The portal shimmered like the surface of disturbed water, suspended vertically in mid-air, pulsating with an eerie violet glow. Streaks of teal and black lightning twisted around its edges as if reality itself was being sucked inward.
Auren stood before it, pulse quickening. His Neo Suit hummed faintly in anticipation. The world behind him was silent—but beyond this gate lay chaos.
He stepped in.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, the world inverted.
Gravity spun.
Sound vanished.
His vision blurred—and then clicked into clarity like a camera focusing through static.
A dashboard instantly blinked into view.
> [You Have Entered a Dimensional Portal]
Zone: Unregistered Subspace
WARNING: Rift Instability Detected
[Level: Intermediate-Advanced]
Below that, a glowing button appeared:
> [Learn: How to Destroy a Portal]
With curiosity sharpened by instinct, Auren tapped the option.
> **Each portal possesses a life core—Crystal of the Portal.
Destroy the crystal to collapse the dimensional rift.
WARNING: Once tampered with, the portal may RESET, triggering defense protocols.
Expected Risk: HIGH. Multiple Entities May Manifest.
Auren swallowed hard. "So the crystal is the key…"
He looked up.
The dimension resembled a broken aquarium—floating rocks, pulsing liquid-like air, shimmering currents of Rift energy, and strange bio-luminescent plants waving in zero gravity. And there—hovering within a shimmering dome—was the crystal: a translucent blue structure, humming with internal power.
He sprinted toward it.
The closer he got, the more unstable the dimension became. Reality pulsed like a heartbeat, and light distorted in impossible patterns.
Then—
CRACK!
A fissure shot across the crystal's surface.
> [PORTAL RESET DETECTED]
[Spawning Defenders...]
The crystal exploded with a wet, squelching sound. From within it, two abominations emerged—jelly-type monsters, almost liquid in form. Their bodies rippled like gelatin, shifting constantly between states. Eyes floated freely inside their translucent frames, and pseudopods with blade-like edges oozed outward.
> [Twin Entities Detected]
Species: Rift Jellions (Regenerative Type)
Level: 350
Aggression: High
Auren's HUD updated.
> Auren Hoshinaka – Level 250
Neo Suit Active: Core Sync 87%
Specialization: Dimensional Combatant (Class: Neo Guardian)
"Two of them… and each one's more than twice my level."
The Jellions let out a gurgling screech. One surged forward like a wave collapsing, its gelatinous body reshaping into a massive mallet-like limb. Auren dodged just in time—the strike shattered the floating ground behind him.
The second Jellion transformed mid-air into a mass of spikes and rained down on him like acidic hail.
"Shield up!" Auren shouted.
A translucent hexagonal barrier shimmered into place, deflecting some of the spikes. The rest melted through the shield's edges, sizzling into his suit.
Warning: Armor Integrity -7%
"Great. These things aren't just strong, they're corrosive."
He responded with a blast from his Rift Cannon, shooting a concentrated beam of compressed energy. It tore through one of the monsters—but within seconds, the jelly creature reformed.
"Of course they regenerate."
> [New Protocol Unlocked: Plasma Splitter Mode]
Auren's gauntlet transformed, elongating into a three-pronged cannon lined with vibrating crystals.
He jumped high, flipped mid-air, and blasted downward—the beam split mid-flight, piercing both Jellions simultaneously. The creatures let out watery, guttural shrieks, half-evaporating.
Auren landed on a chunk of broken terrain, breathing hard. Sweat trickled down his temple, but his focus didn't waver.
The Jellions were reforming again—only slower this time. Their shimmering forms flickered, instability beginning to show.
"Their cores…" Auren narrowed his eyes. "Where is it…?"
Inside each Jellion's body, small glowing orbs pulsed faintly—likely their core nuclei. He realized it then: take out the cores before they regenerate completely.
"One clean hit through the center."
He pushed his suit beyond normal limits. The Neo Suit's internal systems responded instantly.
> [Overdrive Engaged]
[Core Sync: 97% – Neo Reflex Boost Activated]
Auren dashed forward—faster than ever. One Jellion raised its bladed tendrils, but Auren zigzagged beneath them, crouched low, and launched upward like a rocket punch. His plasma blade pierced through its core.
The monster convulsed violently—then disintegrated into mist.
> [1/2 Rift Defenders Eliminated]
The second one lunged with a roar that rippled across the dimension. It expanded its body mid-attack, surrounding Auren in an attempt to engulf him whole.
