The elevator hummed as they ascended. Leo found himself sneaking another glance at Rin. Still nothing. Not even a sniff of mana, just empty.
Most people had at least traces, tiny sparks left over from the fracture event but Rin was completely blank.
'Maybe he's just not meant for this life,' Leo thought, then immediately felt guilty. Not everyone needed powers. Plenty of people lived normal lives now.
"So these dungeons," he said, needing to fill the silence. "The leading theory is they're connected to other dimensions. Like, maybe we're accidentally pulling in pieces of other worlds."
Rin perked up. "Nah, that's thinking about it wrong."
"Oh?"
"They're pocket dimensions, right? Self-contained spaces that shouldn't exist." Rin leaned against the elevator wall. "What if they're not connected to other worlds, but literally torn from them? Like someone ripped pages out of different books and stuffed them into ours."
Leo blinked. "That's..."
"Think about it. Why are they always themed? Orc fortress, goblin cave, whatever. That's not random evolution, that's someone's actual fortress getting yoinked from their reality and compressed into a dungeon."
"But then where are the original inhabitants going?"
"Nowhere. They're trapped in the pocket when it forms. That's why they're so aggressive, they're defending their home from invaders. Which would be us."
The elevator dinged. Floor thirty.
"That's actually fucked up if true," Leo said as the doors opened.
"Most true things are."
The staging area buzzed with activity. Hunters in various states of prep, some stretching, others checking weapons or practicing ability rotations. The air literally crackled with ambient energy from so many awakened in one space.
Leo watched Rin's reaction carefully. Most civilians got overwhelmed here, could feel the pressure even if they couldn't see mana.
But Rin just looked around like he was checking out a gym. "Yo, is that woman deadlifting a motorcycle?"
"That's Kelvin."
"That's a whole ass dude."
"Yeah, pronouns and everything. Don't let the muscles fool you." Leo waved Kelvin over. "Kelvin! Come meet Rin."
Kelvin set the motorcycle down with a gentleness that contradicted his appearance. Up close he was even more imposing, six-four and built like someone had asked AI to generate 'absolute unit.'
"So you're the famous Rin." Kelvin's handshake could've crushed stone but he kept it normal. "Leo literally never shuts up about you."
"Lies and slander," Leo protested.
"Last week you spent an entire raid explaining his theory about monster evolution patterns."
Rin smirked. "You still remember my Pokemon theory?"
"It was a good theory!"
"It was cope and you know it."
Nelia drifted over, moving with a weird grace that marked high-agility types.
"How'd you know?"
"Leo's vibrating with excitement." She studied Rin with pale blue eyes. "Plus you look exactly like the photos he shows everyone."
"He shows photos?"
"Constantly. It's actually concerning." Yuki appeared at Nelia's shoulder, wearing form-fitting armor. "I'm Yuki. Barrier specialist."
"Barrier specialist?" Rin asked.
"Shields, force fields and you know, protective stuff." Yuki traced a gesture and a translucent blue hexagon appeared in the air. "Basically I make sure these idiots don't die."
"She also makes sure we don't die," Leo added.
"That's what I said."
"No, you specifically said idiots."
"Did I stutter?"
A subtle shift in the air made everyone straighten. Jin walked over, and reality itself seemed to pay attention. She wasn't particularly tall or imposing, but something about her presence made everything else feel less real.
"Mr. Matsuda." Her voice carried despite being soft. "Leo speaks highly of you."
"He speaks highly of everyone," Rin said, and Leo was impressed he didn't seem intimidated. "It's a character flaw."
Jin's lips twitched, almost like a smile. "Indeed." She walked closer to him and held out her hand, which made everyone silent, this was something Jin rarely did and when she did, it was to test the other person.
[Warning: You are being scanned]
[S-rank Hunter attempting mana probe]
[Fracture synchronization masking activated]
[She will detect nothing]
The text flashed in Rin's vision just as Jin extended her hand. Everyone had gone quiet, watching like this was some kind of test.
'Is she really that big of a deal?'
He grabbed her hand.
Pain shot up his arm like grabbing a live wire. His whole body jerked back on instinct, hand yanking away from hers.
"What the fuck?"
The words came out before he could stop them. Leo's eyes went wide. Kelvin took a half-step forward. Even Nelia looked surprised.
Jin tilted her head slightly. "Apologies. Static buildup from the ambient mana. It happens sometimes with civilians."
Bullshit.
That wasn't static. Rin's arm still tingled, nerves firing random signals all the way to his shoulder. She'd done something, pushed something into him.
"Yeah, no worries," he managed, flexing his fingers to get feeling back.
[Analysis complete]
[Hunter Jin detected zero mana signature]
[Warning: This is highly unusual]
[Most civilians retain trace amounts]
[Your complete absence may raise suspicion]
'Great. Now you tell me.'
"Interesting," Jin said, and that single word carried weight. "You have unusual resistance for someone unawakened."
"Is that good or bad?"
"Neither. Simply interesting." She turned to Leo. "Final prep in twenty minutes. Your friend should head to the observation platform."
Leo nodded but he was looking at Rin with this expression that said they'd be talking later.
Jin walked away and the tension broke. Everyone started moving again, going back to their prep, but Rin caught a few glances thrown his way.
"Dude, you okay?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, just wasn't expecting that." He rubbed his arm. "Felt like touching an electric fence."
"She's S-rank," Yuki said. "Her mana alone could probably kill a normal person if she wasn't controlling it."
"Comforting."
"Platform seven's this way," Leo said, leading him toward another elevator. "You'll be with other civilians, families of Hunters mostly. The barrier's rated for SS-rank monsters so you're completely safe."
They got in the elevator and Leo hit the button.
"What was that really?" Rin asked once the doors closed.
"What do you mean?"
"She did something. That wasn't just a handshake."
Leo hesitated. "Jin's got this thing where she can read mana signatures through touch. Probably checking if you had any latent awakening."
"And?"
"And nothing, apparently. She would've said something if she sensed anything."
[Host should know: complete mana absence is rarer than awakening]
[Probability of drawing unwanted attention: 67%]
[Recommend avoiding further contact with S-rank Hunters]
'Super helpful advice when I'm about to watch one fight.'
The elevator opened to a massive observation deck. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over what seemed like a warehouse floor, except the floor had a massive purple portal in the center.
About thirty other people were already there. Some in business clothes, others casual. A few kids pressed against the window, pointing at the portal.
"So that's a dungeon gate."