On a night of heavy rain, five armored vehicles moved like wild beasts, charging forward without slowing down. They passed through rows of buildings, and before long, they reached the outskirts of the city—a wide, empty area with no houses in sight.
This place was known as a restricted zone, built to block and defend against the monsters coming from the Door.
This was the first time Ash had ever seen the outskirts. For ordinary people, this area was forbidden, and his parents had warned him many times never to come here.
Inside the vehicle, Ash kept staring out of the window with an emotionless expression. The soldiers around him remained silent as well, creating a heavy and quiet atmosphere inside the car.
After about ten minutes, a massive wall appeared before Ash's eyes. It was built from reinforced alloys, standing thirty meters tall and two meters thick.
This was the city's defensive wall—the first line of defense of New Age City.
Oh, right. The city's name was New Age City, a metropolis with a population of nearly three hundred million people. It had complete production systems, ranging from clothing and electricity to weapons.
The closer they got to the wall, the more Ash felt its overwhelming presence. It was grand and oppressive, awakening the instinctive fear humans felt toward enormous structures.
The five vehicles stopped beneath the wall, in front of a gigantic gate that was tightly sealed.
The vehicle halted, and Ash was escorted out.
"Follow me."
A soldier took the lead and signaled for Ash to come along.
At this point, Ash had no choice. He could only walk slowly behind him.
They headed toward a small building beneath the city gate.
As Ash walked behind them, he suddenly felt a crushing pressure pressing down on his shoulders. Breathing became difficult, as if several thousand kilograms were weighing him down.
Cold sweat poured from his body. The feeling was like a rabbit being stared at by a wolf.
But the sensation lasted only for a brief moment before disappearing.
When the pressure faded, Ash struggled to look up and saw a muscular man in his forties. The man had sharp eyes and an overwhelming presence.
He is about 1.90 meters tall, with fair skin that is slightly dark.
Standing under the pouring rain, his figure created a terrifying scene.
The moment Ash saw him, a single word appeared in his mind:
'A Chosen.'
Ash was led to stand before the man.
The soldier in front of him raised his hand in a military salute.
"Sir, the mission is complete. The target has been brought here."
The man nodded and shifted his gaze toward Ash.
"Hello, Ashfei. My name is Hearth. I am the captain in charge of guarding this gate."
"Sorry for the pressure earlier; I just wanted to test you."
Ash think he looks strict, but surprisingly, he is very polite.
Hearth paused briefly before adding,
"I am a Descender. I have passed through the Yellow Door."
Hearing those words, Ash was shocked—not because Hearth knew his name, but because while he had suspected the man might be a Chosen, he never expected him to be a Descender.
For ordinary people, even meeting an Opener was rare, let alone a Descender, who stood one rank above.
"I apologize for bringing you here so suddenly in the middle of the night," Hearth said. "But this is an emergency."
Without waiting for a response, he continued,
"We have a device that can detect the early appearance of a Door, as well as identify Chosen based on the energy emitted by it."
"And according to our readings…"
Hearth looked at Ash seriously. Ash already knew what was coming next.
"You, Ashfei from Ash Area, are a Chosen."
A Chosen… me?
When an ordinary person learns they are a Chosen, there are usually two kinds of reactions.
The first is joy—because entering the Place offers a chance to gain power far beyond normal humans, leading to status, achievements, and unimaginable success.
The second is fear—because entering the Place is almost the same as walking toward death. Ordinary people would face countless dangers, and nearly every being inside the Place—monsters and even humans—would become their enemy.
But Ash felt neither joy nor fear.
There was only one thought in his mind.
'So I am a Chosen.'
With no emotion on his face, he looked at Hearth.
"I understand. What should I do next?"
Hearth was surprised by Ash's calm reaction. He had not expected such a normal response.
"That's a good mindset," Hearth said. "I hope you can keep it when you step through the Door."
"Now, follow me."
After speaking to Ash, Hearth turned to the soldiers.
"You've completed your mission. Return to your posts."
"Yes, sir!"
Leaving the soldiers behind, Ash followed Hearth into the wall.
As they walked, Hearth continued speaking.
"You likely already know the basic information about the Door, so I won't repeat it."
"And there's no need to worry too much. Your main task is to locate the Core and destroy it."
"During the mission, you will encounter monsters, but they will only be at the Spawn level. Still, be careful not to let the residents inside know that you are a Chosen. Otherwise, you won't just face monsters, but the inhabitants as well."
"Oh, one more thing."
Hearth reached into his pocket and took out a pair of black fabric gloves, then handed them to Ash.
"Take these. Put them on, and never let them come off."
Ash put on the gloves. To his surprise, they fit perfectly and felt comfortable, despite appearing to be made of simple fabric.
"These gloves are specially designed to withstand impact," Hearth explained. "They can also repair themselves if damaged."
Ash was surprised by their performance and function.
Hearth continued,
"They can also be used as a weapon."
"How?" Ash asked.
"By punching."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"If you're wondering why we didn't provide firearms or other weapons—it's because once you enter the Place, all firearms will turn into scrap metal, and cold weapons will be forcefully returned to Earth. You can only bring clothing, including those gloves."
"What? Disappointed?" Hearth asked.
Ash shook his head.
"Something is better than nothing. These gloves are enough for me."
"You're quite optimistic," Hearth said.
Ash said nothing. As long as he had something to use, that was enough for him—even if it was just a pair of gloves.
They continued walking through the wall. Once they passed through the gate, a vast forest stretched out before Ash.
Three large armored vehicles were waiting there, along with eleven soldiers who looked far stronger than the ones he had met earlier.
Hearth led Ash toward them.
A soldier stepped forward and saluted Hearth.
"Sir, Eagle Team is ready for the mission."
"Good," Hearth replied. "I will join you. Our sole objective is to escort Ash to the location where the Door will appear and prepare for the worst possible outcome."
"Yes, sir!"
Hearth then turned his serious gaze toward Ash, silently asking if he was ready.
Ash nodded.
"I'm ready."
After that, Ash and Hearth boarded the same vehicle with the soldiers.
The vehicles sped off under the heavy rain, heading deep into the forest—
toward the place where Ash's fate would be decided.