Chapter 33: Team Dawnbreak Arrives

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Team Dawnbreak Arrives

[In-Game Skin Synchronization—20%]

Victor lunged for the boy, but he was a step too late.

The boy chased the ball towards the gate. He got too close.

WUSSH...

He was gone—just before Victor would grab him.

Absorbed into the gate in a cloud of yellow light.

Victor stopped himself before he would reach that point, shoes skidding to a stop.

He froze in shock. Not just him but everyone behind.

Then a gut wrenching SCREAM.

"My baby!!!"

It came from a woman behind. No doubt the boy’s mother.

"Madam, please stay away from the gate. It’s dangerous."

But she kept screaming, pushing against the park policeman that held her firmly in place.

"But my baby. My baby is in there. Please, don’t let him die. He is the only one I got."

Victor turned to the mother, and then back at the gate.

The city alarms were already blaring.

"Gate of the Blackest night confirmed. Please evacuate the area immediately!!!"

"Gate of the Blackest night confirmed. Please evacuate the area immediately!!!"

"Gate of the Blackest night confirmed. Please evacuate the area immediately!!!"

With the alarm, the rankers will be here shortly. But that could be anywhere from ten to thirty minutes.

After all, rankers also had their normal lives to live.

By then, the little boy might have already become dungeon chow.

Victor knew this. And that crying mother knew it too.

There was no shortage of videos online of terrible deaths by the creatures in the dungeon.

The boundary between life and death could very well be this second.

However, they were rules—rules that governed the safety of the city and its people.

One of them being that one needed to have a Rankers License to enter a Gate.

Victor was not awakened, and was definitely not a ranker. But if he did not do this—

The image of the little boy’s smile appeared in his head again.

He clenched his fist tight enough to whiten his knuckles.

Victor was not aware, but his barbarian side was already taking over.

[Emotional Resonance is in effect]

"FUCK IT!" He cursed, diving into the gate.

Everyone that saw this gasped.

—

A woman walked down the street a few blocks away.

Victor’s street.

She long black hair falling loose past her shoulders, her steps were quick and precise despite the heels she wore.

A dark coat hung open over a fitted gown underneath. It was the kind of outfit meant for a special romantic occasion.

Her phone was pressed to her ear.

"I’m so sorry," she said, voice smooth even through the clear irritation underneath it. "Something came up. Another emergency." A pause, listening. "I know. I know, just — hold on a little longer for me, okay? I’ll come back the moment I’m done. It’s a Gate, of course it’s important. Or you could just wait for me outside, like you normally would."

She ended the call before the person on the other end could argue.

That was when the screaming reached her.

She stopped mid-step, head turning toward the run-down apartment building a short distance off her path.

The sound carried from it was loud and sharp. It was genuine panic and pain. Something was wrong in there.

She took a step toward it.

Her phone rang again immediately, cutting off the thought.

She answered without hesitation this time. "Yes—"

"Where the hell are you? Two civilians were accidentally pulled into the gate."

"Two civilians? I... I did not know."

"Now you do. We need you here like YESTERDAY!!!"

"I’ll be there. I’ll hurry immediately."

Her eyes flicked back to the apartment building one last time, the screaming still bleeding out into the street.

She gritted her teeth. "The Gate is more important."

She turned and ran toward the park.

She reached the park at a full sprint, weaving through the growing crowd pressed against the police tape.

Officers held the line while the onlookers pushed forward anyway.

Some whispered to each other, some filmed on their phones, a few just stared slack-jawed at the shimmering yellow arch beyond the barricade.

Off to one side, near an ambulance with its back doors open, the boy’s mother sat wrapped in a blanket, sobbing into her hands while a paramedic hovered uselessly nearby.

A cluster of men in dark suits stood a short distance off, murmuring into phones and radios.

These were officials of the Rankers guild.

While they were important, it was the other group that mattered most right now.

Three figures standing apart from everyone else, dressed like they came from a different century entirely.

A huge man in plate armor stood with a battle axe resting against one shoulder, looking almost bored by the chaos around him.

Beside him, a girl in light, flowing robes held a tall wooden staff, its head was carved into something that looked like a lotus mid-bloom. A priest, unmistakably.

The officer at the tape stopped the woman as she approached, hand raised. "ID, please."

She flashed a license from her coat pocket without slowing down.

The officer’s eyes widened slightly. "C-Class Ranker — let her through, let her through!"

The tape lifted. People stepped back automatically as she passed, murmurs of recognition rippling through the crowd.

She crossed straight to her team.

The armored man turned first, arms crossing over his chest. "You’re late, Mira."

"I know, I know, Paul." She was already shrugging out of her coat as she spoke.

"Special occasion today?" he asked, one eyebrow raised, entirely too amused for the situation.

Mira sighed. "It was supposed to be. Date with Tobi."

Paul frowned at the mention of Tobi. Hana—the priest, caught it, but perked up immediately. "Ohh, is that why you wore your mother’s gown, Is today the day? Is he finally proposing?"

"I don’t know." Mira’s hands worked fast, unbuttoning the gown beneath her coat, already reaching for the gear bag one of the support staff shoved into her arms. "Maybe. I mean we’ve been together long enough. It’s been hard, especially since I got my license — but I think... I think I’m finally ready for this."

"Aww, Mira." Hana’s whole face softened. "I’m so proud of you."

"Save it." Mira grunted annoyingly, ignoring Hana hovering around her, blushing. If she allowed her, Hana would rather stay here for boy gossip than enter the gate.

Which was a strange hobby for a priest of the moon goddess.

Mira changed into her armor plate by plate, fast and practiced. No doubt she had done this a hundred times before.

In under a minute she stood fully geared, broadsword strapped at her hip, hair tied back tight.

She turned to face the Gate.

"Team Dawnbreak," she said, voice hard now, all business-like, "two civilians confirmed inside. Normally we are supposed to wait at least an hour before entering a dungeon, according to the Ranker Guild’s policy. But this is an emergency."

Paul, the armored man hefted his axe off his shoulder.

Without another word, the three of them stepped forward and dove into the yellow light.

However, the moment they disappeared into it, the gate changed color.

It became gray.

The Officials from the Ranker’s guild gasped.

"And this is why we wait an hour before attempting a dungeon." The leader gritted his teeth.