The cold air from the hidden chamber licked against Auren's skin like the breath of some ancient, forgotten world. His heart pounded, torn between curiosity and dread. But in that moment, standing in the home his grandfather left behind, he made his choice.
He stepped through the passage.
The narrow hallway descended steeply, lined with stone and wood, carved with strange, faded symbols. As he walked, the air grew colder—more mechanical, unnatural. At the end of the hall, he entered a vast underground chamber filled with artifacts: broken statues, old maps, weapon fragments, golden medallions, fossilized bones—all arranged like a museum frozen in time.
Auren's breath caught. My grandfather… he wasn't just some traveler. He was an explorer of forgotten worlds.
As he moved deeper into the room, his eyes landed on something peculiar—a door at the back made entirely of dark oak, unlike anything else in the room. It radiated a faint hum.
Drawn by instinct, Auren placed his hand on the handle and turned.
The door creaked open.
Blinding red light spilled out.
And then—he was somewhere else entirely.
The room he entered was a wooden cabin, suspended in nothingness. Through its glass windows, there was only swirling mist. But before he could comprehend the place, a sharp sound cut through the air—BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
A glowing screen flickered to life in midair, crimson red with white, digitized letters.
> [Gate Authorization: Verified]
User: Auren Hoshinaka
Access Level: Owner
Welcome to Gatewalker Base: Alpha Shelter
Auren stumbled back. Owner? He couldn't believe it. The system recognized him—not as a guest or intruder—but as the master of this strange place.
Another interface materialized before him with a loud ping:
> STATUS SCREEN
Name: Auren Hoshinaka
Level: 0
Rank: A(lowest of all)
Experience: 0+
His jaw dropped. "Level 0? Rank A?at the bottom?"
Frustration crept in. Just when he thought he was finally stepping into something great, the system reminded him—he was still nothing.
But then his eyes wandered—and they widened.
On the cabin's far wall stood a weapon rack bathed in soft neon light. Sleek, metallic weapons, each glowing faintly with pulsing energy. There was a folding plasma bow, a holo-shield emitter, a laser-edged katana, and a long twin-core tactical spear—its shaft engraved with tech runes, and its tip humming with barely contained force.
He reached for the spear. The moment his fingers wrapped around it, the interface shifted.
> Weapon Detected: Lancer-X Proto Spear
Skill Synchronization: 45%
Combat Assist: Enabled
He was smiling now. "Okay… this just got cool."
Then, another red inscription appeared above the exit:
> "Till the Fences of Steel, Everything Belongs to the Owner."
Curious, Auren stepped outside the wooden house—and into a wide open terrain surrounded by silver fences, glowing faintly, stretching to the misty horizon.
The air shifted.
A monstrous roar shattered the silence.
Auren spun, raising the spear. From the mist emerged something twisted and hulking—a monstrous creature with jagged scales, glowing orange eyes, and claws like steel hooks. Its limbs were elongated, its mouth stretching into a snarl filled with black smoke.
The system chimed again:
> Entity Detected: Level 100 - C-Rank Monster
Threat Level: High
Engage or Retreat?
Auren didn't hesitate.
He charged.
The monster lunged.
Auren barely dodged, rolling as claws raked past his shoulder. He activated the spear—its twin cores flaring blue. They clashed.
The arena erupted with chaos. Sparks and plasma burst as the spear sliced through the air. Auren struck the monster's leg, then dodged a swipe that carved a crater into the ground.
He used Combat Assist—vision flickered, movement paths lit up. He leapt, landing on the monster's back, driving the spear downward. The beast roared and threw him off.
Auren hit the ground hard, breath knocked out. The monster charged.
He waited—then rolled to the side, slashed its underbelly mid-dodge, and spun into a low thrust that drove the spear into its throat.
A scream. A pulse of red light. The creature collapsed into ash.
>C-Rank Entity Defeated
Level Up: 0 → 100
Experience Gained: 1000 XP
Unlocking: Secondary System
A small portal opened beside him.
> [Storage Gate: Activated]
Deposit Rewards / Loot Here
He placed the spear and gadgets into it. They vanished with a soft hum.
He wandered the area briefly, finding other devices: a gravity manipulator glove, a cloaking ring, and a drone that babbled in British sarcasm. There were also automated turrets placed along the fences, their sensors tracking him briefly before turning green—confirming his ownership.
Exploring further, he discovered a terminal post near the gate, displaying potential upgrades for the cabin: shield reinforcements, drone production bays, energy harvesting fields. Everything was locked for now, but he sensed they would unlock as he advanced.
He tested the holo-shield on his arm. The compact disk burst into a translucent wall of blue energy, repelling simulated debris when triggered. A flick of his wrist called it back.
The plasma bow adjusted to his grip, forming a string of ionized energy. He fired a shot into the fog—it flew like a comet and struck an unseen wall, sizzling.
The drone, calling itself "Chester," hovered beside him. "Might I suggest not wasting arrows, Master Hoshinaka? Energy isn't exactly free."
Auren chuckled. "You talk?"
"Indeed. And I can curse too, if needed."
As Auren returned to the cabin, he noticed another tab on the system labeled Battle Memory. Inside were detailed logs of his fight, offering training simulations based on his movements. He could relive and improve every decision.
> Training Mode: Available
Skill Tree: Unlocked
The screen branched out into paths:
Spear Mastery
Energy Control
Reflex Boosting
Tactical Movement
Each skill glowed with potential.
But he was exhausted. He saved his progress, the data syncing with a cube beside the entrance.
He sat down on a boulder, looking up at the foggy sky swirling above the steel dome. "What even is this place? A fortress? A test? Or a prison?"
As he turned back, another prompt appeared:
> CASH OUT — Confirm?
Beside it, a new stat:
> Points Earned: 2,50,000 Cresin
His eyes widened. "That's... two and a half Cresin!"
He pressed YES.
In a burst of light, the funds transferred to his Earth account.
Exhausted but thrilled, Auren returned to the beach house, flopped on the couch, and devoured leftovers. His mind buzzed with what had just happened.
Later that night, as he lay in bed, something strange happened.
A tingling spread through his limbs. Muscles twitched. His chest pulsed with heat. He sat up, eyes wide, breath shallow.
"What the hell is this?"
His fingers were glowing faintly. Veins shimmered. His reflection looked... stronger. Leaner. Sharper.
He stumbled to the mirror, watching his body subtly shift—like something inside was evolving.
His eyes—once dull—were now glinting like polished stone. His skin, firmer. His hair even seemed slightly longer.
Then—blackout.
---
> [Mutation Detected… Processing...]
[Gatewalker Potential: Initial Awakening]
Outside, the wind howled.
Within the house of dust and secrets, the legacy had just begun.
And far beyond the fences of steel... something else had awakened.
---
To Be Continued...