As A Mafia Boss, I Refuse To Be An Extra-Chapter 135: Portal I

[Inside the Newly Formed Portal]

Damian felt reality twist and reform around him, the sensation of dimensional travel made him feel like vomiting.

When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in a mountainous region filled with dense forests that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The sky above was... wrong. Filled with blackish clouds that roiled and churned like something alive, casting everything below in perpetual twilight.

The Aura in the air was thick and oppressive, carrying a quality that made breathing feel hard.

’Portals... Naturally formed mini-worlds that connect our world to the other world.

They’re not just doorways. They’re entire pocket dimensions with their own geography, their own ecosystems and their own rules.

And when they form suddenly like this one did, they pull in anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby on both sides of the connection.’

Dozens of men materialized around him, all of them looking as disoriented and shocked as he felt.

"What the hell?! How come a portal appeared out of nowhere?! It’s been years since a new one opened spontaneously like this!"

A tall man in an expensive business suit spoke with rising panic, his professional demeanor cracking under the stress.

"Shit! I’m not even trained for combat! I’ll die before I ever see my family again!"

A fat man a few meters from Damian was already sweating heavily, his face pale with terror.

"I don’t want to die!"

"Fuck! I just got promoted last week!"

"I just got fired and have no family, so I guess I’m better off than most of you, but I still don’t want to die in some monster hellscape!"

"Fuck my life! Why did this have to happen tonight?"

"We don’t even know which Monster species this portal connects to! We could be facing anything!"

All around Damian, panic was spreading like wildfire through the group of teleported men.

They’d managed to get their families to safety when the portal formed, pushing loved ones away from danger in those final seconds.

But now, faced with the sudden reality that they were probably going to die here in this alien world, their composure was breaking down rapidly.

CLAP CLAP

The sharp sound of hands clapping together cut through the rising panic.

"Everyone, calm down! Listen to me carefully!"

A bald man with a prominent scar running down his face stepped forward, his massive frame and military bearing commanding immediate attention.

He was wearing a black military uniform, the insignia marking him as an officer of significant rank.

"My name is Major Ryan Sukov, Federation Military, stationed at the Northern Region Fourth Division.

I’ve been inside old, established portals before as part of Monster suppression operations.

The first thing we need to do is figure out the grade of the portal we’ve entered. That determines our survival chances."

Everyone immediately focused on him, relief visible on multiple faces at finding someone with experience and authority to follow.

"If this is still a low-grade portal, we have a reasonable chance of making it out alive if we’re smart and careful. If it’s a higher grade one..." He didn’t finish that thought.

"How do we figure out the grade?"

The tall businessman asked, his voice steadier now that someone seemed to have a plan.

"Portal grades are determined by the highest-rank awakener that can enter through the dimensional barrier.

The stronger the individuals pulled through, the higher the grade and the more dangerous the environment and enemies."

Ryan’s scarred face was grim but professional. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Everyone needs to report their ranks immediately. I’m C rank myself, which means this portal is at minimum C grade. If we have anyone higher than that among us, our situation becomes exponentially worse."

"D- rank."

"E+ rank."

"C- rank."

"D-+ rank."

"D rank."

The reports came in quickly, men calling out their awakener status with varying degrees of confidence and fear.

Most clustered around D rank with only a handful reporting C rank. Everyone’s expressions grew increasingly grim as the pattern became clear.

C grade portal... Multiple C-rank individuals present. And humans were generally weaker than Monsters of equivalent rank due to less efficient Aura usage and lower physical capabilities.

The situation was already looking dire.

"C- rank."

Damian’s voice was quiet, almost casual as he added his own report.

Every head turned toward him simultaneously.

"We have a kid here too?!"

"Boy, why didn’t you run when the portal was forming?! You’re too young to–"

"Wait, did he just say C- rank? At his age?"

"He must be an Academy student. But C- rank..."

Damian reached up and removed his cap and dark glasses, revealing his distinctive crimson hair and young face.

Recognition spread like lightning.

"Wait, is that–"

"Damian Valcor!"

"Holy shit, it’s the student who fought seven Demons!"

"The one from the live streams last week!"

"What are the odds of that?!"

The panic that had been building immediately shifted to something else. It wasn’t quite hope, but at least reduced despair.

This wasn’t just some random Academy student. This was someone who’d survived impossible combat, who’d held the line against elite Demons while trained officers died around him... Someone who’d won through sheer determination and skill.

Relief was visible even on Major Ryan’s scarred face, his professional assessment recognizing Damian as a genuine combat asset rather than a liability.

"Good. At least we have someone truly capable among us. That significantly improves our survival chances."

Ryan’s voice carried new confidence.

"Based on the reported ranks, we can safely assume this is a C grade portal at minimum. Possibly C+ grade if the dimensional barrier was particularly weak when it formed."

Damian waved his hand, accessing his spatial ring.

His gun and axe materialized immediately, the weapons appearing in flashes of stored light.

He strapped the gun holster around his waist with practiced efficiency and began warming up with the axe, testing his grip and balance after days of recovery.

But even as he prepared, his voice cut through Ryan’s growing confidence.

"...Don’t be too optimistic, Major. We only know the ranks of the humans who were pulled through.

We have no information about the ranks of whatever Monsters got teleported here from the other side of this portal.

If even one of them is B rank, we’re completely fucked. I suggest everyone with weapons take them out now."

Silence crashed down on the group.

Ryan’s face tightened, the relief draining away as Damian’s logic hit home.

’Damn this kid. I’m trying to give these civilians enough courage to survive, and he has to remind everyone how screwed we actually are.’

But he couldn’t argue with the reasoning. Portal grades worked both ways.

"You’re right, of course. But we still have to try our best to survive regardless of what we’re facing."

Ryan addressed the group again, his military bearing reasserting itself.

"Listen carefully, everyone. There are only two ways we can escape from this portal alive.

First, we survive long enough for the portal to stabilize and create openings to both our world and the Monster world. That typically takes anywhere from a few weeks to several months depending on dimensional barrier strength."

He paused, letting that sink in. Weeks or months trapped here, hunted by unknown enemies.

"Second, we kill every single Monster that got teleported here alongside us and gain complete control of the portal.

If we achieve that, we can force the portal to create a single opening back to our world while severing the connection to the Monster dimension entirely."

The fat man who’d been panicking earlier spoke up, his voice shaking.

"What happens if the Monsters gain control instead of us?"

"In documented cases throughout history, when Monsters gained control of new portals, they maintained connections to both worlds.

That creates an invasion route directly into Federation territory. They send armies through, establish defences, and it takes massive military operations to reclaim or close those portals."

Ryan’s voice was heavy.

"That’s why survival isn’t enough. We need to be prepared to fight if–"

"You’re forgetting something critical, Major."

Damian interrupted, still warming up with his axe, his movements smooth and controlled.

"It’s not just recommended to kill all the Monsters for strategic reasons. It’s essentially required for our survival.

Because unlike us, Monsters know when portals are about to form. Their dimensional technology is far more advanced than ours.

They detect the dimensional instabilities hours or even days before the portal actually opens."

He turned to face Ryan directly, his crimson eyes cold and calculating.