Minutes later, he arrived at the market.
It was quieter than the markets of most towns, the dull afternoon sun of Withercrook hanging above the crooked trees and ancient, brooding hills.
The ground was stony, the air stale, tasting of dust and forgotten things.
Percival's boots crunched the stones, a metronome in the quiet.
His long shadow preceded him down a crooked path, past stalls where a few stubborn traders still advertised their wares.
They fell silent as he passed, their eyes tracking the wanderer and the unnatural chill that walked with him.
Percival didn't need to search long.
The Gate was impossible to miss.
A hundred feet ahead, hovering like a wound in the air, was a portal-like entity pulsing with dull blue and gray light.
These portals led to the dungeons the world knew as Gate Worlds.
From the pallid, sickly color, Percival recognized it as a Gamma Gate.
Gamma Gates led into D-Rank Gate Worlds.
They were threatening enough. Awakeners were advised to be at Lvl 20, at least, before they could challenge one.
Even then, they would require a party to go alongside them.
But for Percival, this Gate World was far beneath his full power.
When he was the Sword Saint, he had purged Worlds belonging to Omega Gates; the most dangerous Gates where world-threatening beasts resided.
This one, by comparison, was an afternoon walk.
But the Necromancer Class was new, with only E-Grade Skills and a pathetic mana pool.
This Gate's paltry rewards were the milk it needed to grow.
As he neared the Gate, Percival scanned the area.
A handful of Awakeners were gathered before it, forming parties or bartering nearly formed ones for a slot.
A Level 35 Knight in polished armor stood somewhere near the center, isolated from the others.
"Sir Alvrod! Let me join your team!" a voice pleaded.
"Please, I'm a Level 21 Mage! I can heal! I swear I'm good—"
"I said I only work with the Golden Spire Guild," the Knight barked, adjusting his cape with irritation.
"They will send the rest of my party soon. Until then, don't waste my time."
Percival's lips curled.
He had always found the pride of Knights exhausting.
Perhaps, it was one particular golden-haired princeling that had distorted his view of the rest.
He scoffed at the memory.
"Hey you!" a Warrior called out to him. "You look strong enough! Why not join our—"
The Warrior paused when he caught sight of the floating number beside Percival's head.
"Ehhh… never mind."
He turned to his party. "A Lvl. 1?"
"What's he doing here?"
"His crest is strange. Necromancer? I've never heard of that Class before."
The Knight, who had heard the word 'Necromancer', turned his head sharply to the Awakeners, and then to the person they were speaking of.
His eyes met Percival, and his brows lifted in disbelief.
'That can't be him, can it?' he thought. 'The long black hair, the deep blue eyes.'
His eyes widened. 'It's him. It's the cursed Hero.'
Percival ignored the stares, stopping before the Gate, staring at it.
Energy swirled around the entity, distorting the air while humming eerily.
The message he awaited finally appeared.
⸢Gate World: The Hollow Kingdom of Thorns⸥
⸢Gate Rank: Gamma⸥
⸢Description: In this kingdom of wilted roses, a forgotten silence still wears its crown⸥
He studied the words.
Ominous, but Gate Worlds' descriptions usually were.
From this, he assumed that the Gate World involved a dead kingdom, silence, and thorns.
It was like this for all Gate Worlds.
Each one had their own stories, lore and monsters. Something like a theme park.
They were the gods' ways of entertaining mortals and themselves with their twisted storytelling.
However, the dangers inside these worlds were very real.
If left uncleared, they would pour out, turning towns into graveyards.
But once cleared—usually by a party of assigned Awakeners—the Gate World collapsed and reformed as a fabricated version.
In this new form, the monsters and threats were replicated, but programmed to remain inside the dungeon.
The Gate World could then be cleared continuously by other Awakeners.
This transformed Gate Worlds into assets; training grounds regulated and taxed by the nobility.
Initial ownership went to whatever party first cleared the Gate, or to their Guild—if they belonged to one.
But, by kingdom law, the mayor of whatever province the Gate World appeared in, had first purchase rights.
The Gate World must be sold to the mayor, who managed and profited from it.
These were commonly known as "Grinding Gates."
Awakeners who intended to clear these Grinding Gates first paid coin to the Gatewatch of that province
The coin either goes into the pockets of the mayors or the betterment of the province.
It depended on the mayor's benevolence.
Percival knew clearing this Gate alone could invite political drama. He had no party. He belonged to no Guilds.
No Gate had been owned by a single person before.
But Percival barely cared. Up until this point, he'd made it clear that he needed no crown's blessing.
Nothing would change now.
"Excuse me."
The voice came from beside him.
It was steady and polite, with some unease but still had the egotistical tone that belonged to a Knight, unfailingly.
Percival turned.
Alvrod, the Lvl 35 Knight, stood there. He had one of his hands resting lightly on his sword hilt.
"Forgive me," the Knight said, studying him closely. "But… are you the Hero?"
Percival stared with flat disinterest, then looked away. "Did my cape give it away?"
Percival wasn't wearing a cape.
A short silence reigned.
"So it is you." The Knight's eyes widened. "The Hero who awakened an unseen Class; Necromancer. I never thought I'd meet you in person."
Percival said nothing.
"But you seem like a brave, honorable man," the Knight pressed. "So why have you turned your back on us? The Demon Lord's forces grow stronger everyday. Soon he will cross the Ocean of Late and wage war on mortality."
"Our lives depend on you."
"Maybe," Percival said quietly, "but so does my life."
The Knight stared at him, utterly confused. "The Hero… is supposed to be selfless."
Percival's gaze drifted toward the Gate. "I guess I'm no Hero then."
He left the conversation and stepped forward, toward the Gate.
"Wait! What in the mighty heavens are you doing!" Alvrod shouted. "Hey! Get back. You're a level one! You can't challenge a Gamma Gate on your own!!"
The others pointed and stared, gasping.
"What's that Lvl. 1 doing?"
"He's walking straight into it!"
"With no party?! Is he mad?"
The Knight lunged to grab him, but in a matter of seconds, the Gate swallowed Percival.
From a blue and gray distortion, the Necromancer stepped out.
He stood before an entrance. A gate of iron, though more of rust now and old, twisted vines.
Black thorns crawled over two crumbled statues that stood at the sides of this gate, and a carpet of plants led the road ahead.
Old stone was the smell that filled the air, but the scent of dry leaves and wet metal lingered nearby.
With a ding, the map of the Gate World appeared before him.
Alongside a Quest.
⸢Clear the Hollow Kingdom of Thorns⸥
⸢Defeat the Crownless King⸥
Percival exhaled slowly. He summoned his Skeleton Soldiers, and they crossed the Iron Gate.