"So you are telling me that you obtained a new skill after your fight in the Black Gate and you accidentally teleported to San Francisco while trying that skill," Aryan’s voice, laced with both shock and disbelief, echoed through the phone.

"Yeah, that’s what happened," I chuckled with a grin.

"Can’t you spend a single day without giving me a headache," Aryan released a tired sigh.

"Thank you so much, big bro. Send me the time and details of the flight to my phone. I’m busy. B-byeee..."

"Oy, you fuc—"

[Call ended]

"That’s one thing off the table," I chuckled before turning to Ume and Nymeria, who had finished their snacks.

Nymeria’s freely flowing hair with strands framing her temples, paired with her bright smile on her cherry-colored lips, and Ume’s messy high bun that matched perfectly with her light-colored outfit were forcing my heart to skip a beat as I looked at them.

They looked exceptionally attractive that day. With a warm smile on my face, I took a step toward them. But then, the smiles vanished from our faces simultaneously, our heads snapping toward the busy crossroad.

The air began to stir, turning into strong gusts that sent our hair whipping backward. A long vertical crack, like a bolt of lightning, split open at the center of the crossroad. The cars halted before it, people slowly surrounding the strange phenomenon, recording videos and taking pictures.

A pulse of energy radiated outward, slowly widening the crack. Loud alarms began blaring from the street poles, their white light shifting to a blinking red.

Chaos erupted the moment the alarms sounded. The cars further back began making U-turns. Those at the front were abandoned, their drivers fleeing from the crossroad with horror written across their faces. Even those who had just been taking pictures and recording videos wasted no time leaving.

In just a few seconds, the entire area descended into pandemonium, people sprinting away from the expanding crack as prey fled from a predator.

A few people collided with me in the chaos.

"It’s a red alert that only triggers when a Dungeon Break occurs," a man shouted from the crowd. "Monsters will soon start swarming this place. Run for your life!!"

"A Dungeon Break? But how could it happen when there wasn’t even a Gate here to begin with," I muttered, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

I was about to move toward the crack when Ume suddenly grabbed my hand from behind.

"Please don’t go," she murmured, her breathing unsteady and her pupils shrunk with fear.

"Sister Ume, are you not feeling well?" Nymeria asked, worry etched on her face as she stepped beside us.

"Let’s leave this place first," I sighed, pulling both of them closer by the waist. The sun had already sunk below the horizon, stars beginning to twinkle in the sky.

I shifted my gaze to a distant building, let my Soulforce envelop both Nymeria and Ume, then activated Void Step. Our bodies vanished from the street in an instant, reappearing on the roof of the building I had fixed my eyes on.

"Sister Ume, are you hurt or uncomfortable anywhere?" Nymeria asked urgently, cupping Ume’s face in her hands.

I held Ume’s trembling hand tighter as I asked, "Ume, can you tell me what you saw in your prophecy?"

Ume finally surfaced from her daze at my question. She drew deep breaths to steady herself. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"I’m alright, Sister Nym," she murmured, forcing a smile to reassure Nymeria.

She turned to me, about to speak, but my attention snapped to the crack as another wave of energy erupted from it and the fissure tore open as wide as three trucks side by side.

From within, a massive grey leg emerged, thicker than an elephant’s, its heavy stomp shattering the road beneath it. Then came another leg, followed by the towering muscular body of a monster, its wide tusks clashing together beneath a horrific grin.

"A troll," I muttered, my brows furrowing. "It’s a B-Rank monster. A team of A-Rank Awakeners would be more than enough to handle it—"

The words died in my mouth as another troll emerged behind it, then another, and another.

In just a few minutes, a horde of trolls flooded the road, crushing vehicles like paper toys with every movement. Each one radiated a presence as terrifying as the Troll King I had nearly died fighting in the Black Gate.

"What the hell is this?" I muttered, my eyes widening.

At the same time, my phone began to ring. It was Aryan.

"Hello, Raj, are you still in San Francisco?" Aryan demanded, urgency threading through his voice.

"Yeah, I’m here."

"Leave that place right now!" Aryan ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Aiden, the S-Rank Awakener responsible for protecting this area, is currently clearing an A-Rank Gate with his team in another city."

"Shouldn’t I try to help with the evacuation—"

"Listen to me carefully, Raj. Something unprecedented is happening there. The radar readings are confirming an S-Rank Dungeon Break. The trolls you are looking at are nothing but foot soldiers.

The Boss Monster hasn’t emerged yet, and even a full team of S-Rank Awakeners won’t be able to put down what is about to crawl out of that Gate. America has already conceded on this hunt.

They have requested assistance from S-Rank Awakeners across every major nation to erect a barrier around San Francisco and contain the monsters within the city."

My gaze drifted to the faint fluctuations rippling across the energy barrier, where I could sense a monster lying dormant, thick with bloodlust and an oppressive Soulforce pressure that gave even me an uncomfortable feeling.

Aryan’s voice continued, grave and measured, as he delivered the rest.

"I have received the summons to head there as well. The American Hunter Association has officially declared San Francisco a Dead City. In twelve hours, they will be nuking the entire city into oblivion."

[Call Ended.]

"What in the actual world is happening here?" I muttered, both shocked and confused.