Chapter 3 : Doom's Gate

I left Doom Gate toward the Dragon's Den.

Dragon's Den is nests of many dragons and is located on the location of the kingdom in Accursed Forest's legend.

Leaving the south branch adventurer headquarter I was in. I turned around to motivate myself even more, imagining all the sweet days to come.

I inhaled a deep breath, filling my lungs with a cold sensation. My body was heating as if it was burning. I turned my body again and left the place.

I went down the whole big wide street with care to the crowds I passed through. Finally, I arrived at the gate. I passed through the gate with no problem after the showing the showing the adventurer mark on my left hand to the one of the gate keepers.

I was directed the gate keeper to touch the sphere orb inside the room he directed me in with the hand with the mark. The orb was somehow greyish when we first entered and it became green before turning to blue after my marked left hand touched the orb. I could only feel the cold sensation of the orb before it was gone after it glowed.

[You are good to go. Good luck with trial.] (Gate Keeper)

[What was that?] I asked the keeper to sate my curiosity

[This? Simple adventurer check. You do know that you are in the City of Adventurers, right?] (Gate Keeper)

[There were any who didn't? This is the most famous place of all, I suppose. even all other 8 domains excluding our central domain would at least ever heard City of Adventurers, Doom Gate, or the one in legend, the first City of Adventurers, Fantasia, wouldn't they?]

The gate keeper's laugh rang out, I could even be sure that laugh could even be heard even by the ones outside that room.

[Impressive. I would not have expected a young man like you know about Fantasia.] (Gate Keeper)

He gave me a remark before continuing laughing out loud.

[Fantasia was famous for its fantasical power and many others or could easily be said Fantasia was the a place where fantasy born. But, how about this city? Doom Gate. This name is weird in many senses.]

As I finished my words, the thundering laugh of the gate keeper stopped as well, as if he finished laughing as I finished talking. His laughing face also nowhere to be seen as it was replaced by a serious face.

[Young man. I will give you my advise seeing you are a trial taker. You should know that curiosity will eliminate one side of the two sides. How was the one side eliminated would vary, but one thing for sure, the relation between the sides wont be the same like it was before anymore.] (Gate Keeper)

The sudden change froze me as if the room became a place where the breaths of a horde of ice dragons lingering around.

I looked at the gate keeper and he looked at me. A short moment but suffocating. I thought of me being betrayed by my country, by people who I see as family, and worse by my beloved one, the princess.

The thought made my mind wandered, before a force could be felt on my left shoulder dragged me back to reality from that state of mine.

[Is this old man has enlighten this young man? You dazed for few seconds there. Don't think too much, you are trying to be an adventurer not a scholar, or are you? Even the crafters wouldn't wander too long like you. Just think the name, Doom's Gate, meaning the gate of doom if passed recklessly.] (Gate Keeper)

{Wha... hm... gate of doom if passed recklessly, huh? Make sense in way.}

Another force trying to push me came along with a voice

[There you go again. You are young, just taste the youth and try, try, and try again. As long as you keep your life and spirit in tact you can do that. Now, complete that trial and stop holding the line any longer.] (Gate Keeper)

The force was weak to push me, but I let it push me forward as I stepped forward.

[Thank you then.]

[Don't forget about me when you climbed higher] (Gate Keeper)

Without replying to him, I left Doom Gate toward the Dragon's Den.

The vast plain sure was intriguing as its vastness.

I met a few monsters along the way. The first was a lion mole, a mole with lion mane. It came out from the ground and posed like an alpha lion on top of a rock and turning its funny head around as if checking its territory.

The head turned around before finally felt my presence as I was already near enough for it to sense.

2 meters as expected of A rank monster, able to sense me from 2 meters away. Even though its danger level should be around B rank if one know the how to. Quite rare and cautious as it got a good sense of danger as it would escape when sensing a stronger presence that's unbeatable by it. People would rank it as S rank monster even though armies would rank it A rank. I wonder what rank the adventurer guild's ranking system work.

Nevertheless, the little monster definitely worth SS rank in total if well defeated while worth basically worth nearly nothing that E rank things would worth more than it but worth quite the sum if caught alive which was a pity as i had no knowledge to do so.

The startled lion mole jumped from its rock toward the ground to escape only to fail as I had expected it to escape from me.

As it jumped, I thrown lighting needle, which basically was the reason it was able to detect my presence from 2 meters away, toward it.

I was definitely able to keep my presence from it 70 cm away without it able to detect me.

Its action of jumping to the ground meant it was still a young one that yet to mature. As from the lion moles I had met the more mature one just dive through the rock it was on.

My lighting travelled the short distance between us before split into two more finer and smaller needles before it pierced through the lion mole's head and chest simultaneously leaving the monster dead stiff to stab the ground it intended to dig into.

The stabbed into the ground lion mole body lost its diving posture as it transitioning to a posture as if it stuck to the ground.

I collected my loot with my space magic as this lion mole could fetch me enough fund for my date with Catarina later.

