Riko left the hospital after several days of observation.
His body was still weary, but his condition had stabilized.
The air outside felt different.
It wasn't necessarily purer… just vaster.
'Back home… a feeling I never truly appreciated before.'
The following morning, he sat at the small dining table with his family.
His mother set down the food quietly.
His brother ate with gusto.
His sister stole glances at Riko every now and then.
Their auras were normal.
Nothing concerning.
"Do you feel better?"
"Yes."
"Don't try to move around too much."
"I won't."
The television hummed in the background.
The news anchor's voice cut through the morning calm.
"A few days ago, a C-Rank Gate appeared within the perimeter of Cerulean School, a rare occurrence."
Riko stopped eating.
'The Cerulean Gate…'
"Authorities have confirmed that the investigation into the incident has been fully completed."
"S-Rank Hunter, Tsuma Tsukura, has taken charge of the case."
An image appeared on the screen.
A man stood before the sealed Gate.
His hair was dark.
His gaze was steady.
Riko's eyes widened.
'It's him…'
'The same person.'
'That strange… compressed aura.'
He gripped his spoon without realizing it.
"Tsuma Tsukura is considered one of the strongest Hunters in the country, and his direct involvement confirms the severity of the incident."
The image changed, and the news moved on.
Riko didn't hear the rest.
'An S-Rank Hunter…'
'And he was at the hospital.'
'It wasn't a coincidence.'
"Riko? Your food is getting cold."
"Sorry."
He finished eating in silence.
After breakfast, he headed out.
"Where are you going?"
"Just for a short walk."
"Don't be late."
"I won't."
He walked away from the residential neighborhood, heading toward a deserted area on the outskirts of the city.
Old warehouses.
Open ground.
No one around.
'A suitable place.'
He stood in the center of the clearing.
He took a deep breath.
'System…'
The screen appeared instantly.
[Training intent detected]
[Suggestion: Begin qualification training for Gate entry]
"Begin."
[Phase One: Physical Endurance]
[Objective: Prepare the body for Mana]
Suddenly, he felt a weight press down on his body.
It wasn't physical pressure, but an invisible resistance.
'This is…'
'It's as if the air itself has grown heavier.'
[Run for 10 minutes]
He started to run.
After just one minute, fatigue set in.
After three minutes, his breathing became labored.
'This is heavier than a normal run.'
By five minutes, his legs began to shake.
[Warning: Stamina low]
"Not… yet."
He pushed on.
He fell to his knees after seven minutes.
Sweat poured off him.
'This is just… training?'
[Result: Partial Failure]
[Retry?]
"Yes."
He stood up with difficulty.
He started again.
This time, he focused.
'Don't run with force… run with rhythm.'
He regulated his breathing.
Eight minutes.
Then nine.
At the ten-minute mark, he stopped.
He collapsed onto the ground.
[Minimum threshold achieved]
[Phase Two Unlocked]
'Minimum…'
He rose slowly.
[Phase Two: Constant Pressure]
He felt a crushing weight clamp down on his body.
It was as if he were carrying a massive load.
His knees nearly buckled.
'This isn't training… this is torture.'
[Objective: Remain steady for 60 seconds]
"Sixty seconds…?"
The countdown began.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
The pressure intensified.
'Focus…'
Forty seconds.
His teeth reclenched.
Fifty.
Sixty.
He collapsed immediately.
He gasped for air.
[Objective achieved]
[Update: Body-Mana Synchronization 3%]
'Three percent… after all that?'
He let out a short laugh.
'A long road ahead.'
He sat for several minutes to catch his breath.
He looked at his hands.
The aura had become slightly clearer.
'Weak… but improving.'
He stood up again.
"What's next?"
[Phase Three: Kinesthetic Perception]
[Avoid collision for 5 minutes]
Invisible pressure points appeared around him.
He moved between them.
One mistake, and he felt a painful sting.
'This is… combat training.'
After five minutes, his body was completely exhausted.
He fell onto his back.
He stared up at the sky.
'If I entered a Gate now… I would die.'
'But… I won't stop.'
Hours later, the training concluded.
[Training session ended]
[Result: Slow Progress – Acceptable]
He returned home at sunset.
His entire body ached.
At night, he lay on his bed.
The aura around him was stable.
'Tsuma Tsukura…'
'The S-Rank Hunter.'
