Heaven's gate

“Huff…..Huff”

Silas wiped his sweat off and focused on the grasshopper that was trying to escape from him, “Still a couple more of these bugs and I can successfully pass the assessment”.

The fist-sized grasshopper gave him a side glance and jumped from the ground trying to get into a bush that was nearby,

” Oh, damn”

Silas grumbled and stomped the ground heavily and bounced into the bush.

*Bam*

A poor guy could be seen struggling to come out of the bush with twigs and leaves intertwined in his hair, but a small smile could be seen on his face as he muttered “Finally”, he was holding a grasshopper in each of his hands.

“Luckily, I found another one next to it “Silas muttered.

With light steps he ran for a dozen meters and halted, picking a bag that was hung in a tree branch, he took out two small glass bottles opened them one by one, and placed the grasshoppers separately in the glass container.

Silas then took out the map and saw the marked location as he muttered “It’s time to get back”.

He navigated through the map and walked for nearly an hour, while on the way he saw more than a dozen people who were a similar age to him, most of them looked exhausted, even though the grasshoppers were low-level monsters they were pretty quick and for mortals like them catching them was a slightly time-consuming job but not difficult one.

Soon a huge gate came into his view, behind it was a pitch-black vortex that might induce fear in the newcomers who did not get used to the strangeness, Silas quickened his pace and as soon as he came near to it he got sucked into the vortex and his vision turned blurry for a second.

when he regained his vision he found himself standing in a bustling area with huge monitors that were showing various kinds of data, Silas looked around and soon found Room.no 58, he began to make his way towards the room, This was the instruction given to him before he entered the gate.

He soon found his allotted table placed his bags on the table unzipped it and started taking the bottles one by one, he pressed a button on the table and a holographic screen popped up, he scrolled through the menu and selected the name “Meadow hopper”.

A short introduction to the meadow hopper was shown in the display

” The Meadow Hopper is a creature that dwells in sunlit meadows and grassy fields. With its vibrant green exoskeleton adorned with intricate patterns resembling blades of grass, the Meadow Hopper seamlessly blends into its surroundings. Known for its nimble and agile movements, this low-level monster navigates the lush terrain with ease, using its powerful hind legs to execute impressive leaps and sudden bursts of speed.

Despite its small size, the Meadow Hopper possesses a set of delicate yet resilient wings, allowing it to flutter gracefully between tufts of grass. It is primarily herbivorous, sustaining itself on the tender shoots and foliage found in its natural habitat. While generally docile, the Meadow Hopper can exhibit territorial behavior, especially during mating season when males engage in vibrant displays to attract potential mates. Adventurers traversing meadows should be cautious, as the Meadow Hopper may alert larger creatures to their presence with its distinctive chirping calls.”

Silas scrolled through it quickly as he had already learned the basic details about the grasshopper, seeing the contents displayed on the screen his eyelids twitched

1. Crispy Grasshopper Skewers:

• Harvest fresh Meadow Hoppers.

• Clean and season with a blend of herbs, spices, and a hint of citrus.

• Skewer and roast until crispy.

• Serve with a zesty dipping sauce.

2. Meadow Hopper Salad:

• Collect tender Meadow Hopper nymphs.

• Sauté lightly and toss over a bed of mixed greens.

• Add cherry tomatoes, edible flowers, and a light vinaigrette.

• Garnish with toasted seeds.

3. Grasshopper Pilaf:

• Prepare a fragrant pilaf with rice, vegetables, and aromatic spices.

• Pan-fry Meadow Hoppers until golden brown.

• Mix them into the pilaf for a crunchy texture.

4. Herb-Infused Meadow Hopper Broth:

• Simmer Meadow Hopper carcasses with herbs, vegetables, and a touch of broth.

• Strain the broth and serve as a warm, comforting soup.

5. Meadow Hopper Parfait:

• Create a dessert parfait with layers of yogurt, granola, and honey.

• Top with candied Meadow Hoppers for a sweet and crunchy finish.

Silas took a deep breath, If people from a couple of decades ago had seen this menu they would have frowned with displeasure, but things changed when gates started appearing mysteriously on the world, but as you might have expected there were neither monster outbreaks nor half of the population disappeared After the gates got manifested nothing strange occurred.

people were afraid to go near them at the beginning but soon the government began to send military personnel into them.

They soon found out that they should meet certain conditions to enter the gate.

first thing, the gates were grouped into different colors and they could only enter the gate that looked like it was made up of wood.

when they entered the gate they found out that they were transported into grassland that was laid with some intermittent bushes, when they moved forward they found Insects that were nearly a dozen times larger than their counterparts in the outside world,

soon some specimens were brought outside and by the extensive research that they conducted on them they found out that consuming the flesh of this insect improves the gene level of people and when the body is saturated it will evolve and their body will undergo slight changes and will be strengthened overall.

Once a person has evolved, they cannot enter the wooden gate and can only enter the iron gate.

Based on this, a power system was put together

1. Wooden gate- Novice

2. Iron gate-Apprentice

3. Bronze Gate- Voyager

4. Silver gate- Luminary

And so on…..

(Now back to the current timeline)

Silas took out the grasshoppers one by one and began to dissect them as it was shown in the tutorial video, Cooking is a basic skill in the current generation as some dishes need to be cooked to be consumed, and who the heck eats raw grasshopper (^_^).

All the cooking utensils were present on the table and after a dozen minutes Silas stopped cooking, he closed his eyes and pushed the skewer inside his mouth, if one did not know it was a grasshopper that was cooked, they would never believe it, it was quite flavorful and it was quite meaty as well.

As soon as he swallowed a warm current flowed inside his stomach and began to spread all over his body, and he could feel his body strengthen a little bit. Silas began to tear into the meat as he could feel the improvement in his body. soon nearly a dozen crickets disappeared from the skewer.

Silas closed his eyes and started to feel the improvements in his body, with some nervousness he sat down cross-legged as his muscles and bones began to ache a little bit, Silas who was 179cm tall began to grow a little bit and his muscles also started to get well-defined.

After a couple of minutes, Silas opened his eyes and was amazed to see the improvement he had gone through.

He sighed with relief and looked ahead, he saw many people with disappointed expressions, The sad truth is not everyone can evolve successfully, based on the records only 15% of humans could evolve successfully. As everyone completed the task, they began to go through a screening test and everyone who evolved successfully was sent into a separate room where their details were recorded.

This was the main reason the government operated such facilities, moreover, they were still studying the evolution of humans and

All the wooden gates in the country were under the strict scrutiny of the government.

The people who evolved successfully must be registered, this measure was taken to reduce the crime committed by the evolved people, as the government has already learned a lesson from the past.

Even though most people considered this as a restriction, it came with some benefits as well.

The government provides a substantial monetary benefit and they also have special groups and resources that can only be accessed or purchased by the people who have their unique awakened ID.

Silas walked out with a smile with a badge on his chest and his hand held a bag that consisted of some basic supplies.

When he came out, he found some people pointing their fingers and talking in a hushed voice with envy as not everyone can evolve successfully, Silas felt proud as this was his first step towards a bright future.