Seconds later, the flames vanished. They stood on solid, dry ground—back on Earth.

James stared at the empty sky where the fiery twister once loomed over the gate.

“What the hell just happened?” He looked down at his hands, flexing them as if expecting them to still be aflame. “Okay... Okay... No fucking okay! When are you going to explain what’s going on?”

She exhaled slowly. “I really can’t tell you, like I said before. I’m... not allowed. But I’ll try to explain what I can.” She hesitated, then added, “I’m starting to think I’m more special than the usual Key of Everything wielder.”

“Oh ho?”

"You really think you can deny it after everything you just experienced?"

... He made a complex expression before saying, "Hm..."

Ignoring him, she said, “I’m going to have to do more of this. A lot more.”

James frowned, his confusion deepening. “More... of these weird worlds that have never been seen before? Are you even listening to yourself?”

Jennifer turned to him, her expression softening. “I want you with me. If you want to join me.”

James’s mouth opened and closed as he struggled to process her words. “Join you? This is insane. I don’t even understand half of what’s happening. You—your powers, this whole... thing you’re involved in—it’s crazy. But...” He looked toward the where the gate had vanished. “If those people are as defenseless as they seemed... if they’d all be dead without us...”

He shook his head, a weary smile tugging at his lips. “It’s kind of hard to say no, isn’t it?”

Jennifer felt a pang of guilt at the resignation in his voice, but he continued. “I want to help. But seriously, you’re confusing as hell. And this—this is all crazy.” He gestured at her. “You’re crazy. And you can’t even talk about it.”

“I know,” she said quietly.

James sighed. “But yeah. I’ll help.”

Jennifer nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. Inside, her thoughts swirled. This is the kind of thing I used to dream about. Like I’m the main character in a fantasy story. Me, a savior of worlds...

She looked down at her hands, flexing them as if she could grasp the enormity of her situation. Her voice dropped to a near whisper. “To be honest, it’s not entirely about helping people.” She hesitated, glancing at James, before continuing. “I want to look back one day and see how far I’ve come. I want to say, ‘Look at me. Look at what I did.’”

Her voice grew more resolute. “I want to see the look on my parents’ faces when they realize they were wrong about me. I want to hear Heath say, ‘I was always right about you not being a disappointment.’ That he’s proud of me. Yeah... They'll all look at me in fucking awe!”

She clenched her fists, her jaw tightening. “Just wait...”

James watched her, his expression unreadable, but there was a flicker of pity in his eyes.

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She shook her head and smiled faintly. “Come on. We have a lot to figure out.”

Jennifer unfolded the Gate map with a snap.. A pulsing darker blue dot caught her attention, drawing her to a gate nearby.

“I'm not heading home,” she said abruptly, rolling up the map.

James blinked. “What? Why not? We just fought an entire herd of goat monsters! Don’t you think we’ve earned a break?”

“I haven’t made money for the day,” Jennifer replied, striding forward.

He threw up his hands. “Fine, but why do I have to go with you?”

She glanced back with a smirk. “You don’t have to.”

---

It didn't take long to find the gate. The twister above the gate was darker in color than the ones they usually went in.

It was clear it was a level above the beginner-friendly ones.

James hesitated, his stomach twisting. “I swear, I’m only doing this to make sure you don’t get yourself killed,” he muttered, stepping through after her.

"Preciate it!" she said, running into the twister.

When it sucked them both in, it through them into a world where the only thing visible to them was a beach.

Waves crashed against jagged, obsidian cliffs. The air was salty, sharp, and charged with an electric hum. Strange, metallic fish leaped from the roaring surf, their bodies glinting like polished steel.

Jennifer’s eyes lit up. “I kinda like the fact I don't know what to expect when I enter a gate.”

“I hate it.” James scoffed. “It’s a death trap.” He stayed back, his disks floating weakly at his side.

Jennifer ignored him, her claws extending as she dashed into the sea.

A metallic two-meter-long fish leaped high, its body twisting mid-air as its skin gleamed with a metallic sheen. Jennifer swiped at it with precision, but her claws only scratched its surface.

it appeared they were highly resistant to sharp objects, like their skin suggested.

"What the hell?”

The fish darted toward her, its elongated snout glinting like a blade. She sidestepped, grabbing it mid-lunge. With a swift motion, she slammed it against the rocky ground until its body crumpled.

James winced. “That’s... efficient.”

“They’re easy enough once you get the hang of it.” Jennifer held up the fish, examining it before deftly ripping its spine out and stuffing it into her bag. “You seriously don’t want to make some money?”

James shook his head, keeping a wary distance from the action. “Not against those things. My disk can’t do much against armor like that.”

Jennifer raised an eyebrow, tossing another fish carcass aside. “Then why aren’t you trying to kill a bunch of weaker ones? Power up a bit.”

James crossed his arms. “Because it’s a waste of time. If I’m going to level up, I’d rather do it efficiently. Target monsters I can actually handle.”

Jennifer stopped mid-swing, her claws gleaming in the pale light. “Level up? Is that what you call it?”

“Or tiering up,” James said, shrugging. “Whatever term you prefer.”

Jennifer paused, considering. “Then I’m at... three, I guess.”

James sighed, shaking his head. “Figures.”

Before she could respond, another wave of fish launched themselves at her. Their sharp, metallic bodies glinted as they spun mid-air, aiming their needle-like snouts at her.

Jennifer ducked and weaved, clawing and smashing her way through the swarm. Their strikes tore at her armor, shredding it piece by piece. Her skin bore shallow cuts and bruises, but she didn’t slow down.

“Your armor’s falling apart!” James called, his disks hovering protectively in front of him.

“It’s fine!” Jennifer yelled back, grabbing a particularly large fish and slamming it into a rock.

“That’s not fine!” he retorted, watching as more metallic fins shredded what was left of her protection.

"It's definitely fine!"

Four hours passed in a blur of chaos and carnage. Jennifer moved with relentless energy, dispatching the fish with a mixture of brute strength and calculated strikes. By then she was a mess off cuts from head to toe, and her armor was no longer.

But it was worth it. Her bag swelled to its limits, bulging with spines.

She sprinted out of the sea with a dying fish in her hand, its metallic sheen fading as she took its skill. The creature shuddered once before going still.

Jennifer straightened, slinging the overstuffed bag over her shoulder. “Time to go.”

James stepped closer, eyeing the heavy bag. “You haven't lost too much blood?”

"Don't matter... Because I'm about to make a fortune!"

"I think it matters..."

“Let’s move.”

The two walked towards Earth to exit the gate. The world twisted and spun. They were spat out onto solid ground, the twister dissolving behind them.

Jennifer wondered. I'm going to treat myself to a nice apartment... Or maybe I should save my money-- Nah. A Nice apartment.