"All students who are coming with me, follow. The rest of you—go home," Lucas said coldly.
I honestly had second thoughts about it, but something in me—maybe instinct, maybe desperation—told me to go anyway. Who knows? Maybe I'll awaken inside that gate.
As we followed Lucas, it quickly became clear—I was the only unawakened student who hadn't stayed behind. The others whispered behind my back, their words sharp enough to cut through the air.
"Pathetic."
"Trying to act brave now?"
"What's the point if he's just gonna die?"
Hearing insults from people who were just as powerless as me… somehow, that stung more than anything else. It made me feel small—pathetic even—but I kept walking.
"Don't pay attention to those bums. They aren't worth it," Theo said, his tone surprisingly serious for once.
Then, as if he couldn't help himself, that same carefree grin crept back onto his face.
"And hey, this might actually be good for you. Who knows—you could awaken in there. Imagine that! The guy who got laughed at yesterday turning into a badass today."
I couldn't tell if he was trying to motivate me or just lighten the mood—but either way, it worked. A small smile tugged at my lips.
There was a reason why I believed that I would maybe awaken today in that gate.
Ever since the gates appeared twelve years ago, people had started awakening—some blessed by gods, others by sheer luck. It was said to be because of the dense miasma and heavy mana lingering within the gates. Entering one as an unawakened wasn't completely hopeless; there was roughly a 30% chance of awakening, or so the world believed.
But it wasn't as simple as walking in and praying for a miracle. Certain conditions had to align. The gate needed to be soaked in miasma—thick enough to rattle your lungs, but not enough to choke you to death. The mana concentration had to rival that of a ninth-circle mage from those fantasy webtoons people joked about.
And most importantly, you had to be on the edge of death—your will tested, your fear crushed. Only then, when your soul screamed louder than your heartbeat, would the gods take notice. Only then might they admire your will and choose to sponsor you.
At least… that's what the internet said.
I know trusting the internet these days is like asking an infant to help you cross the street while you're blind—it's stupid, reckless, and you'll probably end up dead halfway through. But still… when you've got nothing else to rely on, even the dumbest hope starts to look reasonable.
We followed Lucas to a military bus — and that's when it hit me. We were really going there.
The air was tense. Even the loudmouths who usually couldn't shut up were quiet now. Everyone's faces looked pale, their hands fidgeting. I could tell most of them had never seen a gate before — only heard about it in lectures or seen clips on YouTube, where some overpowered Slayer cleared one like it was a casual jog through hell.
But this time, it wasn't a video. It was real. And we were the ones walking into it.
We got on the bus, and I sat next to Theo — of course. The guy never stopped talking. We joked about how "awesome" this was going to be, even though we both knew deep down it wasn't going to be a school field trip with snacks and selfies.
Still, laughter filled the space between us. Theo's grin was contagious, and before long, I found myself laughing too. Out of everyone on that bus, we were the only ones acting like idiots heading to a festival instead of a C-grade gate.
I should've been terrified. An unawakened walking into a death zone? Yeah, that should've had me shaking in my boots.
But I wasn't.
Maybe I was just too used to disappointment to care — or maybe, just maybe, some part of me wanted to see what would happen if I finally stopped running from fear.
After what felt like two long hours of driving, the bus finally came to a halt. The sign outside read Aetiana.
The moment I stepped off, I could feel it — the air was heavy, it was mana. Thick enough to taste, almost metallic on the tongue. The land stretched out endlessly, unlike the crowded cityscape of Aurora, where I grew up — a place like Seoul, full of light, noise, and concrete.
Here, everything felt ancient. The wind itself seemed to whisper secrets from a world that existed long before ours. It was beautiful… and terrifying.
Theo whistled beside me. "Damn, this place looks like it eats people for breakfast," he muttered.
I didn't disagree.
There weren't towering trees to call this place a jungle, yet it had an eerie beauty that made the hairs on my neck stand on end. The land rolled with strange formations, jagged rocks catching the faint glimmer of Mana in the air, and a silence that felt almost alive, watching us. It was both terrifying and mesmerizing.
And now we set up camp, though it was clear we wouldn't be staying long. It felt more like a brief stop—a pit stop before diving straight into the gate. An hour in, then out, no rest, just the grim anticipation of what awaited us.
We gathered around as Lucas's voice cut through the uneasy silence.
"Prepare yourselves, students. This will be your first time inside a gate, so listen carefully. Stay close to me. Don't wander. Don't admire."
His tone was sharp, commanding—enough to make everyone straighten up.
"The monsters inside might seem weak to me," he continued, "but to you… they're gods. So watch your steps."
With that warning hanging in the air, we began to move.
Before us stood the gate—a colossal swirl of violet and black energy, pulsating like it had a heartbeat of its own. The air around it felt heavy, thick, as if it didn't want us near. A bus could've driven straight through it and vanished without a trace.
I was handed an oxygen mask. A safety measure, apparently. For the unawakened, entering a gate was practically suicide.
Most of the others had divine sponsors shielding them.
I didn't.
So as I stared into that endless whirl of purple mist, a single thought ran through my head—
If I go in there, I might not come back out.
Theo grinned, that same goofy grin he always had—but this time, there was something solid behind it. Determination maybe.
"Don't worry, Adrian," he said. "I'm here. As your friend, I'll protect you."
His tone was casual, but the look in his eyes wasn't. It was firm, serious… like he actually meant it.
I tried to laugh it off, but something about how he said it—like he already knew what was coming—made my chest tighten.
"Protect me, huh?" I muttered under my breath. "You'd better not die trying."
He just smiled wider, bumping my shoulder. "You wish."
And together, we stepped closer to the swirling gate.
And with that we approached the swirling gate.
'I hope I dont die' I thought to my self as we got closer to the gate.
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Prime here!!
Hope you enjoyed, next chapter it gets heated so prepare. Bless me with those power stones and a collection. It would be appreciated
Thanks and Bye!!
Prime Out!!!