The sun rose slowly the next morning, casting golden light across the broken rooftops and bloodied walls of the mafia stronghold.
Raven sat on the rooftop balcony, sipping bitter instant coffee from a chipped mug.
Finally waking up on an actual bed felt surreal to Raven.
He'd had one growing up, of course, but after spending the last three years sleeping on cold floors, stiff corners, and makeshift mats, he'd nearly forgotten how something so simple could feel so... luxurious.
The softness beneath him, the faint scent of fresh sheets—it all made him pause for a moment of appreciation.
So this is what comfort feels like again.
A yawn escaped his mouth as he sat up, but his face wore no trace of sleepiness. Instead, a wide, satisfied grin spread across his lips. His body felt light, rejuvenated, even. But what truly got his blood pumping wasn't the sleep.
It was the thought of finally stepping into a gate.
He reached for the remote and flicked on the TV, scanning for any breaking reports. Within seconds, the news showed three separate gates having opened within a five-mile radius of his current base.
Raven blinked.
"They're that frequent, huh..." he muttered, eyebrows raised.
It was better than he'd expected.
With this many gates spawning nearby, he could grow stronger fast—and more importantly, do it quietly, without drawing attention from the government or guilds. That was key.
Throwing on a plain black tracksuit, Raven double-checked his loadout.
His invisible armour activated silently, shimmering briefly before vanishing from sight.
He slid his D-rank sword into a sheath at his waist.
Before heading out, he walked through the underground base and used the master key to lock down every access point. He wasn't taking any chances. The hideout might be a bloodstained history to the mafia, but to him, it was still a temporary home.
He hadn't bought a new place yet.
It was too soon. Too many priorities
That could wait.
The gate he had chosen was only about a kilometre away. He avoided crowded streets, slipping through back alleys and side roads with ease.
The city behind him was far from calm. Sirens still bled faintly through the air, and from one alley, he glimpsed a squad of soldiers hastily erecting barricades around another gate.
But no one saw him. Just as he wanted.
Within minutes, he reached a vast, open field. And there, pulsing in the middle, was a swirling red vortex of energy—a ring of light seemingly tearing reality apart, seeping down into the earth like a wound in the fabric of the world.
Suddenly, a mechanical chime echoed in his head:
[You have entered a gate]
[Achievement unlocked: First Gate]
[Reward: 1000 Shop Gold]
For most people, it would've been a great boost.
But for Raven, it barely moved the needle, considering he was sitting on a massive 35000 gold
'Let's check the shop, at least,' he finally remembered. 'Maybe something's changed since yesterday.
Shop:
Gold: 36000
Skills:
*No skills available for purchase
Miscellaneous:
*Lucky draw:
-->You get a random item
Cost: 500 gold
*Enchantment ring (C-Rank):
-->This is a special ring imbued with a random power or attribute.
Cost: 4000 gold
*Health potion (E-Rank):
-->Can heal minor injuries.
Cost: 1000 gold
*Skeleton Bow (D-Rank):
-->Bow made of bones. Increases damage by 5%. 5% chance to cause excessive bleeding onto the target.
Cost: 2000 gold
*Mana potion (E-Rank):
-->Restores 25% of the user's mana.
Cost: 1000 gold
*Phoenix feather (A-Rank):
-->It can be used as an ingredient to craft items.
Cost: 16000 gold
'So only the miscellaneous section reset, but the skills didn't.'
Still, just to be safe, Raven figured it wouldn't hurt to grab what he could from the shop. He bought everything, except the Skeleton Bow and mana potion. He had no plans to use a bow anyway, and he already had a man potion.
The one item that gave him pause was the Phoenix Feather, a jaw-dropping 16000 gold for something with no current use or instructions. No active effect. Just a feather and a vague description.
Most people wouldn't even consider it. And if they could afford it, they'd be smarter to spend that kind of money on a solid skill they knew they'd need to survive.
But that was exactly why Raven had to buy it. No one else could. Not yet.
And the fact that it was marked Grade: A told him it wasn't just some useless Item. Even if he didn't know what it did, someone would kill to get their hands on it later.
"Might as well," he muttered, easily making his mind up.
'I can always obtain more gold. Who knows if this'll show up again?'
[Would you like to purchase: Phoenix Feather, Enchantment Ring, and Health Potion for 21,000 gold?]
Raven hesitated for a moment… then clicked [Yes].
[You have received one Phoenix feather (A-Rank)]
[You have received one Health potion (E-Rank)]
[You have received a Ring of Day (C-Rank): Increases all base attributes by 10% in daytime]
Inventory:
Iron sword (D-Rank)
Invisible Armour (A-Rank)
Wooden Shield (F-Rank)
Knife (F-Rank)
Mana Potion (D-Rank)
Health Potion (D-Rank)
Ring of Day (C-Rank)
Phoenix Feather (A-Rank)
One-time safe zone creation scroll (B-Rank)
Mysterious key
15000 Gold Remaining
Now, deep inside the gate, Raven slipped the Ring onto his finger.
A soft glow pulsed from the band before fading, and almost immediately, he felt a subtle change. It increased his base attributes by 10% and he could already tell it wasn't just a number on a screen. It was real.
So far, nothing had appeared. He was still near the entrance, but Raven wasn't expecting it to stay quiet for long.
The terrain was cave-like, with dark stone walls, echoing silence, and a damp, earthy scent that lingered in the air.
What stood out most were the markings etched into the walls, strange symbols and crude carvings stretching high above his head, far out of any normal person's reach.
Whatever lived here... wasn't small.
Ghrhhhgh!!
A low, guttural growl echoed from somewhere deeper inside. Raven froze, his eyes narrowing as his hand instinctively tightened around his sword.
He moved forward cautiously.
'Three years of chains, and now this. If I can clear it, I move closer to the top.
If I fail… nothing changes. I've already lived worse than death.'
Not long after, he found himself face-to-face with something straight out of a nightmare.