Thunderous applause erupted through the garden, a triumphant roar for a future hero, a Rank 5 Slayer destined to echo the glory of his father and grandfather.
The golden-haired boy stood under the spotlight, basking in the reverence, the legacy he bore shimmering brighter than the morning sun. Krono Silvia, heir to a bloodline that had carved its name into the awakened world.
"The Silvia family truly is a lineage of gods," the announcer declared, his voice booming with a sycophantic reverence that made Sezel want to gag. "Three generations. Three Rank-5 slayers."
The assembly dissolved swiftly, its purpose was served. Cameras floated overhead like silent, mechanical birds, recording every nod, every flicker of awe.
Actually, the entire ceremony was a broadcast, a sharp-edged message to the world: the Blood Bound Corporation had just acquired a new, shiny toy, and they weren't afraid to show it off.
Meanwhile, Sezel simply watched, a ghost in the crowd. Hidden behind a sea of uniforms and polished boots.
He murmured to himself with a crooked grin, "They should've spotlighted me too. 'The Weakest Slayer Known to Humankind' has a nice ring to it."
But of course, no one knew he was here. No one ever did, and no one is going to ask for him.
He simply followed through the whole thing. They were sent back to the classes after the announcements. Sezel didn't know where to go, so he simply followed behind some familiar faces from yesterday.
The teacher was already waiting, his expression a mixture of boredom and resignation. Once the restless shuffling of the students died down, his voice cut through the silence.
"Today, we will learn about the Spirit Realm," he stated, his words landing with the weight of a death sentence.
Sezel's spine stiffened. The Spirit Realm.
He gulped, the memories of otherworldly horrors, of a one-armed boy fighting for his life in a world of perpetual twilight, surfacing with a brutal clarity.
As one of the few people in the room who had actually roamed that hell and witnessed its horrors firsthand, the topic stirred a deep dread, not curiosity.
But it was important. He knew, with a certainty born of bitter experience, that knowledge, however small, was a weapon. So, he was all ears.
A soft hum filled the room as a projector flickered to life. A grainy map blinked into existence on the far wall, a black, void-like expanse dotted with uncertain markings.
Sezel stared at it, dazed. What is that? A map of my future? Bleak, with a high probability of getting lost and eaten.
"This is a rough map of the Spirit Realm," the teacher began, his voice unusually grim, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. "In truth, we don't know if it is." The class stirred, a ripple of confusion spreading through the room. "Based on what we've uncovered, it's our best guess," he added, his tone doing little to inspire confidence.
Silence settled, heavy and disbelieving. Sezel frowned. What is that duality? Is he a teacher or a philosopher? Just tell us what we need to know to not die.
The teacher exhaled sharply, rousing the class from its stunned daze. "The next part is how the Gates work." The words were a bucket of cold water, snapping everyone back to reality. "Gates are a tear in reality, like a wormhole, if you will. They let us travel to the Spirit Realm and, of course, allow the beasts to travel to Earth."
Worms? I would have preferred spiders but i think i am going in wrong direction.
"Slayers are tasked with going inside the Spirit Realm as an expedition, based on the rank of the Gates. The Gates are ranked from D, the weakest, to S, the strongest. Weak and strong are rather misleading terms here; it should be smallest and largest."
Most of the information was a confusing jumble to Sezel, but he listened intently, a morbid curiosity compelling him to absorb every detail of his impending doom.
"Gates grant access to confined regions of the Spirit Realm," the teacher said, pausing to let the words sink in.
A girl with auburn hair shot up her hand. He nodded, and she stood, her voice clear and steady. "What do you mean by 'confined regions,' and how are Gates closed?"
"A Gate doesn't open into the whole Spirit Realm. It's confined, bound by invisible walls. Beyond those walls, there's something worse."
Sezel's pulse quickened. So that means there is a limit to how far one can run inside a Gate. Not even enough space to run for your life. Going inside a Gate really is a suicide mission with a fancy name.
"As for closing Gates," the teacher continued, his tone chilling, "what's humanity's primary energy source now?"
Everyone knew the answer to the simple question, yet none spoke.
"It's Spirit Essence. They are the source of every energy we use in our daily lives. That is precisely why it has become impossible for us to live without going inside the Gates." The harsh reality of their situation settled over the room like a shroud. If humanity wanted to survive, they had to send Slayers into hell and hope they brought back a souvenir.
"The Gates are also made of the energy from the Spirit Essence. And the most complicated part is, the heart of a Gate."
What is that? Sezel listened, puzzled. It was his first time hearing about such a thing.
"The key to any expedition," the teacher intoned, "is twofold: destroy the Gate's heart to close it, and harvest Spirit Essence." It sounded simple enough. Too simple.
"The problem lies there," the teacher said, his voice dropping to a low, ominous tone. "You can't come out of the gate until you have destroyed the heart."
The statement sent a chill down Sezel's spine. "What?" A soft question escaped his lips, a whisper of disbelief in the silence. So, it's a one-way ticket to a monster-infested death trap with a 'maybe' for a return trip.