"Not today."
Auren charged his entire suit, energy flaring across every edge. He let the monster engulf him—and then unleashed a point-blank detonation from inside.
BOOM!
Jelly and light exploded in every direction.
The core clattered out, exposed mid-air—and Auren, spinning through zero-gravity, sliced clean through it mid-flip.
Silence followed.
Only the crackling hum of the Crystal of the Portal remained.
> [Defenders Terminated. Proceed to Crystal Termination.]
Auren floated downward, energy blade still glowing. He approached the crystal, now dim and pulsing erratically.
He raised his arm—and drove the blade through it.
SHRAKK!
The crystal exploded into fragments of starlight.
> [Portal Destroyed]
[Dimensional Space Stabilized. Exit Path Created.]
[New Stat Unlocked: Power Rate]
The new dashboard lit up:
> [Rate Power – 1.0x]
Rate Power defines your combat multiplier during high-synchronization Neo State.
The higher the rate, the more energy is drawn directly from the Rift.
Leveling it up increases base power, skill efficiency, and unlocks unique transformation effects.
Auren stared at the screen.
"Rate Power… so it multiplies my potential based on how synced I am with the suit and the Rift? This changes everything."
Suddenly, the entire dimension began folding in on itself.
The exit portal opened like an iris.
Auren stepped through.
---
He reappeared just outside, panting slightly, armor cracked but eyes still glowing from the surge of adrenaline. The portal behind him shimmered—then vanished with a faint whisper, as if reality had exhaled.
He blinked, grounded again.
"Crap—Yuna."
He sprinted down the street toward the restaurant.
---
It was already past sunset.
The small rooftop restaurant glowed with warm orange lights. Inside, sitting alone at a window seat, was Yuna, her arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently.
Auren pushed the door open, looking half-burnt and messy.
"I'm so sorry I'm late!" he said, breathless.
She turned her head slowly, raising an eyebrow. "Late? You were supposed to be here an hour ago."
"I know, I know—I got stuck in something unexpected."
Yuna scowled. "What are you even doing that you can never text back?"
Before he could answer, her face softened just a bit—just a bit. She sighed, gestured toward the seat across from her.
He sat, offered an awkward grin.
They ordered food. The silence was awkward—but not unbearable.
Auren tried breaking it three times with the same line:
"I really am sorry, Yuna."
She didn't budge.
Then—he stood, walked to the nearby street stall, and returned holding something.
An ice cream cone.
He offered it gently.
Yuna stared at it.
Then at him.
Then the ice cream again.
She blinked. "…Cookies and cream?"
He nodded.
She took it silently—and her lips curled, betraying a tiny smile.
"…I forgive you."
As they stepped outside into the night air, Auren suddenly paused.
His eyes lifted toward a distant rooftop across the street.
There—barely visible in the shadows—stood a silhouette. Tall. Lean. Dressed in a dark, angular cloak that shimmered slightly against the moonlight. A mask covered his face—bone white with slashes of crimson paint. And his eyes—
—his eyes were glowing.
Locked directly onto Auren.
Cold. Calculating. As if memorizing every inch of him.
Auren's body stiffened. "Who—?"
The figure moved.
Not ran. Not jumped.
Just vanished.
Gone in the blink of an eye.
Auren blinked. "What the hell was that?"
Yuna's car pulled up nearby, automatic doors hissing open.
She looked at him from the passenger seat. "You want me to drop you home?"
Auren nodded slowly, still watching the rooftop.
"…Yeah."
They sat in silence as the car drove down neon-lit streets.
They talked briefly about Namsu University, and how her father was planning to finalize Auren's admission.
Auren nodded distractedly.
His thoughts were still spinning.
When he stepped out near his home and waved Yuna goodbye, the ocean's distant roar caught his attention.
He turned toward the cliffs.
The waves were surging unnaturally high, glowing faintly in the moonlight. The sea looked... restless.
No wind.
No storm.
Yet the ocean was heaving.
As if something deep beneath it had awakened.
Auren stood there, staring into the wild, shimmering water—his mind racing back to the masked figure, the jelly monsters, the strange new stat—Rate Power—and the ever-growing weight of being a Gatewalker.
The wind whispered against his ears.
And somewhere far off in the distance…
A faint voice echoed in his mind:
> "The ocean rises not to drown the world… but to announce the return of what should've stayed buried."
To be continued ---