Earth changed centuries ago when it was connected to the Star Network, a meeting point of multidimensional universes and races.
When the first human unlocked his talent, the era of Hunters began.
The New Year began with seventeen-year-olds unlocking their talents and getting ready for their first Tunnel Run to the Star Network, so they could officially become Dimensional Lords.
A crowd of teenagers gathered around a huge opening stretching underground.
This was the Tunnel. Its entrance twitched, pulsing with raw spatial power.
Everyone who entered would be allocated to their own unique Tunnel. No one but them and their Guide Raven could challenge in the same space.
"Students, I know some of you are scared," the City Lord of City #3945 said softly.
On his shoulder, a fat Raven perched comfortably. "But trust your guide, follow its path, and you will reach any of the Bastion planets safely. Keep in mind, your priority is to be branded by the System."
The students around him nodded their heads. Some agreed. Some did not.
The City Lord considered the expressions of those rebels and shook his head.
"Once you are branded by the System, you can enter and exit the Star Network as you please. I know some of you want to level up quickly, but without guidance from the experienced, fighting Tunnel monsters is dangerous. Attend the Academy assessment and get selected, so you can receive that guidance." The City Lord paused.
He had warned them. There were always some fresh hunters who, overconfident after unlocking their talents, rushed to fight Tunnel monsters.
Some of them survived and exited the Tunnel with increased strength.
But most of them died in the dark.
Not all new hunters awakened attack-type talents. Unless one had a skill, which they could get by participating in Star Hunts or buying from the market, talent alone couldn't help them fight.
"And… always follow the guide."
"Kraaa—Kraaa!"
Aldric sighed, glancing down at the excited Raven head poking out from inside his shirt.
"Eira, be a good girl and stay there. I am not releasing you yet. You will just bully the other poor Ravens."
Eira was unmistakable, even among her own kind.
Her feathers were not merely black. They were obsidian, smooth and lustrous, each one catching the light like polished glass.
When she moved, a faint sheen rippled across her body, as if her form had been carved from living night.
Her eyes were deep red, full of mischief.
She was smaller than an ordinary Raven, but she was the undisputed bully of the city.
There were no Ravens here that hadn't been pecked by her.
She was so naughty to the point that Aldric had to lock her inside his shirt, leaving only her head outside.
Eira looked at him pitifully, tears brimming in her eyes. The girl was too smart for a Raven.
She had learned how to escape punishment by acting pitiful, and Aldric surrendered to her acting all the time.
But not now. Not when all the high-profile people were in the venue to witness the new group of Tunnel Runners.
Eira blinked when her favorite human ignored her.
She pecked softly on his chest. He pinched her beak—not enough to hurt her, but enough to stop her from pecking him again.
One by one, the students started moving towards the Tunnel.
Aldric watched each of them and their Ravens disappearing with an unblinking gaze.
Most times, the Tunnel Run was easy if one followed their Raven.
The casualty rate was less than one percent. But he didn't want an ordinary run.
He wanted to reach Level 10 before finishing the run and obtain two skills.
Slow progression wasn't for him. After all, humanity needed him.
He was the only human ever born with a Divine talent. Only him and Eira knew about this. If she ever understood what Divine meant.
That was for the better; he had heard the higher races in the Star Network hunted those with talents above Primordial.
If they knew humanity—a Tier 6 race in the multiverse—had someone with a Divine talent, it would bring disaster.
"Eira, once we enter the Tunnel, lead me to monsters. Low level at first, okay?"
Eira tilted her head, settling his words in her little brain. She didn't understand why her favorite human asked her to lead him to danger.
Yet, watching his eager face, she happily nodded.
She was strong. She could fly and poke. So, she would protect him from any dangers.
When it was Aldric's turn, he was stopped by the City Lord at the opening.
The older man looked deep into his eyes.
"Uncle…"
"No need to explain anything. I believe you have your own plans. Just… be safe." Arlen Ashcroft stared at his nephew for a few moments, then turned to glare at Eira, who hid when the City Lord stopped her human.
"You, naughty creature. Don't cause problems for your master."
Eira moved further inside the shirt, her small form trembling. T
his ugly human was too scary. She decided to teach him a lesson when she became strong.
Aldric patted her, sensing her anxiety.
"Uncle, Eira is a good girl. And I'm not her master. She is my friend," he corrected.
Arlen gave an appreciative nod after hearing his nephew's words.
Unlike other students who considered the Guide Ravens merely disposable pawns after the Tunnel Run, his nephew considered this little one a companion.
Ravens were ordinary monsters. They could, at most, reach Level 25.
For a talented hunter, their value plummeted when they progressed further.
Most Ravens were eventually killed by the hunters themselves because once a Raven considered a human its master, they would never accept another.
Arlen turned to look at his own Raven. A soft smile appeared on his face looking at the companion who had followed him for fifty years.
Aldric didn't waste any more time, hearing dissatisfied grunts from the people behind him.
Bowing once more to his uncle, he entered the Tunnel, disappearing from the surface of the Earth.
[Welcome to the Tunnel Run.]
Both Eira and Aldric received the notification as they landed on the wooden floor of the Tunnel.
Eira tried to peck the alien text that appeared in her sight in confusion.
"All right," Aldric muttered. "Time for a perfect run."
"Kraaa…" Eira mirrored his excitement.