Unique Gate
1217 Words
He exited the Gate with full satisfaction as his eyes are fixated upon the screen showing his progress.
Normally, Gifted are able to obtain a sufficient amount of experience points to increase their stats.
And, in any case, the experience points for an E-Rank Gates is incredibly low compared to other Gates as this dimension serves only as a training ground.
With a small grin on his face, fighting that monster that surpasses the power of the Gate itself provided him a lot of experience points and gave him his new statistics.
[ Status Window ]
Name: Zenon Fernandez
Rank: E
Strength: 4.7
Agility: 4.9
Magic: 4.6
Battle IQ: 4.5
Defense: 4.8
A very promising growth. And this is just entering an E-Rank. He thought that if he could train more and gain a lot of experience points to improve his stats. He could get his old power back.
Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months.
Zenon’s training was relentless.
Each day, he pushed his body and mind to the limit, refining his techniques and sharpening his instincts. His sole focus: regaining the power he once held.
Though E-Rank Gates were meant for beginners, Zenon approached them as battlefields. Every fight was an opportunity to perfect his movements, test his abilities, and develop new strategies.
By the end of three months, the results were undeniable. He reached another rank.
[ Status Window ]
Name: Zenon Fernandez
Rank: D
Strength: 3.9
Agility: 4.0
Magic: 3.9
Battle IQ: 3.5
Defense: 4.1
Armed with the knowledge from his past life and applying it to his current self, Zenon's rapid growth almost felt unfair—like he was cheating. Compared to other Gifted, his stats were rising at an extraordinary rate.
But that didn’t concern him. In this life, he had been given a second chance, and whatever the future held was yet to be seen.
For now, his only priority was regaining his strength—only then could he find peace.
As he sat on a park bench, sipping his energy drink, his gaze drifted toward a man training with a punching bag.
A thought crossed his mind.
'Why am I advancing so much faster than Marcus? Is it just a matter of willpower? Or is there something else at play?'
Anyway, though his rank had yet to change, his growth was undeniable.
Compared to when he first arrived in this world, he had improved significantly. His muscles were stronger, his swordplay more fluid, and his understanding of this world's mana system deeper.
Yet, he knew this was still far from enough.
If he truly wanted to reclaim his former power, E-Rank Gates wouldn’t cut it anymore.
He needed a bigger challenge.
‘I need to enter high-ranking Gates.’
That's what he concluded from all the information he has.
And there's only one way for him to enter high-ranking Gates. First, to go to the Gates Association to officially re-evaluate his rank. Second, join a Guild to ‘legally’ enter a high ranking Gates. And lastly, third, become a mercenary,
Mercenary, an independent Gifted who enters a low-ranking Gate from a Guild who lacks members.
Typically, Guild has a lot of members but they only let mercenaries join just to complete the line-up since they buy low-ranking Gates to let the newbie train and evaluate their performance to join future raids in high-ranking Gates.
[One week later]
Today, he's now at the Gates Association to officially re-evaluate his rank for him to be able to legally enter high-ranking Gates.
Upon entering, he asked the personnel at the Information Desk, “Where is the way for the Re-evaluation of rank?”
She smiled at him and pointed his hands to the direction of where the re-evaluation happened.
“That way Sir, just go through that door, turn left and at the end you'll see another door and that's it.”
“Thank you,” Zenon replied with a smile.
Zenon followed the receptionist’s directions, his steps steady and confident. After months of training, this re-evaluation was just a formality—his stats spoke for themselves.
He arrived at a wide corridor where several other Gifted were waiting their turn. Some looked excited, others nervous. He took a seat on a nearby bench, crossing his arms as he observed the room.
The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation.
A large digital screen displayed names, ranks, and evaluation times.
[Zenon Fernandez – E-Rank – Pending Evaluation]
Soon, his name would change.
The doors to the testing hall slid open, and a Gifted in combat gear walked out, looking exhausted but satisfied.
A voice echoed through the speakers:
"Zenon Fernandez, please proceed to the examination room."
He stood up and made his way inside.
The room was vast, lined with mana-resistant walls. In the center stood a large floating magical stone surrounded by three proctors in white coats, each holding a tablet.
One of them, an older man with glasses, looked up.
“Zenon Fernandez, correct?”
Zenon nodded.
“Based on our records, you've been an E-Rank for over a year, with no significant stat growth until recently. However, in just a few months, your stats have improved drastically. That’s... highly unusual.”
The other proctor, a woman with sharp eyes, spoke next.
“The test is simple. To move up your rank to D-Rank, you'll just place your hand at that magical stone and based on the glow of the crystal, your rank will be determined.”
“Understood.”
Zenon steps on to the platform where the magical stone is floating.
For D to C-Rank, the test would be the same, but when moving to a higher rank, they have a different design for their test.
Zenon took a deep breath and placed his hand on the floating magical stone.
The moment his palm made contact, a surge of energy rippled through the room. The stone hummed softly, its deep blue glow gradually intensifying.
The three proctors watched closely as the light flared brightly—stronger than what was typical for an E-Rank.
The older man adjusted his glasses, his brows furrowing.
“Hm. That’s... unexpected.”
The sharp-eyed woman tapped on her tablet, analyzing the data.
“Mana density and physical capability suggest clear D-Rank potential. However, the response speed is unusually high. Let’s confirm.”
She pressed a button on her tablet, and the floating crystal shifted, scanning Zenon’s body with strands of light.
Zenon felt a brief warmth coursing through his veins, as if the stone was peering into his very soul.
Then, with a sudden pulse, the glow solidified into a golden hue before quickly dimming.
The older proctor’s eyes widened slightly.
“…A momentary fluctuation?” he muttered under his breath.
Zenon withdrew his hand as a notification flashed on the screen behind the crystal:
[RANK UPDATE: D-RANK CONFIRMED]
The sharp-eyed proctor crossed her arms. “Congratulations, Zenon Fernandez. As of today, you are officially recognized as a D-Rank Gifted.”
Zenon exhaled, a small grin forming.
Step one, complete.
“Thank you,” he said simply.
The older proctor gave him a curious glance. “I must say, your growth rate is... fascinating. If you continue at this pace, we might be seeing you back here sooner than expected.”
Zenon just nodded. That was the plan.
- Writer
