Light swallowed Zael's vision briefly before solid ground returned beneath his feet.
The familiar return platform of the military camp appeared around him moments later as streams of light continuously flashed nearby, signaling the return of other awakened groups from the dungeon.
Zael glanced around calmly.
A lot had returned.
But not everyone.
Several platforms remained empty.
And in a place like this, empty platforms only meant one thing.
Death.
The atmosphere around the return area felt noticeably heavier because of it. Some awakened looked shaken. Others were injured badly enough to require immediate medical attention. A few groups silently stared at the empty spaces where their teammates should have appeared.
Yet strangely—
Nobody really had time to process it.
The moment the return process finished, camp security personnel immediately began directing everyone toward the central square with unusual urgency.
"Move quickly!"
"All participants head to the main assembly area immediately!"
"Do not leave the designated paths!"
The tone alone made people realize something was wrong.
Zael exchanged a brief glance with Aurelia before following the crowd alongside Lily and Auralis.
The central square was already packed by the time they arrived.
Thousands of awakened stood gathered beneath the massive metallic structures surrounding the camp while tension filled the atmosphere heavily.
At the very front stood the camp manager.
Unlike usual, there was no relaxed attitude on his face anymore.
Only seriousness.
The moment the crowd settled enough—
He spoke.
"As of this morning," the manager began heavily, "the entire upper management has been recalled to the upper levels of the Gods and Demon Battlefield."
Instantly, murmurs spread throughout the crowd.
Even Zael's expression sharpened slightly.
Upper levels.
That alone sounded ominous.
The manager continued before the noise could grow louder.
"You are all the hope of our world, so I won't mince words."
His gaze swept across the gathered awakened slowly.
"Things are getting dire for us."
Silence immediately followed.
Even the air itself seemed heavier afterward.
"The enemy appears to have formed an alliance with another world."
This time the reaction was much larger.
Shock.
Confusion.
Disbelief.
Zael's eyes narrowed slightly.
Another world?
Meanwhile the manager continued speaking grimly.
"The delicate balance between us is collapsing. Their forces have begun eroding our boundaries at an accelerating rate."
Even Lily's expression changed slightly at that.
Because everyone here understood what boundaries meant.
If world boundaries fully collapsed—
Then war wouldn't remain confined to the battlefield anymore.
The manager exhaled slowly before continuing.
"Because of this, the camp will end earlier than planned."
That announcement immediately caused another wave of reactions.
"In three days," he continued, "a competition will be held."
"A competition ranking all current camp participants."
"Afterward, all of you will be allowed to return home for two weeks before deployment to the Gods and Demon Battlefield begins."
This time the crowd became completely restless.
Some looked excited.
Others looked terrified.
Auralis blinked beside Zael.
"…That escalated ridiculously fast."
Zael silently agreed.
The manager raised one hand, calming the noise slightly before adding one final statement.
"Do not panic."
His voice carried immense pressure now.
"Before reaching level 100, you will remain restricted to the first level of the battlefield."
"The danger level there will not be excessively high."
Zael's eyes flickered slightly at that statement.
Not excessively high.
Which usually meant—
Still extremely dangerous.
The manager's gaze swept across the younger awakened one last time.
"Use these next three days wisely."
Then the announcement ended.
But the heavy atmosphere lingering over the camp did not disappear.
Because everyone understood something now.
The world situation had changed.
And very soon—
They would all be dragged into it.
—
The atmosphere remained heavy even after they left the central square.
The usual noise throughout the camp had changed completely. Conversations were quieter now. More tense. Even the awakened walking through the pathways seemed distracted, their minds still stuck on the manager's announcement.
Another world.
Collapsing boundaries.
Deployment to the Gods and Demon Battlefield.
None of it sounded distant anymore.
For the first time since arriving at the camp, the war felt real.
By the time Zael and the others returned to the villa, the tension had only deepened further.
The door closed behind them quietly.
Then silence filled the room.
Nobody immediately sat down.
Nobody really knew what to say first.
Eventually, Auralis broke the silence while dropping heavily onto one of the couches.
"So," she said while rubbing her hair tiredly, "what's the plan?"
Lily, who had been standing near the window, glanced back toward her.
"About the competition," she asked lightly, "or the deployment?"
The tone clearly tried to ease the atmosphere slightly.
But it didn't really work.
Because even she sounded distracted.
Everyone was still processing what they had just heard.
Aurelia quietly removed her glasses before cleaning them slowly, a habit Zael had noticed she did whenever deeply thinking about something.
Meanwhile Zael remained silent for a few moments.
Thinking.
The competition itself honestly didn't concern him much.
At his current strength, very few people in the camp could actually challenge him anymore.
Not after the dungeon.
Not after the dragon assimilation.
The real issue was the battlefield.
Because if the manager's words were true, then things were already serious enough for upper management to get recalled.
That alone said a lot.
Auralis eventually sighed loudly.
"I was mentally prepared for fighting monsters eventually," she admitted while leaning back against the couch. "But hearing it officially still feels weird."
Lily nodded slightly.
"Same."
Then her expression darkened faintly.
"An alliance between worlds though…"
Even Aurelia paused briefly at that statement.
Because the implications were massive.
World alliances didn't happen casually.
If another world truly sided against humanity—
Then the scale of the war would become far larger than most awakened probably realized.
Zael finally spoke afterward.
"For now," he said calmly, "we focus on the competition."
The others looked toward him immediately.
"It's the only thing directly in front of us right now," he continued. "Worrying about the battlefield constantly before even getting there won't help."
Auralis pointed at him immediately.
"See? This is why you're weirdly reliable despite looking emotionally unavailable half the time."
Zael blinked once.
"…That sounded insulting."
"It was partially complimentary."
Lily snorted quietly from nearby.
Even Aurelia's lips curved upward faintly.
The atmosphere lightened slightly afterward.
Only slightly.
Because the tension still lingered underneath everything.
Zael walked toward the large window afterward, his gaze drifting toward the distant night sky outside the villa.
Competition in three days.
Two weeks back home afterward.
Then deployment.
His thoughts shifted briefly toward Damien's words earlier.
Toward talents above mythical.
Toward the growing feeling that larger forces were beginning to move behind the scenes.
Then finally—
Toward Kael.
Somehow, Zael doubted his older brother was unaware of what was happening.
And for some reason—
That thought bothered him more than it should have.