It took the government a week to open controlled access to the Breach.
By then, the street around it had changed completely. Barriers cut off the whole area, marked lanes directed civilians away, and temporary stations had been set up for awakened who wanted to enter.
Officials moved back and forth with clipboards, devices, and the same rehearsed tone every government worker seemed born with. Rules. Time slots. Emergency signals. What to do if you ran out of Soul Essence. What to do if you get lost. What to do if your group had casualties.
He stood a little apart from the others, checking what he had again, even though he already knew it was all there. The new identification card sat in his pocket. The common sword rested in his soul, ready to be invoked when he needed it. His clothes were plain. Richards had made him bring water and food, even if Neo thought both were unnecessary.
His body still was not perfect. There was a faint pull left in his chest when he moved wrong, and now and then a dull ache reminded him that the healer and Beast Regeneration had not made him invincible overnight. A week ago he could barely stand. Now the difference was impossible to ignore.
Richards stopped beside him and glanced toward the clusters of newly awakened people gathering near the entrance.
"You could go in with a group," he said. "Safer on paper."
Neo's eyes slid briefly in that direction.
He saw nerves, fake confidence, loud voices, strangers already trying to measure each other.
'No thanks.'
"I'll go alone," Neo said.
Richards studied him for a second. "You sure?"
Neo nodded once. He was used to relying on himself, moving at his own pace, and not having to worry about whether the person beside him would panic, hesitate, or decide to get clever at the worst possible time. And if there were Soul Cores inside, he had no interest in splitting chances with people he did not know.
Richards looked at him for another moment, then let out a quiet breath.
"This one's straightforward," he said. "At least for now."
Richards kept his voice practical. "Not every Breach is some strange nightmare with hidden rules. A lot of them are just distorted spaces. Broken terrain. Ruins. Empty stretches of land with monsters in them. Dangerous, yes, but simple."
His gaze shifted toward the guarded entrance.
"This one looks stable enough for beginners. Basic Soul Beasts. No sign of some strange closing condition yet. No monster that's wildly above the expected scale, at least from what they've reported, so you're good to go."
Neo did not need more than that.
Richards continued, "So the objective is simple. Go in. Kill what you can handle. Get used to fighting. Bring back Soul Cores. Gain experience. Leave alive."
Neo almost smiled at that.
The important part had already arranged itself in his head: how many cores he could bring back and if he could get any usable and good class from it.
Richards looked at him as if he already knew what was going through his head.
"If things feel wrong, you leave," he said. "If you burn too much Soul Essence, you leave or hide to replenish it. And if you run into something that doesn't match the briefing, you definitely leave. Don't play hero."
Neo gave a small nod.
Richards jerked his chin toward the others again. "And if you change your mind, you can still form a group once you're inside. Plenty of people do that. Temporary teams, quick alliances, whatever works."
Neo's eyes slid back toward the clusters of newly awakened people near the entrance.
He still did not like the idea.
Around the entrance, the newly awakened gathered in loose clusters, some speaking in low voices, others trying much harder than necessary to look relaxed. Some kept checking their weapons, while others laughed louder than the moment deserved.
One boy with brown hair and brown eyes stood a little apart from one group, talking quickly with his hands while the others ignored half of what he said. His nose was the first thing Neo noticed, sharp enough to make the rest of his face seem built around it.
Neo looked away.
When his turn finally came, one of the officials checked his identification, glanced at the time slot, and stepped aside.
"Go in."
Neo moved without hesitation.
Crossing the Breach felt strange for a single instant, like walking through cold water that had no weight. Then the other side took shape around him.