— Guest 4075884, please proceed.
The voice rang clear and metallic through the hall's speakers, and for a brief moment, the surrounding chatter seemed to fade. I took a deep breath, stood up, and walked toward the staff member who had called me.
The man wore an impeccable black suit, worthy of a noble's butler. White gloves, straight posture, and an empty, professional gaze. Without exchanging many words, he gave a slight nod and guided me through a corridor of brushed steel, stopping before an immense silver door.
Di! Di! Di! Di! Di! Di!
Shaaaa!
Six rapid beeps from the digital lock, followed by a retinal scan. A metallic sound echoed through the corridor.
Klang!
The entire structure vibrated. The door slid upward with the heavy roar of grinding gears.
And then…
...!
I was left speechless.
Before me stretched a colossal hall, so vast that my gaze, sharpened beyond human limits, couldn't reach its end. It was like staring into the interior of a titan made of steel and light.
But its size wasn't the most impressive thing.
What truly captured me was what filled that hall.
Warp Gates.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of them, aligned like the pillars of a futuristic temple. Each pulsed with a bluish glow, and the air around them vibrated with pure magical energy.
These devices allowed people to teleport to specific coordinates, similar to dungeon portals, but far more advanced. Unlike natural portals, whose locations were fixed, warp gates could be adjusted and redirected to virtually any point on the globe.
As I walked along the main corridor, I felt… small. Smaller than usual, I mean.
Beyond the gates, men and women dressed in white moved in silence. Smooth, expressionless masks covered their entire faces. They were identical, resembling the Black Panther masks from my old world, but completely white, without visible eyes, just a smooth surface reflecting the cold light.
We kept walking. The sound of my footsteps echoed against the metallic floor. It took ten minutes of walking before we finally stopped in front of a gate bearing a silver plaque:
<< Gate — 756 >>
A middle-aged blond man stood there, a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. He waved casually.
— Ah, hey, Edward!
His blond hair was tied into a messy ponytail, his beard short and poorly trimmed. He looked like someone who hadn't slept properly in weeks.
— Yes, — replied my guide, the one called Edward, in his monotone voice.
The blond chuckled softly.
— Quiet as always, huh?
Edward merely sighed, turned around, and walked away without answering.
— Ah, whatever.
The man scratched his head and turned to me, raising an eyebrow.
— So you're the one who wants to enter the dungeon?
— Yes.
— Sigh… aren't you a bit young for this, kid?
He raised his hand, comparing our heights and laughing at the contrast. I simply stared back at him, motionless, through the fox mask.
…
That man was Thomas. I recognized him immediately. I remembered him from the original storyline: annoying, talkative, and brutally honest. But also… one of the most reliable among the Seekers.
Thomas took a drag from his cigarette, tossed the lit butt to the ground, and crushed it with his boot.
— Argh, why is everyone here so boring? Whatever. Just follow me, kid.
With his hands in his pockets, he walked toward the gate.
— Timothy 1, Timothy 2, I've got a guest. Open the gate.
Silence.
— …Nothing? Right, of course. — He rolled his eyes and pulled a card from his pocket, handing it to the masked guards. One of them ran the card through a small box, beep, green light. Instantly, the two stepped aside.
— Thanks, Timothy 1. And you too, Timothy 2. Try not to miss me too much, yeah?
Thomas waved exaggeratedly and crossed the gate, beckoning me with his head.
As I crossed with him, I felt the air change, denser, electric. The circle on the floor began emitting a bluish light, and Thomas, already lighting another cigarette, commented with a grin:
— Don't worry, they're always like that. Just shy.
— Ah, sure…
They weren't shy. They just didn't want to talk to him.
I thought, keeping my expression neutral beneath the mask.
Then the ground began to vibrate.
The gate's glow intensified until it filled my entire field of vision. My body started to disintegrate into particles of light. First came weightlessness, then emptiness. Sight vanished. Sound dissolved.
And then, nothing.
———
Tssssssssssssssss…
Air hissed through clenched teeth in a steady rhythm. Nausea struck like a brutal wave.
I had read about how unpleasant the first trip through a warp gate was, and it was worse than I had imagined. It felt like all my organs had swapped places. My entire body spun, twisted, collapsed, and rebuilt itself.
If I hadn't immediately used a breathing technique to stabilize my internal flow, I would've vomited without hesitation.
— Oho… very interesting!
