Rault Islands — Morning
The next morning, we boarded a small boat and headed for the main island, where we would be staying for about a week before the S-rank gate opened.
During this period, the students were free to do whatever they pleased—so long as they didn't commit crimes. Naturally.
The rules on the Rault Islands were notoriously strict. Awakeners visited year-round, and with that many powerful individuals gathering in one place, security had to be airtight. Several battleships were stationed around the islands to deal with any threats from the sea.
Fishing vessels flooded the waters every day. Since the local marine industry depended heavily on them, fishermen were given special protection. That said, committing a crime and getting away with it were two very different things.
Only awakeners of C-rank or above could escape punishment by paying compensation—and even that applied only if they weren't caught red-handed. As long as no massacre occurred and no evidence remained, most crimes were conveniently ignored.
This was a world where strength dictated justice.
The weak were simply… overlooked.
Hmm… should I take part in that event or not?
Before the S-rank gate officially opened, there was still one major event scheduled.
According to the novel, this was when the original protagonist, Fade, triggered yet another chain of trouble after defeating a group of bullies.
A chain villain—you know the type.
You beat one.
Their backer comes for revenge.
You beat him too.
Then someone even worse shows up.
That kind of nonsense.
After waking up and realizing Fade had crushed them, the bullies flew into a rage and contacted their ultimate backer—Link.
Here on the Rault Islands, the students would soon split into two factions.
One side supported Fade.
The other belonged to Link and his lackeys.
To settle things, they agreed on a dungeon-hunting contest.
The rules were simple: within a fixed time limit, each team would clear as many dungeons of a specified rank as possible. The team with the higher count would win.
Coordination mattered more than individual strength. Clearing multiple dungeons alone was impossible unless your rank far exceeded the dungeon itself.
In the novel, the chosen difficulty was E-rank dungeons.
And since it was a contest, there was—of course—a bet.
The prize?
A kiss from Kira, the main heroine.
You might think Fade won.
Wrong.
Fade lost.
Link was already halfway to C-rank, while Fade was still stuck at E-rank. Heavenly luck could only carry someone so far—it couldn't bridge a fundamental gap in power.
The only reason Fade avoided humiliation was because fate intervened.
An S-rank gate opened, interrupting the contest before it could conclude.
If that gate hadn't appeared?
Fade would have lost. No question.
No amount of plot armor could change that.
In the end… I'll stay out of the protagonist's business.
After thinking it through, Rio reached his decision.
Getting involved in something so cliché was a waste of time.
Instead of chasing drama, he would focus on sharpening his skills—preparing for the real disaster that was coming in just one week.
Should he warn others?
Even if he did, who would believe him?
At best, they'd laugh.
At worst, they'd say he'd lost his mind.
I prefer minding my own business.
Even if others called him selfish, he didn't care.
Over the next few days, events unfolded exactly as Rio remembered.
The contest began.
Low-rank dungeon entrances across the islands buzzed with activity. Students who had already experienced dungeons during the midterms charged in eagerly, their fear replaced by reckless excitement.
To them, dungeons looked like candy.
Officials tried to control the situation, but the students ignored them completely.
Eventually, the officials could only sigh and rub their temples.
Ms. Anna, meanwhile, merely smiled.
"The students are lively today," she said, and left it at that.
While Rio focused on training, fierce battles raged inside the dungeons.
"Come on! This is our fifth dungeon!"
"We can win this!"
"Kill the monsters!"
"Kill—!"
The students fought like madmen, ignoring wounds and exhaustion alike. Their reason was slipping away.
This was battle poisoning.
A phenomenon unique to dungeons.
When an awakener fought continuously without rest, their mind slowly deteriorated. Rational thought faded, replaced by an overwhelming desire to kill.
Normally, it could be cured easily—just drag the exhausted person out of the dungeon.
But if left inside while unconscious?
The killing instinct would continue to grow, eating away at the brain until nothing remained.
More than a few awakeners in history had ended up as mindless slaughter machines because of this.
Thankfully, the officials had anticipated this. Rescue teams waited nearby, ready to retrieve students the moment they collapsed.
After clearing their fifth dungeon, Fade's team of ten finally gave out.
They were carried away, one by one.
Fade resisted to the end—but eventually collapsed as well.
Link's team fared little better. Most of his lackeys fell from exhaustion.
Link alone remained standing.
As a C-rank, his resistance was far greater. He continued fighting until he was satisfied, laughter echoing when he confirmed his victory.
Tomorrow, the contest will end.
Tomorrow, he would establish absolute dominance over the students.
He was already imagining how he'd punish those who dared support Fade.
Then fate laughed.
At exactly 8:00 a.m. the next morning, a massive spatial shockwave swept across the Rault Islands.
Space itself trembled.
Cracks appeared in midair, spreading rapidly before converging at the center of the archipelago.
It's starting.
—Rio
The cracks merged into a circular void that expanded relentlessly, reaching a diameter of 500 meters within half an hour.
Its color shifted—from pitch black to deep, ominous purple.
Mana surged violently as the gate stabilized.
The officials' faces turned pale.
The area was immediately sealed off. A full blockade formation was initiated.
From the sheer amount of mana being absorbed, anyone could tell—the gate was preparing to vomit out an overwhelming number of monsters.
If containment failed, the islands would drown in blood.
Reinforcements would take at least four hours to arrive. The stationed warships alone wouldn't be enough.
So this… is an S-rank dungeon.
Rio stared in awe.
The spatial fluctuations alone were enough to instantly annihilate anyone below B-rank. Even B-rank awakeners wouldn't last more than half an hour near it.
Only S-rank and above could approach without effort.
This was the true might of an S-rank gate.
In the early days of humanity, such dungeons had been apocalyptic disasters. Though they couldn't release S-rank monsters, the sheer volume of lower-rank ones caused unimaginable casualties.
Only after SS-rank awakeners appeared did these gates transform—from calamities into resources.
Mana stones.
Economic lifelines.
Factories of power.
The number of S-rank gates now determines a nation's prosperity.
After watching the gate for a while, excitement slowly crept across Rio's face.
He didn't have heavenly luck.
But he did have something else.
Today… I get to test myself against B-rank monsters.
And sharpen my combat experience.
A grin formed.
I'm looking forward to it.