'How far away is he from me?'
He closed his eyes.
'But… even a mountain is climbed one step at a time.'
The screen appeared one last time.
[Information: Current qualification is necessary before entering any Gate]
[Haste = Death]
"Understood."
He fell into a deep sleep.
The night was quiet.
The streets were nearly empty.
Dim lights cast long shadows of the tall buildings.
Tsuma Tsukura walked alone, his steps steady and unhurried.
He took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and lit it.
Smoke rose slowly.
He stopped suddenly.
His eyes shifted slightly toward the edge of his vision.
A dark red aura leaked out for a brief moment, compressing the air around him.
"I know you've been following me."
He didn't turn around.
"Why are you following me?"
Silence stretched for several seconds.
Then, the air behind him shifted.
A masked figure lunged forward, throwing a sword toward Tsuma.
The sword flew at high velocity.
Tsuma didn't move.
He didn't raise a hand.
He didn't even change his stance.
Before the sword could reach him, it stopped abruptly, as if it had struck something invisible.
Then, its trajectory reversed.
The sword shot backward at the same speed.
It pierced the masked figure, who fell to the ground motionless.
Tsuma looked at the body for a single second.
"What insects, trying to kill me."
He returned the cigarette to his mouth and continued walking.
The aura vanished.
The street returned to silence.
In the morning.
Riko was in the same isolated area where he usually trained.
His body ached, but movement had become easier.
'The third day in a row.'
He stood in the center of the clearing.
"Begin."
The screen appeared.
[Qualification Training Session – Day 3]
[Objective: Enhance Body-Mana Synchronization]
[Phase One: Variable Running]
He felt the resistance immediately.
He started to run.
This time, he didn't tire as quickly.
His breathing was steady.
'The body is adapting.'
After ten minutes, he didn't collapse.
[Significant improvement]
[Phase Two: Graduated Pressure]
The pressure returned, but it wasn't a surprise.
His knees bent slightly, but he held firm.
'Two days ago, I was falling instantly.'
He held for sixty seconds.
Then seventy.
Then eighty.
[Required limit exceeded]
[Phase Three: Movement Under Pressure]
He began to move.
Jumping became difficult.
Turning was slow.
But Riko didn't stop.
'If I stop… I'll stay weak.'
One mistake.
A sting in his shoulder.
He paused for a moment.
"Keep going."
He finished.
After the phase ended, he sat on the ground.
Breathing deeply.
'The exhaustion… is less than before.'
He stood up again.
"Next."
[Phase Four: Entry Simulation]
He felt a change in the air.
It was as if a small space around him had become different.
'This is…'
[Gate Pressure Simulation]
Irregular pressure.
The air grew heavier.
The ground became unstable.
Riko planted his feet.
He moved slowly.
'This feeling… it's like the school.'
He took a step forward.
Then another.
He sweated profusely.
But he did not fall.
After several minutes, the pressure vanished.
[Success]
[Analyzing results…]
Riko looked at the screen.
His breathing slowly returned to normal.
'Is it… over?'
A new message appeared.
[Basic qualification requirements met]
[Current Status: Qualified to enter a D-Rank Gate]
Riko fixed his gaze.
'A Gate…'
'Not a simulation.'
'The real thing.'
He clenched his fist.
'I'm still weak… but the System allows it.'
[Warning: D-Rank is still dangerous]
[Probability of death exists]
"I know."
He sat on the ground, thinking.
'I'm E-Rank.'
'A D-Rank Gate isn't easy.'
'But… if I wait too long, I won't progress.'
He stood up slowly.
He looked around.
'This world waits for no one.'
On his way back, he passed a narrow alley behind some buildings.
Trash bags.
A locked back door.
The aura in the place was normal.
But Riko stopped for a moment.
'This…'
A faint sensation.
It vanished quickly.
'Maybe I'm imagining things.'
He returned home.
At night, he sat on his bed.
The System appeared again.
[Suggestion: Enter a low-risk training Gate]
[Rewards: EXP – Skill Stabilization – Information]
Riko closed his eyes.
'A Gate…'
'The first time.'
He opened his eyes.
"Where?"
[Location will be specified upon acceptance]
Riko went silent.
'I'm not a hero.'
'But I won't run away.'
"I accept."
