Chapter 44: Gates
Gates were the human race’s first contact with the Origin Realm and were the very thing that nearly brought them to extinction during the cataclysm a hundred years ago.
They were pocket dimensions made up of environments and beasts that could be found in the Origin Realm, and as far as a hundred years of research had told them, they could form at any random location at any time.
Whether it be the depths of the unexplored ocean or in the vacuum of space on the outer reaches of the Solar System, a gate could form.
Thankfully, in this day and age Awakened grew quite efficient at managing gates, even turning them into training grounds and resource farms in the more stable regions.
"We will be arriving at Primus Station in 5 minutes."
Hearing the announcement, Rohan stopped absorbing energy from the Origin Crystal in his hand and stood up, observing the view from his window.
Outside, the blue hue of the Earth’s atmosphere was a breathtaking sight to take in no matter how many times you experienced it.
Rohan was currently on his way down to the Earth’s surface from the space elevator connecting Primus with the station orbiting above, after taking a shuttle over from his own small city of Insulus.
The short five minute wait was soon over, planting Rohan right in the middle of the huge capital of Earth.
’Now comes the hard part of finding Elane in this maze of a city...’
The population of Primus exceeded 100 million, so trying to pick a single person out of such a huge group was naturally going to be a challenge, even with her sending him the location of a meeting point in advance.
Contrary to over a hundred years ago before the cataclysm, most people lived within the confines of mega cities like this. Even Rohan’s ’small’ city of Insulus had a population of over 5 million.
This was due to the gates that spawned all across the globe, restricting the available living space to cities like this where people could live in relative safety.
Rural living was largely a foreign concept now, with only a few exceptions for Awakened hermits who could fend for themselves.
"Where did she say to meet her again..."
Even with the map right in front of him, Rohan still struggled to navigate the multi layer city by himself.
"Rohan?"
He tilted his head up at the mention of his name a short distance away from him.
"Hmm? Elane?"
With a grin, Elane called him over after spotting him in the dense crowds on the street.
"You’re here! Where do you want to go first?"
Rohan took a few seconds to take in Elane’s appearance. Just like the first time he met her on the stone platform in Erenhot, she was wearing casual clothes. A nice floral shirt paired with blue denim jeans. He found it rather refreshing after only seeing her in leather armour with a constant tense expression on her face.
Even he fixed himself rather nicely, choosing to wear a pair of joggers and a hoodie rather than his tight, flexible armour. It at least let him blend in more without his attire announcing to everyone that he was an Awakened.
They weren’t going to enter the gate like this. Both of them had a backpack to hold their gear so they could swap their clothes out once they were inside the gate.
’Besides, I should look into purchasing some better armour in the near future now that I’ll be facing off against stronger beasts more often.’
Realistically he could go at it completely naked and be fine thanks to his Firestone Skin, but that wasn’t a very good idea with Elane around...
And the extra added protection from a layer of armour was always welcome, as it could be the difference between life and death.
"Y’know, you might be able to score yourself a Genetic Armament to your liking without having to spend a single dime."
Rohan looked at her, brow raised.
"Have you ever heard of the Awakened Association’s Beast Trials?"
Elane shrugged.
"I have, but I don’t see any use in attempting them just yet. You only get one shot per rank, so I’d rather attempt it when I’m confident of achieving the highest result."
Rohan frowned.
He wasn’t told anything like this when he attempted his beast trial, though he did take his trial under unique circumstances. Didn’t that meant he’d essentially wasted his chance for the F rank Beast Trials?
No, it wasn’t wasted. His fight against the Yellow Spotted Leopard started a chain of events that led him where he was right now. It was thanks to that experiences that he was able to gain a Genetic Armament earlier than most other Awakened would have, and more importantly discover the uses of his Evolution Gene thanks to it.
He wouldn’t trade that for anything.
After this realisation, his expression returned to normal. He turned back to Elane and spoke.
"Fair enough. So do you have an idea of which gate we’re going to run? I spent my whole flight over here absorbing Origin Energy so I didn’t really have the time to do any research on Gates in the vicinity of Primus."
Rohan did think about making the choice himself, but felt that Elane should do it instead. She’d lived in Primus her whole life after all, so she would know the ins and outs of the place better than a complete newcomer like him.
"Yep. I made a list of the ones that suit us best on the way over. Take a look over and see which one you like the look of."
Elane forwarded a file over to Rohan’s communicator.
Rohan read through the list of about 15 different gates, and made his choice shortly after.
"Definitely this one."
To be honest, there really wasn’t a reason to choose any of the others. Reading the rest of the list was just a formality.
"The Spike Beast gate. You really don’t have to base your decision around me, you know."
Despite her words, Elane’s face gave away her expectations. She knew Rohan would make this choice for the same reason he’d even arranged this meet up.
Rohan waved his hand dismissively.
"I said we should get you a good Genetic Armament before we head back to the Origin Realm, didn’t I? Well, the bows these Spike Beasts drop are considered one of the best Normal tier ranged weapons at F rank."
After a short pause, Elane nodded.
"Alright."
Then, she led the way.