Chapter 211: A Second Dungeon Disappears!

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"I don’t give a fuck about what humanity thinks about what I’m about to do," Riven said, his voice low and steady, carrying an edge of absolute conviction that left no room for argument. "Everyone will grow. Everyone will work together. And those that oppose my plan will go down without mercy. Starting with my own Family, the Claymores... then Frostbane, and every other group like them. All these bastards... I will make them regret ever thinking they could get away with all the shit they’ve done to ordinary people and to this planet. Vladimir, you seem to have misunderstood me completely. I am not a man who likes to negotiate. No. I will seize everything."

"..."

Vladimir’s eyebrows twitched hard. For a moment he simply stared.

This man...

Riven Claymore...!

He was completely insane.

He was a crazy son of a bitch of the highest order!

A slow smile of pure disbelief spread across Vladimir’s face as he glared at Riven with furrowed brows. "You’re insane, you know that?"

Riven shook his head without a hint of shame. "Yeah, maybe. I’m crazy. This world has made me go completely insane. This world itself is pure madness after all. If anything, the so-called sane people are the real crazies. Around here, crazy is the only norm that still makes sense."

"...Hah!" Vladimir’s smile widened. "Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He threw his head back and laughed even louder, the sound echoing off the cracked subway walls. "Riven Claymore...! I misjudged you completely! You’re... rotten to the core, aren’t you?! You’re... not bad at all! I really thought I was dealing with some goody-two-shoes hero type, but you’re someone actually worthy of my interests."

"Yeah, yeah," Riven shrugged, clearly unimpressed by the werewolf’s sudden praise. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Ding!

[Congratulations, Ascendant. As the one who carries the {Sovereign Codex}, you have been chosen as a Lord.]

[Using your Authority of Pride as a Lord, you have taken over the E-Rank Gate "The Abandoned Subway Line".]

[The Former Gate Ruler "Mad Locomotive" has been slain and is unable to wrestle control over it. You have won over the Gate.]

[Former Gate Ruler "Mad Locomotive" now serves you.]

[You can now Summon the Believer Race "Mutants".]

[You gained +100 GP.]

"Mad Locomotive? It’ll need to respawn again first..." Riven muttered while reading the notifications carefully. "But I guess it’ll serve me from now on? Does this thing even have any real intelligence?"

"Hahaha! It’ll just run at you at full speed and try to smash you into the walls," Vladimir laughed, still catching his breath from earlier. "But once it recognizes you as its new master it’ll probably act like a good puppy and try to lick you all over... if you’re into that kind of shit."

"Ugh, I’d rather not," Riven shook his head with clear distaste. "Still, it’s a boss monster I suppose. As for Mutants... Wait. Mutants? What exactly is this?"

He opened the species description and read it thoroughly.

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{Believers}: [Mutants]

A species originated from the Blue Star Planet. Mutants are former life forms mutated by toxic waste and decaying, wild nanomachine viruses.

They possess aberrant forms, with both technological, metallic parts and fleshy, pulsing parts, tentacles, eyes, and jaws.

Every Mutant is unique in appearance and can sometimes develop special abilities or talents.

Major Talents: Technology, Breeding, Meat Production.

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"I guess these aren’t regular humans..." he muttered under his breath. "The Mutants we fought earlier were all wild creatures though... odd. Still, for now I’ll leave that matter alone."

Riven shook his head and quickly noticed his newly claimed authority spreading like an invisible wave through the entire Dungeon. The two other small parties of hunters who had been hunting Mutant Rats deeper inside were expelled instantly, kicked out of the Gate without warning or ceremony.

Outside the Gate, the scene was far quieter than the Dark Cave Labyrinth had ever been, yet still around ten or twelve people stood preparing to depart or enter. It was still quite early in the morning, and the air carried the usual mix of cigarette smoke, energy drinks, and nervous chatter.

Then, right before their eyes...

FLUOSH!

WOMP.

The Dimensional Gate completely closed in mere seconds, vanishing as if it had never existed. Everyone standing nearby was left completely speechless.

"H-Huh?"

"The Gate closed?"

"W-What...?!"

"How did that even happen?"

"No way...!"

"Everyone?! Hello? Can anyone still inside hear us?!"

The hunters immediately panicked. Some began shouting for the nearest guards while others frantically checked their phones. The guards themselves looked equally lost, unable to understand how a stable Gate could simply disappear without any prior warning. People quickly started calling friends, family, and the Hunter Association. Two of them had managed to film the exact moment the Gate kicked the remaining hunters out and then vanished completely. Those videos spread across social media and the wider internet within minutes, creating an instant wave of speculation and fear.

Police cars and additional Hunter Association agents arrived at the scene in rapid succession. They began quarantining the entire area and firmly moving curious onlookers away from the former Gate location.

"Hey, what happened?!"

"I paid the full entrance fee! Why are you closing the Gate like this?!"

"What’s going on here?!"

The agents remained mostly silent as they continued pushing the frustrated hunters back. Finally one of them stepped forward and spoke in an official tone, explaining that this appeared to be yet another sudden Gate Closing Event. They needed to quarantine the zone and scan for residual dimensional signatures to determine where the Gate might have relocated... if it had relocated at all.

"Sorry, but you all have to leave now. There’s nothing else you can do here. Please clear the area."

"I am not leaving anywhere! Tell us what’s really going on!"

"Damn it, I specifically came here to grind today!"

"I spent so much money on the monthly subscription and then on the entrance fee, you damn robbers!"

The unfairness of the situation only made the crowd angrier. Their frustrated roars filled the street as they realized there was truly nothing they could do about it, no matter how loudly they protested.

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