ill chapter 2

“Three… portals?”

Normally, only two ever appeared: the escape portal to the lobby, and the portal to the next floor. But now, next to those two, was a third.

It was a phenomenon she had never seen or even heard of. It might have been the first of its kind ever discovered.

Someone else might have been tempted to explore the unknown, but not Ha Nayul. She was the type to choose stability over adventure. The Hunter Association would be more than satisfied with a simple report.

No need for a reckless adventure.

She was about to ignore it and head for the lobby when a message arrived.

[Whisper from: Aradel] Nayul.

[Whisper from: Aradel] Help me.

After two years of silence, a message had finally arrived.

[Whisper to: Aradel] What’s wrong?

[User ‘Aradel’ is in an area where whispers cannot be received.]

Her reply was, of course, instantly blocked. Still, the cause of the sudden message was clear. It had to be this new gate.

Ha Ahra is on the other side.

Her hesitation was brief, less a conscious decision and more a reaction to the portal shrinking, as if it were about to disappear.

“No!”

On reflex, Nayul thrust her foot into the portal. It was the first trace of her sister she had found in two years, and she was seized by the urgent fear that this might be her only chance.

There was no time to contact anyone. Her parents had died five years ago when the Break began, and she had long since cut ties with all her friends. Having Awakened as a minor, she was exploited so often by malicious adults that she developed a deep-seated distrust of others. Her only regular contact was the mandatory check-ins with the Hunter Association.

Ah, I should have told the Association…

The thought came too late. By then, she was already fully inside the portal.

Nayul immediately lost consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself sprawled in the back of a rattling cargo wagon. Dust billowed up with every bump on the dirt road, the wheels groaning in protest.

Nayul sat up, reflexively scanning her surroundings. She wasn’t alone. The wagon was filled with others, all in shabby, worn-out clothes that looked more medieval European than modern. The group was a mix of children and young adults, but every face wore the same bleak expression.

This is a new kind of start.

The Tower’s floors usually followed a familiar pattern. The monsters grew stronger with each ascent, but the starting point and quest objectives were always the same. This, however, was completely different. The starting point was new, and no quest window had appeared.

An uncleared floor? Or is this a bug?

Had it been a mistake to leap into an unknown portal? Everything was foreign. A strange tension crept up her spine. As Nayul quietly took in her surroundings, she overheard low voices from the front of the wagon.

“…Are you really planning to sell that ugly foreigner? She’s hideous, and her clothes are bizarre.”

“She’s not dead, is she? So we sell her. Besides, she’s a girl.”

It was a language she’d never heard, yet she understood every word thanks to the auto-translation feature granted to the Tower’s chosen.

“Besides, I heard something.”

“What’s that?”

“That the Aurels are buying up ugly and useless slaves. And paying a high price for them.”

“You want to go all the way there? That’s months away.”

“It’s fine if she sells on the way. And who knows? Some customer with peculiar tastes might pay handsomely for her.”

“True enough. You never can tell which slave will fetch a high price.”

Slavers.

There’s no reason to let them drag me along.

A Tower objective usually involved defeating monsters, protecting someone, or defending a city. Starting out in the hands of slavers was just a stroke of bad luck.

Besides, Ha Ahra had sent a message asking for help. For her fiercely proud sister to ask for that meant she was in grave danger.

I don’t have time to waste here.