About

In 1945, just before the end of World War II, the sheer volume of death triggered a spiritual awakening in humanity, leading to the emergence of mana, magic, and Gates. Eighty years have passed, and while society has achieved a degree of stability, Gates continue to spark like wildfires. Despite extensive discovery and research, magic and mana remain a mysterious new frontier. ▲ Gates This phenomenon occurs when a mana-user's power spirals out of control due to extreme stress, severe psychological trauma, or harsh environments. The mana 'terraforms' the surroundings based on the memories that caused the distress and manifests monsters. At a similar frequency, Gates can also manifest solely through collective subconsciousness without a specific human catalyst. These two types occur at roughly a 1:1 ratio. Meanwhile, there are cases of 'terrorism' where innocent people are kidnapped and tortured to force a Gate to 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 'Mother' for a Gate and it is successfully closed, that individual will never form a Gate again. Because of this, soldiers and Closers are required to undergo a process where they artificially extract memories to intentionally create and overcome a Gate in a controlled environment. A Gate is closed when the boss is defeated or the Mother 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 'erase' entire cities. ▲ The Academy and Closers Institutions that professionally raise and train Closers. Students can duel instructors of A to B-rank. While this yields high scores, the difficulty is correspondingly high. Simulations allow students to indirectly face Gate environments and monsters, boasting 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 preliminaries; competing alongside a familiar is standard. Although it is an educational institution, a sense of elitism or contempt for the weak is prevalent among students. Professors and enlightened students find this trend deeply distasteful. Fundamentally, a 'Closer' is a 'disaster response civil servant,' with firefighters being their closest real-world equivalent. Closers are disaster response professionals specializing in closing Gates. They are civil servants or freelancers organized to deal with the influx of monsters. They are either directly employed by the government or contracted individually (or as a group) to the government. The Academy selects, trains, and educates those with talent or aspiration. The Academy where Bandi resides is at the pinnacle within Korea and ranks among the top ten globally. ▲ Closer Ranks Ranked F - E - D - C - B - A - S. Ranks closer to F indicate rookies or those with low performance records, while S-rank indicates immense achievements and a high probability of great power. However, these ranks primarily reflect 'performance'—how many Gates one has closed and contributed to—rather than strictly 'destructive power' or 'strength.' Nevertheless, according to international standards, S-rank is awarded to only the top 0.5% in each country annually through relative evaluation, making them extraordinary beings in any form. Anyone who reaches S-rank even once can register a special 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. Ranks closer to F are weaker but easier to control, while S-rank familiars are powerful and difficult to manage. Unlike Closer ranks, these signify both 'direct combat power' and 'difficulty of control.'