather pale announcing our plan. He was a soldier who fought countless battles in his day and even participated in the battle of minerva.


    So to see him so pale somewhat frightened me, all I could think was "what could possibly make the great Smoker get pale in the face?"


    But one thing reassured me that something must''ve made him pale. I watched him thoroughly and noticed no trembling or irregularities in his breathing.


    So I passed it off as the cold and listened to the rest of what he had to say to us.


    "I know this is your first raid, but all of you must learn to overcome whatever is holding you back. On my march, we go." He said, turning his back towards us.


    "Now, let''s go!" he said pushing the doors open.


    Everyone marched in, not breaking formation. Their goal was to kill every monster that we were able to find.


    My goal was to find any and every clue we could get to discover more about the hellions.


    Inside the building was eroded concrete with vines and rotten flesh wrapped all around.


    We were able to hear small footsteps in the far distance. When we entered fully, the door behind us closed shut, and torches that ran along the walls lit in harmony.


    We walked farther and farther into the building and saw nothing. But then, as we were ready to rest our feet.


    "Stop!" Professor Brian exclaimed. "We are surrounded by at least ten¨Cno fifteen monsters."


    I felt something drip on me, but thought nothing of it. I thought to myself that this building is old and destroyed, so maybe some water was dropping down.


    "What?" Professor Smoker yelled. "How come the other sensory type didn''t say anything sooner?"


    When we all turned to look at him and was horrified to see his headless corpse hanging by a chain and hook through the chest.


    They all screamed and the tank who was assigned to guard me along with the sensory type finally said something.


    "What ranking did you say this gate was again?"


    "C¨Cc ranked, it''s supposed to be a C-ranked gate!" Smoker said, backing away.


    "Professor, watch out!" A student yelled.


    But it was too late, we watched as they pulled apart his body. Piece by piece, little by little. The tank in charge of me managed to kill the monsters that were ripping smoker apart.


    "Goblins? How are goblins able to do this? No, something seems of¡ª"


    Sounds became muttered, and my vision became blurry. It seemed like space and time was becoming restored itself.


    When I came to, I was lying down in a room field with Papaveraceae flowers. "Where am I?" were the only thoughts to come to mind.


    ¡¸End¡¹

 -World Building-

    Abis Uzun ¡¸Main Character¡¹


    Anja ¡¸Female Lead¡¹


    Mr. Johnson


    Oma


    Soldiers: What in other novels would consider Hunters. After the hellions arrived mankind developed soldiers.


    ¡¸Ranks¡¹


    "S" Rank: The most powerful and terrifying ranking of them all.


    "A" Rank: The second most powerful ranking.


    "B" Rank: Also known as the support rank, usually supports the A and S rank during missions.


    "C" Rank: Commonly known as the rank that doesn''t grow. Having the inability to grow in power.


    "D" Rank: More of a pity ranking, giving to people who are too old or suffering from a bad injury.


    "E" Rank: Also known as the unlisted rank, being the second-lowest paid soldiers.


    "F" Rank: The weakest ranking.


    Nations: World Leaders


    Atum- Indra Lopinto


    China- Chao Li Wu ¡¸Representative¡¹


    Africa- Kadir Zivai ¡¸Representative¡¹


    America- Sebastian Water ¡¸Representative¡¹


    India- Jui Dhar ¡¸Representative¡¹


    Russia- Vaughn Falin ¡¸Representative¡¹


    Japan- Watanabe Jun''ichi ¡¸Representative¡¹


    Germany- Klaus Dengel ¡¸Representative¡¹


    Europe- Arielle Edevane ¡¸Representative¡¹


    ¡¸Class¡¹


    - Mage Class: A special class made of magicians, wizards, witches. Commonly known as sorcerers and to some godly beings.


    - Combatant Class: Also known as the knight class, primarily made of hand to hand combatant.


    - Assassin Class: Known for their swift and sneaky movements, assassins are usually used for stealth missions, assassinations, and more.


    - Tank Class: A class of human shields, they primarily bring attention to themselves and as human shields.


    - Healer Class: The class of healers, this very self-explanatory. They heal anyone in their power level criteria.


    - Supporter Class: They specialize in attack or defense buff, this is a Sub-Class for a healer.


    - Warrior Class: Known for their ability to grab a sword and dominate the battlefield, their hand to hand combat is significantly boosted for their ability to add magic to their arsenal, this is the Sub-Class to Combatant.


    ¡¸Stats¡¹


    Strength: Lvl 1


    Agility: Lvl 1


    Intelligence: Lvl 1


    Stamina: Lvl 1


    Qi Amount: Lvl 1


    Qi Control Lvl 1


    Title: None


    Class: None


    Rank: None


    Level: 1


    Fatigue: 0


    Learning: 10


    System Control: 1


    World Information: 1