The doubt in their voices was as clear as the cold night air.

  "We should wait for a higher-ranked hunter to arrive," one of the soldiers suggested, his tone edged with unease.

  He wasn’t even trying to be subtle about it.

  "No offense, but a D-rank? Against an unknown portal? That’s just asking for trouble."

  The other soldier nodded in agreement.

  "Yeah. No telling what’s gonna come out of that thing. If it’s something high-level, throwing a D-rank at it is like throwing a rock at a tank."

  My escort, the one who had brought me here, shifted uncomfortably but didn’t argue.

  He had been skeptical from the beginning, and even now, after confirming my identity, he wasn’t defending my ability.

  He just stood there, probably wondering if he had made a mistake bringing me along.

  But for me, I made a mistake allowing him to follow me.

  I could walk away.

  Let them stand here, waiting for some imaginary higher-ranked savior.

  Let them assume I wasn't capable.

  But there was something frustrating about their dismissiveness, about the way they spoke as if I wasn’t even standing right in front of them.

  As if my presence was just some inconvenience to be corrected.

  I exhaled slowly, keeping my expression unreadable.

  "So, your plan is to wait?" I asked, my voice even. "Just stand here, hoping someone stronger shows up before the portal spits something nasty onto the tracks?"

  The first soldier frowned.

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  "It’s the safest option. If we let you go in and something way above your level appears, you’d just die, and then we’d have to deal with whatever comes through anyway."

  "Then you deal with it," I said simply.

  That made him hesitate.

  I could see the flicker of doubt in his eyes, not about me, but about the situation.

  He knew the longer they waited, the more unpredictable this portal could become.

  There were no guarantees that a stronger awakened would get here in time.

  The second soldier crossed his arms, still unconvinced.

  "Even if we let you through, what exactly are you going to do? You don’t have the gear, the weapons, or even a team. You’re alone, and no offense, you don’t exactly look like much."

  I met his gaze without flinching.

  "Looks can be deceiving."

  His lips pressed into a thin line, but he didn’t have a counterargument.

  Because at the end of the day, they didn’t have anyone else.

  And whether they liked it or not, I was the only option they had but they didn't notice it, or just simply refuse to.

  The soldiers exchanged glances, silent but clearly communicating something between themselves.

  Their reluctance was palpable, thick in the air like a fog that refused to lift.

  Finally, the one who had been the most skeptical sighed, shifting his stance.

  "Look," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "before we let you anywhere near that portal, we need to inform our base and register your intent to enter."

  His words were carefully measured, as if he was trying to make it sound like a standard protocol rather than a deliberate delay.

  I stared at him, unimpressed.

  "Register my intent?"

  "Yeah," the second soldier chimed in, nodding. "It’s procedure. We can’t just let someone, especially a D-rank, walk into an unknown portal without reporting it first."

  His tone was neutral, but there was something in his eyes, a hesitation that told me he wasn’t entirely convinced this was necessary.

  I resisted the urge to sigh.

  "So, let me guess. This involves calling in, waiting for a superior to approve it, filling out some paperwork, and by the time we’re done, whatever’s inside that portal might have already stepped out?"

  The first soldier hesitated. "It’s not—"

  "Not that complicated?" I cut in, arching a brow. "Or not that urgent?"

  He exhaled sharply, clearly irritated but unable to argue.

  He knew I was right.

  The longer they stalled, the worse the situation could get.

  Yet, they were still clinging to bureaucracy, to protocol, to anything that would justify their hesitation in letting someone like me handle this.

  "Look," the second soldier said, trying to sound reasonable. "It’s just a precaution. If something happens to you inside, we need a record that you went in willingly. If command approves, we’ll clear you to proceed."

  I crossed my arms, tapping a finger against my sleeve.

  "Fine. How long?"

  The two soldiers exchanged another glance, this one more uncertain.

  "Uh… should be quick," the first soldier muttered, but even he didn’t sound convinced.

  I shook my head.

  "Yeah, that’s what I thought."