Here's the bonus chapter for reaching 1k powerstones. WOW I never thought my book would reach that many.
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I pulled onto the dirt road leading to the coordinates Aurora had sent. The site was remote—a clearing in Frazier Park surrounded by pine trees and not much else.
The clearing came into view, already busy with activity. Several vehicles were parked in a loose semicircle—a couple of SUVs, a van with Association markings, and a sleek black car that screamed money. Equipment cases sat in neat stacks near what looked like a command post: folding tables with laptops, communications gear, and monitoring equipment.
I pulled in beside a weathered Jeep and cut the engine. Before stepping out, I fully activated my Six Eyes. The world transformed instantly, overlaid with currents of mana that flowed like luminous rivers through everything around me. Each person in the clearing appeared as a distinct signature—some familiar, others new.
'Two mana signatures I recognize,' I thought to Arcan. 'And several I don't.'
『Interesting gathering,』 Arcan replied. 『Quite diverse power levels too. I detect one A-Rank, two B-Ranks, five C-Ranks, and two D-Ranks.』
I stepped out of the car, the evening air cool against my face. My boots crunched on gravel as I approached the gathering. The first familiar signature resolved into a figure I recognized immediately—Shikamaru Nara, standing slightly apart from the others, hands in his pockets, looking as if he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Valentine," he said, straightening slightly. "Nice to see a familiar face."
I approached and extended my hand. "Shikamaru. Didn't expect to run into you here."
He shook my hand. "Having someone I know here makes things less troublesome." The corner of his mouth twitched in what passed for a smile. "These contractor jobs can be a drag."
I nodded, using the moment to scan the clearing more thoroughly.
"Quite the gathering," I said, keeping my voice low.
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed slightly. "You noticed too. It's excessive."
"They offered you the base pay as well?" I asked.
"Ten thousand just to show up," he confirmed, his voice dropping even lower. "Plus percentage."
I did some quick mental math. "That's at least one hundred thousand in personnel costs alone. Not including gate reservation fees."
"Thirty-five to sixty-five thousand, depending on location and time slot," Shikamaru added.
"So whoever Aurora is, they're spending upwards of one-fifty, minimum." I watched the others preparing equipment. "That's corporate-level funding."
Shikamaru made a small noise of agreement. "The question is why."
Before we could speculate further, a figure emerged from the command tent. The person wore a full black bodysuit that my Six Eyes revealed to be high-grade armor—B-Rank at minimum, with complex mana-weaving throughout its structure. A white mask covered their face completely, revealing nothing of the person beneath.
The figure raised a hand, and the clearing fell silent.
"Thank you all for coming." The voice was female but definitely modulated. "I am Aurora, and I'll be leading this operation."
Everyone gathered closer. I remained beside Shikamaru, studying Aurora's mana signature. There was something familiar about it—a particular pattern to the flow that I'd encountered before.
'Arcan, that signature. I know it.'
『Analyzing...』 Arcan paused. 『Yes, the mana pattern is distinctive. Based on the signature characteristics, this can only be Nicole Demara.』
'Thought so.'
A hunter near the front—burly guy with tactical gear that screamed military background—raised his hand. "About our payment. We guaranteed to receive it?"
Aurora tilted her masked head. "Yes. The base payment is already in escrow. However, full payment is conditional on signing a non-disclosure agreement."
Murmurs rippled through the group. Another hunter—woman with close-cropped hair and what looked like custom-modified arm bracers—spoke up. "What happens if someone violates the NDA?"
"You'll pay ten times the amount earned as liquidated damages," Aurora replied flatly. "Plus I'll sue you for everything you're worth."
The clearing went silent. I exchanged a glance with Shikamaru, who raised an eyebrow slightly.
Nicole Demara—daughter of Damian Demara, tech mogul and founder of Phoenix Imperium. I'd met her briefly at the CHA-LA weeks ago.
What didn't make sense was why she was here, operating under a pseudonym. The Demaras had their own guild, one of the most powerful in the country. Why would she be running a separate operation?
Unless… she was starting her own. That would explain the secrecy, the NDAs, the excessive spending. Daddy's little girl striking out on her own—but not wanting Daddy to know.
