"It’s an S-rank portal! It’s red—emergency classification!"
The scout’s voice cracked through the hall like lightning, panic riding on every word. In the dim-lit outpost just outside the eastern zone, his shout instantly shifted the air. Guards jolted upright from their posts, crystals flickering alive across the wall, pulsing with red hue as they all released mana into them, the universal sign of catastrophe.
"Quick! Alert Black Veil Guild!"
The communication rune flared with urgency as the alert was sent directly to the guild tower located in the capital. It wasn’t just any guild. Black Veil specialized in high-risk portal containment. Made up almost entirely of A-rank and S-rank hunters, it was one of the very few that had government-level clearance to deal with S-rank portals.
And within seconds the message was sent, they responded.
Ten hunters gathered at the portal base zone where crimson light bled into the sky from the swirling red portal in the distance. The ground around it had already begun to decay. Grass withered, air thinned. It wasn’t stable, a sign of powerful high level beasts lurking inside.
S-rank Fire Hunter - Rael Vorn stood at the front of the team. His crimson cloak fluttered gently with each breath of wind. His arms, sleeveless, bore burn scars that shimmered like runes in the light. Rael wasn’t just fire, as a high-tier fire realm user, he wielded advanced elemental techniques, including lightning blaze, meteor lash, and soul combustion.
Beside him was his long-time companion and fellow fire realm S-rank:
S-rank Fire Hunter - Nyra Cael, younger but no less deadly. With dark skin and braided crimson hair, she specialized in swift strikes and chain-fire techniques. Her mastery over high-speed flame control made her infamous for melting enemies before they even saw her move.
The third among the elites was:
S-rank Ice Hunter - Solas Krenn. Silent, pale-eyed, unnervingly calm. His cloak shimmered faintly with cold mist. Solas could phase into vapor, form weapons out of ice instantly, and shift between mist-form and solid in the middle of attacks. A phantom on the battlefield.
Then came the seven A-rankers, forming the backbone of the squad.
A-rank Earth Hunter - Borin Greyjaw, broad-shouldered, older, and acting field commander. He could manipulate iron and stone, and regenerate his wounds through earth energy.
A-rank Earth Hunter - Selene Marsk, lean and sharp-eyed, with tree-root tattoos etched across her skin. Her specialty was controlling terrain—wood binding, rock shift, and healing others by drawing vitality from the land.
A-rank Earth Hunter - Lio Rauth, younger than the others, but their dedicated combat healer. He wasn’t flashy, but his barrier skills and earth-form mending had saved lives more times than he could count.
A-rank Water Hunter - Irie Venn, playful and talkative, with long silver hair that shimmered like flowing water. She could create multiple water clones, each capable of independent action, though weaker than her main body.
A-rank Water Hunter - Kael Dross, stoic and always behind Irie like her shadow. His hydro pressure strikes could slice through metal, and he could manipulate his water clones to deceive enemies in close quarters.
And finally, the two ice hunters:
A-rank Ice Hunter - Fynn Alvar, nimble and reckless, often taking the front during engagements. His mist-stealth movement made him ideal for reconnaissance.
A-rank Ice Hunter - Thesa Wyn, calm and precise, always thinking ten steps ahead. She crafted her weapons mid-fight, forming ice-blades and traps with lethal precision.
They stood in a loose formation now, a few meters from the portal. The wind howled, carrying the cold metallic scent of the portal.
Borin turned to the team. "You all know the drill. S-rank portal means it could collapse the moment we step inside. We move as one. No wandering off. Watch each other’s backs. If you see something unusual, say it."
Rael crossed his arms. "Unusual is guaranteed. Just don’t die before the fun starts."
A few chuckled. Kael muttered, "As long as you don’t start another forest fire."
Nyra rolled her eyes. "Once."
"Twice," Irie corrected, smirking.
Despite the banter, they all felt the same thing. A tension that made the air vibrate. Something wasn’t right.
"Alright," Borin said finally. "Let’s move."
The team approached the portal. Each hunter touched the authorization crystal embedded beside the gate. Runes glowed, confirming their clearance. After the last one activated it, the red swirl expanded slightly, opening wider like a beast’s maw.
One by one, they stepped in.
Inside the Beast Realm
Cold wind hit them first. But not from snow or frost. This place was... empty.
The terrain was flat and endless. Smooth stone floors stretched far beyond sight, broken only by occasional shattered pillars or flickering red cracks across the sky. No trees. No beasts. No sound.
The ten hunters advanced cautiously, weapons ready.
"This doesn’t feel like any portal I’ve been in," Selene said, eyes scanning the surroundings. "Too quiet."
"No ambient mana," Solas noted coldly. "Even the air’s stale."
Fynn whispered, "It’s like we’re inside something’s stomach..."
"Gross," Irie replied with a shiver.
A few minutes passed. Nothing.
Rael finally said, "I’m starting to think this might’ve been a false alarm."
"False alarms don’t come in red," Nyra countered.
They continued deeper.
The group spread slightly, still keeping each other in view. Light conversation resumed, partly to push off the growing unease.
"Hey," Kael said suddenly. "Anyone else notice we haven’t seen even a single beast?"
Now that he said it... not one creature. No distant growls. No hostile presence. Not even a shadow moving behind the pillars.
Everyone stopped walking.
"That’s not right," Borin said, face hardening. "An S-rank portal with no Beast? Never happens."
Without warning, Lio Rauth—the healer—crumpled. Not fell. Crumpled. As if an invisible force crushed his entire body inward in a second. His form collapsed into a burst of blood and bone. Gone.
Blood sprayed across Fynn and Selene, who stood closest.
"What the hell—?!" Irie gasped, stepping back instantly.
"Lio!" Borin roared, spinning around.
Weapons were drawn in an instant. But there was nothing to see. No enemy. No movement.
"Where did it come from?!" Thesa shouted.
"I didn’t sense anything!" Kael barked.
Solas’s breath froze midair as his eyes narrowed. "Mist. Form now."
Before anyone could react further, a shadow stepped forward from between the broken pillars ahead.
A woman. And she was smiling.
"Took you long enough," she said smoothly, eyes scanning each of them. "I was beginning to think you’d ignore my invitation."
"Welcome to my domain, hunters."