Sparks crackled around the Portal.
The grass beneath it had already turned black.
Thin wisps of smoke rose from the scorched ground, carrying a faint burnt smell.
"Yes, a Portal has appeared at the training ground."
Sun Feng held her phone to her ear.
"I'm requesting permission to take the class in for live combat training."
"D-rank Portal. Yes, thank you, sir."
She slipped the phone back into her pocket and turned to the class, her gaze sharp.
"Teacher Liu Zhang is processing the authorization."
"I will be leading you all into the Portal."
"This will be your first real combat exercise, so make sure you bring everything you need."
The students exchanged glances.
No one said a word.
But their bodies were already trembling.
After a brief hesitation, a hand went up.
"You have a question?"
Sun Feng looked toward Chen Guang.
"Uh… this is a D-rank Portal, right? So I can—"
"Of course."
She cut him off immediately.
"No one would refuse an A-rank Vanguard leading a D-rank expedition."
Her eyes flicked back to the violet ring hovering in the air.
Occasional arcs of lightning snapping off its surface and scorching the ground below.
"Still… don't get careless."
The class immediately straightened when they heard her tone.
"Form groups. Four to five people per team. Move quickly."
A whistle blew.
The crowd broke apart in an instant, small groups forming under pressure.
A swarm of black ants crawled beneath the Portal.
Each crack of violet lightning sent them scattering in every direction.
Chen Guang looked down. That strange link between him and the ants made something click in his mind.
One bolt struck directly onto an ant, but it only froze for a moment before scrambling away again.
They're… fine?
He frowned.
"We're together again, huh."
A voice cut into his thoughts.
Mimi walked up beside him, giggling softly.
"Ha…"
Chen Guang let out a bitter laugh.
Whether it was coincidence or lack of people, he had ended up with just Mimi beside him.
"At this rate, you're going to get everyone killed."
Mei Mei's cold voice came from behind as she approached.
"Mei Mei, you're in our group too?"
"I don't trust you."
Her eyes locking onto Chen Guang.
"Especially not when you're with him."
Her gaze was sharp enough to cut.
"Why is this group only three people?"
Sun Feng stepped over, scanning them from head to toe.
"I give up."
Chen Guang said with a bitter smile.
"Fine then."
Sun Feng turned away, looking back at the neatly formed teams in front of the Portal.
"Listen up. The inside of the Portal is full of danger."
A few students tightened their grip on their weapons.
"Remember what you've been taught. Work together."
She paused.
"And take responsibility for your own survival."
No one spoke.
"What is your objective inside the Portal?"
A brief silence.
Then—
"SURVIVE AND COME BACK ALIVE."
The voices answered in unison.
Sun Feng nodded.
"I will go in first. Then each group follows. Three-person teams enter first."
She glanced over the class one last time.
Then stepped toward the Portal.
For a moment, the violet ring seemed to tighten.
Weak arcs of lightning struck outward, but none of them touched her.
As if they were avoiding her.
Then—
Sun Feng vanished into the flickering violet light.
"Don't hold us back."
Mei Mei brushed past Chen Guang, shoulder shoving him slightly off balance.
Then she followed.
"You'll be fine. Just do your best."
Chen Guang stared at the Portal and muttered under his breath before taking a deep breath.
"A-ah, Chen Guang, wait a second."
Mimi's voice came from behind.
He instinctively turned around.
Mimi was bent over, fiddling with her shoe.
Her shoelace was untied?
A sudden chill surged through his body.
What the...
Before the thought could form, his entire body locked up.
Frozen.
What's happening?
Cold sweat poured down his spine, but he couldn't move a single finger.
He tried to force his legs forward.
But his legs felt nailed to the ground.
Something… is watching me.
Instinct screamed at him to get away.
Now.
But—
"Chen Guang…?"
A gust of wind-like whisper brushed past Mimi's ear.
She looked up, still crouched down, her shoelace unfinished.
Chen Guang vanished, as if he had never been there at all.
The floating Portal began to spin violently, like a vortex tearing open.
Violet lightning was sucked inward.
The ring twisted out of shape.
Then violet flames erupted from its surface.
For a brief moment, the air itself seemed to distort.
A shockwave of energy burst outward, throwing Mimi backward.
"Impossible…"
Mimi lay on the ground, gasping.
"That's not a D-rank Portal."
The color drained from Mimi's face.
