The magnificent gateway of pure light stood silently at the far edge of the horizon.
The peace it radiated stood in stark contrast to this land shrouded in rot and death.
It was the only beacon in an abyss of despair.
"We're saved..."
"Quick! Get through that gate!"
After a brief, stunned silence, the people kneeling on the ground erupted in cries of relief.
The instinct to survive overrode everything. The first player scrambled to his feet and charged madly toward the gate of light.
His movement lit the fuse.
The surviving players surged forward like a flood bursting through a dam, racing toward what they saw as a new beginning.
General Adams rose with his aide's support. He watched the chaotic tide of people, a complicated look crossing his exhausted face.
They had lost their dignity, but at least they had survived.
At the front was an assassin player who specialized in Agility. He moved so fast that he reached the gate in the blink of an eye.
Wild joy on his face, he plunged straight in without hesitation.
Then something strange happened.
Bang!
A dull impact rang out.
The assassin had struck an invisible wall. He bounced back even faster, tumbled to the ground, and lay there bleeding from his nose and mouth.
The players behind him had no time to react. One after another, they crashed into it.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The dull impacts ran together.
Bodies went flying before the gate of light, and chaos broke out.
The first wave of players was stopped by an irresistible force less than a meter from the sacred light. They piled up, groaning in pain.
"What's going on?"
"Why can't we get in?!"
"Is this gate fake?!"
The people behind had no idea what was happening and kept pushing