Chapter 40 (2)

The creation of a gate was deemed a disaster due to the changes caused by the dimensional rift.

The term gate refers to the phenomenon of dimensional fractures. Unlike the one-in-one-out passage-structure of a dungeon, the entrance/ exit points of a Gate are more numerous and chaotic. The surface area of a gate usually has a radius of about 1km, and the range of the Mercury Field covers all danger-zones.

The 1km range became a reference point. If a gate is created within a dungeon (or similar enclosed environment), you only have to attack the confined space. Still, a gate in the open follows no distinct pattern every access point must surround the 1km range.

Suseongjeon was the immediate reaction to the appearance of a gate. The Golden Time (regarding response) was calculated to be about fifteen minutes between the first alert and full defense. The first five minutes would be spent summoning a single, local hunter. The next ten were committed to spreading the word, gathering hunters, and forming a strong defensive line. A gate with a fifteen-minute delay was manageable, but there was a particular type of gate the red gate known to manifest without notice. It was categorized as a natural disaster. The monsters that passed through the red gate tended to be class A; because of this, local hunters alone would not suffice. It was imperative to involve regional hunters to control the disaster.

The students awaited the call to action.

The Orcs clambered through an artificial passageway, rubble crumbling at the edges of the crevasse. There was little time for them to exhibit surprise or any emotion, for that matter, as the sharp-toothed, fetid mouths of a horde of Orcs poured forth toward them.

Lee Jang-hoo, who stood at a safe distance, ran his dry tongue around his dry mouth and gulped.

...