Date: March 12, 2021 (Friday)
Location: Global / Washington D.C., USA
The appearance of C-Rank Hell Gates had become a routine phenomenon across the globe. Whenever a new gate tore through the fabric of a city, sirens would wail, and the National Associations would immediately evacuate the area, establishing a heavily guarded 'Restriction Zone.'
Ordinary citizens had grown accustomed to this drill. They followed orders silently, without question or panic, fully aware that absolute obedience was the only way to survive. The fear of the System, and the absolute authority of the GDA, had seamlessly woven itself into their daily lives.
But today, the alarm blaring inside the headquarters of the National American Dungers Association (N.A.D.A.) was far from routine.
The main radar and mana sensors at N.A.D.A. Central were detecting an extreme energy spike. The spatial tear flashing on the massive holographic screen wasn't thirty feet. It was exactly forty feet in diameter. The world's first B-Rank Hell Gate had just manifested on American soil.
The Head of N.A.D.A., David Wilson—an S-Rank Dunger himself—stood before the massive monitor. There was no fear in his eyes, only a profound, calculating greed. B-Rank monsters meant B-Rank Essence Stones and Mana Cores. These materials held ten times the density, power, and market value of their C-Rank counterparts.
David knew that in Geneva, Richard Vance was watching the exact same data stream. Richard would never let a B-Rank anomaly—and its unprecedented loot—slip through his fingers. The Global Dungers Association's Elite Strike Force was likely already mobilizing.
But David had a different plan.
He immediately summoned N.A.D.A.'s 'Alpha Squad.' This unit consisted of four of the five S-Rank Dungers currently residing in America. David knew their true nature well. They were not patriots; they were apex predators driven entirely by wealth and luxury. If another nation offered them a billion dollars and absolute privilege, they would defect in a heartbeat. But right now, N.A.D.A. held their leashes.
"All four of you are deploying to that gate immediately," David ordered, his voice echoing in the briefing room. "Your objective isn't just to kill the boss. A heavy collection team will be right behind you. I want every single B-Rank Essence Stone and Mana Core inside that gate secured. Geneva will have no jurisdiction here."
The four S-Rankers exchanged arrogant smirks and nodded, immediately turning toward the helipad.
Exactly at that moment, an incoming call flashed on David's private, highly encrypted line.
Caller ID: GDA Central Command - Richard Vance.
David answered the call with a confident smirk.
"David," Richard's freezing voice echoed from the other end of the line. "The GDA Elite Strike Team has already departed from Geneva. You will not deploy your national strike team. This is a B-Rank anomaly. It falls strictly under GDA jurisdiction."
"Correction, Richard," David interrupted without a fraction of hesitation, his tone dripping with newfound arrogance. "America is not your slave, nor is it a subordinate of the GDA. We don't blindly follow your decrees anymore. You should recall your strike team. I have already dispatched my S-Rank squad to clear the anomaly."
A micro-second of dead silence fell over the line, but David did not stop.
"And do not make the mistake of ordering the United States around ever again, Richard. Our association controls the highest number of S-Rank Dungers in the world. Your time of absolute monopoly is over."
Without waiting for Richard's response, David cut the connection. Call Disconnected.
Thousands of miles away, inside the subterranean bunker in Geneva, Richard Vance sat perfectly still behind his desk. The words 'Connection Lost' blinked on the screen before him.
For the first time in two and a half years, a visible tightness appeared on his emotionless face. His jawline hardened. His ego, forged over fifty-four years of warfare, was heavily insulted. The world's first B-Rank gate, and a fraction of his absolute authority, had just been snatched from his grasp.
Richard's mind rapidly re-evaluated his calculations. He had originally permitted the creation of independent 'Guilds' to enforce a 'Divide and Rule' strategy. The logic was to keep S-Rankers independent, greedy, and isolated from their national governments.
But that plan had just catastrophically failed. Instead of running independent guilds, the S-Rankers had allowed themselves to be bought out. They had become heavily paid pawns of their respective governments. Now, the nations were using these S-Ranks as strategic deterrents to directly challenge the GDA.
Back in America, directly above the newly established restriction zone.
A massive military helicopter approached the terrifying forty-foot vortex swirling with violent purple and red mana. Standing at the open doors of the chopper were America's four S-Rankers. The suffocating mana pressure bleeding from the gate was enough to crush a normal human's lungs, but it had zero effect on them.
Looking down at the colossal tear in reality, one of the S-Rankers drew his Magitech sword with a haughty grin. "Looks like the monsters today might actually be entertaining. I was getting sick of slaughtering C-Ranks. They die too fast."
"B-Rank mana... finally, some actual resistance," another chuckled.
The helicopter landed safely just outside the restriction zone. The four S-Rank Dungers, followed by a heavily equipped extraction team, marched toward the gate.
Blinded by their superiority complex and the illusion of invincibility, America was fully prepared to step into the abyss.