Aurora surveyed the group. "If anyone wishes to leave, now would be the time. Once we proceed, you're bound by the terms."
No one moved. Ten thousand dollars was ten thousand dollars, after all.
"Very well." She gestured, and an assistant with no mana emerged from the tent carrying a stack of tablets. "These contain the NDAs. Please read carefully and sign."
The tablets were distributed. When mine arrived, I scrolled through the document—extensive, detailed, with enough legal language to make Harvey Specter proud. The core stipulations were clear: complete confidentiality regarding the operation, the participants, and most importantly, Aurora's identity. The penalties were severe, as promised.
I signed. Whatever game Nicole Demara was playing, it wasn't my concern. I was here for the money.
Once all tablets were collected, Aurora addressed us again. "We'll be entering the gate in thirty minutes."
The group dispersed, breaking into smaller clusters. I turned to Shikamaru. "Might as well get to know who we're fighting alongside."
He sighed. "What a drag. But I suppose you're right."
We approached a cluster of hunters checking their gear.
"I'm Xavier Valentine," I said, extending my hand. "D-Rank."
The woman looked up, her vibrant purple eyes assessing me with interest. Her matching purple hair was tied in a stylish bun, secured with ornate hairpins that my Six Eyes revealed to be mana-conducting tools.
"Yuzuriha Shirai," she replied, her voice carrying a slight Japanese accent. She took my hand. "C-Rank. I make things sticky." She winked.
"Shikamaru Nara," Shikamaru offered with minimal enthusiasm. "C-Rank tactical support."
Yuzuriha's eyes lit up. "Oh, the shadow user! I've heard about you." She leaned closer, her scent a subtle mix of cherry blossoms and something sharper. "They say you're much stronger than your rank suggests."
Shikamaru shrugged. "Ranks are troublesome."
We continued around the circle, meeting the others: Alexander, the ex-military B-Rank who specialized in barrier creation; Kaisen, a B-Rank berserker type; Elise, the woman with the arm bracers who turned out to be a C-Rank lightning manipulator; Jin and Sonya, a C-Rank husband-wife team who specialized in coordinated attacks; Theo, a quiet C-Rank who was a healer; and the two D-Rank porters, Dave and Joshua, whose job was equipment transport and emergency evacuation.
Throughout the introductions, I kept one eye on Aurora, who remained at the command post, reviewing data on multiple screens. Occasionally she would glance our way, the mask revealing nothing of her thoughts.
"Everyone gear up," she called finally. "We head to the gate in five minutes."
Unlike the others who lugged around heavy duffel bags and equipment cases, I traveled light—just a mostly empty backpack slung over one shoulder. The 600 pounds of weights hidden beneath my clothing were burden enough, though I'd grown so accustomed to them that I barely noticed anymore.
I adjusted my backpack straps, ensuring they wouldn't chafe during the hike. My Ossuary Piercer and other essentials rested safely in my inventory space, accessible with a thought.
"Everyone ready?" Aurora called out, her modulated voice carrying across the clearing.
Shikamaru sidled up beside me, eyeing my minimal gear. "Traveling light?"
"Always." I shrugged. "Less to slow me down."
He nodded, understanding in his half-lidded eyes.
Aurora signaled and our procession began moving toward the trailhead. The path narrowed immediately, forcing us into single file as we entered the dense pine forest. Aurora led, followed by the two B-Ranks, then the rest of us staggered by rank, with the porters bringing up the rear.
The forest closed around us, pine needles cushioning our footsteps.
'What's your read on this situation?' I asked Arcan silently.
『Nicole Demara operating independently from her father's guild suggests internal conflict. The excessive payment indicates urgency or desperation.』
'Or she's trying to build her own power base. Recruiting talent.'
『Possible.』
Eventually, the trees thinned as we approached the summit, revealing a small plateau. And there, dominating the clearing, stood the gate.
It towered fifteen feet high and stretched ten feet wide—a shimmering vertical oval of blue energy that distorted the air around it. Mana poured from it in waves I could see clearly with my Six Eyes. The flow patterns were complex, dense—far more intricate than what I'd expect from a C-Rank gate.
In fact...