[Decision recorded]
[Notification will be sent when a suitable Gate is available]
The screen vanished.
Riko lay down.
'Somewhere else…'
'There is someone like Tsuma Tsukura.'
'His power… is leagues beyond mine.'
'But…'
'Even he started somewhere.'
He closed his eyes.
Tomorrow would bring something new.
In the morning, inside the Hana family villa.
Hana was sitting on the sofa in her room, facing the wide glass window.
Her gaze was fixed; her mind was preoccupied.
'Father is forcing me to marry that weakling… Riko.'
Her features shifted slightly.
'I want to marry someone like Tsuma—strong and handsome.'
'Why is Father always like this?'
The room door opened quietly.
Her mother entered, looking at her for a few moments.
"Hana, why are you sitting alone like this?"
"I'm just looking out the window."
The mother stepped forward and sat beside her.
"Are you thinking about Riko?"
"Yes, Mother. I don't want to marry him. He's weak and poor."
A short silence fell.
"Do you want someone like Tsuma?"
"Yes, but there's no other choice because of you and Father. You both refuse to end the engagement."
"As you know, Riko's father was the reason we became wealthy."
"But that doesn't mean I have to marry Riko."
"We must repay the favor to them."
"It's simple—give them money."
The mother's tone changed.
"Are you stupid, Hana? They would surely feel it was an insult."
"I'm sorry, Mother."
The mother sighed.
"Understand, my daughter, there is no one strong like Tsuma who will marry you."
"There isn't because of Riko."
"Many strong men wanted to be with me, but when they found out I was engaged to a poor person like Riko, they stayed away."
The mother placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"Everything will be fine."
Hana broke down in tears, and her mother pulled her to her chest.
At the same time, inside the Black Scorpion Hunter Organization.
A long corridor, white lighting, quiet movement.
Tsuma Tsukura walked with steady steps.
'What a truly gloomy day.'
'I want to reach his level…'
'That man… the strongest man in history… the beast, Akuji.'
'He is the strongest in history—not like me, the strongest only of this era.'
'Legends say he was born two thousand years ago, then vanished all at once without a trace.'
'It's true that Gates officially appeared only twenty years ago.'
'But the news was confirmed five years ago…'
'Gates existed thousands of years ago.'
'The Hunters of that era were strong enough to seal them.'
'After sealing the Gates, techniques stopped appearing.'
'Over time, humans turned into ordinary people.'
He stopped in front of an inner office.
'Now, the Gates are returning.'
'Gate ranks range from E to S.'
'And I am on my way to take a mission to clear an S-Rank Gate.'
'What a lot of hard work.'
He moved toward the office door.
In Riko's room.
He was sleeping.
The alarm rang.
He turned it off and woke up.
"This is strange… school is closed for repairs after the incident, and we won't return for a month."
He sat up on the bed.
The System window appeared.
[Tonight, you will be notified of the Gate's location]
His eyes widened.
'Finally… I will clear a Gate by myself.'
Another window appeared immediately.
[Don't get too excited. Your death rate inside the Gate is 50%]
He looked at the screen with disgust.
"System, let me be happy for a moment."
A new window appeared.
[Due to completing the training tasks, a skill will be awakened in you]
Riko calmed down a bit.
'Right… there are two types of Hunters.'
'The Fighter type and the Mage type.'
'The Fighter gets a physical skill or a sword skill.'
'The Mage gets a magical skill.'
'Summoning, healing, or skills that haven't even been discovered yet.'
'For me… the best type is a Mage.'
'The possibilities are endless.'
'There might be a skill that makes its owner immortal.'
'Invincible skills.'
'But they are very, very, very rare.'
'It's almost impossible for an ordinary human to get one.'
'So, who is that superhuman who obtained it?'
A new window appeared.
[The time for the Gate's appearance is approaching]
Then another.
[The Gate will appear in the forest adjacent to the city tonight]
He opened his eyes wide.
"Then… I'll begin."
At night.
The city forest was quiet.
Riko stood alone among the trees.
In his hand was a strange metal key.
"The System gave me the key and told me to move it in the air."
He raised the key.
He moved it slowly.
The air in front of him shifted.
A massive Gate appeared.
A huge pressure spread through the area.
"What terrifying pressure."
He planted his feet.
He looked at the Gate with sharp eyes.
"The time has come."
End of Chapter Three.