Ellis took a moment, just staring at the gray gate in front of him. He thought that everything was developing too quickly, as the mana awakening had only happened this morning, and for him, it had been just a few hours ago.
He felt that he was adapting well enough, considering he was just a normal third-year university student until yesterday, until just a few hours ago, one who had even planned to drop out.
In the end, remembering the messages he had seen as soon as he woke up about the awakening, Ellis simply accepted things as they were, just as he had done before.
If there were gates, so be it. Even more so, now that they were here, he should be able to level up faster, as they were the perfect battleground.
Having just accepted reality once again, just like when he first woke up, a sudden system message appeared:
[Blue gates started descending worldwide. Challenge them and protect your world.]
Reading the content carefully, he didn't pay much attention to the "protect" part and focused instead on the word "blue," as he kept starting at the gate in front of him.
He felt like things were really getting out of hand, but at the same time, he thought that maybe this could be an opportunity.
He didn't know exactly what the difference was between the blue gates and the gray one in front of him, or if this one was even related to the Twilight Codex. But he had been feeling a strange pull toward it for a while now.
Naturally, as much as he felt that whatever was inside could truly be a game-changer, he also felt an undeniably dangerous vibe coming from it. But when comparing the two, Ellis found the danger to be a trivial thing, insignificant, even.
He thought that if he were to miss this opportunity now, lying right in front of him, then there would be no change, no difference, between the him of today and the him of yesterday, before he made the decision to drop out of university, back when he simply went along with whatever his father told him to do.
He had already resolved to change, to go against the flow in this fucked up country, even at the risk of ruining his life—he made that decision yesterday. So why couldn't he do the same thing now?
Now that he had tasted strength, felt the reward of his efforts, his ambition had grown even more. And because of that, because he knew that with his current, measly abilities, it wasn't enough to truly stand at the top, he wanted to challenge the gate in front of him. Despite knowing he could just take the safe route and avoid it, he couldn't bring himself to walk away.
Ellis felt that following what his heart desired wasn't wrong. Most importantly, a gate should transport one to a dungeon, and most of the time, it was possible to come back out, even if one couldn't clear it. So, it wasn't as if everything was hopeless.
It was about possibilities, and he believed there was a good chance he could come out alive.
Not to mention, if he didn't enter now and someone else discovered it, claiming whatever lay inside before him, it would become a regret that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Having made up his mind, Ellis opened his status window.
[Status]
Name: Ellis Miller
Race: Human
Title: (Unique Monster Killer)
Level: 13 (EXP: 11.500/40.000)
[Attributes]
Strength: 29 Agility: 27 Stamina: 26 Vitality: 27
Mana: 61 Charm: 25 Luck: 23
Unassigned Points: 65
[Blessings:] Subtle Soul Rebirth (☆☆☆)
[Innate Talent:] Evolutionary Pathways
[Skills:] Basic Spearmanship Lv.2, Basic knife mastery Lv.4
He first looked at his attributes and the unassigned points, which he considered his trump card, and he increasingly felt that the situation wasn't hopeless.
Then, shifting his attention to the blessing and innate ability, he couldn't help but feel a mix of complex emotions about them. Especially the blessing, which he thought of as broken, and no, not because it was overpowered, but because it was unusable.
If it could be fixed and upgraded in the future, naturally, things would be different, as it was a blessing related to reincarnation. But currently, it was useless, since he wouldn't remain as himself after supposedly reincarnating, making it truly unusable.
Then there was his innate talent. This one was actually about potential in magic, and that was what frustrated him the most, how was he supposed to learn magic in the first place, with no one to teach him? He felt it was truly a waste, as he couldn't make use of his biggest advantage.
Still, it wasn't just about the potential in magic. It also had the ability to absorb soul fragments, something really mysterious, and while it seemed strange to him, since, in his mind, the two were completely unrelated, still, he didn't have any complaints.
The skills, on the other hand, were things he had earned on his own, and he discovered that acquiring them while fighting was relatively easy. Spearmanship had been the first skill he obtained, but since the shaft of the temporary spears he crafted broke easily, he was forced to switch to knives.
Now, he didn't care much about spears anymore. He had initially chosen the spear for its longer reach, as it was his first time facing zombies, and, if he were to be honest, he had been a little intimidated.
But that was no longer the case. Most importantly, he had already become better with knives.
Having reviewed his status window, he decided to keep the unassigned points for now, planning to allocate them later based on the situation.
Ellis finally stepped away and began his preparations.
First, he grabbed a camping backpack from his housemate's room, then filled it with food, water, a first aid kit, and anything else he thought might prove useful.
Then, standing before the gray gate, he took a deep breath, while trying to steady his nerves. As nervousness mixed with anticipation surged through him, but after a moment of calm, he stepped inside.