I stepped forward, studying the energy currents more carefully. The density, the layering, the subtle harmonics in the flow—all wrong for C-Rank.
"Hey, Aurora," I called out. "You sure this is a C-Rank gate?"
She turned, the blank mask revealing nothing. "Of course I'm sure. What, you think I'm a dumbass?"
I took another step forward, hands spread. "I'm just saying, the mana density looks off."
"Oh, I'm sorry," she tilted her head mockingly. "I didn't realize you were a certified gate assessor now."
"Don't need a degree to see what's right in front of me," I replied. "But hey, if you want to lead your team into a higher-ranked gate than they're prepared for, that's your call. Just thought you might want to know."
Aurora stepped closer, her mask inches from my face. "Listen carefully. This gate has been officially assessed and classified by the Association. The paperwork is filed. The permits are approved. So unless you've suddenly developed gate classification abilities that surpass the entire bureaucracy of the FBH, I suggest you shut up and do what you're paid for."
She spun around and marched toward the gate, her shoulders tense beneath the bodysuit.
Shikamaru sighed beside me. "What a drag. Did you have to antagonize our employer before we even start the job?"
I shrugged. "Something's not right about this gate. I'm just making sure she knows I know."
"Troublesome," he muttered.
The others followed, some amused, others concerned by the exchange. Yuzuriha paused beside me.
"My money's on you being right," she whispered. "But her pride won't let her admit it easily."
"We'll see," I replied, watching as she stepped through the gate with a little wave.
Soon only the porters and I remained. They looked at me uncertainly.
"After you," Dave said, gesturing to the gate.
I took a deep breath, then I stepped forward into the shimmering blue portal.
The familiar disorientation of gate transit washed over me—that moment of weightlessness, of being everywhere and nowhere at once. Then my feet hit solid ground, and the world reformed around me.
Sunset. Endless sunset.
The sky blazed orange and gold, painted with streaks of pink and purple that shouldn't exist in nature. Two medium-sized suns hung at different points in the sky, neither setting despite the eternal dusk-like illumination they cast. And there, impossibly, a pale moon floated among scattered clouds, visible despite the daylight.
I stood on warm, reddish sand that sparkled with tiny crystals. All around us stretched a landscape that defied logic—a tropical oasis in what appeared to be a desert, with palm-like trees surrounding pools of crystal-clear water. In the distance, floating islands hung suspended in mid-air, lush with vegetation that trailed down like green waterfalls.
Each breath tasted sweet, almost like nectar, with undertones of spices I couldn't name.
I looked around at the others, who were taking in the environment with varying degrees of awe. Shikamaru's eyes narrowed as he assessed the shadows cast by the dual suns—calculating, always calculating.
Yuzuriha dipped her fingers in the nearest pool, bringing them to her lips. "The water's safe," she announced. "And tastes like... honeydew?"
The porters finally emerged from the gate behind me. They whistled appreciatively at the view.
The mana here was dense, flowing in complex patterns through everything—the water, the plants, the very air itself. Particularly strong currents ran beneath the surface of the pools, like underground rivers of power.
And in the distance, barely visible, shadows moved among the dunes. Watching. Waiting.
"Uh, guys?" A voice cracked. "The gate!"
We all turned as one.
The shimmering blue portal that had brought us here was changing. The color drained from its surface like water down a drain, replaced by a spreading crimson that pulsed with sickly intensity. Within seconds, the entire gate had transformed—no longer the standard blue of a normal passage, but a deep, ominous red that cast bloody shadows across the sand.
"What the hell?" Alexander muttered, his hand instinctively moving to his weapon.
I strode toward the gate, my Six Eyes fully active, analyzing the transformed portal. The mana currents had completely altered—where before they flowed in organized patterns, now they twisted chaotically, forming unstable vortices that spiraled inward like a drain.
"Everyone stay back," I ordered, extending my hand toward the surface.
My fingers met solid resistance. Not the gentle, yielding membrane of a normal gate, but an unyielding wall that felt like steel beneath my touch. I pushed harder. Nothing.
I slammed my palm against it. The gate's surface rippled like disturbed water, but remained impenetrable.
"Fuck," I breathed. "It's a red gate."