Chapter 4: First Mission
1128 Words
The following morning, Nexus City was in chaos.
Every news channel carried the same headline.
MYSTERIOUS EXPLOSION ROCKS INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT
Government officials called it a gas-related accident.
Nobody believed them.
Videos had already spread across the internet.
Blurry footage showed a giant monster emerging from darkness.
Even blurrier footage showed a young man standing against it.
Fortunately for Grayson, the videos were too unclear to identify him.
At least for now.
Grayson sat in his small apartment staring at the ceiling.
Sleep had been impossible.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw floating status screens.
Monsters.
Portals.
And the mysterious warning left behind by the Shadow Fang.
The Sovereigns will come.
The Void will awaken.
The words refused to leave his mind.
A notification suddenly appeared.
ASCENSION SYSTEM
Good morning, Host.
Grayson nearly jumped.
"You can do that?"
The System remained silent.
"Great."
He rubbed his forehead.
"I'm being bullied by a floating menu."
A new notification appeared immediately.
Host has received sarcasm resistance +1.
"What?!"
Sarcasm resistance +2.
"Okay, now you're definitely messing with me."
Sarcasm resistance +3.
For the first time in hours, Grayson laughed.
Maybe losing his sanity wasn't completely terrible.
A knock sounded at the door.
His smile vanished.
Nobody visited him.
Ever.
Another knock followed.
More forceful this time.
Grayson approached carefully.
Opening the door revealed three strangers.
All wore black suits.
All looked extremely serious.
The woman standing in front stepped forward.
"Grayson Storm?"
"Depends who's asking."
The woman handed him a badge.
The emblem displayed a silver shield surrounded by glowing runes.
Below it were three letters.
A.D.A.
"Ascendant Defense Agency," she said.
"We need to talk."
One hour later, Grayson sat inside a black armored vehicle speeding through Nexus City.
The woman introduced herself as Director Elena Cross.
Beside her sat a giant man who looked capable of wrestling bears for fun.
His name was Marcus Stone.
According to Elena, he could punch through tank armor.
Grayson decided not to test that claim.
Yet.
"Let me get this straight," Grayson said.
"Monsters exist."
"Yes."
"Magic exists."
"Yes."
"Other people have powers."
"Yes."
"There are portals connecting Earth to other dimensions."
"Correct."
"And the government knows about all of this."
"Obviously."
Grayson stared out the window.
"Wow."
Elena frowned.
"That's your reaction?"
"What did you expect?
"Panic."
"I'm too tired for panic."
Marcus burst out laughing.
For some reason that seemed to annoy Elena.
The vehicle entered an underground tunnel.
Several security checkpoints later, massive steel doors opened.
Grayson's eyes widened.
An entire hidden city existed beneath Nexus City.
Training facilities.
Research laboratories.
Combat arenas.
Hundreds of superhumans walked through the complex.
Some carried swords.
Others wore futuristic armor.
One woman casually manipulated flames while drinking coffee.
Nobody seemed surprised.
"Welcome to Headquarters," Elena said.
Grayson immediately noticed something.
The people around him felt...
Different.
His instincts reacted automatically.
Some radiated power.
Others radiated danger.
One man walking down a hallway felt like a walking natural disaster.
The Ascension System suddenly responded.
Threat Assessment Unlocked.
Interesting.
As they continued deeper into the facility, Grayson noticed people staring.
Whispering.
Watching.
Apparently, word had spread quickly.
The rookie who stopped a monster on his first night had become interesting.
Eventually they reached a conference room.
Several individuals already sat inside.
Each possessed a unique aura.
A muscular woman with red hair.
A silver-haired teenager surrounded by electricity.
A man with glowing blue eyes.
All of them were superhumans.
Elena activated a holographic display.
The room darkened.
An image appeared.
A black portal.
Larger than the previous one.
Far larger.
The room became silent.
"Three hours ago," Elena said, "another dimensional breach appeared."
The image zoomed in.
Ruined buildings filled the screen.
Destroyed streets.
Burned vehicles.
And monsters.
Hundreds of monsters.
A murmur spread through the room.
Even Grayson felt uneasy.
"Where is this?" someone asked.
Elena answered immediately.
"Downtown Nexus."
The room exploded with reactions.
"That's impossible."
"Nobody reported it."
"When did this happen?"
Elena's expression darkened.
"Because the breach isn't fully open yet."
The hologram changed.
A countdown appeared.
36 HOURS REMAINING
Silence returned.
Grayson felt a bad feeling forming in his stomach.
"If the portal opens completely," Elena continued, "thousands will die."
The image shifted again.
A massive silhouette appeared within the darkness.
Even through the hologram, the creature looked terrifying.
Threat Classification:
B-Rank Beast
Designation:
Iron Tyrant
Several people visibly paled.
Apparently B-Rank wasn't good.
The System confirmed it.
Current Survival Probability Against Iron Tyrant:
0.2%
Recommendation:
RUN.
"Helpful as always."
Elena looked toward the group.
"We're assembling reconnaissance teams."
Several volunteers immediately stepped forward.
Then Elena's eyes landed on Grayson.
"You'll be joining Team Seven."
The room turned.
Everyone stared.
Again.
Grayson was beginning to hate that.
A silver-haired young man stood abruptly.
"You're sending a Level One Awakened?"
His voice carried obvious disbelief.
"People will die."
Elena remained calm.
"He survived direct contact with a dimensional beast."
"By luck."
"Perhaps."
The young man scoffed.
Grayson finally spoke.
"You know I can hear you, right?"
Several people laughed.
The silver-haired man didn't.
Interesting.
A future rival, perhaps.
A new screen appeared.
MAIN QUEST
The First Mission
Objective:
Participate in the reconnaissance operation.
Survive.
Reward:
Level Up
Rare Skill
50 Ascension Points
Failure:
Death
Grayson frowned.
Why was failure always death?
The System really needed more variety.
Later that evening, Grayson stood alone on a rooftop overlooking Nexus City.
The sun had begun setting.
Orange light painted the skyline.
For the first time since receiving the System, he had a moment to think.
Everything had changed.
His life.
His future.
His understanding of reality.
And somehow it felt like things were only getting started.
A sudden sensation made him turn.
Someone was watching him.
Strong.
Very strong.
Stronger than anyone he'd met so far.
Across the street, standing atop another rooftop, was a young woman.
Silver hair danced in the wind.
Crimson eyes glowed faintly.
She wore a long black coat.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
Mysterious.
The woman met his gaze.
For several seconds neither moved.
Neither spoke.
The city seemed to disappear around them.
Then she smiled.
A small smile.
Almost amused.
And vanished.
Grayson blinked.
"Gone?"
Nothing remained.
No sound.
No trace.
No explanation.
The System suddenly appeared.
Unknown Entity Detected.
Threat Level:
???
Race:
Unknown
Danger Level:
Extreme
Grayson stared at the notification.
Then toward the empty rooftop.
A strange feeling lingered in his chest.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Something else.
Something he couldn't explain.
Far away, hidden within the shadows of Nexus City, the silver-haired girl stood watching him from another rooftop.
Her crimson eyes glowed softly beneath the moonlight.
A faint smile touched her lips.
"So..."
she whispered.
"The Battle Monarch Candidate has finally appeared."
And for the first time in years...
Lyra Nightshade felt curious.
- Writer
