The third day opened under low clouds and a thin drizzle that did nothing to cool the air. Trevor had the team at the C-rank gate before the training sector fully opened. Blackroot Hollow sat deeper in the restricted zone, its entrance a wide maw of twisted black roots and stone that pulsed faintly with residual toxin. Official rating: C. Average clear time for competent teams: seventy to ninety minutes. Fatality rate among uncoordinated groups: non-trivial.
The registration clerk this morning was different—a sharp-eyed B-rank supervisor who actually read the prior clear data. She looked at Trevor's group for a long moment, then at the exceptional ratings from the F-rank runs, and approved the entry without comment. The gate seals released.
They stepped through.
