Chapter 12: The World Outside
[You have defeated Shadow Hound – EXP gained: 300.]
Cruz felt a surge of excitement course through his veins as the notification flashed before him. He was so close to leveling up, and with every kill, every hard-fought victory, he could feel his strength growing. The adrenaline from the battle with the Shadow Hound was still pumping through him, but he had no time to rest. He was on the cusp of something greater, something that could potentially unlock new abilities—abilities that would take him closer to his goal of becoming the warrior he had always dreamed of being.
Cruz wiped the sweat from his brow, his breaths heavy but controlled. The dungeon was far from finished with him, and he couldn't afford to drop his guard. But even as his thoughts focused on survival, there was something nagging at the back of his mind—how much the world outside the gates had changed.
Outside the dungeon, the world of Astrian had become a place transformed by the mysterious gates that had first appeared fifty years ago. Back then, the world had been thrust into chaos, as creatures from other dimensions poured through the portals, threatening humanity's existence. No one knew where the gates came from or why they appeared, but their presence was undeniable—and the effects they had on the world were profound.
To combat the threat, the Interdimensional Oversight Bureau (IOB) was formed, a global organization created by the first Awakened in collaboration with governments around the world. The IOB had been tasked with maintaining order, closing dangerous gates, and managing the influx of Awakened individuals—ordinary people who had suddenly been granted extraordinary powers. What had started as a small group of pioneers was now a vast, intricate organization, with branches in every major country on every continent.
In New Arista, the country where Cruz was born, the government had developed sophisticated technology to monitor and regulate the gates. The most critical of these was the Gate Sentinel AI (GSAI), a powerful artificial intelligence system designed to detect the energy signatures emitted by gates as they formed. For decades, GSAI had been the world's first line of defense, identifying the locations of new gates before they could fully manifest, allowing the IOB and local authorities to respond swiftly.
But now, things were changing.
The gate Cruz had entered had slipped through the cracks of the GSAI's detection. It had gone unnoticed, only discovered by chance. Something was evolving, and the world's most advanced defense mechanism was beginning to fail. It was a problem hidden from the general public, but the IOB was well aware. Behind closed doors, they were working desperately to understand why.
In the capital city of Innovis, the seat of New Arista's power, the Interdimensional Oversight Bureau's headquarters stood tall and imposing, a sleek structure of glass and steel that symbolized humanity's resilience in the face of unprecedented challenges. It was here that President Richard Veran, a high-level Awakened, sat at the helm of the organization. He looked grimly at the latest reports from the GSAI, frustration etched into his features.
"Gate activity is increasing," Veran said, his voice low but tense. "And the AI is missing more and more of them. The data shows that these new gates are giving off different energy signatures—mutated somehow, like they're adapting to avoid detection."
Around the room, his senior advisors, scientists, and military officials listened intently. The stakes were high, and everyone knew it. The GSAI had been the world's most reliable method for preventing dungeon breaks—the catastrophic events that occurred when a gate's monsters broke free into the real world. Without accurate detection, the number of breaks would increase, and with it, chaos would follow.
"We can't let this spiral out of control," one advisor said. "The last thing we need is another crisis like the Old Arista Incident."
A heavy silence fell over the room. The Old Arista Incident was still fresh in the minds of many, even though it had happened over two decades ago. An S-Tier gate had opened in the heart of the old capital, unleashing a horde of powerful monsters that had nearly destroyed the entire city. It was only through the combined efforts of the IOB's most elite Awakened that the gate had been closed and the monsters defeated. The city had been rebuilt and renamed New Arista, but the scars of that day remained—both physical and psychological.
"The world's changed too much already," Veran muttered. "We need answers. We need solutions. And we need them fast."
The world had indeed changed. In the fifty years since the gates first appeared, humanity had been forced to adapt in ways no one could have imagined. Technology had evolved at a rapid pace, spurred on by the resources found within the gates. Mana-infused materials, rare minerals, and otherworldly artifacts had become essential to modern life. With the discovery of these new resources, industries that had once been confined to science fiction became reality. Weapons, armor, vehicles, even medicine—all had been revolutionized by what humanity had learned from the gates.
