Swoosh!

A blinding light.

"Ukh...!"

What followed was a piercing ache.

One that made it hard to think properly.

Click! Click! Click!

The repetitive click followed right after.

"W-what is... What is...?"

Voices murmured in the background.

The Section Chief couldn't quite make out what it was, his brows furrowing tightly as he kept his eyes closed.

Click! Click! Click!

But eventually, the voices became clearer.

"Out...!"

"So... ne is.. out!"

"Quick! Qu...!"

The voices sounded frantic.

They also appeared to grow in number, and when the Section Chief finally opened his eyes, he was greeted with numerous flashes.

Click! Click!

"Can you tell us what happened at the Gate? How did you manage to escape?"

"Did you unlock some sort of clue as to how to clear the Gate?"

"How did you survive?"

"How did you manage to leave?"

Numerous phones and microphones were shoved in his direction. The Section Chief looked at all of this, stunned, his mind struggling to process the situation.

He was completely overwhelmed by what he was seeing.

But thankfully, several people dressed in dark suits came to his rescue a moment later.

"Move out of the way!"

"Get out of the way!"

"Anyone who doesn't move will immediately be arrested!"

With the insignia of the BUA, the reports all stopped, parting ways to let the men in dark suits approach the Section Chief. They all wore sunglasses, but despite them, the Section Chief could see the cautious look on their faces as they looked at him.

Eventually, one of the men stepped up.

"You must be one of the people who have been sent through the Gate. Section Chief of the Severed Stars Guild?"

All noise died down in that moment.

Everyone's attention focused on the interaction between the Section Chief and the agents.

Taking note of all of this, despite his confusion, the Section Chief nodded.

"That's... correct."

"Mhm."

The agent turned to his right.

Immediately, a man dressed in a white coat stepped forward. He had sagging eyes, and his hair looked to be on the receding side as he yawned and walked up to the Section Chief.

Before the Section Chief could say anything, the agent spoke.

"He's a designated Mender from the BUA. He's here to check up on you."

"...Oh."

It was only then that the Section Chief relaxed.

He took a couple of breaths, looking around him to try to make sense of the situation that he was in. He was still unsure about the situation.

In fact, he couldn't quite recall what had happened.

Why was he out? What happened...?

"Ehm."

Clearing his throat to grab the Section Chief's attention, the agent took a moment before speaking.

"I understand that you're most likely not in the best condition to speak, but I will still ask, considering the urgency of the situation. What exactly happened at the Gate?"

"Ah..."

The Section Chief could only offer a bitter smile.

He himself couldn't quite remember.

No, wait...

The Section Chief frowned, several images popping up in his mind.

There weren't many, and he couldn't make full sense of them, but as the images flashed in his mind, he suddenly recalled what he was doing.

"Game."

"Huh...? Game? What could you mean by that?"

"I was... playing a game."

The Section Chief repeated, prompting the brows of everyone present to furrow in confusion. What followed was a wave of whispers.

'He was playing a game? What does that even mean?'

'...I don't think he's still there.'

'No, he could be telling the truth. You never know with anomalous Gates.'

"Can you elaborate?"

"Yes, I... can."

The Section Chief spoke very slowly, his mind absorbing all of the images and information that were popping up in his mind.

"It was a... tower defense game. Yeah, a tower defense game."

Reaching his hand up, he grabbed a water bottle that someone handed to him. Taking a sip and wetting his lips, he continued, "It was that right?"

Some doubts emerged in his mind, but after a moment, he nodded.

"Yes, it was a tower defense game. The goal was to prevent a red dot... from passing into certain zones."

The more the Section Chief spoke, the clearer his mind was.

"I don't quite know what the red dot is, but from what I've managed to understand, it is that the Gate is trying to stop the red dot from reaching the inner zones. I believe its goal is to reach [Zone 1]."

While everyone listened, the Section Chief gave a detailed overview of the game. As he spoke, nobody dared to make a sound as the reporters recorded the entire conversation.

"...However, from what I've managed to figure out is that it's a trap. The entire layout is a trap. The one that we should be helping is the red dot!"

Coming to this point, the Section Chief's mind was extremely clear as he raised his head to look at the agents from the BUA.

"That's right!"

His voice rose a little, growing a little bit more rushed.

"The way to clear the gate is to help the red dot enter [Zone 1]! Everything in the Gate is constructed to prevent the red dot from reaching the first zone, and after my experience, I'm certain of it! This is the best way to clear the Gate!"

The Section Chief scanned the surroundings, his voice growing even more urgent.

"We need to send more people in! Send as many as possible! Get them to take a cubicle and find ways to help the red dot get to the main area!"

Pressing his palm against the floor, the Section Chief tried to stand up.

"Whoa! Relax! Calm down!"

The agents immediately pushed him down.

"You're still recovering. There's no need to be agitated. We'll take care of it. Just relax!"

"No, no! We have to do this now!"

The Section Chief urged, his voice growing even louder!

"There are people inside that are working with the Gate in order to prevent the red dot from reaching the first zone! We need to get there quickly before it's too late! No..."

The Section Chief paused, his expression turning dark.

"...We need to kill them."

Silence fell over the surroundings following his words.

For a moment, nobody dared to make a sound.

But that was until—

"He doesn't appear to be lying."

The Mender behind him spoke, his hand pressed against the Section Chief's back.

"Judging from his brain fluctuations, he seems to be telling the truth. I believe that this might be the way to clear the Gate."

Despite the Mender's words, the agents didn't rashly come to a decision. Instead, they quickly contacted the higher-ups and relayed everything that they heard. This entire process took several minutes, and in the meantime, the Section Chief's breathing grew heavier and heavier as he muttered, 'There's not much time.. You need to hurry before it's too late. This is the way to clear the Gate. You must believe me.'

None of the agents paid much attention to him.

Despite his words being convincing, they couldn't quite fully trust them.

After all, what if this was a trap? Since they didn't know how he had managed to escape, they couldn't trust the situation blindly, even if the Mender confirmed that he was telling the truth.

But then—

Swooosh! Swoosh!

Several figures appeared one after another.

"Over there!"

"Look over there...!"

They all wore the same look of loss and confusion as the Section Chief.

And when asked what was going on...

They all responded the same way.

"Game. We were playing a game!"

"...We need to help the red dot! That's the key to clearing the Gate!"

At the same time, they were able to provide even more details about the Gate, including footage showing how they had managed to leave it.

This was all the confirmation the higher-ups needed.

Not long after, a new unit was sent.

With a total of 100 people and paragons, they all entered the Gate.

Their goal...?

Eliminate all those who were working in the cubicles.

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