Today was my appointment with the CIO. I was surprised that the meeting was scheduled so quickly and on a Saturday too, but I supposed the CIO must be a very dedicated worker. It made sense since a high ranking position in RAC was a coveted position. 

 

Whoever this woman was, I think her name was Virpal?, she must have worked her butt off to reach where she was. 

 

The meeting was set at 1 o’clock in the afternoon, which was going to disrupt my daily regimen. 

 

For the past several months, my routine had been spending most of the day in the Door and visiting my sister in the hospital in the evening before going to work at Uncle Bob’s restaurant. 

 

So it was going to be a waste of time if I only spent a few hours in the Door. I would most likely end up barely killing a goblin before it was time for the meeting. I also didn’t want to be sweaty and covered in dirt and goblin blood when I met with the CIO.

 

So I decided to take a day off from hunting and visit my sister at the hospital in the morning. 

 

“Hey, Sofia. How are you feeling today?” I asked as I walked into her hospital room. 

 

Although I had gotten used to seeing my sister in the hospital, I still couldn’t help my anxiety every time I was on my way to see her. I would always worry that Sofia would look much worse. She would always say she’s fine, or that she’s better, but her gaunt appearance made her a terrible liar. 

 

There were times when I was afraid to ask how she was, and I would immediately feel bad for being so selfish. Sofia was the one who was going through all the pain and suffering, so what kind of coward was I to want to run away like that?

 

When Sofia first fell ill, this anxiety used to be accompanied by hope. Perhaps Sofia would look much better today? Or maybe her doctor would have good news? 

 

But after months of obvious deterioration and puzzled doctors, my hope was diminishing fast. Having a patient in your family definitely didn’t help your stress level. It was like riding a roller coaster of hope and despair with no end in sight. 

 

This was why being a Rhombic was so important. The more I thought about it, the more I felt certain I needed to do this. Sure, physical and mental exhaustion might kill me eventually, but I couldn’t give up this godsent chance. Sofia and I never got a break in our lives, but this could be it.  

 

I have been feeling discouraged lately for a good reason. When I first saw the Invitation, I was filled with such hope. I secretly believed that I was special, and that I would become one of those star Rhombics that ascended to higher floors in no time. 

 

My wild and unreasonable expectations had me imagining myself swimming in countless expensive gems.  And I even saw myself miraculously, no pun intended, finding the Miracle Potion to cure Sofia. 

 

It was no surprise that these ridiculous dreams didn’t come true, yet I was right back to grumbling about my life again. 

 

I was being an ungrateful whiner.

 

I had been angry  before I got the Invitation because I had nothing in this world. Yet even though I now had something, I was still complaining. 

 

Sure, this “something” wasn’t as good as what the others have, but it was still one thing more than I had before. 

 

After pep-talking myself into renewed determination, I sat down beside my sister. 

 

“Leah! Why are you here at this time of the day? Shouldn’t you be at school?” Sofia asked in surprise. I could already see the “I’m going to give you the lecture of your life” look appearing on her face. 

 

“Sofia, it’s Saturday today. I don’t like to go to school on regular days, so why would I go there on a weekend?” I joked, doing an excellent job of hiding my flinch. For a second there, I thought Sofia had caught on. 

 

I haven't been going to school since the day I was marked. For an obvious reason, the Rhombics had a minimal school attendance requirement to graduate. Because most of them were going to lose their powers once they reached their 20s, it was understood that they should spend more time protecting the world from the monsters than learning about calculus. 

 

Sofia’s eyes widened before smiling bashfully. Because she lived in the hospital, everyday must have felt the same to her. 

 

“Oh, yeah. You’re right. I forgot.” 

 

“No worries. I might have a longer shift at Uncle Bob’s place tonight, so I thought I should visit you in the morning,” I replied. 

 

We chatted about the usual things like we always did. Before becoming a Rhombic, our conversation was mostly about my school. But lately, I tried to steer the conversation away from school and toward other things. 

 

I chatted about  the customers I saw while working at Uncle Bob’s restaurant or some silly things I saw on Youtube. Thankfully, Sofia didn’t seem to have noticed the abrupt change in my usual topic. 

 

Or maybe Sofia did notice it, but chose not to say anything about it. I had never been fond of school, and I didn’t have any close friends either. Sofia knew this, which might have been why she chose not to mention the topic of school unless I brought it up.

 

Although I enjoyed spending time with my sister, I couldn’t help feeling distracted today. I pondered about how the meeting would go in the afternoon. The best scenario would be for the CIO to know the solution to my problem. 

 

I visualized the CIO bringing out a device and going “poof!” to make my problems go away. Every fiber in my body prayed for this outcome. 

 

But if the CIO didn’t know what was wrong with me… What would she say? 

 

There was always a chance that the CIO decided to take away my access to the Door. I slumped a little, questioning my decision to make this appointment for the thousandth time. This was precisely why I had been hesitant to ask someone for help.

 

But I needed to do this. My Level and Power value haven’t changed a bit after months of hunting. This was unheard of, and at this rate, I was going to get killed during one of my hunts. 

