Chapter 5: Where It Started

“Run!” he blasted the gun in front of him, disintegrating the monsters in front of them, and yet there were still a bunch of them on their tail.

It had been over an hour since they left the building, and with the help of the weapon, they managed to kill the few monsters in their path safely, leaving the vicinity of the building without alerting the monsters on the other side.

The blaster gun wasn’t a heavenly weapon or anything; it was only that Ayen accidentally found that it was extremely compatible with him when he was sorting the equipment inside before. His wavelength was weak, but with the help of this gun, it seemed as though most of his energy inside was being awakened for some reason.

Yet he never had a chance to test them before, only now that they were in a precarious situation. However, for over an hour, as the city was infested by monsters, they couldn’t stay in one place; otherwise, they might be surrounded instead.

Ayen was still a guide with no excessive combat training or experience other than the basics, so it was no wonder that he was already exhausted. It was even a wonder he could get this far.

“I-I’m tired,” Keeran weakly said while being dragged by Ayen.

Ayen gritted his teeth and tightly held Keeran before he blasted the one in front again. It seemed like they were at a dead end. The city was so dark that it was like the deepest night. It only triggered the nighttime lamp posts and lights from the buildings that could help them tread their path.

Occasional cries, screams, and growls sounded, making it such a chaotic city. It was a ruined city at this point. Ayen didn’t even anticipate this happening; it was like… a forbidden zone.

His heart thumped as a terrifying possibility emerged in his mind, but he didn’t let himself ponder about it. He didn’t have to think.

“Y-You can leave me now.” Keeran persuaded again. She had been saying it since earlier, but Ayen didn’t listen to her.

Ayen glared at her, “Do you really want to die?”

Even though he said that he would leave Keeran, Ayen also couldn’t do so. It wasn’t even about morals, but that he wasn’t as heartless as he appeared. For someone who treated him right and as a friend, Ayen couldn’t bear to leave her. It was as though, as his only friend, he treasured her existence.

“Ayen…” she panted, already crying, “I don’t want to die, but I don’t want you to die because of me either.”

Ayen’s lips trembled as he bit into it; his eyes were still determined, and as he looked back, the monsters on their trail had almost caught up to them, not to mention the monsters that were popping and that they were encountering ahead of them.

Was this really the end? Ayen didn’t want to lose hope; his mind spun, pondering solutions. He caught the gate that was at the center of the city; it was already near them. It had already stopped spewing monsters and calmed down.

His eyes flickered. This gate was the most dangerous; he didn’t even know where it would lead. Ayen never had a chance to enter even the lowest-ranked gate. However, at the moment, it might even be their only saving grace.

He looked at Keeran, already exhausted, and the monsters behind him. Ayen made a decisive decision, and he carried the woman and put her on his shoulders. As he ran, adrenaline came rushing into his veins.

His mind was empty besides the gate; this was a dumb move, yet his guts seemed to tell him that the gate led to his survival. Ayen was never one to think about instincts and whatnot; he was more rational and logical. At this moment, when he could think of anything other than survival, he decided to believe his intuition.

As he entered the gate, his heart pounded in some inexplicable way that had never happened before. It was like… he made a decision that would change his life forever, and Ayen could never return to what he used to be.

And it seemed… his intuition was right. There was no way to return, even if he wanted to.

The sensation of entering the gate was something foreign. It made him dizzy, as though his existence was being erased, and yet also numb to his five senses. It was weird and even scary. Fortunately, it only took a few seconds before the sensation vanished and his five senses returned.

When his vision returned, he found himself in a dark and wet place that appeared inside a dark cave. He put down Keeran, who was now unconscious. The woman was already exhausted, and she also couldn’t take the sensation of the gate, so she passed out.

Ayen looked at Keeran before he sat beside her, taking a deep breath. He didn’t sigh in relief because their situation seemed more dangerous than before. He didn’t know where they were. The surroundings and ambiance screamed danger.

After giving himself time to recover most of his breath, Ayen stood up and looked at Keeran and then ahead of him. He had to know where they were and at least know the extent of their circumstances this time.

There were no monsters, at least from what he could see, so he left Keeran in this position as he put the markings to easily noticed her once he returned.

Holding the gun, he trailed through the dark path; only the sound of water dripping from above and its echoes could be heard. The light from the rocks illuminates the surroundings.

He had yet to explore far when he paused as he heard voices talking with each other. Ayen was taken aback; there was someone! Even so, he cautiously approached where the sound was coming from, and the voices became clear not long after.

“I’m the top this time,” an arrogant tone sounded.

“No,” another voice said, much calmer and deeper.

“Fuck! You were at the top last time! It’s unfair.”

“I won the bet.”

“You won because you cheated, fucker.”

“Heh, do you have evidence?” he asked, somewhat mockingly and affectionately.

“I don’t need evidence to know.”

Ayen became increasingly confused with these voices as he listened, Top? Bet? He still approached them, and in fact, Ayen somehow regretted it as this was the start of his unpredictable life.

But he would never admit it out loud. This was the moment… where his life found its meaning.

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