Thunderous applause erupted through the garden, a triumphant roar for a future hero, a Rank 5 Slayer destined to echo the glory of his father and grandfather.
The golden-haired boy stood under the spotlight, basking in reverence. The legacy he bore shimmered brighter than the morning sun—Krono Silvia, heir to a bloodline that had carved its name into the awakened world.
"The Silvia family truly is a lineage of gods," the man announced. "Three generations. Three Rank-5 slayers."
The assembly dissolved swiftly, its purpose served. Cameras floated overhead like silent birds, recording every nod, every flicker of awe. The entire ceremony was a broadcast, a sharp-edged message to the world: that the Blood Bound Corporation has gained an upper hand by having a Rank-5 Slayer register with them.
Meanwhile, Sezel simply watched.
Hidden behind the sea of uniforms and polished boots, he murmured to himself with a crooked grin, "They should've spotlighted me too. 'The Weakest Slayer Known to Humankind' has a nice ring to it."
But of course, no one knew he was here. He was hidden, no one was going to ask for him.
He simply followed through the whole thing. They were sent back to the classes after the announcements. Sezel didn't know where to go, so he simply followed behind some familiar faces from yesterday.
The teacher was already waiting for them in the class, sitting at the front on his chair. Once the chairs were filled and restless shuffling died down, his voice finally cut through the silence.
"Today we will learn about the Spirit Realm," the teacher stated. Sezel's spine stiffened.
'The Spirit Realm.' He gulped hard, the memories of otherworldly horrors surfacing. As one who has roamed in that hell and witnessed the horrors firsthand, the topic stirred dread, not curiosity.
But it was important. One of the disadvantages Sezel had back then was his lack of information. However small or insignificant it may be, knowledge will always provide you an edge—something to cling to—so he was all ears.
A soft hum filled the room as a projector flickered to life. On the far wall, a grainy map blinked into existence, black as void, sparsely dotted with uncertain markings.
Sezel looked at it, dazed, 'What is that?'
"This is a rough map of the Spirit Realm," the teacher started explaining. His voice was unusually grim, a flicker of uncertainty as if what he spoke was a lie.
"In truth, we don't know if it is." The class stirred, expressions shifting to confusion. "Based on what we've uncovered, it's our best guess," he added.
Silence settled, heavy and disbelieving.
Sezel frowned, bewildered, 'What is that duality? He is just puzzling it.'
"The Spirit Realm defies human comprehension," the teacher continued, sweeping his gaze over the room. "As far as we know, the Realm is about ten times Earth's size."
'Ten times.' Cold sweat trickled down Sezel's back. His mind reeled—ten Earths? That was enough space to nurture generations of monsters. If even a fraction of those beings spilled through...
Humanity wouldn't last a month.
The teacher exhaled sharply, rousing the class from its stunned daze.
"The next part is how the Gates work." The words brought everyone back to reality. "Gates are a tear in reality, like a wormhole if you know. They let us travel to the Spirit Realm and, of course, allow the beasts to travel to Earth.
So Slayers are tasked with going inside the Spirit Realm as an expedition based on the rank of the Gates. The Gates are ranked from A - weakest to S - strongest. Weak and strong are rather misleading terms here; it should be smallest and largest."
Sezel was dumbfounded. Most of the information didn't make sense to him. Still, he continued to listen as the teacher went ahead with his explanation.
"Gates grant access to confined regions of the Spirit Realm," the teacher said, pausing to scan the room.
A girl with auburn hair shot up her hand, eager. He nodded, and she stood, voice clear. "What do you mean by 'confined regions,' and how are Gates closed?"
"A Gate doesn't open into the whole Spirit Realm. It's confined. Bound by invisible walls. Beyond those walls, there's something worse."
Sezel's pulse quickened.
'So that means there is a limit to how far one can run inside a Gate.' Sezel thought, terrified. There wasn't even enough space to run for your life. Going inside a Gate really is a suicide job.
"As for closing Gates," the teacher continued, his tone chilling, "what's humanity's primary energy source now?"
Everyone knew the answer to the simple question, yet none spoke.
"It's Spirit Essence. They are the source of every energy we use in our daily lives. That is precisely why it has become impossible for us to live without going inside the Gates."
Everyone was silent, as if embracing the harsh truth. It was the reality of humanity. Unless they wanted to go back to living in the woods and let the Spirit beasts eat them, if humans wanted to survive, they had no choice but to send Slayers into hell and hope they brought back gold.
"The Gates are also made of the energy from the Spirit Essence. And the most complicated part is, the heart of a Gate."
'What is that?' Sezel listened, puzzled. It was his first time hearing about such a thing.
Everyone shifted. "The key to any expedition," the teacher intoned, "is twofold: destroy the Gate's heart to close it, and harvest Spirit Essence."
It shouldn't be that hard, right? That was exactly what Sezel would be thinking if he hadn't heard the next words that left the teacher's mouth.
"The problem lies there. You can't come out of the gate until you have destroyed the heart." The statement sent chills down Sezel's spine. "What?" A soft question escaped his lips.