Days later, the C-rank gate shimmered in the ruins of what used to be Times Square, a tear in reality pulsing with sickly green light. Manhattan had become a graveyard of skyscrapers, empty windows staring down like hollow eye sockets. This particular gate had been stable for two weeks, perfect for training operations, or so the Hunter Association believed.
Two teams of ten hunters each stood at the staging area, gearing up in tense silence. Team Jake, led by the broad-shouldered B-rank hunter Jake Torres, consisted mostly of C-rank hunters eager to improve their survival skills. Team Angela, led by the newly promoted S-rank Angela Sinclair, had a mix of B and C-ranks who'd been assigned to evaluate her leadership potential.
Ash stood with Angela's team, officially listed as her coordinator. Beside them stood Director Sarah Kim's assigned monitor, a stern-faced woman named Helen Park, whose job was to observe and report on Angela's performance. Helen carried a tablet and had barely spoken since arriving.
"Alright, listen up!" Jake's voice carried across both teams with natural authority. He stood before them, relaxed despite the danger ahead, his presence somehow making the apocalypse feel manageable. "For those who don't know me, I'm Jake Torres, B-rank body enhancer. Been running training ops for two years now, and I'm still alive, so I must be doing something right."
That got a few nervous chuckles from the C-ranks.
"My ability is simple but effective," Jake continued, rolling his shoulders. "I can enhance any two stats on my status window simultaneously. Usually, I run strength and speed, which lets me hit hard and move fast. But I can swap to endurance and agility if I need to tank damage and stay mobile. Versatility is key."
He demonstrated, his muscles visibly swelling as the enhancement activated. "See? Not flashy like shooting lightning or manipulating time, but combined with technique and experience, it's gotten me through situations that killed A-ranks. Remember that raw power means nothing without proficiency."
Angela's team consisted of Marcus (B-rank earth manipulator), Lin (B-rank enhanced reflexes), three C-rank hunters, David (barrier magic), Sarah (healing support), and Thomas (enhanced sight) plus four D-rank hunters getting their first real gate experience, Helen, the monitor, and Ash.
Jake's team had a similar spread, mostly C and D-ranks with two experienced B-ranks to keep them alive.
"Rules are simple," Jake said. "We go in as separate teams, clear our sectors, and meet at the convergence point in the center. I'll shoot a flare when we're ready to regroup. Red means we're in position, green means we need backup. No heroics, no stupid risks. We work as units, we stay smart, and we all come home. Questions?"
One of the D-ranks raised a hand. "What if we encounter something beyond C-rank classification?"
"Then you fall back, signal for support, and wait for backup. Pride kills more hunters than monsters do." Jake's grin widened. "But honestly? C-rank gates are manageable if you keep your head. These are training runs for a reason. Now, everyone, check your gear one last time. We step through in five."
As the teams made final preparations, Angela pulled Ash aside.
"You okay with this?" she asked quietly.
"I'm your coordinator. Of course I'm coming."
"I mean, being back in a gate. After the estate..." She didn't finish the sentence.
Ash glanced at his palm where the summoning mark lay hidden beneath his glove. "I'll be fine. Just stay safe, and listen when I call out weak points."
"Always do." She hesitated. "Helen's going to be watching everything. The Association wants to see if I can actually lead, not just fight."
"You ran the family business with our elder brother before he disappeared," Ash reminded her. "You know how to make decisions under pressure. This is just a different kind of boardroom."
Angela smiled slightly at that. "A boardroom where the competition tries to eat you."
"So basically the same thing."
"Teams, move out!" Jake called.
They stepped through the gate's shimmering surface.
The transition was a jarring reality folding around them, a moment of weightlessness, then sudden solidity. The humidity hit immediately, thick and oppressive. They weren't in Manhattan anymore.
The gate's interior was a twisted jungle that defied natural laws. Bioluminescent fungi cast everything in sickly green light. Trees with bark that looked almost like scaled skin seemed to breathe, their trunks expanding and contracting rhythmically. The air tasted wrong, copper and rot mixed with something alien.
"Atmospheric distortion," Helen noted, making observations on her tablet. "Typical for C-rank organic gates. Proceed with standard formation."
"You heard her," Angela said, her voice calm and commanding. "Marcus and Lin are on point. David, maintain barrier coverage on our flanks. Sarah, stay centered with healing ready. Thomas, use that enhanced sight and call out anything unusual. D-ranks, you're learning today, stay alert, stay together, and don't panic."
The team fell into formation smoothly. Ash positioned himself between Sarah and Helen, far enough back to coordinate but close enough to see the front line through breaks in the formation.
They moved deeper into the jungle, boots squelching in soil that felt too warm, too alive. Strange sounds echoed around them, clicks and hisses that might have been insects or might have been something worse.
"Movement ahead," Thomas called, his enhanced sight piercing the gloom. "Thirty feet, multiple contacts. Small ones, moving in a pack."
"Lizardmen scouts," Marcus confirmed, his earth sense reading vibrations in the ground. "Six of them, coordinating approach. They're flanking."
"Make a formation," Angela ordered. "Funnel them into the kill zone."
Marcus slammed his hands down, stone barriers erupting from the ground to channel the approaching creatures. Lin moved to the funnel's exit point, swords ready.
The lizardmen burst into view, seven feet tall, scales the color of moss, wielding crude spears. Their eyes held disturbing intelligence as they saw the trap and immediately adjusted, two breaking off to probe for weaknesses in the formation.
"They're tactical," Helen observed, still making notes. "Showing problem-solving behavior."
"They're also about to die," Lin said, her enhanced reflexes letting her dodge the first spear thrust and counter with precision strikes that found gaps between scales.
Angela blurred through accelerated time, appearing behind a lizardman attempting to flank David. Her daggers, aged to razor sharpness, sliced through the creature's spine before it even registered her presence.
Ash's Eyes of the Dead activated involuntarily, showing him the weak points. "Lin, left ankle on the spear-wielder! Marcus, the one at your three o'clock, has a cracked rib, fourth from the top! Angela, throat strike on your current target!"
The team executed his callouts perfectly. Within two minutes, all six lizardmen were down.
"Clean execution," Helen said, typing rapidly. "Coordinator's tactical input was effective. Leadership showed a decisive command structure. Continue."
They pressed deeper, encountering two more packs over the next hour. Each time, Angela's commands were crisp and clear, and Ash's weak point callouts kept casualties to zero.
Somewhere far ahead, deeper in the twisted jungle, a figure in robes made from stitched hides watched through eyes that glowed with dark purpose.
"It begins," the Corpse Handler whispered to the shadows and smiled.