"That is all, Karl. For the rest, we don't know yet," said Bertho as he finished his report to the elders. The entire council had gathered to listen to what he and Arin had encountered near the Secret Realm. Nobody interrupted him while he spoke. The information was simply too important.
"Right," said Karl as he mulled over their options. "It is good that Arin stayed there for reconnaissance. We need to establish a perimeter to stop those creatures from escaping into the forest. However, I am worried about the theory Arin put forward."
The room immediately grew more serious. Arin's theory was only speculation, but it explained too many things to be ignored. If the portal truly reacted to the number of humans nearby, then a careless response could make the situation far worse. That was not a risk anyone wanted to take.
"So let's first deploy the small rescue squad we still have available to confirm the theory," Karl said. "If it proves true, deploy the green flare. Any other conclusion, use the red one. We will use a black smoke grenade to recall the rest of the scouts back to base."
Karl frowned as he spoke. At the moment, he regretted spreading his people so thinly throughout the forest. The expansion had created too many tasks and too few experienced personnel. Unfortunately, there was little he could do about that now.
"Will do, Patriarch," said Bertho.
Without wasting another second, he turned around and ran. He would need to guide the strike team to the hill and explain the situation on the way. Every minute mattered if the creatures were continuously emerging from the portal.
"Don't worry, Karl," said Bennie. "It is the best we can do for now. Sending recruits would just be asking for trouble. Still, I think we will have to guard that Secret Realm for quite some time."
Then Bennie's expression suddenly brightened.
"Just think about all the money we are going to make," he said with obvious delight. "Not only do we have access to the Secret Realm, but we can even control the flow of money. If those rewards Arin reported are accurate, this place is practically printing wealth."
"Don't be so happy, Bennie," Lilly said sternly.
Her voice immediately wiped the smile off his face. Bennie visibly shrank in his chair. Even after all these years, he had not forgotten his youth being tormented by the terrifying woman sitting across from him.
"Do you really think Secret Realms are designed to be that easy?" Lilly asked. "And even if they are, I do not believe those creatures have not found a way out before. They are only called corrupted creatures. That means something worse exists behind them."
The room fell silent.
"What we are seeing could simply be pawns," Lilly continued. "Pawns that can still cost real lives. So stop counting your coins before this is over."
Bennie immediately nodded.
He was many things, but arguing with Lilly was not one of them.
"Right," Karl said after a moment. "We will see if our old bones need to help again. Meanwhile, I am sending all this information to Marshal Herman. I do not like where this situation is heading."
The Sonnebergs were not aware of it, but they had become the first people on Earth to properly reach a Secret Realm. Not because they were necessarily the closest, although they were certainly among the nearest. The real reason was much simpler.
Everyone else was struggling with the new terrain.
Arin, on the other hand, had practically cruised through it. Growing up in a forest combined with his physique allowed him to move through wilderness faster than most vehicles could manage. Terrain that slowed entire expeditions barely inconvenienced him.
Ultimately, however, it did not matter.
By the time Bertho returned with information from the hill, nearly 20% of the Secret Realms around the world were already under attack by humans. Unfortunately, the results varied wildly depending on where those attacks occurred and how prepared the people involved happened to be.
For example, one expedition force in Central Africa was having an absolutely miserable day.
Five thousand exhausted people had already spent hours dealing with the heat and difficult terrain. Then they suddenly found themselves facing corrupted creatures that inspired the same instinctive revulsion Arin had described. Needless to say, morale was not high.
Ironically, Arin's theory proved correct.
The corrupted creatures required humans to be near the portal before they could emerge. Unfortunately, once a creature came out, it also counted toward that number. Left unchecked, the portal could begin accelerating its own production of monsters.
The implications were obvious.
A few creatures became several.
Several became dozens.
Dozens eventually became hundreds.
Fortunately, no major disasters had occurred yet. Unfortunately, that did not mean disasters were impossible. Several locations were already reporting difficulties containing the portals. Humanity had discovered the problem just in time.
Marshal Herman was currently sitting inside a bunker built on top of a mana vein in Switzerland. The intelligence center around him was busier than an airport during holiday season. Reports were arriving constantly from every corner of Europe.
None of it made sense.
Different portals were producing different numbers of creatures. Some locations reported almost no activity while others were becoming increasingly dangerous. The satellite photos were useful, but they were not nearly detailed enough to explain what was happening.
The Earth had expanded enormously.
As a result, the satellites had been forced into higher and higher orbits. The cameras simply had not been designed for these distances. They could still provide valuable information, but not enough to answer every question.
Just as Herman was preparing to demand solutions from his staff, his phone vibrated.
The sudden sound startled several generals standing nearby.
They all turned toward him.
Herman quickly read the message.
Then his face darkened.
"Silence!" he roared.
The entire operations center instantly fell quiet.
"I just received a theory from a source that seems more reliable than all of you combined. So what exactly are we paying you for?"
Nobody answered.
Several operators suddenly found their screens fascinating.
Eventually, one brave soul raised his hand.
"Sir, what is the theory?"
Herman looked around the room.
"Quite simple," he said. "The portals produce creatures based on the number of humans nearby. The more humans present, the more creatures emerge. It happens repeatedly and continues to escalate."
The room erupted into whispers.
Operators compared notes.
Analysts checked reports.
Experts rushed through incoming data.
After nearly a minute of discussion, someone finally spoke up.
"It actually fits."
The room quieted again.
"There are a few outliers, but the majority of reports match that theory almost perfectly. It explains most of the strange behavior we've been observing."
Herman stared at the massive room.
Hundreds of experts.
Expensive computers.
A dedicated server network.
An entire intelligence center operating around the clock.
And they had been beaten by a teenager sitting in a tree.
He sighed deeply.
"Good. Then get the information out immediately," Herman ordered. "Inform the companies, the legions, and every commander involved in these operations. While you're at it, inform the rest of the world as well."
His expression darkened.
"I refuse to send soldiers into some forsaken hellhole because someone overestimated themselves and put the entire planet at risk."
With that, Herman turned around and left.
The room remained silent for several seconds.
Then the same operator who had asked about the theory slowly raised his hand again.
"Um..."
Everyone looked at him.
"Who's going to tell him we can't contact half those units because their phones aren't working?"
The room froze.
Several people closed their eyes.
Others looked away.
One by one, every person present came to exactly the same conclusion.
He was the lucky volunteer.
The operator realized his mistake almost immediately. His face went pale. Then he jumped out of his chair and sprinted after Herman before someone else could volunteer him more officially.
A few moments later, a roar echoed through the bunker.
The operators collectively winced.
An angry Herman stormed back into the room.
"WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED OF SOMETHING THIS IMPORTANT?" he bellowed.
Nobody answered.
To be fair, Herman was the highest-ranking military commander in Europe. His job was directing the giant machine that was the military, not worrying about broken phones and communication failures. Most people had simply assumed he already knew.
Unfortunately, he had not.
And judging by the look on his face, someone was about to have a very unpleasant day.