"The world is undergoing significant transformations. The emergence of the Gates has been reported in thousands of locations across the globe. In the United States alone, over 200 cases of Gates have already been documented. In response, government leaders worldwide have commenced organizing expedition teams to explore the world beyond these Gates. There is growing concern regarding whether the recent spate of mysterious deaths linked to the presence of the Gates will be substantiated."
The woman who acted as the presenter reported on the TV, the screen, which had been placed in a dark room, had a slight glow.
A girl in her 16s stood right before the TV, her sharp eyes staring at the screen, her eyes having a hard time containing something that was burning inside her.
"Liars..." The girl muttered.
She couldn't believe what was presented on the news.
They say that they just started sending expedition teams, but in actuality, there are already countless videos about the world beyond the Gates 3 months after the first appearance of the Gate in India.
Of course, that was limited only to amateur videos posted by the residents who found a Gate and were daring enough to set foot inside. But if even the residents had started to enter the Gates from that moment, how can the countries have only started now?
'They're lying. Always.'
The girl, Midori Saki, or Saki Midori, had lost both of her parents 1 year ago the moment a Gate appeared on the street 10 blocks away from their house.
The reason is unknown.
She immediately reported her parents' deaths to the police, but refused to explain to her. They just helped her bury their corpses, that's all.
On the web, there are already countless speculations about the cause of the sudden deaths. Some said that it's because the Gods do not allow the ones that aren't chosen by them to witness the path the world would change, while others said that it's because the Gates radiated a high-level radiation that could kill people or something.
Their speculations had points, but were clearly flawed. Not accurate enough. And the countries around the world, no exception, for some reason, decided to keep their mouth shut before the remaining residents.
Saki always believed that she was a Genius.
No, not because she was the number one in her high school.
It's because her parents always told her so and believed in her.
After surfing the web, she found a video where someone who didn't show their face and had concealed their voice said that in the world beyond the Gate, you could become stronger by killing monsters, gaining experience points, and leveling up. Like a game.
Saki's sharp intuition told her.
That's it. That's the reason why they don't want to share their information about the world beyond the Gate with the public.
Because there's a prospect of gaining power in there.
Individual power.
With almost no limit. At least not visible for now.
Today, Saki made up her mind.
She would enter the world beyond the Gate. She would find out the reason why her parents lost their lives herself.
Accidentally, yesterday, a Gate had opened in her house's basement. That place was used by her father to store random things he found interesting. Her mother would always reprimand him if he placed them in the house, so he stored them in the basement instead.
With a big bag full of rations, camping tools, and several other survival tools, even a knife, she stepped down to her basement.
There, in the center of the piles of strange things, such as abstract pictures, unpopular action figures, totems, and even talismans, a vortex, a Gate facing her with its magical blue glow.
She inhaled a long breath, steeling herself, before approaching the Gate.
She then stepped her left foot into the Gate, then another foot, then—
She found herself in a completely different place.
A plain. A grass plain where the grass is so tall that it reaches 13 cm above her head.
When she turned around, she found the Gate right behind her. The Gate's presence relieved her.
'Okay, at least I wouldn't find myself in a scenario where I am being trapped inside this world.'
Saki set her bag down and promptly began setting up her camp. She would occasionally follow her father to go camping in the forest or the mountain, so she was already familiar with tents and able to set them up without any complications.
After she finished setting up her tent, she stored her bag in there, pulling out only one of the two knives she brought with her, along with a small pouch filled with protein bars.
Saki makes sure that she wears her coat, gloves, and boots properly before she begins navigating through the tall grass blades.
She sneaked her way, vigilant against anything that might show up before her.
This is the world beyond the Gate, a world she wasn't familiar with. Who knows what she would find here?
...
'A girl... And still so young.'
Ronata moves his Water Stink Bug to follow the girl who stepped out from the vortex.
It was only yesterday that the vortex opened, and a girl had already entered this world through it. That fact reminded Ronata about what Goddess Vali had told him.
'Double Bubble. Overlapping Worlds. Right... Now I remember it.'
Until now, Ronata was too focused on letting himself have a good rest time. Other than that, he is at most just paying attention to Whitey and its mate. Now that the girl suddenly appeared from the vortex, with clothes that screamed from Earth so loudly, he finally recalled that this world and Earth were supposedly in a changing phase.
With vortexes connecting the two worlds, the interaction between the residents of Earth and Hamurva would naturally start by now or then.
Earth with its advanced technology, and this world with Magic, Monsters, and real Gods.
What would happen in the future of the two worlds?
No one could predict it precisely.
At least not Ronata.
He was merely a Puddle who loved peace and wanted to let his soul rest.
'Whatever you're doing, please don't disturb me...'