In the Olson Apartments.... Kuro was sitting, wearing his usual black jacket while leaning on his new bed.
"Ah, I can't believe I have to keep working. I hate this! Usually, I go to a Gate and don't have to go out for months, but now I have to do this continuously..... This is exhausting. I hate working..."
"Let's see what's on the news?"
Kuro opened his phone with a cracked screen, but it still worked. It was a miracle in itself that it kept working despite what happened yesterday. He opened it and saw news headlines.
[Drynood Company Declares Bankruptcy Following Violent Protests by Its Employees Due to Major Embezzlement Operations]
[For the First Time, Samson Store Offers a 50% Discount on Hunter Tools. Come and Don't Miss Out Today!]
[The Mayor Announced in His Speech to the Public That He Will Conduct Extensive Investigation and Research Operations to Search for Any Agents Within H.E.R.O.E.S Still Working for Criminals]
[In Today's News, Hear Your Horoscope Today, You Might Be Lucky Today]
[Elixor News: A Testimony from One of the Criminals from That Day Claims That the One Who Defeated the Red Knight Was a Monster. Is It True? Did the Aegis Organization Hide It? Follow Us Today]
"Blah blah..... Nothing useful..... Wait?"
[The Hunter Academy Announces Sending Its Students to the Land of Despair]
"The Land... of Despair? Isn't that the Gate I planned to go to today? Let me see."
[The Dawn Academy for Hunter Education is Organizing a Special Trip: Traveling to the Land of Despair. The Land of Despair is considered a Gate with random ranks. There are areas with monster ranks from F to S, and it is considered one of the strangest and most dangerous Gates ever...]
[Because it's the only Gate where we don't have a Gate Core. No one knows why, and a Gate Break never happens. The proliferation of monsters of all ranks might seem nice, but the truth is it's a dangerous land. Everything is deadly. Even the air you breathe here can be poisonous or cause strange diseases, and the grass might be monster hair that rises and eats you in a second.]
[It is considered the third most dangerous Gate in American history. The school principal says it's an opportunity to teach the new generation of hunters about the danger of Gates, not to mention it has almost become a tourist spot. And.....]
"So there are monsters of all ranks? That's perfect then. I can finish my work quickly."
Kuro opened the door and went down the stairs. While going down, he saw construction workers repairing the damaged apartments. They were like reminders that he had to pay by the end of the week, making him feel tired just by seeing them. As Kuro was going down and walking, he turned and saw someone coming.
A boy his age with spiky orange hair. There were bandages, and scars could be seen on his head. He was wearing a green jacket. He was smiling at him. For some reason, Kuro felt there was something strange about him. He couldn't sense any magical energy from him. He could kill him easily, but he felt a threat emanating from him. Kuro narrowed his eyes and became cautious.
"Hello! Do you live here?" the boy asked.
"Yeah, and what are you doing here?"
"The name's Henry Wilson!" Henry spoke and grabbed Kuro's hand, shaking it. "Pleased to meet you, buddy! What's your name!"
"Kuro..... Lancern," Kuro replied while finishing the handshake.
"Can you tell me where I can find the owner of this apartment? It seems like a safe and nice place!" Henry spoke happily.
"Safe and nice? What nonsense is he spouting?" Kuro thought.
"He's upstairs, in room number 999," Kuro spoke, pointing upwards.
"Ah, really! Thank you, goodbye!" Henry spoke as he left.
"That was..... weird," Kuro muttered.
"Well, that's none of my business," Kuro said as he disappeared from Henry's sight.
As he left, Henry looked towards the direction Kuro had gone and walked forward.
"So, Orange One, are you sure now?" Henry asked.
"Yes, that boy..... he really is the one. You need to be careful," the voice in his head spoke.
"Okay, I mean he doesn't seem very aggressive, but he seems a bit isolated," Henry replied, turning towards the same direction Kuro had walked.
"Wolves have a predatory nature. He is a dangerous predator, but he is alone and has no allies. That's the real reason to make him your friend. Because he is a lone wolf, and wolves like him are unpredictable. They are like silent hunters; they do what they want whenever they want," the voice in his head spoke in a sharp tone.
"A wolf, huh? That seems like him," Henry spoke.
.
.
.
In Central Park.....
Kuro was walking in one part of Central Park. People could be seen strolling and exercising normally, and there were food carts. It was like the usual atmosphere of that park, if not for the fact that there were military soldiers surrounding a certain area.
There was a place in the park that looked like a large building. When Kuro entered, there were many facilities full of people buying various things, as if this place was an airport or a tourist area. Kuro went and took a ticket, waiting for his turn to enter the Gate...
Kuro sat alone at a table. He was waiting for his turn. He was drinking a glass of water, waiting leisurely. While waiting, he looked around and observed his surroundings.
There were hunters. Kuro could recognize them at a glance because they wore the H.E.R.O.E.S emblem on their shirts, and they carried weapons and magical tools, like swords, axes, and staffs with magic stones for mages. None of them had anything like what Kuro fought last time.
He looked elsewhere and saw that there were some ordinary people who also wanted to go through the Gate. It was a tourist spot; people could even enter through the Gate. There were safe areas inside the Gate. While Kuro was sitting,
Someone approached him. It was a plump woman wearing glasses, with blonde hair. She was recording on her phone while approaching him.
Kuro looked at her strangely, suspecting she might be what is known as a...
"I want you to tell me your name and your rank right now."
Kuro looked at her coldly before replying, "No."
"Why not?" the woman asked louder, causing a commotion.
"What's your deal? You're not an inspector here," Kuro replied.
"I'm here because you're ruining the atmosphere here," the woman spoke.
"On what basis?" Kuro replied.
"You're a mutant. You'll bring bad luck here. I want you to leave immediately."
"That's not even a reason."
"I want you to leave..... Now," the woman screamed, repeating her words louder.
"No.... Karen," he replied, mimicking her tone.
"Listen to me, you dirty animal, leave now or else__"
While she was screaming, a soldier came to her, grabbed her, and pulled her away from Kuro.
"What are you doing? Let me go!" the woman screamed.
"This is the third time this week you've done this here. Because of you, we're receiving many complaints. You are completely banned from coming here," one soldier spoke while pulling her.
"Fuck off! I said fuck off!"
"I am a human being! I have rights here!"
"Yes ma'am, we all have rights. Just leave from here and don't come back again."
Karen bit the soldier's hand violently. He pulled away from her and tried to hit her, but he grabbed her, seized her arm, and threw her to the ground. The sound of the impact could be heard, and he handcuffed her immediately, and two other soldiers came to him.
"That's it. You're going to prison for attacking a soldier doing his job."
"Ahhhhhhh... ahhhhhhhhhhggghhhgg... aggghhhhgggg"
"Don't touch me! I said don't touch me! You animal!" the woman screamed violently.
"All of you know nothing! You think I'm crazy!? You think I'm crazy!? Look at yourselves!? All of you are animals! Animals!"
"Take her away from here. Ugh, damn Karen," a soldier spoke, looking at his hand that Karen had bitten.
The soldiers dragged her away while she continued screaming and took her to some place. Kuro could only sigh in pain.
"Maybe staying here wasn't a good idea," Kuro thought while sighing.
[Number 546, please proceed]
"Finally!" Kuro spoke and stood up quickly.
People were talking about Karen while Kuro passed through and reached the Gate. As he passed through, he caught the attention of a certain group of people...