Chapter 2: The Carrier Contract
I followed Jonas down into the basement of the Silver Wolf Guild to collect equipment.
The smell of machine oil and rusted metal seeped through the air. Along the corridor, I saw a few Espers checking their weapons, daggers, energy guns, and mobile armor. As for me, I only had a backpack.
The gray backpack was so small I could hold it in my palms. Jonas patted my shoulder when I picked it up, his voice hoarse.
"Small as it is, it can hold a lot. The Guild's reinforced gear for contracted carriers is no joke."
I nodded, forcing a smile.
"Thank you. I... I have never used gear like this before, so I do not really understand it."
Jonas chuckled, a laugh tinged with fatigue. "You do not need to use it to fight or anything. Just survive, Dalim."
Hearing him say that, my heart tightened.
Survive.
Two simple words, but countless torn corpses from Gate videos flashed through my mind.
I gritted my teeth and tried to keep calm.
Jonas spoke again, this time in a more serious tone.
"Listen carefully, Dalim. Once inside, do not leave the team's sight. Stick close to the other carriers. If anything goes wrong, drop your stuff and run. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Not a token 'yes.' Do you really understand?"
I looked into his eyes full of killing intent, and for the first time I regretted underestimating how dangerous this job was.
But I still nodded. "I understand."
We signed the contract in the Guild administration room. The contract specified the term, responsibilities, and one most important clause. The Guild would not be responsible if a carrier died during work.
I stared at that line for a long time, then put my signature.
My wrist trembled slightly, but I finally finished signing.
Jonas slapped my shoulder and grinned. "You are brave, Dalim. At least... if you want money, you must have guts."
Brave?
I was not sure I had the courage Jonas described. I only had massive debts, a rundown room to live in, and a sister dying because of Half-Esper Syndrome.
Just as I finished tying my shoelaces, my phone vibrated.
It was Nano.
I hesitated for a few seconds, then answered.
"Sis..."
"Lim?" Her voice was weak, mixed with the sound of a respirator. "Where are you? It sounds noisy."
I glanced around. The Guild basement was loud with energy generators and mercenary footsteps. I stepped into a quieter hallway.
"Ah, I am at the industrial district. I got a new job."
"What job?"
I swallowed. "Just... a temporary job. I might be out of the city for a few days."
"Lim." Her tone dropped, unusually stern. "Do not tell me you are doing anything related to a Gate."
I gripped the phone tightly. One second, one confession, and she would stop me. But I could not.
I could not watch her die for lack of medicine. I had worked so many years, and now I only needed to try a bit harder, take a bit more risk.
Looking at the huge sum I could receive if I returned with a bag of loot, I even felt a little regret for discovering this job too late.
"No, do not worry." I tried to keep my voice calm. "I am just transporting goods."
"Really?"
"Really."
Silence lasted a long time on the other end. Finally, Nano exhaled.
"You always hide things from me. Lim... do not be reckless, okay? I do not want you to die because of me."
"I know."
I answered in a voice so low it was almost a whisper.
"I will be fine."
I hung up before my throat tightened and made Nano suspect.
Lea's message arrived shortly after.
"Signed the contract yet?"
I replied: "Yes. No problem."
"Good. Remember, if things go wrong, run. No one is worth dying for."
I read his words, my hand clenching.
"Brother Lea... if you knew I was about to enter an A-rank Gate, you would be furious."
I stuffed the phone into my pocket and breathed deeply.
If you could not take items out of B-rank Gates and below, there would be no pay. To ensure there would be money for Nano's medicine, I chose to join the team going into an A-rank Gate. Even without loot, simply surviving would earn a consolation sum, enough to encourage brave carriers.
When we arrived at the Gate area, the sky had turned a grayish purple.
The enormous portal hung in the air like a breathing tear.
Black mist rose from within and spilled down to the ground.
My heart pounded in my chest.
It was the first time I had seen a Gate so close. It did not look like the images on TV. It looked alive. It breathed, as if waiting to swallow anything that came near.
One Esper on the team turned and shot me a contemptuous look.
"A fresh recruit, Jonas? He looks weak and still dares to enter a Gate?"
Jonas glanced at him, his voice cold. "He is mine. Shut up."
"You just wait, I might be the one dragging his corpse out later."
Corpses, especially those of Espers and Guides left inside Gates, often underwent unexpected mutations. Therefore, each gate was cleaned periodically after an operation.
Of course, when teams went out, they tried to recover as many fallen comrades as possible.
I did not reply. I bowed my head and gripped the backpack strap.
I had grown used to looking like that. Since birth it had been that way, because I was an inferior ordinary person, useless.
Jonas signaled. "Everyone to your positions."
The Gate began to tremble more violently. Dark purple light spiraled, emitting a deep buzzing in my ears.
I inhaled deeply. The smell of ozone and metal stabbed straight into my lungs.
"Let's go." Jonas said, then stepped through first.
I watched him, then whispered to myself.
"Just survive... just survive."
And I stepped through the Gate.