“...You’re more than just a Training Sword?” Cassius asked with raised brows, genuinely surprised.
However, after half a minute of no response, he sighed in disappointment. “Seems you are not yet sentient, just bloodthirsty… But who knows? Maybe that will change the more you and my Newbie Equipment get upgraded. Same thing goes for my Serrated Devil Blade…”
Cassius briefly admired the intimidating tattoo etched across his right arm before pulling out a dotted holographic map. “Time to decide which one I should go to first.”
From what little he knew about the world of Hunters, the White Tier Gates correlated to the F-Rank, Orange for E-Rank, Green for D-Rank, and so on and so forth, with Purple Gates representing the A-Rank.
Now, this begged the question: why was the highest rank only of the A-Rank? Naturally, this was because Gates became increasingly tougher the higher the Rank.
To clear even the weakest of Purple Tier Gates would require dozens of S-Rank Hunters working together in seamless harmony. As for the strongest of Purple Gates… Well, it was a good thing that Japan had only ever experienced those of the Mid-Tier. Unlike some more unfortunate countries, such as America or Russia, Japan came out on the luckier side of things.
Yet, even though Mid-Tier Purple Gates weren't considered world-ending Gates, Japan nearly went extinct on more than one occasion.
FWIP!
While casually thinking about the different Gate ranks, Cassius vanished from his spot using the D- Skill |Shadow Step|.
*Ding!*
[|Shadow Step (D-)| leveled up from ‘Lvl 2’ → ‘Lvl 3’]
Cassius’s brows furrowed in interest, yet that didn't stop him from blurring to and from rooftops. Even though it was midday, nobody would pay any attention to a slightly abnormal shadow, especially when the shadow in question had expertly synced up with the shadows of the surroundings.
As he inconspicuously raced through the neighborhoods of Hoshito, Cassius realized that the Gate he was aiming for was coming up. To the left, a few hundred meters away, groups of men and women in shiny armor were speaking a whole lot of nothing with one another.
The stealthy shadow in the distance had an exceptionally handsome man emerge from within, with his cold gaze scanning through the gathered Hunters.
‘The D- Gate known as the ‘Kobold’s Catacombs’,’ thought Cassius as his eyes traced up toward the small building-sized oval-shaped mass of green cosmic energies. ‘Among D-Rank Gates, it can be considered to be near the very bottom of the barrel. But as opposed to a strong E-Rank Gate like ‘Savage Jungle,’ it is still leagues ahead in terms of both terrain difficulty and the strength of the monsters within. Monsters which will undoubtedly be Kobolds—human-sized bipedal dogs that know only death and cruelty.’
It was definitely the most optimal choice for someone’s first D-Rank Gate, but it was still something that would prove a serious challenge if Cassius were to go at it himself.
Acquiring a few teammates from among the Hunters gathered below was certainly an option, but they would no doubt be untrustworthy. And they were also likely to just hold him back rather than assist him. Furthermore, it didn't seem like the Idle Evolution System very much appreciated that thought…
*Ding!*
{[Main Quest 2]}
—[Solo Conquer the D- Gate ‘Kobold's Catacombs’] - [DO NOT get the help of any others.]
—[If you do, the system will have deemed your character development as being lacking, thus creating weakness in your soul and body. As a result of this, you will lose a leg of your choice and experience 12 hours of horror in the Land of Nightmares! All to counteract the lack of character development.]
[Reward 1: 2 Stat Points in Strength, 1 in Agility, 1 in Defense, 2 in Endurance, and 3 in Perception.]
[Reward 2: 5 AP]
[Reward 3: ‘Troll System’ Idle Benefit #2 will be unlocked.]
[Reward 4: ‘Are you looking to get face-slapped?’]
Cassius had a few things he was curious about upon viewing the rewards. However, he, more than anyone else, knew that the Idle Evolution System would never do anything that could be seen as coming easy to him.
It was with a resigned sigh that he turned his attention away from the 2nd Main Quest Mission and the system itself, instead focusing on the quarantined zone below.
‘I saw it in the nearly identical set of memories of the previous me in this body, but it seems that it really is true,’ Cassius thought keenly as he phased over a few more buildings before finding himself outside a small group of nosy onlookers. ‘The Gates are like attractions in this world, with the government taking a carefree approach to the management of most Gates.’
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Looking around, he saw not a single government official or guard in the area. The only things preventing the citizens from getting too close to the Gate and accidentally getting sucked in were local police officers and a thick line of caution tape. Moreover, of the few officers that were there, not a single one had power greater than the F-Rank, with the majority of them not even having awakened.
Cassius was intent on figuring out more about why the Gate security was so lax. Coincidentally, among the sea of busybody citizens grouped up outside the caution tape, there were those who loved to gossip.
“Have you heard about the new law placed on the management of Gates?? It is said that our government no longer believes it to be necessary to prioritize higher manpower outside Gates, mainly because of the sudden increase in Purple Gates worldwide!”
‘How… convenient of a conversation topic…’ Cassius thought in passing.
“Yep, our government, like many others, can no longer afford to station more powerful people outside the Gates that they use to farm materials. Like the Kobold’s Catacombs, which has been repeatedly cleared by the Hunter Guilds, all of the other Red-ranked and below Gates have long since been left out in the open!”
“Yeah, well, not like the government has to worry about anyone non-related to a raid going into a Gate. That is unless they have a death wish!”
Cassius: “....”
