Outside the portal, both Arnold and Cole immediately noticed the color change.
The expressions on their faces cracked almost instantly.
The blue portal they had personally verified earlier was now radiating dense golden light instead, and the pressure leaking from it had risen several levels within seconds. Even the ground around it started vibrating faintly while thin cracks spread outward nearly three meters across the stone path.
"Gold rank...?" Cole gasped, eyes wide.
Arnold's usually stoic face turned grim. Gold grade secret realms were not supposed to appear around Layer One or even Two because the danger level was far too high. Most gold realms contained monsters powerful enough to wipe out entire settlements if left unattended, and even experienced exploration groups usually entered them only after months of preparation.
The biggest problem, however, was not the monsters alone.
Gold realms locked themselves completely after activation.