But the changes weren't just technological. Society itself had been reshaped by the emergence of the Awakened. Ordinary people, once limited by the boundaries of their natural abilities, could suddenly tap into immense power—strength, speed, intelligence, magical abilities. It was a gift for some, a curse for others, but it was undeniable that the world had been divided between the Awakened and the non-Awakened.
The IOB acted as the bridge between these two worlds, striving to maintain order and ensure that the Awakened didn't abuse their power. Not everyone appreciated the Bureau's control, though. Some Awakened saw themselves as superior to the rest of humanity and formed guilds—private organizations where the strongest gathered to pool their resources and influence. These guilds operated independently, sometimes clashing with governments or the IOB itself.
In New Arista, the IOB had gone so far as to classify gates by the energy they emitted and their corresponding levels of danger. The Tier System was the result of years of research into gate energy:
D-Tier: Light Gray – low-level gates with relatively weak monsters. Safe for inexperienced Awakened to enter.
C-Tier: Gray – moderate difficulty, requiring teams of mid-level Awakened.
B-Tier: Yellow – dangerous, with powerful monsters and unpredictable environments.
A-Tier: Orange – highly dangerous, reserved for the elite.
S-Tier: Red – the most deadly gates, where only the strongest Awakened could hope to survive.
This tier system allowed the IOB to assign the appropriate level of Awakened to each gate, ensuring that the right people were dispatched to close them before they became too dangerous. However, there was a dark side to this system as well. Some Awakened, drawn by the potential for greater rewards and glory, sought out higher-tier gates than they could handle, resulting in disastrous failures.
Cruz, like many other young Awakened, had grown up in a world where gates and monsters were as much a part of life as the rising and setting of the sun. He had seen the power Awakened could wield, and he had witnessed the destruction that came with it. His father, who had been an ordinary man, had died protecting him during a gate incident years ago. His mother, once healthy and strong, now suffered from mana sickness, a disease that afflicted those who had been exposed to too much gate energy without the ability to process it like the Awakened could. His sister, scarred by the trauma of their father's death, refused to have anything to do with the gates or the Awakened world.
It was a harsh reality, but Cruz had made his choice. He would walk the path of the Awakened, not just to survive, but to protect those he cared about. The journey so far had been brutal, and the enemies he faced inside the gates were terrifying, but he was determined. Every step he took inside this shadowy dungeon was a step closer to becoming stronger, to controlling his own fate.
Outside the dungeon, back in Innovis, the world continued to spin on, oblivious to the fight Cruz was waging within. The IOB's headquarters were buzzing with activity as analysts and technicians worked around the clock, trying to adjust the GSAI's algorithms to account for the evolving gates. There was growing concern that the system might need a complete overhaul, but such a process would take time—and time was something they didn't have.
In the streets of the city, life had adapted to the presence of the gates. Buildings were reinforced with mana-infused materials, capable of withstanding attacks from monsters that might escape during a dungeon break. Schools taught children not only mathematics and science but also basic survival skills for when—not if—they encountered a gate. Guild recruitment posters lined the walls of train stations, enticing Awakened to join their ranks and promising fame, fortune, and power.
Yet, for all the advancements, for all the precautions, there was an underlying tension in the air. People feared the gates. They feared the Awakened. And, most of all, they feared what they didn't understand.
In the dungeon, Cruz continued forward, his senses sharp, his determination unshaken. He knew what was at stake, both inside and outside the gates. He was not just fighting for himself—he was fighting for a future where people like his mother and sister wouldn't have to live in fear. The path ahead was uncertain, but Cruz had never felt more certain of his place in the world.
He would face whatever came next. Whether it was a Shadow Hound or something far worse, he would rise to the challenge.
The world might be changing, but Cruz Hernandez was changing with it.
And he was ready for whatever the gates had to throw at him