"Are you sure this is enough?" I asked Arnar, looking down at the pair of golden bracelets around my wrists. Intricate patterns covered their surfaces, with radiant jewels embedded between the markings.
"Yes. One is etched with the Mana Shell skill, and the other with Temperature Control. When used together, Mana Shell acts as a secondary layer around your body. It blocks the outside atmosphere and heat while allowing in what you need, such as oxygen and moisture, and letting out carbon dioxide and heat. Temperature Control then regulates the temperature inside the Mana Shell, basically working like an air conditioner. Otherwise, you’d get cooked inside your own Mana Shell like a lobster," Arnar explained.
The more I listened, the more uneasy I became about the whole setup.
"Don’t worry. It’ll do a good job protecting you from the scorching heat inside the monster gate," one of the staff members assured me, seeing how Arnar’s over simplified explanation of how the Eco-Shell Bracelets work might alarm some cautious people.
Seeing me nod at the staff member and relax a little, Arnar pouted.
"Hey, how come you trust a staff member you just met more than me?"
"Because I don’t think you would’ve hired him if he wasn’t good at his job," I replied, quickly changing the topic, tapping on the bone ring on my right index finger. "Don’t I get any other equipment besides the skeleton summon ring?"
"Why would you need any when you’ve got me?" Arnar said, flashing a pearly grin. "This is one of the toughest A-rank gates in the nation, and you’re a novice. There’s no piece of equipment here that you can slap on and magically make up for the difference in difficulty, level, or stats."
"So there is something, but you couldn’t be bothered to fetch it for me," I remarked, testing the deep pockets of the Valorant Guild’s overall uniform after locking away my clothes, electronics, and wallet in the guest locker.
It wasn’t that I didn’t need my phone inside the monster gate. It was that the poor thing would probably get fried the moment I got near the gate. Even though it was made from mana-blended materials, the magnetic interference generated by a monster gate simply didn’t allow ordinary electronics to function properly inside its vicinity.
Before Arnar could reply, a guild clerk walked over carrying an ID card. He handed it to me with a polite smile.
"Here’s your Hunter license, Mr. Chase."
"Thank you."
I took the card and looked it over, much like any other ID I’d kept in my wallet. Yet seeing my name officially printed on a Hunter license brought me the same strange little thrill I’d felt the first time I received my driver’s license.
"Alright, let’s go join the team by the gate," Arnar said hurrying me to the gate.
...
Arriving at the gate, I saw a group of people dressed in the same skin-tight overalls as me, among them a few strapped on back mounted twin-cylinders attached to spray guns.
If I had been certain earlier, I was now absolutely sure Avery was right. Valorant Guild and Chimera Chemicals had succeeded in their pursuit and were now seeking government approval and assistance to turn their plan into reality.
Despite my observations, I acted clueless and disinterested. Neither Valorant Guild, Chimera Chemicals, nor the government could know that I was aware of what they were planning.
The government wasn’t stupid. Before purchasing the land surrounding the monster gate to establish a Monster Farm, it would investigate when each parcel had changed hands, who the new owners were, and whether they had any direct or indirect connection to Valorant Guild, Chimera Chemicals, or the relevant government departments.
Only after layers upon layers of thorough verification would the government negotiate with the landowners. Otherwise, anyone caught trying to manipulate the land purchases for personal gain wouldn’t just face imprisonment. Their land would also be seized and transferred to the government.
So, if I wanted to make a fortune from this opportunity, I couldn’t afford to leave even the slightest trace.
"Everyone ready?" Arnar asked aloud as we approached the team.
"Yes, Ma’am Guild Leader!" the group of Hunters and researchers answered enthusiastically in unison. To those who didn’t personally know her, she was still the respected Hero of Skyonee Island.
"Alright, where’s my beer?"
Arnar had barely finished asking when Damitri rushed over with a beer can.
"One chilled Fire Mason Beer."
"What’s going on?" I muttered as all the staff around us stopped what they were doing and began gathering around us, their voices rising in a chant.
"Valorant! Valorant! Valorant!"
Amid the growing cheers, Arnar took the large beer can from Damitri, poked a hole in the bottom, then threw her head back and emptied the entire can in one go.
The chanting only grew louder and faster.
Arnar crushed the empty can into a small pellet and looked around, meeting the eyes of every person gathered around her. She then flicked the crushed can onto the ground, where countless similar pellets were already embedded in the dirt.
As the crowd slowly quieted, she raised her voice.
"We defy defeat!"
"We defy death!"
"We defy destiny!"
"Who are we?"
"Valorant!"
"Valorant!"
"Valorant!"
Under the thunderous chants, the raid team members entered the gate one by one.
Arnar double-checked that I had properly activated the Eco-Shell Bracelets before she led me toward the gate.
Pumped up by her charisma and the crowd’s enthusiasm, I no longer felt intimidated by the massive dark rift hanging in space.
With Arnar behind me, I jogged straight into it.