The only thing in her vision now was a burning ring of light.
She forced herself up and ran forward.
BAM.
She slammed into an invisible barrier.
The impact threw her backward again, this time with a clear crack of bone.
"Chen Guang!!! Sun Feng!!! Mei Mei!!!"
She screamed, hoping someone would hear her from the other side.
Silence.
Only silence answered.
The energy from the Portal kept surging, forcing students to their knees.
Some foamed at the mouth, eyes rolling back before collapsing.
Screams filled the training ground.
"M-make a call! Call for backup!"
Mimi shouted, still pounding the invisible wall in front of her.
In the chaos, a trembling hand reached for a phone.
Fingers shaking, failing the input again and again.
A broken voice whispered into the receiver.
"Portal… A-rank…"
The other side went silent.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then a blaring alarm tore through the air.
*****
[MANDATORY QUEST: SURVIVE THE TRAINING SESSION WITHIN THE TIME LIMIT]
[REMAINING TIME: 12 HOURS 25 MINUTES]
Darkness closed in around Chen Guang.
The only light came from a floating screen right in front of him.
But it didn't illuminate anything around him.
"It's still counting."
He clicked his tongue lightly and looked around.
"Feels just like getting into an elevator during a blackout."
He tried to steady himself with a faint smile.
But the silence pressed in.
Even his breathing felt too loud here.
He stretched his hands out.
"What the hell is this place… I can't feel anything."
He took a cautious step forward, sweat forming on his forehead.
His hands kept waving through the empty void.
"Sun Feng! Can you hear me?"
Nothing answered him.
"Your Majesty."
A series of voices echoed inside his head.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
"You came in here with me?"
"We belong to this place."
"So you're familiar with this place? Take me to the exit."
"As you wish."
The voices faded, and only moments later—
"From now on, you must be very careful. You must follow our instructions precisely."
The voice was flat. Strangely calm.
They're afraid?
That realization made his skin tighten.
Chen Guang felt every hair on his body stand up at once.
He bit his lip and clenched his fists.
He had no other choice but to trust them.
"I'll begin."
Chen Guang took a deep breath.
A strange smell drifted into his nose, making him almost stumble backward.
"So what do I do next?"
As he started to move, the voice returned in his head.
"Do not move, Your Majesty. Suppress your senses as much as possible."
Chen Guang didn't understand the situation. Trust was the only thing he had at this moment.
He took a deep breath and immediately held it.
His body locked in place, as if it wasn't his anymore.
A scream tore through the silence.
Chen Guang's head felt like it was being hammered.
He bit his lip hard, both hands clenched tightly.
What the hell is that?
Cold sweat ran into the corners of his eyes, stinging.
His legs tensed up.
The scream gradually faded, more precisely, it seemed to move farther away.
"Your Majesty, you may proceed."
The voice echoed again in his head.
He wiped away the sweat in his eyes and forced himself forward.
"Take ten steps forward, very slowly, Your Majesty."
A chill ran down Chen Guang's spine.
"You're sure about this?"
"This is the only path."
The voice sounded completely respectful.
Chen Guang clenched his fists, the sound of his metal gloves creaking.
Did I bring this in with me?
He took a deep breath and moved forward carefully, step by step.
As if he were gambling his life on unseen servants he couldn't even see.
"Stop, Your Majesty."
The voice came again just as Chen Guang finished the last three steps.
"Remain in place. Beneath your feet is a concealed formation."
His pupils dilated.
"Concealed? From what?"
There was no response.
He could only stand there like a statue.
A bone-chilling cold seeped through him.
"No matter what happens, absolutely do not leave that spot, Your Majesty."
The voice spoke again inside his head.
They were afraid.
Chen Guang couldn't see anything, but his instincts were screaming danger.
A foul stench suddenly hit him.
His throat tightened.
"Your Majesty, hold on."
For the first time, the voice sounded strained.
The stench grew heavier, right in front of him.
Tears streamed down his face.
Chen Guang used all his strength to cover his nose and mouth, forcing himself to hold his breath.
If only I had taken a breath earlier…
His body trembled violently, both knees ready to collapse at any moment.
"Do not make any noise, Your Majesty."
A wave of cold suddenly wrapped around his body, as if he had been thrown into a freezer.
A scraping sound echoed right beside him, making Chen Guang's hair stand on end.
It's… scratching the wall?
The darkness still enveloped him.
