The status window rarely appeared so suddenly without my intention.

Once was when I awakened and got ‘Extra Basic (A)’.

And another time was when it gave a notice that the amethyst golem dungeon would open.

‘Then could this be information about a dungeon that will open soon?’

I widened my eyes and scanned the status window.

[~Possessor in a High Teen Drama~] [System: ‘Possessor’ can preview dungeon information in their area of activity.] [‘Possessor’s area of activity: Connecticut.

A D-grade dungeon will open in Connecticut. ‘Possessor’ can clear the D-grade dungeon with their party.] [Time remaining until the D-grade dungeon gate opens in Connecticut…]

The numbers written in white text below the blue window started to flicker.

It was precisely an area that calculated the date the dungeon would open.

[Time remaining until the D-grade dungeon gate opens in Connecticut

5…]

“Aha, 5 days?”

[5 seconds.]

“No, what?!”

I made a startled, dumb sound. The three people turned to look at me with curious faces as I groaned lowly.

Is the climate dry? Darn, my eyeballs must have been seeing things from dryness. I need to get my glasses adjusted again.

I calmly rubbed my eyes and looked at the status window again with stinging eyes.

[4 seconds… 3 seconds… 2 seconds…]

Nothing changed. Rather, the numbers were steadily decreasing.

[1 second…]

After time slowly trickled by, suddenly the stadium ground started to shake.

“Aack!”

“Is it an earthquake?”

Michelle and I staggered.

“Squirrel!”

Victor reached out his hand to me as I was about to fall on my butt.

At that moment, someone pulled me back from behind.

“It’s dangerous so stay by my side.”

Allen grabbed my arm and pulled me to his side. I nodded, looking at his side profile in surprise.

Rumble rumble-.

The tremor that started deep underground was transmitted and soon stopped. And something black started to gather above the blue field.

“It’s opening.”

Allen said quietly, looking at the black dot suspended in the air. Allen also seemed to have noticed from the beginning that this earthquake was an ominous sign of something.

That black dot grew in size as if coiling around itself.

That blotch suspended in the air swallowed the space as if painting over it, and soon revealed itself ominously like a huge door.

Its size was quite overwhelming.

“G-gate…”

Michelle said, turning pale and trembling.

As soon as the earthquake stopped, I immediately checked the status window.

[System: A gate is opening in the sky above ‘Stamford Football Stadium’ in Stamford, Connecticut.

Dungeon grade: D.

Dungeon rewards: D-grade melee weapon and mana stones.]

‘It’s a D-grade dungeon.’

I was worried it might be a C-grade or higher dungeon, but fortunately, the dungeon that opened at the football stadium was D-grade.

I wasn’t afraid of D-grade. As I gained more experience, the time to close dungeons also decreased.

‘Okay. Now that the dungeon has opened, Mr. Benjamin and the U.S. military will come right away. We’ll go in together then and close it step by step.’

The problem would be if a monster wave burst out and the gate spewed out monsters… but the monsters would also be D-grade, so even if a monster wave burst, we could suppress it right away.

‘With 2 S-grades and 1 A-grade, our forces are superb.’

However, Michelle, unaware of the situation, cried out in despair.

“Oh my god, they say a genius writer meets an untimely end, and not a single old saying is wrong. A promising journalist’s career is ending here before even getting a job. If monsters come out of the gate, we’re finished!”

“Isn’t it ‘a beauty meets an untimely end’, not a genius writer?”

Michelle, who I glanced at, seemed to be in a panic as it was her first time seeing a gate up close. I sighed deeply and consoled Michelle.

“Michelle, don’t despair so much and listen carefully.”

“Sob, okay.”

“First, go out and call the police for us instead. Civilians shouldn’t come in if possible. The U.S. military will close the gate when they arrive, so we’ll guard here…”

“Let’s go in right now.”

“What?”

I turned my head in surprise. Allen was glaring at the gate with an expressionless face.

“Let’s go in right now without waiting for the U.S. military.”

“…Say something that makes sense, Allen. In the first place, it’s illegal for minors alone to enter gates in Connecticut.”

I looked at Allen with tension. But Allen calmly retorted.

“The longer the gate is open, the higher the probability of a monster wave occurring. Rather than that, it’s better to close the dungeon before monsters escape. It’s also uncertain when the military will arrive. Juno, you said you’re A-grade, right? Then this force is enough.”

I made a blank expression at those words.

It wasn’t because he suggested going in recklessly, but because of the information Allen spouted.

‘…The longer a gate is open, the higher the probability of a monster wave? Was there such information?’

I didn’t remember reading a report about the probability of monster wave occurrences.

