[RAZORHOUND GATE: ACCESS SUSPENDED]
Max read the notice twice.
It hadn’t been there the last time he checked. The Gate’s entry page was still available, but the button for purchasing a solo permit had disappeared. In its place was a notice from the Player Association.
[Temporary closure pending threat reassessment.]
[All active entry permits have been suspended.]
"Seriously?"
He tapped the notice for more information. The Association had detected evidence of a monster above the Gate’s official classification. Until an inspection team confirmed the threat level, nobody would be allowed inside.
Max leaned back against a bench outside the Academy.
’Of course they did.’
An E-rank Alpha inside an F-rank Gate wasn’t exactly something the inspectors could ignore. He knew that better than most people.
Still, he’d been hoping to enter the same Gate again, now that he knew what to expect.
The Razorhounds would be easy enough to handle with his current strength. He knew their habits, their attacks, and the layout of the chambers. Even an Alpha wouldn’t catch him by surprise the way the first one had.
And if he kept clearing it, the rewards would add up.
He imagined a pile of cores waiting to be sold, along with all the strength he could extract from the meat.
Max looked at the notice again, then closed it with a sigh.
There was no point arguing with a locked Gate. And he couldn’t fault the Association for closing it. A beginner who entered expecting ordinary F-rank Razorhounds might never come back.
He opened the list of other F-rank Gates instead.
Several were still accepting solo permits. One was filled with small burrowing creatures that rarely carried valuable cores.
Another had an unusually long clear time because its monsters scattered whenever anyone approached. A third had been almost completely harvested by other Players during the week.
He could choose any of them and probably earn some money. But after fighting two Alphas, he wasn’t particularly interested in spending an entire day chasing weak monsters for a handful of ordinary cores.
There was another problem too.
He pulled up his System panel.
[Feral Instinct Mastery: 100%]
[Gauntlet Progress: 42/50]
He had already mastered the experience he’d taken from the Goreboar and improved through the Razorhounds. And during his fight against Hale, he’d realized just how valuable greater physical ability would be.
Hale’s technique had been excellent, but it was the man’s higher Strength and Agility that finally settled the match. Even when Max knew what was coming, his body couldn’t always move quickly enough to stop it.
’Then I’ll fix that.’
The next time he used Devour on something worthwhile, he wanted Stats.
He’d already discovered that the bonus attributes gained through consumption were separate from those awarded by ordinary leveling.
That meant he didn’t have to wait for his public rank to increase before his body grew stronger. He could build on the power he already had, one monster at a time.
The thought was enough to restore his enthusiasm.
He switched the Gate listings from F to E.
Immediately, the options changed. The rewards were better as expected.
Some entrances listed mostly E-rank monsters with a few weaker species near the outer chambers. Others had dangerous terrain or monsters that hunted in groups.
One listing caught his eye.
[BLACKTHORN GATE]
[Classification: E-rank]
[Environment: Woodland / Rocky Ravines]
[Common Threats: E-rank Bristlebacks, E-rank Nightfang Lynxes]
[Minor Threats: F-rank Skitterlings]
[Recommended: Experienced E-rank team]
Max opened the creature profiles. Bristlebacks were large, heavily muscled monsters with thick hide and rows of curved spines protecting their shoulders.
Nightfang Lynxes were smaller but much faster, using the trees and rocky ledges to attack from above.
He studied the illustrations for a while.
’Thick hide, powerful muscles, and speed. That could be useful.’
And there were two different E-rank species in the same Gate. He wouldn’t be relying on one type of monster for every meal.
Max reached the permit section and tapped Purchase.
[Entry Requirement Not Met]
[An E-rank Gate requires a registered party of at least two Players.]
[All registered entrants must pass through the Gate together to activate entry.]
There it was.
Solo F-rank Gates could be entered alone, which was one of the reasons he’d chosen the Razorhound Gate in the first place.
E-rank Gates required at least two people to purchase a party permit and complete entry.
Adding more members was allowed, but the Association wouldn’t issue him a solo authorization for a higher-ranked Gate.
Max frowned at the screen.
He wasn’t worried about fighting the monsters. The inconvenience was having someone watch him hunt.
Devour wasn’t something he could casually demonstrate to another Player. If someone saw him tearing into monster flesh and gaining power afterward, keeping his class private would become considerably more difficult.
He considered entering with a random party, but quickly dismissed the thought.
A stranger might ask too many questions, and a larger team would mean fewer chances to collect the bodies he wanted.
’Just two, then. Someone who can fight and knows how to keep quiet.’
Someone he’d already met... Talia.
Max sat upright.
She was E-rank, strong enough to be comfortable fighting in an E-rank Gate, and she’d shown during their match that she knew how to protect herself.
Her shield would also be useful if they encountered several monsters at once.
More importantly, she had already seen what he could do. He wouldn’t need to spend half a day convincing her that an F-rank Player wasn’t necessarily helpless.
He took out his phone and searched for the contact she’d asked him to save.
There was a message waiting.
Talia: Hey. It’s Talia from the Academy. Don’t forget to save my number.
It had arrived shortly after he’d left the combat wing. Max had seen the notification at the time and forgotten to answer while looking through the Gate listings.
He opened the conversation.
Max: Hey.
A reply came almost immediately.
Talia: Oh, so you do check your messages.
Max smiled faintly.
Max: Yeah, sometimes.
Talia: I was beginning to think you gave me a fake number.
Max: I need to ask you something. Are you interested in exploring an E-rank Gate?
This time the reply took longer.
Talia: An E-rank Gate?
Max: Yeah. I found one that looks good.
Talia: With who?
Max: You and me.
The typing indicator appeared, vanished, then appeared again.
Talia: We should talk about this properly.
Max: Sure. Where?
Talia sent him the name of a restaurant a short distance from the Academy and asked if he could come over.
Max checked the time. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and the thought of a proper lunch was suddenly very appealing.
Max: On my way.
Before leaving, he returned to the Blackthorn Gate listing.
There were a few entry slots remaining for that afternoon. If he waited too long, he might lose the chance to go today.
So he opened the party permit page, checked the conditions carefully, and paid for a two-person reservation.
[Reservation Confirmed]
[Gate: Blackthorn]
[Party Permit: Two Entry Slots]
[Status: Awaiting Second Player Registration]
[Permit Cost: 600 Credits]
[Available Balance: 1,024 Credits]
The reservation was not yet a valid entry permit. Talia would have to accept the invitation and verify her Player card before they could use it. Until then, Max had simply secured the slots.
He sent the invitation link to her contact, but didn’t say anything else just yet.
’Now I just need her to agree.’
He slipped the phone into his pocket and headed toward the restaurant.