Date: June 13, 2018 (Wednesday)
Location: Geneva Ground Zero / Global Frontlines
Time: 11:59 PM
Viewed from above, the world now resembled an empty grave. From New York's Times Square to the streets of Mumbai and the crossings of Tokyo, a silence prevailed that was painful to the ears. Nearly 70% of the civilian population was trapped in underground bunkers, clinging to a false hope of safety.
On the deserted streets above, black and purple 'Fractures' floated exactly one foot off the ground. These were not the glowing portals seen in video games. They were deep, jagged cracks in the glass of reality, leaking a cold, damp air that smelled of death. The thirty-day countdown had long since hit zero.
The reality of the Dangers Division and the GDA's logistical limits were on full display before these cracks. Richard Vance's cold logic had placed a heavy reserve rack of twenty 'Cold Iron' blades behind every single mutant.
His calculation was brutal: a D-Ranker's mana would deplete in fifteen seconds, and human metal would shatter under mana pressure in just three minutes.
This physical reality created a sharp psychological divide among the mutants. Rank B and C mages stood with arrogance, holding their swords casually as magic glowed in their palms. They believed their newfound power would easily burn through anything. But on the frontlines, the Rank D soldiers were trembling.
Seeing the backup of twenty swords behind them made one thing clear: the GDA already knew how low their chances of survival were. Those weapon racks were not just supplies; they were a tally of their expected deaths. On this global chessboard, Richard Vance had positioned his pawns with extreme strategy.
Richard had distributed High-Rankers (A and B) equally across every major portal worldwide. No nation, whether the US or China, could hide its 'Elite Rankers.' Richard's authority had forcibly dragged them all to the frontlines.
Richard himself stood just ten steps away from Geneva's most massive fracture. He wore no heavy, glowing armor. His fifty-four-year-old body was clad only in a dark, tactical combat suit. In his hand, he held a single, high-density cold iron blade.
The silent, cold presence of an S-Rank felt heavier than the entire army standing behind him.
Richard's icy eyes stared at the floating crack. He controlled the world's military force, yet an obvious paradox gnawed at him. He lacked a single 'Blacksmith,' 'Architect,' or 'Wisdom' class mutant to shape this new mana into proper weapons. But Richard Vance was not a man who complained.
His internal resolve was absolute: "If the system will not give me scholars, I will cut down these monsters myself and extract their secrets."
His goal was not just to save cities, but to violently 'harvest' this first wave. He planned to loot 'Essence Stones' and 'Mana Cores' to forcibly evolve his Magitech.
11:59 PM. Suddenly, without a single warning alarm, the atmospheric pressure dropped violently. The oxygen became heavy and suffocating. No single roar of a beast came from the portals. Instead, a deafening sound erupted, like thousands of bodies grinding against iron all at once.
Richard gripped the hilt of his sword with all his strength. Before his eyes, the glass-like fracture suddenly tore open, expanding to ten feet wide.
The waiting was over. Monsters did not march out like an organized army; they spilled out like water from a broken dam. The abyss had finally opened.