[Timeline: Year 2041 (16 Years Since The Start)]
[Location: The Hidden Valley]
[System Notification]
[Target Location Confirmed: The Abyss Gate - Level 10.]
Damien stared at the blue holographic screen floating above the white flowers.
The words burned into his retinas, chilling him despite the warm sun of the valley.
"An Abyss Gate," Damien whispered, the wind rustling his black hair.
"And a Level 10 at that."
He walked away from the piano, his mind racing through the lore he had memorized a lifetime ago.
In the original novel, Abyss Gates weren't regular doors.
They were wounds, they were artificial tears in the fabric of reality created by the Void and Abyss Cultists to bypass the Divine Barriers that protected the mortal plane.
Most Gates were Level 1 or 2, spitting out abyss worms or low-tier imps. A Level 5 Gate required a National Army to close.
But a Level 10?
"A Level 10 Gate connects to the Deep Layers," Damien muttered, pacing the grass.
