The morning spilled its warm light across the interior of the shelter. I opened my eyes, feeling relaxed after yesterday’s events. A light scent of earth and wood lingered in the air, and the silence felt almost unnatural. I stretched lazily and looked over at Darius, who was already on his feet, checking his status.

"You look ready for another day," I remarked with a smile.

"I'm always ready," he replied with a playful glint in his eye. "And you? What are your plans for today?"

Without answering, I walked over to the Summoning Tower and activated its mechanism. Moments later, another ogar appeared—this time a bit smaller, with darker fur and glowing red eyes. Its movements were more agile, and its gaze was filled with intelligence.

I glanced at my hands, surprised. "Again... the summoning didn’t require my mana," I muttered under my breath. "That’s a bit odd."

Darius looked at me with curiosity, though he offered no comment, clearly lost in his own thoughts.

"It looks like our little pack is growing," Darius observed with a smile.

I ordered the four ogars to search for food, and they immediately vanished into the forest, slipping away into the thicket like shadows.

After they left, we prepared a simple breakfast from the gathered roots and other resources. Darius grimaced with every bite.

"It tastes worse than it looks," he muttered, wrinkling his nose.

I chuckled, setting aside the flat stone I’d been using as a plate. "At least we’re not starving. Besides, you can always cook next time."

"Maybe I’ll stick to fighting instead," he replied with a teasing smile.

After the meal, we decided to step beyond the barrier. As we approached the edge of our territory, I felt a slight tension. Crossing the boundary was almost palpable—as if we were passing through an invisible wall that separated us from the rest of the world.

I had expected the world to be filled with monsters, ready to pounce on us from every corner. However, once we crossed the barrier, a silence enveloped me that nearly rang in my ears. The land beyond was eerily calm. The trees stood motionless, as if frozen in time, and their shadows formed fanciful, almost ghostly shapes on the ground. There were no signs of life—no traces of monsters, no trampled earth, nor any creatures rustling in the bushes. Even the crickets chirped as if reluctantly, their sound alien in this dead space. The air was utterly still, and every step seemed to echo off the emptiness surrounding us. Instead of relief, I felt astonishment, as if something essential was missing—something that should have been obvious, yet had vanished without a trace.

During our extended exploration, we traversed quiet, empty paths, surrounded only by motionless trees and the faint light filtering through their canopies.

"I expected more action," Darius muttered, glancing around. "Silence is more unsettling than monsters."

"I thought it would be different too," I replied, scanning the forest. "But this place... is too calm."

As we moved further, the feeling of emptiness grew more tangible with every step. At one point, the forest opened up to reveal a vast space dominated by a massive, pulsating gate. Its surface shimmered subtly, as if breathing in rhythm with an invisible energy.

As we approached to a proper distance, I felt my heart quicken and a tension fill the air. The gate was enormous, constructed of a strangely lustrous metal that seemed to change colors in the light. Its surface pulsed rhythmically—as if it were breathing in sync with an unseen force. The carvings adorning the gate’s frame depicted monstrous silhouettes that appeared to shift when viewed from an angle.

"This doesn’t look good," Darius muttered. Suddenly, his eyes flashed, and sparks of energy danced in the air. He raised his hand and activated his ability. In an instant, an ethereal sword materialized in his grasp, gleaming with a pale, blue light as if forged from pure energy.

"But why is everything around us so... empty?" he added, studying the gate carefully, ready for any eventuality.

I squinted and activated my analysis ability, focusing on the gate. In the blink of an eye, subtle streams of energy began to manifest before my eyes, emanating from the structure and gently spreading into the surrounding world. The energy pulsed, as if the gate were not completely sealed but gradually permeating into reality.

"I see the energy flowing from it," I said slowly, not taking my eyes off the gate. "Perhaps that explains why everything outside is so calm. Something is happening here, but I still don’t understand exactly what."

A cold shiver ran down my spine. As I analyzed the subtle streams of energy emerging from the gate, I began piecing together the clues. Since the energy was seeping into the outside world and yet we saw no monsters, it could mean they were trapped inside. "Maybe the monsters are inside these gates... and the energy we see is their attempt to break free."

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As we moved a little closer, a system notification appeared:

[SYSTEM] Gate detected: Low Class (recommended level: 1-10). Status: Low activity.

That must be something important," Darius muttered, furrowing his brows. "But why are there no monsters outside?"

I examined the system notification, analyzing the details. "Low class... recommended level from 1 to 10," I read aloud. "And status: low activity. Could it be that these gates keep the monsters inside until they’re able to break free?"

Darius nodded, squinting. "That would explain the absence of monsters outside. Your theory that they’re trapped within the gates makes sense. Perhaps the energy you saw is their attempt to escape. It looks like we’re safe... at least for now."

We fell silent for a moment, processing the information. Eventually, I nodded in agreement. "That’s possible. If this gate is in low activity, then there are probably more out there, and each might have a different activity level and recommended difficulty."

Darius regarded me thoughtfully. "If we're right and there are more of these gates, we need to find out how many there are and where they're located."

