Chapter 239: The Expanding Dimensional Gates
Chapter 239: The Expanding Dimensional Gates
As the multiverse continued to flourish under the divine influence of Sung Jin-Woo and the transformations set into motion by the Second World Trees, the cosmic landscape became increasingly interconnected. However, along with this expansion, new challenges began to emerge—the dimensional gates.
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1. The Emergence of Dimensional Gates
Dimensional gates, once a rare and isolated phenomenon on Earth, began to expand across the solar system, reaching out to the newly habitable planets and moons. These gates were conduits to alternate dimensions, places where untamed and aggressive creatures known as dimensional refugees resided. These creatures, often twisted by the chaotic forces of their home dimensions, came in all shapes and sizes—monstrous, relentless, and utterly untamed.
The dimensional gates were not stable; their presence was a threat that loomed over the worlds they opened onto. Each gate led to a dungeon-like domain where monsters, bound to their respective realms, roamed free. The more these gates expanded, the more the realms bled into each other, creating dangerous rifts in the fabric of space-time. As more gates opened, they began to span across various planets and moons, bringing these dimensional refugees with them, making the need to address them even more urgent.
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2. The Dangers of Unchecked Gates
The dimensional gates varied greatly in size, power, and danger, ranging from E-Rank to the devastating S⁹-Rank gates. Each gate created a unique set of challenges, as the creatures within were often linked to the power level of the gate itself. These gates became a ticking time bomb, as they would remain dormant for a time, only to open fully at a later moment, unleashing monsters upon the surrounding worlds.
For the people of Earth and the newly colonized planets, the immediate concern was that if the gates were not properly raided and closed within a specific time span, they would begin to break, leading to dimensional breaches. These breaches caused the creatures within the gates to spill out into the surrounding worlds, attacking and ravaging everything in their path.
The moment a dimensional breach occurred, the invading monsters would pour into the surrounding lands in massive flocks, overwhelming defenses and threatening the safety of entire populations. The massive size and ferocity of some of these creatures were enough to turn entire cities or settlements into ruin within hours.
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3. The Requirement for Raiding and Closing Gates
The only way to prevent such catastrophic breaches was to raid the gates. Every gate was an intricate dungeon-like structure, and inside, powerful creatures roamed freely. The only means of closing a gate was for a party of hunters to enter and eliminate all monsters within, including the boss monster—the leader of the creatures that had overtaken the gate. Only after this was accomplished could the dimensional gate be sealed, preventing the breach from spilling out further monsters into the world.
The task of raiding the gates was dangerous, as the strength and size of the boss monster varied from gate to gate. Some gates required full-fledged expeditions, with forces of hundreds of hunters, while others could be handled by a single, highly skilled team. The risk, however, was always high.
The gates, once thought to be simple nuisances, had become a constant source of terror, as the increase in their number and power had begun to outpace the ability of hunters to deal with them. No longer were the gates merely a threat on Earth—they were now a widespread concern across the entire solar system. Planets and moons that had been transformed into habitable worlds by the Second World Trees now found themselves on the brink of chaos as the dimensional gates spread across them.
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4. The Ranks of Dimensional Gates
Dimensional gates came in different ranks, each corresponding to the difficulty of clearing the gate and the threat level posed by the monsters within. The ranks were:
E-Rank: These gates were typically small, with low-level monsters that were often little more than a nuisance. However, if left unchecked, even these could grow into a significant threat, especially if the creatures had time to multiply.
D-Rank: Slightly more dangerous than E-Rank gates, these contained a greater variety of monsters and could require coordinated efforts by a group of hunters to clear.
C-Rank: These gates were considered medium-level, often requiring a substantial number of hunters to ensure a successful raid. The monsters were stronger and more intelligent, presenting real challenges for even seasoned teams.
B-Rank: These gates could be highly dangerous, with hordes of powerful creatures and difficult-to-navigate environments. The boss monsters were usually substantial threats, requiring elite S-Rank hunters to take them down.
A-Rank: Gates of this level often contained apocalyptic threats, capable of devastating entire regions or even planets. Boss monsters here were capable of immense destruction, making these gates an existential risk.
S-Rank: The rarest and most dangerous of all, these gates could only be approached by the highest-level beings. The monsters that emerged were no longer mere creatures—they were forces of destruction, capable of reshaping entire worlds. These gates required teams of S-Rank hunters and might even demand divine intervention to be properly sealed.
The expansion of dimensional gates across the solar system was particularly troubling, as the higher-rank gates—A-Rank and S-Rank—began to open in areas that were once thought safe. With the creation of portals and interplanetary travel, the dimensional gates threatened to disrupt the entire cosmic equilibrium, destabilizing the balance of power across the galaxies.
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5. The Struggle to Prevent the Breaches
As the gates continued to expand, the pressure on the Divine Triad and their forces grew. The Apostles of God, Dark Apostles, and the Heavenly Soldiers were tasked with containing these threats, but their numbers were finite. The vastness of the solar system, with its many planets and moons, created an ever-growing need for more hunters to be deployed and more portals to be opened to facilitate quick access to the gates.
The Divine Triad knew that this problem could not be solved by force alone. There was a delicate balance between preserving the harmony of the multiverse and ensuring the safety of its inhabitants. The dimensional gates were a stark reminder that even in an age of divine transformation, the chaos of untamed forces was always waiting to break free.
With each passing day, the race against time grew more urgent. If the gates weren't raided, if the monsters weren't slain, the dimensional breaches would begin, and the consequences would be catastrophic.