Thomas, beside me, looked completely relaxed. He observed me with curiosity, cigarette lit between his lips.
First time through a warp gate and the kid's holding it together like this? he thought.
He noticed my control, the rhythm of my breathing, and frowned slightly. Was it technique? Natural resistance? Or just luck?
— First time, kid? — he asked, leaning against a nearby rock.
It was only when I heard his voice that I realized, we were back in solid matter.
The ground beneath my feet was firm, covered in reddish soil and dry leaves. A vast, flat field stretched ahead, dotted with twisted oaks that rose like spears against the sky. In the distance, massive mountains cut through the clouds in dark silhouettes.
Behind me, the warp gate remained open, guarded by five white-clad figures moving in silence, like specters watching the new arrival.
I nodded in response to Thomas's question, leaning against a nearby stone. Dry wind whispered through the leaves.
— You're probably wondering how we manage to hide the gate from the government.
Confused, I glanced at Thomas beside me. In truth, I wasn't thinking about anything.
I remembered he had said the exact same thing to Ren. Did he give this speech to every newbie?
With his gaze fixed on the sky, where clouds slowly darkened, heralding the approaching rain, the middle-aged man continued:
— There's a barrier covering a five-kilometer radius. It prevents the dungeon's magical energy from leaking… and blocks any electromagnetic signals, making it impossible to detect the location by radio or satellite.
I nodded silently.
It was a smart strategy. If the government discovered this dungeon, they'd seize it without hesitation.
No matter how influential the black market was, it could never withstand a direct confrontation with the government and the Syndicate. Like all dungeons, creatures, and demons, they fell under Syndicate jurisdiction, any unclaimed gate would be confiscated immediately.
— Ku ku… your expression is easy to read, kid.
Thomas laughed, amused.
— It's not that simple for spies to find these places.
Again, I wasn't thinking about anything…
Was he just deducing the obvious from a convenient silence?
— First of all, we use warp gates specifically to avoid tracking. And with the barrier, all external communication is cut off. It's practically impossible for them to discover this place.
It made sense.
But even so, a barrier alone wouldn't be enough to stop the Syndicate from locating it…
What's with this kid? Thomas thought.
Years of experience with the Seekers, guiding novices through their first dungeon runs, had made him good at reading expressions, even through masks. But this brat…Nothing. Not a single muscle moved.
He didn't seem to be hiding anything, nor did he seem experienced, just… distracted.Maybe he's just spaced out. Or lazy.
Looking around, Yuto thought for a moment before murmuring, breaking the silence:
— Even with all these measures, it wouldn't be impossible to track the location based on geology and climate.
— Huhu, you're sharp, huh?
Thomas let out a satisfied chuckle, tossing away his cigarette and standing up.
— That's true. But we're strong enough that the Syndicate and the government avoid wasting effort trying to find us.
His expression hardened, and he spat the words coldly:
— Unless, of course… they want to start a war with us.
I stood and followed him.
— By the way, what should I call you? — I asked, even though I already knew the answer. It would've been strange to address him without ever hearing his name.
He exhaled the smoke slowly, a tired half-smile on his face.
— Me? Call me Thomas.
— Okay.
— You're about as expressive as a door, kid.
…
— Try smiling more. Like this.
With two fingers, he lifted the corners of his mouth while balancing the cigarette effortlessly.
— I'll try…
We walked together for a while, until a glow ahead caught my attention, the outline of a portal.
— Do you feel that?
— Feel what?
— This pressure… it's the accumulated energy of the monsters inside the dungeon.
I looked at the shimmering portal.
I did remember reading about a certain pressure emanating from portals due to the accumulated mana of all the monsters inside. But strangely, I felt nothing, not a trace of energy weighing on my shoulders. Just a faint nervousness, which was expected in this situation.
— Nervous?
— A little…
— Don't worry. It's always like that the first time. You'll get used to it.
He stopped, watching the portal as it glowed more intensely, then turned toward the guards stationed beside it.
— Yo, Timothy 8, Timothy 9!
Two individuals in white armor and masks acknowledged him. Thomas handed them a card.
They scanned it in silence and opened the way.
— Well, I guess this is where we part ways, kid.
Bowing respectfully, I gave a small Japanese gesture of gratitude.
— Take care, kid.
I nodded and turned back toward the portal. Before me, the glow pulsed like a living heart.
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the moment.
And then, I took my first step toward the dungeon.