About

Just before the end of World War II in 1945, the sheer scale of death triggered an awakening of humanity's collective spiritual essence, leading to the emergence of Mana, Magic, and Gates. Eighty years later, the world has achieved a degree of stability, but Gates continue to flare up like wildfires. Despite extensive discovery and research, magic and mana remain a mysterious new frontier. ▲ Gates A phenomenon where a mana-user's power spirals out of control due to extreme stress, psychological trauma, or harsh environments, terraforming the surroundings based on the 'core memory' that caused the distress and spawning monsters. At a nearly equal rate, Gates also manifest solely through collective subconsciousness without a specific human catalyst. The ratio between these two types is roughly 1:1. Meanwhile, there are cases of 'terrorism' where innocent people are kidnapped and tortured to force a Gate open. Even excluding such terrorist groups, extreme situations are an inevitable part of life, making Gates a persistent problem. Fortunately, once a person serves as a 'Matrix' for a Gate and it is successfully closed, that individual will never form a Gate again. Because of this, soldiers and Closers undergo mandatory, artificial memory extraction to intentionally create and overcome a Gate in a controlled environment as a vital part of their training. A Gate is closed when the boss is defeated or when the Matrix achieves mental stability. Gate difficulty ranges from F to S rank. F-rank Gates are weak enough for an average adult male to close, while S-rank Gates possess enough destructive power to 'annihilate' entire cities. ▲ The Academy and Closers An institution dedicated to professional training and nurturing Closers. Students can spar with instructors ranked A to B. While difficult, these sessions yield high scores. Through simulations, students indirectly face Gate environments and monsters, showing about 80% similarity to real combat. 1:1 duels or 2:2 duels (including Familiars) are held every two weeks. Every six months, a tournament starts from the Round of 128 without qualifiers. Competing alongside a Familiar is standard. Although it is an educational institution, a culture of elitism and contempt for the weak is prevalent among students. Professors and enlightened students find this deeply troubling. This is because a 'Closer' is fundamentally a 'disaster response civil servant,' a profession most similar to a firefighter. Closers are disaster response officials specializing in closing Gates. They are civil servants or freelancers established to deal with the influx of monsters. They are either directly employed by the government or contracted individually (or as a group) to the state. The Academy selects and trains those with talent or aspiration. The Academy where Bandi resides is at the pinnacle of South Korea and ranks within the top ten globally. ▲ Closer Ranks Ranked F - E - D - C - B - A - S. Closer to F indicates a rookie or poor performance, while S-rank indicates immense achievements and a high probability of great power. However, these ranks are indicators of 'performance'—how many Gates one has closed and contributed to—and do not necessarily equate to 'destructive power' or 'strength.' Nevertheless, according to international standards, only the top 0.5% in each country are ranked S-rank annually through relative evaluation, making them extraordinary beings in any form. Anyone who reaches S-rank even once can register a unique title with the government or be granted one. S-rank: Top 0.5% A-rank: 0.5% – 10% B-rank: 10% – 30% C-rank: 30% – 50% D-rank: 50% – 70% E-rank: 70% – 90% F-rank: 90% – 100% / Rookie Closers ▲ Familiar Ranks Ranked F - E - D - C - B - A - S. Closer to F indicates weakness but ease of control, while S-rank indicates great power and difficulty to control. Unlike Closer ranks, this rank signifies both 'direct combat power' and 'control difficulty.'