Jin didn't rush the next morning.
There was no reason to.
The appointment had been confirmed, the time fixed, and for once, there was nothing to gain by moving faster than necessary. The city felt different at this hour, not empty, but quieter, like everything was still deciding whether to wake up fully. Shops were just opening, transport lines beginning to fill, and the usual noise hadn't settled in yet. It made movement easier. Less crowd, fewer distractions.
The Vocation Shrine stood near the central district, surrounded by wider roads and open space that made it feel slightly isolated despite being in the middle of the city. The building itself wasn't extravagant. No unnecessary decoration, no attempt to impress. It was built for function—clean stone structure, tall entrance, reinforced glass panels that reflected the early light in dull blue tones. There were guards, but not heavily armed ones. More for control than defense.
A line had already formed outside.
Not long, but steady.
Jin joined without hesitation, taking a position near the middle. The people around him were mostly his age, though a few older individuals stood further ahead. Some looked confident, others uncertain, and a few clearly hadn't slept much.
"…I'm just going Warrior," someone said behind him. "Too many people mess up trying something complicated."
"Yeah, but Mage scales better later," another replied.
"Only if you survive long enough."
Jin ignored it.
Not because it wasn't useful, but because none of it mattered yet. Talking about choices before seeing the system was pointless. It was like deciding how to fight without knowing the opponent.
The line moved slowly.
Each person stepped forward, showed their confirmation, and entered. No delays. No confusion. Just controlled flow.
When Jin reached the entrance, he showed his appointment and was guided inside.
The difference was immediate.
The noise from outside disappeared, replaced by a quieter, controlled atmosphere. The interior was wide, open, with smooth stone flooring and high ceilings that made the space feel larger than it actually was. Light filtered through narrow glass panels along the walls, giving everything a faint blue tint. There were no decorations—only structure.
Several staff members stood at different points, directing people toward waiting areas or inner chambers. Everything was organized, efficient, practiced.
Jin was directed to a side waiting area.
That's where he saw them.
A boy and a girl, standing slightly apart from the others, not exactly together but close enough that it was obvious they had come as a pair. They didn't look nervous, but they weren't relaxed either. More like they were paying attention to everything around them, trying to understand how things worked.
The boy noticed Jin first.
He was slightly taller, lean build, dark hair that looked like it hadn't been styled much, and eyes that moved quickly, taking in details rather than focusing on one thing. He gave a small nod.
"Hey."
Jin returned the nod.
The girl turned next. She had lighter brown hair tied back loosely, her posture straight but not stiff. Her expression was calm, but there was a slight curiosity in her eyes, like she was constantly evaluating things.
"You from this city?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Thought so," the boy said. "We had to come from Virex District. No shrine there."
That explained it.
Jin nodded once.
The girl shifted her weight slightly. "I'm Liora."
The boy added, "Daren."
Jin didn't hesitate. "Jin."
Simple.
Enough.
Daren gave a short breath, almost like he was relaxing slightly. "Good. At least we're not the only ones figuring this out from scratch."
"You decided what you're picking?" Liora asked.
Jin shook his head once.
"No."
She didn't look surprised. "Same. Everyone keeps saying different things."
"That's because they don't know," Daren said. "They just repeat what they heard."
Jin almost agreed with that.
Didn't say it.
Because it didn't matter.
What mattered was what he saw inside.
A group ahead of them was called.
Three names.
They stepped forward and disappeared through a door that closed behind them quietly, sealing off whatever was beyond.
The waiting area shifted slightly as people adjusted positions.
Jin leaned back just enough to rest his weight without losing balance. His eyes moved once across the room—staff positions, door placements, number of people left. Nothing unusual.
"How long you been going into gates?" Daren asked.
"Few days."
"Same," he said. "It's… different than I expected."
Jin glanced at him briefly.
"Yeah."
That was enough of an answer.
Liora looked between them. "You going solo?"
"Probably," Jin said.
Not definite.
But likely.
Daren nodded. "We're teaming up for now. Early stages are easier that way."
Jin didn't respond.
Different approach.
Not wrong.
Just not necessary for him.
Another name was called.
Then another.
The number of people in the waiting area decreased gradually, each group stepping forward, each door closing behind them, until eventually—
"Jin Vale."
Jin stepped forward immediately.
No hesitation.
Behind him, Daren spoke, "Guess we'll see how this goes."
Liora added, "Yeah… good luck."
Jin paused for a fraction of a second, just enough to acknowledge them.
Then continued.
The door opened.
He stepped through.
And it closed behind him.
The space inside was different.
Smaller.
Quieter.
And at the center—
The stone.
It was larger than he expected, not just in size, but in presence. Its surface was smooth yet uneven at the same time, like layers of crystal had formed over each other without following a perfect structure. A deep blue color ran through it, not uniform, but shifting slightly depending on how the light touched it. It wasn't glowing exactly, but it carried a faint inner luminosity, like something inside it was active, moving slowly beneath the surface.
Jin stopped a few steps away.
Not out of hesitation.
Just to look.
Then he walked forward.
No reason to delay.
No reason to overthink.
He reached out.
And placed his hand on the stone.
The moment his skin made contact—
The system reacted.
And something new—
Finally opened.