I nodded. "You’re right. But it will be faster if we split up. Each of us can check a different section of the terrain around the barrier."

"Sounds reasonable," Darius agreed as he double-checked his gear. "Let's meet back at the shelter this evening and compare our findings."

I nodded, and without another word, we went our separate ways, ready for whatever we might discover. The terrain around our barrier was surprisingly diverse. On one side stretched dense forests with tall trees whose branches intertwined overhead like a natural canopy. In the shafts of sunlight that barely penetrated the leaves, I could see spider webs gently trembling in the breeze. On the other side, the land sloped down into valleys, where streams cut through the landscape and rocks jutted from the earth like the teeth of ancient beasts.

During my search, I activated my analysis ability, focusing on the subtle streams of energy drifting in the air. This allowed me to more easily locate hidden gates that were invisible to the naked eye.

The first gate I found was concealed among the roots of a mighty tree. Its metallic surface had a copper hue and was covered in tiny, almost invisible runes that pulsed with a faint blue light. The streams of energy were barely perceptible, and the system notification indicated very low activity with a recommended level of 1–5.

The next gate I discovered was suspended above a cliff; its edges pulsated with a more intense light, as if the energy within it was dormant and waiting to burst forth. Its surface was dark gray, nearly black, with red veins running through its structure. The system notification suggested medium activity and a recommended level of 10–20.

Each gate seemed different, and the energy emanating from them suggested that not all would remain dormant for long.

It was already getting dark, and the last rays of sunlight vanished behind the horizon, leaving the area shrouded in gray. I looked at the sky, then at the landscape around me, and realized that I had searched only about one third of the area around the barrier.

"That means we need at least another two days to find all the gates in the vicinity," I murmured.

With that thought in mind, I made my way back to the shelter.

When I arrived, I noticed that Darius had not yet returned. I looked around the empty interior, the silence seeming even more oppressive in his absence. For a moment, I wondered if everything was alright with him, but I tried not to panic—I knew he could take care of himself.

* * *

Darius POV

The sun was slowly moving across the sky, casting long shadows over the terrain I was surveying. My thoughts drifted toward Ashira, but I quickly refocused on the task at hand. As I roamed through the various areas, I kept count of the gates I encountered—each one differing in appearance and energy intensity.

After a while, I paused to quickly check my status.

[SYSTEM]

Name: Darius

Level: 1

Talent: Epic – Warrior's Instinct

Experience: 30/100

Stats:

Strength: 15

Agility: 25

Endurance: 13

Intelligence: 8

Mana: 40/40

HP: 150/150

Unassigned Stat Points: 0

Skills:

Chaos Weapon Summon (Basic) – Summons a weapon made of energy that never takes the same form twice. Duration: 5 minutes.

Combat Reflexes (Passive) – Increases reaction speed in combat.

I studied the data on the display, slowly beginning to understand how this system worked. Every time I used an ability, I gained experience. Additionally, I realized that each stat affected my combat capabilities: strength increased my physical damage, agility allowed for quicker dodges and attacks, and endurance provided resistance to blows. Even my relatively low intelligence played a role in managing my mana and grasping the more intricate aspects of battle. The system was clear—the more I fought and used my skills, the faster I grew stronger.

I then looked at the section detailing my talent.

[SYSTEM] Talent: Epic – Warrior's Instinct

Description: Enhances natural combat abilities, boosting reflexes and intuition during battle. In encounters with stronger opponents, all stats increase by 50%. Additionally, the user quickly assimilates new combat techniques, adapting in real time to the opponent's style.

But this wasn’t the time to tinker with the system. I had to focus on finding more gates before it was too late.

With that thought, I pressed on, concentrating on uncovering additional gates. So far, I had discovered 16 gates: 6 with a recommended level of 1–5, 5 in the 1–10 range, and 4 for levels 10–20. Among all of these, two showed medium activity, and one of the level 1–5 gates exhibited high activity, emanating an unsettlingly intense aura.

As I navigated a rocky rise, I suddenly felt a surge of energy. I froze for a moment, but as soon as I sensed a burst of power heading in my direction, I dove to the side, narrowly evading the attack. The energy sliced through the air with a whistling sound, striking a tree that exploded into a cloud of splinters.

Before I could get back on my feet, I heard a voice coming from afar, dripping with mockery:

"Chooo, you actually managed to avoid that."

I squinted, searching for the source of the voice. I raised my hand and activated my ability, focusing on summoning my weapon. In the blink of an eye, a sword materialized in my hand, gleaming with a pale light as if forged from pure energy. I gripped its hilt tightly, ready for the next clash.

I glanced in the direction from which the attack had come and slowly made out the silhouette of a man. He was clad in leather armor that subtly reflected the light of the setting sun, accentuating his lean yet upright figure. In one hand he held a slender staff adorned with delicate, shimmering runes that pulsed with a warm glow. A silver dragon-shaped earring caught the light at his ear, and his eyes glinted wickedly, as if amused by my reaction. Every step he took was confident, his movements light and controlled—as if he belonged here.

"Who are you?" I demanded in a firm voice, never taking my eyes off him.