Looking at the gray gate in front of him, its glowing color and the dangerous vibe it was emitting, Ellis couldn't help but be mesmerized by its appearance, feeling a certain pull toward it.
But not knowing why he has such a feeling, he couldn't help but be a little vigilant.
Opening his phone to see if this kind of phenomenon, or rather gates, was appearing all around the world and to find any relevant information that could help, he was surprised to find that the network coverage was not working at all.
Arriving at an impasse, he was confused about what to do. Ellis knew that whether it was the internet, network coverage, or electricity, they would eventually stop working. But being able to predict the situation and being in it was not the same.
[The first wave of blue gates started descending around the globe]
[Challenge the gates and protect your world]
Ellis, who thought the situation couldn't become any more complex, was astonished by the system message appearing in front of him. Seeing the word "blue" before gates and looking at the gray gate in front of him, he couldn't help but feel more unsure.
According to the system messages, even though the gates appeared worldwide, they were blue ones. So does that mean the gray gate in front is not a product of the system, or is it just because it's a special gate?
But they could have just said gates descended; there was no need to specify blue ones if there were no other colors.
Staring at the gray gate in front of him, Ellis, who could still feel the pull he felt before, and thinking about those wuxia novels he read, he remembered the opportunities they talked about in every sentence. He asked himself, "Is it really my opportunity, and even if it's not, could I really share this gray gate with someone else?"
Making his resolve, he started to make preparations. Starting from checking his spear to bringing every knife he had in his house, a first-aid kit, and even food and water. He filled the camping backpack of his dear housemate.
"Maybe I should really start thanking him." While saying so and checking his injury, which had nearly healed, he went to the front of the gray gate.
Staring at it, Ellis couldn't help but think that those few hours he spent after awakening were really eventful.
Taking a breath and calming his nerves, he went in.
Just as he started feeling like he went under some ocean, deep enough to feel a crushing pressure, he found himself in another place. Breathing heavily and feeling like his stomach was churning, he coughed a little and finally felt himself calming down.
[Warning! Warning! Warning!]
[You have come under an area not supervised by the Twilight Codex]
[Being outside the reach of the Twilight Codex for a long period is dangerous. After a certain duration, you risk losing access to your system window.]
[You are recommended to return immediately]
Seeing the system messages, Ellis was surprised. Aside from when the system first came, it was always like some notifications that came with killing other beings.
And looking around the place he had teleported to, it was dark, with a dim light from one direction serving as the only source of illumination. Being a dungeon, Ellis didn't find the dim light surprising. But after looking around carefully and not finding anything—just barren land as far as the eye could see—he was a little surprised.
Thinking of the system messages and not finding any gate for returning, even if he wanted to go back, he couldn't.
Not being discouraged, after checking the spear and the things he brought along, he started walking toward the light, the only direction he thought safe to take.
An hour passed without coming across anything along the way and not even feeling the light becoming closer, he still continued his walk.
Three hours passed, but nothing changed aside from feeling the light becoming a little stronger.
Six hours passed. After his long continuous walk and not being accustomed to something like this, Ellis, who started to feel tired, was resting.
Ten hours passed. Filling his stomach with some food and drinking a little water, Ellis felt the light was far and out of reach and started to panic. But after seeing there were no other ways through this, he continued his walk.
Fifteen hours passed. Even though the light seemed stronger and a little closer, Ellis, who had made his resolve, decided to take some sleep, preparing himself for a long journey.
Nearly a day passed. Ellis, who woke up, started his march again.
A day and a half passed. While taking some rest along the way, Ellis finally felt himself making some progress.
Two days passed. Feeling himself much closer to the light, and with newly lit hope, he continued walking.
Two and a half days passed. Ellis started to feel some kind of pressure from the light but felt it was a sign that the journey was ending, so he was more joyful.
After nearly three days and feeling the increased pressure on his body and seeing how his clothes and the things he brought with him were deteriorating and corroding, he decided to invest the rest of his unassigned points—25 in vitality and 5 in stamina. Seeing his new attributes:
[Attributes]
Strength: 26
Agility: 24
Stamina: 28
Vitality: 69
Mana: 58
Charm: 27
Luck: 20
Unassigned Points: 0
Feeling how the pressure felt like nothing now, he continued walking.
After another hour, starting to feel some strain, Ellis looked at his clothes, which had become more like ragtag, and his other things. He estimated that with another hour, they would all be consumed, nothing remaining.
[Warning! Warning! Warning!]
[You have entered an area that interferes with Twilight Codex authority; you are instructed to return immediately]
[You have three hours to comply with the command; otherwise, the Twilight Codex will take a precautionary procedure]
Taking him from his pondering state was a red message window. Unlike before, where it was recommending, it was now commanding and even giving a defined time limit, with a red timer appearing in front.
"What the fuck, if you can't open a gate to help me return, just fucking shut up," he said out loud. With his bottled-up emotion, Ellis couldn't help but take his anger and frustration out on the coming message system, cursing at the system with every insult he knew.
After walking for three days straight, alone in this barren land, he felt himself praise-worthy, being able to hold his sanity. Seeing the message window exploded his emotion.
Calming down a little after his burst of emotion, and thinking of the time period he was given, he continued to walk.