And it was precisely toward a Rank B Gate that Jeremy was headed.He hadn't found any interesting armor, but he didn't need it anyway.
His new ability made him nearly immortal. If a strike didn't outright disintegrate him, he simply wouldn't die. That was all there was to it.
So, he went straight to the teleportation section for Rank B Gates. However, he couldn't just walk in without authorization. He was too "weak" for such places—or at least, that was the general consensus.
He had to contact the headmistress, Rose Redspine, directly and get her approval. Luckily, that was easy enough. It wasn't every day someone encountered a Rank D that couldn't be identified by the System.
After reaching the teleportation zone, all that was left was to choose a suitable Rank B Gate. There weren't as many as the Rank C ones, but Jeremy didn't really care about the monsters inside. He already knew those portals contained only common beasts, with no real traits unique to their species.
"Just be cautious and survive," Jeremy thought as he assessed things quickly. The monsters in this portal wouldn't be too difficult. "The boss should be around level 60, nothing more. Probably Medium Potential."
He was convinced that, once he cleared the Gate, he'd easily reach Rank C—and from there, things would get a lot simpler.After the usual escort procedure with a few Rank C adventurers, the boy stepped into the Gate.
The landscape that unfolded before his eyes was almost too simple. An endless desert, with a sky painted a burnt red and sand stretching in every direction. A dry, desolate setting, but the objective was clear. The monsters populating the desert—Desert Reavers—were scorpion-like creatures known for their ability to dig swiftly through the sand. Nothing particularly dangerous.They were physical monsters, without magical tricks or special abilities.
After landing on the sand, he wasted no time and summoned his entire army of Undead. This time, he had no intention of separating from them. He couldn't afford to be arrogant like before.
Drae'mon and Leo'sol stood at the front, while Jeremy rode calmly on SuperCannon. Sinking his feet into the sand was simply uncomfortable.Behind them followed the newly recruited Shaman Orc, along with the usual Flamehoof, Razorfang, and Ailurus.
A total of 23 Undead. That was Jeremy's current force.
Despite wandering for several minutes, nothing appeared in sight. Not a single monster. His perception had been active from the start, but nothing seemed off.Or rather, the very absence of monsters was already a red flag.
Suddenly, a tail shot out of the sand and grabbed one of the skeletal Flamehoofs.Then another.Then another still.
A total of ten Rank C monsters emerged from the sand without warning.
---
Desert Reaver
RankC, MP
Lv 50
HP: 53,000
MP: 13,000
Physics: 120
Agility: 80
Intelligence: 20
Endurance: 80
Skills: Venomous Sting, Quicksand Trap, Dune Camouflage, Sandstrike
---
"Oh," Jeremy's eyes widened in surprise. "The sand blocks my perception. Things just got a little more interesting."
The monster's skills weren't anything too crazy. The first one dealt physical and poison damage with its stinger—but his Undead weren't made of flesh, for the most part—so the poison wasn't a real issue.
The other abilities, Quicksand Trap and Dune Camouflage, were more supportive: one could trap enemies in the sand, and the other made them invisible beneath the dunes. That explained how they'd managed to go undetected.
The most annoying skill seemed to be Sandstrike, which dealt AoE damage and disoriented anyone near the impact zone. A nuisance, nothing more."This won't be too hard," Jeremy thought.
And so—
He immediately activated his Death Aura ability, protecting and empowering his Undead. Shaman Orc did the same, first casting Protection of the Ancestor, then Fury of the Spirits. There was no need for anything else.
Or maybe there was.
Jeremy pulled out his staff from Storage—Racoon's Revenge—and the power of his Razorfangs was enhanced once more, especially Drae'mon.
He, in fact, was the first to dash toward one of the monsters. Using Dash to increase his speed even more, he struck a Desert Reaver straight in the head with his claws.The blow was partially deflected—the monster raised its pincers to guard—but the impact was strong enough to destabilize it.
So… no suspense.
Drae'mon had countless abilities at his disposal, one of which was Flame Dash, the main movement skill of the Flamehoofs.
He approached the monster from behind without issue, and with one brutal strike, tore it apart.
The same fate befell the others.
Leo'sol used his skill Stomp, leaping onto a pair of monsters and paralyzing them, rendering them completely vulnerable to SuperCannon's sweeping barrage. The two Aberrations moved with an unspoken coordination, as if they had rehearsed this moment a thousand times.
They knew that only by combining their strength could they stand a chance against the true threat...
Drae'mon.
This had never been a battle against the monsters themselves. No—this was a challenge posed solely and exclusively by the small skeleton that its master seemed to love so dearly.
The rest of the Undead were far from idle. While not as fast or devastating as the main fighters, they continued to fulfill their role, chipping away at the enemies with sustained pressure. The support abilities from both Jeremy and the Shaman Orc amplified their efficiency tremendously.
Aside from the initial damage they sustained during the surprise attack, the skeletons took no further hits, shielded by the well-timed defensive and healing spells that rained down from behind.
"362,000 Exp Gained"
"442,000 Exp Gained"
"… Exp Gained"
Jeremy's experience bar surged upward without resistance, accelerated by the x2 multiplier due to the Rank difference. He reached level 30 with ease, basking in the ridiculous amount of EXP he had accumulated. And this… this was only the beginning.
"So this is it. Killing higher-ranked monsters really is the fastest way to level up," Jeremy said with a satisfied smile on his face.
"All of you," he continued, eyes sweeping across his Undead army, "gather all the monster Cores and bring them here. And while you're at it, bring me their bodies too."
He wasn't going to waste anything this time. The bodies of monsters were worth credits—valuable materials for crafting gear, potions, and enchantments. Just like the Cores.
"Rank C Core lv 50 Obtained"
"Rank C Core lv 45 Obtained"
"Rank C Core lv…"
"Now this is what I call being rich," Jeremy thought, an ironic smile tugging at his lips. He needed an absurd amount of money—but he had the power to make it.
And so, after collecting everything of value, he set off once more, hunting for new prey to slay.
"I just hope the boss doesn't show up yet," he chuckled to himself. He had some more cash to make, after all.
---
At that same moment, elsewhere...
A hooded figure cloaked in shadow and wrapped in silence held a small vial in their hands. Inside it swirled a liquid of no definable color—unnatural and unnerving. The figure stood still. Waiting. Every movement suspended, every breath held.
Then, at last, a sound—barely audible, but unmistakably clear—reached their ears.
Without hesitation, they upended the vial, spilling its contents onto the ground beneath them. The strange fluid was absorbed into the soil with unnatural speed, vanishing without a trace.
Then the figure turned and walked away, an expression of pure devotion etched across their face.
After all, a Gate was about to open.
But not just any Gate. Not one like those humanity had grown to fear and, to some extent, understand. No.
This one was different.
A breach into something ancient—incomprehensibly old and unspeakably cruel. A doorway to a realm inhabited not by monsters meant to coexist, but by conquerors. Devourers.
And, as is so often the case, it was not an external force that brought them into this world.
It was humans.
Because not everyone reacts the same way to pain, to rejection, to abandonment.
Some, when hurt, want only to make sure no one else suffers as they did.
Some want the entire world to feel the same hell they endured.
Some live only for vengeance, haunted by the ones who broke them.
And some... some manage to forgive, choosing to move forward without looking back.
But is that really the right path?
Who is right?
Who is wrong?
Everyone? No one?
Well, it doesn't matter.
In the end, the only thing that matters...is who's left standing.