 

There had already been a few times when I got into serious danger despite how careful I was. I had been choosing only the smallest goblins to hunt if I could help it. Whenever I saw a larger monster, I ran the other way or hid myself. But there were still occasions when I almost got caught by a mid-sized goblin while running. 

 

I was also fooled multiple times by the small size. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but that’s exactly what I had been doing. Size, and sometimes color, were the only features I could use to guess how strong a goblin might be. And unfortunately for me, there were times when a small monster turned out to be much stronger than I anticipated. 

 

So far, yours truly has managed to stay alive, but… It was only going to be only a matter of time before I became a yummy snack for some lucky goblin. 

 

“Leah, are you listening to me?” 

 

Sofia’s voice brought me back from my thoughts. Shaking my head, I mumbled, “Sorry, what were you saying?”

 

“What were you thinking about so hard? Are you… having problems at school?” Sofia asked hesitantly. She must have noticed the concern on my face. 

 

I put on a reassuring smile and lied, “No, I… was just listening to the TV.” 

 

I was a little alarmed by what a smooth liar I was becoming, but that was a problem for another day. I was lucky that the TV in the room was turned on. 

 

At the moment, the world was excited about the Alphas, a famous Rhombic team, reaching the 97th floor of the Door.

 

“Oh, yeah. All the news channels have been nonstop about this Alpha deal. Don’t you find it annoying? I mean, these people are choosing to put themselves in danger for money! So why should the rest of the world cheer for them?” 

 

It wasn’t a surprise that Sofia would say something negative about the Rhombics. Our parents, a paired Rhombics, were killed while trying to terminate a Pocket. They were in their mid 20s when they died, and it was suspected that their powers were dwindling when they took on this dangerous mission. It was foolish of them, and sadly for everyone involved, they never came out from that Pocket. 

 

Feeling guilty again, I just shrugged and didn’t say a word. I felt so uncomfortable whenever we talked about the Rhombics or the Door. It reminded me of the fact that I was lying to the most important person in my life. I may have been getting better at it, but it didn’t mean I enjoyed doing it. 

 

Sofia continued to rant, “The Alphas belong to the company named Harmony, doesn't it? I swear, that corporation is planning to take over the whole world by using those Rhombics. Most of them are just kids! Shame on them!”

 

“Sofia… You know we need the Rhombics. If they didn’t terminate the Pockets, you know exactly what will happen.” 

 

I finally spoke up. I knew I should keep quiet and try to change the subject, but it felt like I was being personally attacked by my own sister. 

 

I continued to argue, “Without the Rhombics, we’ll have those Pockets exploding everywhere. Don’t you remember learning about what happened when they used to burst all the time? So many people died and the cities became ruined.” 

 

The Pockets appeared infrequently, but when they did occur, the whole city was put on alert. They needed to be terminated as quickly as possible or else, they would explode and release all of their monsters including their Kings. 

 

For the last decade or so, it has become very rare for a Pocket to explode. It was because the Rhombics all over the world have been working diligently. They climbed to higher floors to become stronger, and this allowed them to terminate the Pockets faster. 

 

Sure, I wasn’t so naive to believe that the Rhombics were doing this out of selfless reason. I myself certainly didn’t become one to save other people. Killing the monsters and terminating the Pockets came with great financial rewards. It also didn’t hurt to get a huge boost in fame and reputation. 

 

I was doing this to save myself and my sister, but even I wouldn’t mind being revered by everyone in the world. 

 

I must have looked upset, because Sofia replied, “I know, I know. I guess I’m just frustrated that these kids are constantly put in danger.” 

 

“Well, they may be kids, but they are powerful, so… I don’t think we need to be worried about them,” I muttered. 

 

Sofia probably didn’t notice it, but my voice was tinged with bitterness because I knew that not ALL of the Rhombics were strong. I, for one, haven’t even attempted to take the first floor test. 

 

In order to ascend to the next floor, Rhombics needed to hunt enough to become more powerful. This was because they would find stronger monsters the higher they climbed. It was crucial for the hunters to train on each floor enough so that they know they can survive on the next level. 

 

On top of this, there were challenges, called the Tests, that all Rhombics needed to pass at certain floors before proceeding forward. These tests took place at the first, the fifth, and then every 10th floor afterward. 

 

It was assumed that a Test was provided by the Door to assess a Rhombic. It was a way  to make sure the said Rhombic was powerful enough to climb higher. Each test was to be taken alone, and it was reported to be different for everyone. 

 

Sarah, my Contact, had mentioned that most of my classmates from the three-week training had already passed the 10th floor test. And all of them have already found a pair or have been scouted by a team.

 

By the time a Rhombic reached the 10th floor, it became clear if she was a Lead or a Support. Per RAC rules, everyone was obligated to work in a team or at least in a pair. 

 

An ideal pair included a Lead and a Support. 

 

Unfortunately, no one had shown any interest in pairing with me. No team has approached me either. It was no wonder since I haven’t even passed the first floor test. 

 

I assumed that I was probably already known as a loser in this community. Many people had to know that I had been hunting only on the first floor even though I was marked months ago. And that big mouthed Sarah probably didn’t do me any favors either. 

 

Unsurprisingly, no one wanted me in their team. 

 

Ugh, it was like gym class all over again.