On the other side of the city, the officer in charge of the Forbidden Zone gates was buzzing with excitement over a fresh report.
"Another gold rating. Excellent. Did anyone get a clear look at the person's face?"
Two junior soldiers stood at attention. They had been on duty at the gate that morning.
"Sir, negative. The subject moved too fast to identify," one said. "We pulled the footage afterward, but even the cameras only caught a blur. Hard to make any determination."
The officer nodded. He did not blame them. "Whoever it was clearly does not enjoy being gawked at. If the cameras cannot track him, he is very strong. Stronger than me, at least." He paused, thinking aloud. "No matter. After clearing Zone Five, he will likely prepare for Zone Six, or skip straight to Seven."
He issued his orders crisply. "Pass it down. Tighten security around the exits of Zones Six and Seven. Do not let crowds loiter. If you spot anyone who looks like a top-tier operative, inform me at once."
"Yes, sir."
They saluted and left. The officer sat back, fingers steepled, and murmured, "A gold in Zone Five. If we could recruit someone like that, it would be a blessing for all humanity."
The next morning, Vincent Fox was up early.
He ran through his usual routine, the same familiar sequence that sharpened his focus. Afterward he pulled up Professor Charles Joe's teaching schedule. He chose a window when the professor was free and messaged ahead to confirm.
By midmorning Vincent was on his way. The academy was not close, but the commute passed quickly. At the gate he flashed his student ID and stepped onto the grounds.
No sightseeing today. He headed straight to Professor Joe's office and knocked.
"Come in."
Vincent opened the door.
"Perfect timing," Professor Joe said, fatigue from his earlier class evaporating as he waved Vincent to a chair. He rummaged in a drawer and took out a treasured tin. "Hold on, I'll make tea."
He bustled out cheerfully, kettle in hand.
Alone in the office, Vincent took in the space. A handsome bookcase lined the wall, crowded with trophies that told their own story.
"Old Joe is no lightweight," Vincent muttered, amused. Then he pulled the thick Zone Six dossier from his bag. He had not cracked it last night. No point just waiting. If he skimmed now, the briefing would go down easier.
He opened to the first page.
A man with wild, spiky hair stared back at him. The legend of a thousand childhoods.
"Son Goku?"
Not the trickster of classic myth, but the protagonist of the anime Dragon Ball, also known by his Saiyan name, Kakarot. As a child he was sent off Planet Vegeta before Frieza's invasion, and later raised by Grandpa Gohan on Earth. There was the moonlit rampage, the giant ape, the tragedy. Then Bulma, and the hunt for the Dragon Balls.
Vincent shook his head, lost for a moment in memory. The image in the dossier showed Goku as an adult. That meant a later arc. Everyone knew how absurd the power scaling became. Battles that shook galaxies. Aftershocks that could rewrite a cosmos.
If that was the era the Zone was using, he really did need to think carefully about stepping in. He was strong, yes. Against those monsters, though, even he might be reduced to a footnote.
Professor Joe returned with a tea tray. "Try this. A friend gifted me the leaves."
He worked with practiced grace, rinsing cups, waking the tea, coaxing out a clear amber stream.
"Here," he said, sliding a cup to Vincent.
"Thank you."
They chatted for a minute, then the professor nodded at the dossier. "Already started reading?"
"Just now," Vincent said. "Barely touched it."
"Fair enough. There are a lot of figures in there, and nearly all of them can be your opponent. I need to walk you through the lay of the land. There is one more thing."
"What is it?"
Professor Joe took a sip and began. "Rumor had it that Zone Six fit the usual mold, but a joint team from the military recently tested it and found something different. The Zone splits into two phases."
"Two phases?" Vincent blinked. "I thought Zones usually break into three tiers. Beginner, intermediate, advanced."
"Not here." The professor grew solemn. "Zone Six runs on a timeline. In the early period, the world's characters are mostly human. Tasks look like tournament victories and so on. If you have decent power, they are not hard."
Vincent nodded, seeing the outline.
"But the current timeline has advanced into something far more terrifying," Professor Joe said. "New figures have appeared in droves. There are gods. There are angels. And above them, an all-powerful being who governs every universe."
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"