The collected lion mole left a hole that i fixed after putting some bread pieces for the lion mole's family. The sequence I always done after I hunted down a lion mole to keep the lion mole from extinction. The female lion mole was ranked S rank in danger level and overall and if I recalled it correctly, it was even ranked as disaster level by common ranking system.

As I had known the female lion mole would emerge to search for its male after its disappearance and would calm down after some rampage and bringing enough food for its children for time, I left the scene and continue to look for more monsters to past my trial.

I definitely would not be doing the same to all monsters I met and hunted. Lion moles are one of the few monsters I counted as a special one as it had been a monster I used to train since I was a child.

I continued my hunt for the trials.

Winged, aquatic or land type

Wyverns, crocodiles, worms, snakes, many others kept on being hunted by me for two days

fortunately and unfortunately, I yet to encounter a dragon here to hunt or to escape from dragons horde even though their den supposed to be close by.

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.

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On 3rd day morning I was ready to return to Doom's Gate to pass my trial and enjoy my days with Catarina.

On my way back I met that group, the group of adventurers from back then when I was taking the test. If I recalled correctly, it was Raul and his group, but this time they were additional person with them, a man with big build as if he was the tanker. I assumed that Raul guy was the leader, but that big guy was definitely than Raul by few levels and I was a little weaker by a tiny bit, but our that's difference enough to prevent me from going after the other 3.

[You bastard cheater, today will be your end! We will crave it to your soul that you would not dare to flirt with any woman anymore!] (Raul)

Raul was about to charge in to me before he got stopped by the big guy.

[Hold your anger there, Raul. You should have known that he was stronger than you.] (Big Guy)

[Raiden, why would you stop me? That's definitely a fluke. More of all, he is a newbie even if he is taking the A rank trial.] (Raul)

[You are really blinded by love, Raul. How strong you are when compared to me? And how strong could you be if you were to fight someone about as strong as me that wouldn't even hold back the slightest against you? Just be satisfied with Mimi and Mumu, they loved you and you guys have been sleeping together!] (Raiden)

The two girls behind them blushed as Raiden retorted to Raul to keep him down. A big guy with a good head on his shoulder, really troublesome.

Their conversation made me think that I was hunted because of Raul's, their leader, unrequited love to Catarina. No wonder the guy kept on roaring some time that time.

I pity the 2 girls behind them. Loves not appreciated by the loved guy. A delusional guy that thinking he was the best while his one teammate even could overwhelm him easily.

[SHUT UP!!! I am the leader of the party, am I not?!] (Raul)

I could see that Raul is a scum.

Raiden exuded a bluish aura after Raul's tantrum.

[That man called Nekad, an ex-general of the southern kingdom on the central domain on the south and his head was priced even more than SS rank quests even while his strength should be on par of mine. And.... RAUL, YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE THE LEADER OF THE PARTY, I AM THE ONE ON S RANK WHILE YOU ARE STILL AN A RANK. YOU ONLY KEPT YOUR POSITION AND HEAD JUST BECAUSE YOU HELPED WHEN I ESCAPED NORTH DOMAIN AND WAS IN CRITICAL CONDITION!!!!!] (Raiden)

Raul was shut down with the dense killing intent and threat from Raiden. The two girls even peed standing as if the were unable to move from east domain stopping technique.

Their intentions became clear with their dispute as Raiden spouted the important points.

1. My head was priced which mean they came for the bounty

2. North Domain! Raiden from north domain where they had been polishing aura as their fighting power which got more advantages against me who mostly learn south domain that expertise on single target magic combat.

3. Adding the first 2 points they had been ready to hunt me down.

Conclusion, I got to run! But, where?! They came from the direction of the city meaning I was unable to complete the trial anymore.

Which means....

[I blurted out our intention and important informations because of this stupid leader of mine. You are lucky, Daken. How about you just surrender? You should have known that you met bad match here and noticed our strengths disparity. Your head priced by three treasures in the national treasury, a shocking price if you asked me.] (Raiden)

[How about a no for an answer.]

[Then force is your reward. You had went through the Doom's Gate, after all.] (Raiden)

[You a S ranked yet you called you own city a wrong name. It is Doom Gate, Mr. S rank.]

[It is Doom Gate. Doom's Gate is just one of the definitions its name meant to be. Doom Gate, the last border or gate of safety which any that past the gate will meet his doom.] (Raiden)

[Are you saying Catarina tricked me?!]

[Ma... [HOW DARE YOU SULLY HER NAME, YOU CRIMINAL!] (Raul) ... be. ... This stupid lovebird!] (Raiden)

Raiden's psychological attack was foiled by the love struck Raul which made me felt grateful of him. Indeed, She wouldn't give me the chance if she did.

[We will decide this by force, Daken!] (Raiden)

Raiden's aura thinned as it got thicker inside him.

"THIS RAIDEN GUY IS DANGEROUS!" came into my mind before I turned and run