Heaven's gate

Silas returned to his tiny apartment and collapsed onto the bed, closing his eyes. The day's events still felt surreal. His life, though not terrible, had never been easy. At 16, he had moved to the city, leaving his grandparents behind in the village. His parents had disappeared into a gate a decade ago, leaving him with little in the way of savings.

Like many teenagers of his generation, Silas aspired to become an Evolver. This profession was highly coveted, as Evolvers were among the wealthiest individuals on Blue Star.

After collecting his thoughts, Silas took out the storage bracelet given to him by the Association. It was a newbie gift package. Using the spiritual energy he had just obtained after becoming an Evolver, he operated the bracelet. It contained a space of roughly five cubic meters and held a variety of potions, a set of leather armor made from a monster from the Iron Gate, emergency food rations, $50,000 as a startup fund, and a monthly allowance of $10,000.

Silas decided his first purchase would be a virtual cabin. He chose a model costing $20,000—not the best, but it had all the necessary features. Virtual cabins were common, accessible to everyone, but with restricted areas only for Awakeners. The virtual world was divided into regions with stringent requirements.

The virtual cabin arrived at his doorstep within an hour. Silas quickly set it up and entered. A quick scan uploaded his biometrics to the server, registering his ID.

He soon found himself in a bustling virtual street, amazed at how indistinguishable it was from reality. After familiarizing himself with the surroundings, Silas located the special teleport option for Awakeners and used it.

He appeared in a more grandeur area with fewer people. Following the map, he quickly reached a shop bustling with people, where Awakeners could purchase weapons. The Association organized this legal channel for online purchases, although similar shops existed in the real world, but far from Silas.

Having some training in basic martial arts and a preference for blades, Silas ordered an alloy weapon and logged out. Despite wanting to explore more of the virtual world, he decided against it for now due to limited funds.

The alloy weapon was soon delivered to his house. Silas marveled at its cold edge. The sword was heavy, over 30 kg, but he could lift it easily. Factory-made standard alloy weapons were cheaper than their counterparts made by blacksmiths with special materials from the gates. Silas placed the sword in his storage ring along with the other supplies and prepared to leave.

He took a cab to an Iron rank gate. Deciding against joining a team, as Iron rank gates were where newbies transformed into Awakeners, Silas believed soloing would strengthen his mentality. Only those pursuing paths like potion-making or blacksmithing hired teams.

To evolve, one had to hunt the beast or be part of the squad that did. Monster meat, while nutritious and a luxury for normal people, didn't grant evolution points unless hunted by the consumer.

Standing before the Iron Gate, Silas's heart pounded. Clenching his fist, he leaped into the gate.

Silas found himself standing in a deep jungle. Relieved not to be near a monster, he vigilantly looked around to assess the situation he was in.

Silas stood at the center of the dense jungle, his senses heightened. The air was thick with the scent of earth and vegetation. He gripped his alloy sword tightly, the weight of it reassuring in his hand. His heart pounded, but he forced himself to take steady breaths.

Suddenly, a rustling sound to his left made him freeze. Silas turned, his eyes scanning the underbrush. From the shadows leaped a creature about the size of a large wolf but with scales instead of fur and glowing red eyes. It was an Ironclad Lizard, a common but dangerous beast in the Iron rank gates.

Silas felt a surge of adrenaline. He had trained for this moment, but facing a real monster was different from sparring in the School. The lizard hissed, baring its razor-sharp teeth, and lunged at him.

Instinct took over. Silas sidestepped the attack, feeling the rush of air as the creature's jaws snapped shut where he had been standing. He swung his sword in a wide arc, aiming for the lizard’s neck. The blade connected with a clang, sending sparks flying but only grazing the scales.

The lizard turned quickly, whipping its tail at Silas. He barely managed to block with his sword, the impact sending a jolt up his arms. This creature was strong, but Silas knew he couldn’t afford to hesitate. He needed to find a weakness.

Remembering his teachings in school, he focused his spiritual energy, letting it flow into his limbs and enhance his movements. Some of the spiritual energy flowed through the circuits in the sword, making it sharper and sturdier. Silas circled the lizard, looking for an opening. The creature lunged again, but this time Silas was ready. He ducked under its snapping jaws and drove his sword upward into the softer scales of its belly.

The lizard screeched in pain, thrashing violently. Silas held on, pushing the blade deeper until the creature's movements slowed and finally ceased. He pulled the sword free, breathing heavily, and took a step back to assess his surroundings, worried the commotion might alert other monsters.

His first victory felt both exhilarating and sobering. This was just the beginning, Silas reminded himself. He needed to keep moving. Silas quickly cut the lizard into large chunks of meat and stored them in his ring before disappearing from the place.

Silas wiped the sweat from his brow and continued through the jungle, staying alert. He decided to take a short break as he had used up nearly half of his spiritual energy. Due to his lack of experience, he had used more energy than necessary.

As he ventured deeper, the jungle became denser. Suddenly, Silas found an opening and found himself amidst ancient ruins. This was not a rare sight in the gate; people believed that once, inhabitants lived here, though no one knew what had happened to them. He decided to rest here. In the middle of the ruins, he found a small pond and decided to wash the meat and cook there. His newbie package included equipment to mask scents in an area of five square meters, perfect for cooking without attracting monsters.

Silas quickly set up the equipment, which consisted of four pieces placed in a square shape. Once activated, it created a barrier.

After setting up the barrier, Silas took out a large jug to fetch water from the pond to boil. He bent down with the jug, but suddenly, a strong force pulled him into the pond. Silas struggled but found himself unable to break free.