I’m sure I had stayed up all night reading materials while preparing in advance before the amethyst golem opened…

‘Was there new data updated that we didn’t know about? Or is there separate data accumulated only in New York?’

At that moment, Allen drew his sword in the blink of an eye.

A long sword with a sleek, black blade.

I took a deep breath.

That was Allen’s weapon that I had only seen on the news.

That sharp and thin sword, seemingly pulled out from an inventory, exuded a green aura. Its imposing might made my whole body tingle.

At this level, it wouldn’t be out of place to see murderous energy. It felt as if the soul surrounding the sword was wailing.

Allen glanced at me and spoke in a low voice that only I could hear.

“Juno, I’ve closed even S-grade dungeons alone before.”

“…What? When?”

Allen turned his gaze without answering. And instead of answering my question, he abruptly asked.

“What grade do you think that gate is?”

I looked at him quietly with my arms crossed.

But cold sweat formed on my face as I pretended to be calm. I couldn’t say that I could know dungeon information even without any special weapon.

When I refrained from answering, Allen continued as if he expected it.

“It’s probably C-grade or D-grade. A-grade and B-grade usually spew out monsters as soon as they open. Or they are accompanied by catastrophic natural disasters. More severe than the earthquake just now. That earthquake just now occurred briefly due to spacetime distorting as the gate opened. And if it’s a dungeon of that level, I can close it alone even if I go in by myself.”

I stared at Allen with an even more astonished face.

‘I’ve never heard of such information either.’

People who couldn’t preview dungeon information like me could only find out through measuring devices in cooperation with military suppliers.

The probability of monster wave occurrences in D-grade dungeons, natural disasters accompanying gates – I had never heard or seen such statistical and intuitive data.

Allen kept spouting incomprehensible things.

He had too much confidence in the information he was spitting out, and only I felt a chill down my spine at that sight.

“Hey, you idiot. Didn’t you hear what Squirrel said? She said it’s illegal in Connecticut. Stop it while I’m still asking nicely.”

Unable to watch any longer, Victor frowned and stomped over, putting his hand on Allen’s shoulder.

Allen didn’t even blink an eye at Victor’s angry appearance. Rather, he met Victor’s gaze and looked him over.

Allen quietly snapped at Victor who had come striding over.

“Don’t get in the way and step aside. If you’re that scared, I can go in alone and close it.”

“Me, scared?”

“Hey, what’s wrong with you two.”

“I can understand struggling to close even a low-grade dungeon alone. The Connecticut team probably hasn’t had many chances to close dungeons. But don’t worry. As you gain more experience, you’ll also be able to close D-grade dungeons without difficulty.”

“You damn black hair. That’s not the point right now!”

Unable to hold back, Victor grabbed Allen’s collar. The two were incompatible from the start. My head throbbed at their confrontation.

I was against it escalating into a physical fight in this situation with the gate open.

Allen said with a faint smile, as if trying to appease him.

“I’m just saying it’s inefficient to waste time and increase the possibility of a monster wave. If a monster wave bursts, the three of us may not be able to stop it due to the number of entities.”

“Allen.”

“If it’s a low-grade dungeon, I can go in alone and stop it. Connecticut state law? I don’t think they can bring down the hammer of the law on someone who closed a dungeon for them. Rather, gratitude would be lacking. If you really don’t like it, I’ll go in and close it alone.”

I separated the two. Victor stepped back as if he couldn’t win and stood next to me.

I pressed my throbbing temples and said.

“Okay, I understand what you’re saying, Allen. But neither we nor you should close the dungeon while committing a crime. We’re not official soldiers or a militia. We’re just students. You’re also a student, so please listen to me.”

Allen stared at me without a word.

On Allen’s face was the confidence that he could close that gate singlehandedly right away, and frustration.

But I was just as frustrated.

‘You don’t know this, but there’s an age-old rule that underage kids who don’t listen to adults and go to dangerous places get totally wrecked.’

But I couldn’t let Allen go alone just thinking of my own safety.

I clutched my head in agony.

I already knew the dungeon information.

D-grade that we’ve closed at least 6 times.

The patterns are obvious and the monsters are pathetically weak. The boss won’t be difficult at all either.

‘But the variables that could arise if the three of us go in on our own without Mr. Benjamin’s permission? The risks?’

I knew very well that the three of us had the capability to close a D-grade dungeon.

But what I was concerned about was the possibility of variables.

Even if there was only a 1% chance of variables occurring, I would approach the dungeon very cautiously.

That would be safer in the long run.

After finishing my thoughts, I took a deep breath and stared at Allen intently.

No matter how much I thought about it, there was only one conclusion.

‘I have to tie up Allen until the U.S. military arrives.’

Keep a tight leash on Allen until people arrive.

By any means necessary.