Cassius found his eyes leaving the rowdy pedestrians and instead honing in on the strapped-up Hunters chatting away with one another. Contrary to the matter of safety, they were speaking as if everything was already in the bag, with them only needing to claim all the rewards.
“The Kobold’s Catacombs!” A young man with spiky, unorthodox hair primed his long spear as he pointed it at the large green Gate. “This is our third time entering this Gate, and it is sure to be a breeze to conquer, just like all the times before!”
“Haiz…” A robust, broad-shouldered man shook his head in exasperation. “It seems that Isaac is at it again. I keep telling him not to be so cocky. After all, anything unexpected could happen in a Gate, even in ones that have been cleared repeatedly.”
“Haha!” A pirate-like woman cracked a laugh at the big man’s misfortune. “You really shouldn’t bother yourself so much with Isaac, Squad Leader. He will always be so spirited, and I highly doubt that will ever change, no matter how much you nag him about it!”
The Squad Leader heaved a tired sigh. “I fear that you are right, Jessica,” he lamented. “But even if that is the case, I should still do my best to lead him onto a path that won’t lead to his ruin.”
Jessica chortled at his chivalry but still complied with a nod before rejoining the rest of her teammates in formation.
As one of the leading strike forces of the D-Rank Guild ‘Hot Hawaiian Soup,’ they had long since memorized the motions they should make before heading into another Gate.
The Squad Leader, John, nodded in approval at his squad’s coordination and ability to follow instructions even without being explicitly directed.
Clearing his throat, he raised his voice enough to put his uplifting, husky tone on full display. “As you all are well aware, excluding the two newbies we have with us today, we have experienced this exact Gate before. So you should also know that the D-Rank Gate ‘Kobold’s Catacombs’ needs to be cleared twice a day, and we just happen to have the second slot booked.”
“The dangers of this Gate are plentiful, as there will be Low E-Rank monsters like regular Kobolds, Peak E-Rank monsters like Kobold Elites, and then all the way up to powerful D-Rank monsters like the Kobold Chieftains and Kobold Warrior Lords. If we are fortunate, we might even encounter something stronger, such as the Mid D-Rank Kobold Titan boss monster! That would be far more lucrative to kill than the usual Low D-Rank monster boss, the Kobold Champion, which we faced the last two times we raided this Gate!”
“All in all, we have come to better fill our pockets! And that means we need to give it our all in order to clear the Gate and take everything that it’s worth!!!” he encouraged, occasionally glancing at a short black-haired Hunter, worry filling his heart.
“HOOORAAAAHH!!!”
Unaware of their leader’s trepidation, the crowd of Hunters cheered in response, with all twenty-two of them marching behind him into the eerily crackling Gate. It was also during this time that a shadowy figure flipped his darkened hood up and slipped through the supportive swarms of pedestrians. That same shadow passed right by the police officers who were keeping the peace, and then with even greater ease, Cassius allowed himself to be sucked into the green Gate.
The |Shadow Step| Skill had become an incredibly useful skill to him over this recent period of time. However, it was not the only skill that he had been working to level up, as any barely noticeable active skills and, of course, the passive skills, were being constantly performed.
To increase the proficiency of a skill, one had to continue using it. Hence, it was only natural that Cassius burned through good chunks of his MP and stamina to ceaselessly improve his various aspects of existence.
The Idle Evolution System would surely sing in praise at this admirable mindset. Most definitely.
After passing over into the other side of the D-Rank Gate ‘Kobold’s Catacombs,’ Cassius immediately noticed something unusual. Assaulting his nostrils was the faint smell of blood, but rather than it belonging to a Kobold, it smelled of human origins.
It was also in this moment that he received another forlorn system notification…
*Ding!*
[Main Quest 2: Urgent Quest Upgrade!]
—[Due to a freak change in the quality of Gate Energy in Japan, one or two Gates have suddenly and instantly had their ranks increased!]
—[|D- Rank Kobold’s Catacombs| → |D+ Kobold’s Catacombs|] – [It is recommended that the host learn how to roll.]
[Bonus Reward 1]: 10 AP
[Bonus Reward 2]: 5 Common Grade Evoballs
[Bonus Reward 3]: 1 ‘Heap of EXP’
[Warning! Upon failure to complete the Quest, you will… lose everything but your life! But even if that unfortunate eventuality does occur, you might be able to earn it all back in the Land of Nightmares!]]
“Learn how to wha—” Before Cassius could even reach the reward section of the Quest, a blade gleam flashed out of the corner of his eye, aiming to cleave off his head.
“!!!”
Doing just as the system suggested, he tucked and rolled, just as he had seen characters do in Damned Souls games. Yet, even that was not enough to get him entirely out of danger. After the miss of the first strike, another one thundered down, this time accompanied by two more strikes. All seemed to stem from the same blade, yet all slashed out nearly simultaneously.
Cassius immediately recognized a high skill level being used against him, which prompted him to use a signature skill of his own.
|Shadow Step (D-) (Lvl 3)|
FWIP!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The three consecutive sword strikes passed harmlessly through a tangible afterimage of their target. They collided against a hard, sleek rock surface, causing sparks to fly. With the dark space suddenly brightened, the mysterious attacker’s savage eyes widened upon seeing an icy face appear directly in front of it.
Yet, thinking unnaturally quickly and intelligently for a mere monster, it sidestepped its three-meter figure to the left.
“It’s too late for that.”