Bam!
I shut my apartment door, leaned against it, and let out a heavy sigh.
I might not look it, but I was mentally exhausted.
In just one month, I had absorbed so much about this strange new world—and yet, it still felt like I barely knew anything. Letting out another sigh, I walked to the bed and sat on the edge.
> [Congratulations on completing your first task.]
[+1000 EXP & 1 Question.]
> [Congratulations on becoming a Gatekeeper.]
[+1000 EXP]
> [Nightfall Dominion is badly damaged. Please visit your territory soon!]
> [INTRUDER ALERT! CHECK IT OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!]
I scanned through the messages and sighed again before dropping back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
So much had happened.
"The first question the system gave me… I used it to regain my memories," I muttered, no hint of regret in my tone.
That choice had boosted my Intelligence stat to ten. Without it, I would've been compelled by that vampire and spilled everything to Professor Lenort. Gaining my memories saved me.
But still... what if I had asked a better question which would have allowed me to complete the mission without problems?
Now that I had another shot, I had to choose wisely. Should I ask something about Nightfall Dominion? Or maybe I should learn more about the Gatekeeper role?
Yeah… the Gatekeeper title. I was starting to suspect I wasn't the first.
But what stuck in my mind the most was the look the Vampire Lord gave me.
Pity.
What kind of suffering makes a man pity the one who killed his wife?
The thought gave me goosebumps.
I opened my mouth and asked, "Can you tell me everything I need to know about Gatekeepers?"
> [Is that your question?]
The familiar prompt made a small smile tug at my lips.
"Yes," I said firmly.
> [Gatekeeper role is recent. Created to protect collapsing realms and defend them from external invasions.]
[This role is only granted to condemned souls. It comes with suffering they must endure for the rest of their lives. That is the punishment for their crimes.]
"Bullshit," I muttered, scowling—but the system kept going.
> [The duty of a Gatekeeper is to claim and strengthen as many territories as possible. You must defend them from external invasion.]
There it was again—external invasion.
It was the second time the system mentioned it. I couldn't help but feel there was something deeper behind those words.
Did it mean what happened in Nightfall? Or was there another force out there, something worse I hadn't encountered yet?
Thanks to my 10 points in Intelligence, my mind didn't take anything the system said at face value.
The system stopped responding, so I assumed that was all it would share for now.
"Territory collection," I mumbled, and my eyes shifted to my status window.
---
> [Name:] Adam Black
[Level:] 2
[Race:] Human
[Talent:] Gatekeeper
[Talent Tier:] SSS-Tier
[Stats]
Strength: 3
Speed: 3
Vitality: 4
Intelligence: 10
[Health Points:] 40/40
[Energy Points:] 20/20
[Experience Points:] 2050
[Skill]
Name: Door
Tier: C
Cost: 1
Proficiency: 15%
Technique: Door Post
[Territory] [Unclaimed]
[Nightfall Dominion] [Tier 1: Lesser Realm]
"Unclaimed?" I raised a brow.
No answer followed. I had used up my free question already.
My eyes dropped to the warning about intruders. I figured they were the non-combatants or leftover Limitless stuck behind when the rift closed.
If so... what was I supposed to do?
Kill them?
Let them go?
I stared at the ceiling again.
That was a decision I'd have to make soon.
I abruptly sat up as a thought crossed my mind. I quickly walked over to my reading desk. I pulled open the shelf, and there was my cell phone.
We weren't allowed to bring them along during expeditions. I went straight to the Bureau of Limitless Agency site where all American Limitless were registered, including students.
It was on this site that our contribution points were recorded, only accessible to members of the Limitless society. I selected States, then Texas, before going to the Lone Star Academy and clicking New Students.
Scrolling through the list, I was stunned. Except for Natasha, who gained 300 contribution points, every other student gained 100 for participating. Scrolling down to the bottom of the list, I saw my face with a score of 0.
"I guess they haven't updated it because I was under investigation," I mumbled and turned the phone off before falling back on the bed.
And then—
Ding!
A notification sound rang, and this time it wasn't the system. I turned my phone on to see a message in the class group chat from Pamela.
The mass funeral of those who were lost in the expedition was today, and everyone was expected to attend.
"Fuck them." I frowned, switched off my phone, and tossed it to another part of the bed.
Instead of wasting time with that, I'd put that time into studying my territory. With this in mind, I stood up and walked to the door to double-check that it was locked.
"How do I access Nightfall Dominion?" I asked.
The system responded in a way I didn't expect.
> [Establishing Gateway to Nightfall Dominion…]
My eyes widened slightly as the light in the room dimmed. Space twisted and warped as a ghastly black presence spread across the room. This black, ghostly energy began to take human form, all of them bound with chains that tied them to the twisting space.
Whispers, groans, unintelligible words—
All of it created a haunted atmosphere in my room, which now looked like night, even though sunlight still came through the curtains.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
The screech that came from the space tear was like the cry of a woman in pain. It was soul-chilling… but not as terrifying as what happened next.
Blood began flowing out from the edges of the rift, dripping to the ground. Within the gate was endless darkness.
I stood before what looked like a spiraling gate of shadows that bled, screamed, and held countless chained souls.
> [Gateway to Nightfall Dominion established successfully.]
I glanced at the message before returning my gaze to the gate.
"Am I supposed to step into that thing?" I couldn't hide the reluctance in my voice.
This didn't seem like a gateway to Nightfall Dominion.
It looked like a gateway to hell.