"Be wary of the crowd. They will cheer you to your death."
---
April 1st, 2068
Military vans thundered down the dusty roads like a steel parade, flanked by hovering drones and patrol scouts. Unfortunately, I—and the remaining fifty or so Limitless—were packed inside them.
From the back seat of a tinted military jeep, I watched through the glass as people ran out of their homes to cheer.
Elderly, young, fathers, mothers, even children. All waving, shouting, and smiling.
The excitement in their eyes was immense—or was it relief?
Most of my colleagues had their windows down, smiling and waving back like heroes. They believed this was a grand sendoff.
But does it matter, if we're going to a place where we'll be slaughtered?
Honestly, this felt more like a desperate cry for help. If the rift breaks and no one's here to hold the line, this entire part of the city could be wiped out in hours.
Huff.
I exhaled sharply and turned my gaze to my stats. With four points in Vitality, I had built enough stamina and endurance over the last 31 days to earn two more points in Strength and Speed.
---
> [Name] Adam Black
[Level] 2
[Race] Human
[Talent] Gatekeeper
[Talent Tier] SSS-Tier
[Stats]
Strength: 3
Speed: 3
Vitality: 4
Intelligence: 4
[Health Points] 40/40
[Energy Points] 20/20
[Skill]
Name: Door
Tier: C
Cost: 1
Proficiency: 15%
---
The only thing I dedicated myself to as much as working out was reading. I consumed everything I could about this world—articles, journals, archives. That effort rewarded me with a point in Intelligence.
It was good to know I could grow without just relying on system-given experience.
Soon, we approached the outskirts of Austin—once quiet, now a full-blown quarantine zone. Thick steel barricades stretched for kilometers, sectioning off danger from the rest of the world—or at least trying to.
But danger always finds a way to be noticed.
Outside the barricades stood thousands of civilians, shoulder to shoulder like concert fans. Some held cameras. Others carried signs. A few even cheered.
Idiots.
The rift was still a few kilometers away, but the energy in the air was impossible to ignore. It buzzed. Vibrated. Hummed like something alive.
When our black shuttle came to a stop, I stepped out and joined the others heading to the forward post.
Then they came.
Dozens of black-armored vans opened up, revealing the rest of the expedition team. About fifty students, all dressed in academy-issued tactical gear—no helmets.
Their expressions were sharper now. The excitement from earlier had vanished. Most had never seen a real rift before.
I hadn't either.
Leading us was Pamela. She wore a black turtleneck, matching pants and boots, topped with a leather trench coat. Her dark glasses made her unreadable—serious and composed, a far cry from her usual playful self.
Beside her stood someone who wasn't a student.
A towering man with a cybernetic arm that gleamed beneath a sleeveless coat. His spiky brown hair matched his rugged look.
I'd never met him in person, but his name was well-known across Lone-Star Academy:
Viktor Cain.
The Iron Marshal.
A B-Rank veteran Limitless.
A real pro.
Behind them came a hundred more—non-students, but just as vital. Researchers, miners, medics, engineers, drone pilots. A full-blown expedition team.
I took it all in with a steady gaze... then turned toward the reason we were really here.
The Rift.
It hovered in the distance like a vertical scar in the world—two stories high and pulsing with pale purple light. The air shimmered around it, warped and unstable. You couldn't hear it, but you could feel it.
Like the world had flinched.
"That…" I muttered under my breath, "...is not natural."
It looked like reality had been torn open and left bleeding.
My breath caught in my throat. For a moment, everything else faded—Pamela, the students, the crowd.
There was only the Rift.
And it was calling to me.
Ding!
> [Rift detected]
[First Task Acquired: Defeat the Lord of the Territory and take his place.]
The system's notification stole my attention, catching me off guard. This was the first time it had ever given me a task—usually, it only responded to achievements.
"What does it mean by take his place?" I mumbled, lost in thought.
But the system's reply left me tongue-tied.
> [Is that your question?]
