The sunlight slowly penetrated the glass window, providing enough light to see around the room.
There was a medium-sized table with a collection of light books lined up on it, some stationery, and a chair.
On the other side of the room was a bed, a closed wardrobe, and a bookshelf that was not filled with as many books as expected.
It was a fairly simple room.
A young man woke up, his eyes stinging from the light.
He had just finished a night shift at his part-time job, which required him to work overtime.
He worked as a clerk at a convenience store in the neighborhood.
That was him, a young man trying to survive amid economic hardship.
His name was Rain, yeah, like the phenomenon of water falling from the sky.
His family name... was no longer used, not because it was a bad name, but simply because of his own small selfishness.
This house was built through the hard work of his parents, who had long since passed away.
Their departure had become a long-forgotten memory. Now he could no longer remember their faces.
Sometimes, he could only get small pieces of information from his relatives. But all of that slowly faded away, because his life now depended on himself.
His family was not a wealthy family, nor did he inherit anything that could provide him with a secure life.
He was fortunate to have relatives who did not interfere too much, but that also proved that he was truly alone now.
While getting ready to leave for school, of course after taking a shower.
Wearing his school uniform for the last days of school, he quickly grabbed his breakfast of cold bread from the refrigerator and a little jam.
A simple breakfast while running to school. There were no clichéd events to hinder this journey, only the increasingly hot sun signaling the seconds ticking closer to being late.
After all, what could be expected from a city on the front lines of disaster?
That's right, it's important to know now that the world has undergone a fundamental structural change.
The world is now threatened by the emergence of various phenomena called — Gates —
True, a cliché threat in various fictional stories of the past. Various types of monsters began to appear.
From small green ones in mythology to dragons residing in their nests.
When a Gate first appeared, almost all regions on earth experienced the same thing, tens of thousands of lives were lost to the phenomenon.
Military resistance and troops could only repel phenomena that were relatively small in scale. The weapons deployed could only do so much.
Humankind and governments could only rely on their military strength at that time, but the territories and threats to human life slowly forced humans to relinquish their settlements.
In fact, these phenomena succeeded in occupying several large areas thanks to the presence of monsters that were immune to military force.
The deployment of nuclear weapons, which was humanity's last resort, was rejected by humanity and world leaders. This is because the deployment itself would cause even bigger problems and unknown threats could accumulate and increase.
Governments, which are essentially the pillars of various countries, were forced to make structural changes for the entire whole. Even corrupt governments from various countries were no exception.
Humanity as a whole was threatened with having to adapt to these changes.
The leaders decided to take a bold step. They planned to send small-scale suicide squads to the Gate phenomena that were still considered manageable.
This happened decades ago, and sure enough, the troops brought back good results. After investigation, many types of foreign minerals were found behind the Gate.
The military also released various information about the Gate itself. This was intended to provide guidance for humanity when such an event occurred again. And it will be so.
Several forces around the world successfully brought back results, but that did not mean that a Gate had been successfully resolved. In fact, these were only small operations with enormous resource expenditures.
The secured results could only be used as research material, and a new Gate could only be resolved several months later.
After research was conducted, it was discovered that the foreign mining results could also be used as materials for weapon manufacturing.
Artisans and blacksmiths around the world, whose skills are rare and passed down from generation to generation, must be called upon to process these foreign ores.
After various weapons that could become humanity's new hope are created, ranging from swords to weapons from past civilizations, only then are troops or individuals capable of carrying out this responsibility formed.
They are called The First Generation.
Accompanied by the military of each country, they once again carried out operations aimed at completing the strategically important Gate.
And that hope once again succeeded in reigniting the spirit of human resistance.
The First Generation itself was formed dozens of years ago, and their numbers have slowly decreased compared to before. In the end, a new generation was formed to replace them.
Returning to the present, Raid, who is still in his final year of high school, has been taught various knowledge about the current situation compared to the history of the world in general.
Slowly, this history has been eroded and altered by the government in response to this major change, hiding the history that should not be known to the general public, especially the current generation of students.
Luckily, after running for a few minutes, he could still see other students passing through the school gate on their way to school.
Rain, who was still panting after running, tried to calm her breathing. But even that moment of calm was interrupted by the school committee.
"Hey you! Hurry up and get in, class is about to start."
"Okay! Please wait a moment," said as he walked and regulated his breathing.
Seen from the gate, this school was once again amazing to the general public. The neatly arranged roads, the beautiful school grounds and gardens, and the morning light shining on it all proved that this was the right school.
Unlike other schools, this was a public school like in the old days. In fact, other schools had implemented a militarized recruitment system, giving them an advantage in various sectors in the future.
This was one of the considerations in choosing a school back then.
Yes, that's right. This school was one of those that rejected that system, aiming only to educate students to be more useful in society. Unlike most teenagers, teenagers with dreams generally become individuals who are capable of dealing with the threat of the Gate—this school is filled with those who are ostracized and those with ordinary aspirations.
The government strongly accepts and supports those systems, but we know that it is only a path to hasten one's death.
The mortality rate among graduates of this education system is actually increasing, but the government does not report this through the media. With just a little research, ordinary people can find out this fact. But this has become a public secret that is hidden by the government.
Rain took one step after another toward the hallway in the building leading to the classroom he occupied.
His last year of school is neither bad nor good.
The next step is still unclear, especially in the midst of this turbulent period.
Unlike in previous decades, education is now essential in various sectors, especially in the development of civilization, given the existing threats.
Research is still being developed today, with various experiments, both legal and illegal, circulating everywhere. Each of them is looking for profits or opportunities that will change everything.
Again, this research actually has a special role in tackling the Gate phenomena, especially their products.
These products have undergone rapid improvements in both form and function.
Rain stepped into the classroom and took his usual seat. It was the second one from the wall in the back row, considering that he is taller than most people.
He has better insight for my eyes so it's not totally a problem regarding this.
The classroom door opened for the last time this morning, our homeroom teacher came in carrying the student attendance sheet. The noise of the students immediately subsided and they returned to their respective seats.
"Alright, students. You are now in your last month as seniors this year. Today we will discuss something you need to consider carefully."
"That's right, this is an interview session about your future careers."
And with that announcement, his day became immeasurably disappointing.
Mainly for himself.