All senses except sight were pushed to the extreme.
Sweat poured down, soaking his back.
"Your Majes… a lit… longer…"
The voice sounded broken, like a signal breaking apart.
A wave of air, both hot and foul, brushed across his face.
His head felt like it was about to explode.
He couldn't move even a finger.
Then, in an instant, everything disappeared, the cold, the hot air, and the foul smell.
"It's over, Your Majesty."
The voice said, just as Chen Guang collapsed onto the ground.
He lay flat on the dark floor, still surrounded by darkness.
Heavy breathing mixed with his frantic heartbeat.
"What was that…? It felt like I just touched death."
His numb body slowly regained movement.
"We don't know. Keep moving, Your Majesty."
"I just want to get out of this damn place as soon as possible too."
He forced himself up.
"Move forward three steps, then turn right, Your Majesty."
One. Two. Three.
"What is that?"
Right in front of him, about five hundred meters away, a faint dot of light appeared.
"That is the exit, please hurry."
Behind him, a scream echoed.
Along with the sound of scraping against rock, making his hair stand on end.
"RUN, YOUR MAJESTY!!"
For the first time, he felt true, overwhelming fear.
His legs moved at full speed, his entire body tense, all strength poured into his thighs.
The dot of light gradually became clearer.
"That's light!!"
He shouted in panic.
Behind him, the screams grew louder.
Followed by rumbling sounds like collapsing rocks, and clattering noises like bones hitting each other.
"Just a little more!"
He bit his lip until it bled.
The scream was almost right behind him—only one step away.
The light became brighter and brighter.
Chen Guang used all his remaining strength and lunged forward.
His body crashed onto the ground.
In that instant, he saw a decayed arm, bone exposed, grabbing his leg.
A roar erupted.
Chen Guang fought desperately against the pulling force, trying to break free.
One arm, then another, grabbing his other leg.
"YOU BASTARDS, LET ME GO!!!"
He shouted, both hands clawing at the ground, dragging himself toward the light.
The arms pulled him backward.
Coldness spread through his legs, almost completely numbing them.
"LET… ME… GO…"
Just as the hands were about to fully seize him—
He had crawled to the very edge of the exit.
Light flooded in, blinding his eyes.
GAAAAH!!!
A roar shook the entire cave.
The cold suddenly dissipated, as if something in the darkness had sucked it back in.
Pain returned like a wave.
A burnt smell rose into the air.
He kicked the arm that was loosening its grip.
Then forced himself up and rolled outside.
His body collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
"The sky…"
Raindrops fell onto his face.
A grey sky.
Thunder roaring across the world.
He lay there, both hands clenched.
Then he raised his arm to cover his face.
"I survived."
His body trembled uncontrollably as his breathing slowly stabilized.
The rain grew heavier, each drop like needles piercing his skin.
He remained still.
A thunderclap split the sky, and he still didn't move.
His chest rose and fell.
He lowered his hand, opened his eyes, and looked up at the grey sky.
Ling…
His hands clenched, digging into the ground.
A rustling sound.
Chen Guang immediately jumped up and turned toward the sound.
He held his breath when he saw a human-like figure.
He raised his fists and got into a defensive stance.
The figure stopped.
A flash of lightning cut across the sky.
In that instant, the face became clear.
A familiar face.
"What are you doing here? Where are the others?"
"Sun Feng..."
He let his arms drop and sat down heavily.
The rain grew heavier.
The wind got stronger, the rustling and howling sounds sending chills through everyone.
Sun Feng narrowed her eyes, staring at him.
"Why did it take you so long to get out?"
Mei Mei's voice came.
She stepped out from the bushes, holding a giant leaf like an umbrella.
The rain poured heavily.
The wind howled.
Yet the giant leaf in Mei Mei's hand didn't move an inch.
"Forget it… I don't know if I should say this, but—"
Sun Feng looked around, then at the two of them.
Her hands clenched.
Chen Guang swallowed hard.
He stood up and stared at her.
For the first time, he saw her this tense.
Water dripped from the corner of Chen Guang's eyes, he couldn't tell if it was rain or sweat.
"What's wrong?"
He asked, his voice shaking.
Sun Feng's pupils narrowed.
"There's bad news."
"How bad?"
Chen Guang clenched his fists, a current running down his spine.
Sun Feng looked up slightly, rain hitting her face.
Then she sighed.
"Very bad."