At first, I was confused. But then it clicked. I still had a free question left—a reward from my last achievement that I hadn't used.
Realizing what was happening, my confusion turned to rage.
This damned system was trying to trick me into using my reward!
I nearly spat out blood.
How shameless can it be?
It gives me a task and then expects me to pay to understand it?
"Today, we set out on your very first expedition…" Pamela's voice cut through my thoughts like a blade.
I looked in her direction. She was standing on a stack of weapon crates, using them like a platform to address the crowd. It was such a Pamela move.
The anger faded from my chest, replaced by genuine amusement. I wasn't the only one. Everyone who'd been tense seconds ago now wore faint smiles. No one dared laugh, but the atmosphere had clearly lightened.
She had that effect.
"As your homeroom teacher, I'll be honest. Many of you will not come back alive," Pamela said, ignoring the shift in mood. Viktor Cane stood beside her like a statue, arms folded, eyes staring into nothing.
'Is he always trying to look tough, or is this just who he is?' I wondered.
"What happens inside a rift is beyond our control. Tragedy is common. But to those who survive—you'll come out stronger and more skilled than you can imagine. Defeat means death. Victory brings strength. May the heavens be with us all."
She brought her palms together and looked to the sky.
"MAY THE HEAVENS BE WITH US ALL!"
Everyone, both participants and bystanders, echoed her words and copied the gesture.
I was the only odd one out, glancing around in confusion.
'Don't they know God is dead?'
'Who the hell are they praying to?'
Thud.
Viktor's footsteps hit like drumbeats as he stepped forward. He moved like a tank compressed into human form.
Now I understood why they called him the Iron Marshal.
"BEYOND THOSE WALLS ARE CHAOS AND TERROR—CREATURES FROM FANTASY BOOKS!" His voice boomed without a mic.
Loud enough to shake bones. Loud enough for ten thousand people.
"THE ANSWER TO THAT CHAOS IS ORDER! MOVE AS ONE! FIGHT AS ONE! ACT AS ONE! THAT IS THE KEY TO SURVIVAL! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"
"Sir, yes sir!" the crowd shouted back. Their voices were firm, but not loud enough.
"I SAID, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"
"SIR, YES SIR!!!" they roared.
Viktor turned and marched back like a machine. His face remained blank. I remembered hearing he was a war hero even before awakening his ability—but wasn't he playing this character too seriously?
"Okay, supply team—strap up…" Pamela said, then turned toward me in the crowd. "Adam, you store whatever is left after they reach their limits."
"Understood," I replied with a nod.
I followed a small group of about thirty powerless humans toward a van filled with heavy backpacks. Each person carried one on their back and held another in their hand. These packs held food, tents, first aid, and all the essentials to support a small Limitless unit.
Even after they were done, the van still had packs left. A bald soldier with a mean face turned to me, clearly waiting.
But it wasn't just him.
I could feel everyone's eyes on me—eager to see what my talent could really do.
"I'll be taking the entire van, then," I said, placing a hand on the vehicle.
Buzz!
A deep vibration echoed beneath my palm, rippling across the ground. The soldier flinched and stepped back in shock—the presence my talent gave off was nearly identical to that of the rift.
'Storing big things like this takes more effort. I can't make it subtle like I did in that spar against Pamela last month,' I thought with a frown.
That was a problem. If I couldn't hide my actions, it could get me killed out there.
The ground beneath the van tore open with a sharp hiss. The huge vehicle slowly sank into the void until it disappeared completely.
Gasps erupted from behind me.
The supply issue was one of the biggest headaches Texas Limitless faced, and I'd just solved it in one move.
"If he's here, why do we need to be?" someone muttered from the supply team.
"If he dies, everything in his space dies with him. We're just backup," someone else replied.
I narrowed my eyes.
Before I could respond, the atmosphere shifted. A strong wind burst out of the rift. Its purple glow turned azure.
My brows drew together as my hair whipped around my face.
"The rift… it's open," I whispered.
My first expedition beyond Earth had officially begun.