Presence Of A Symbolic

Milton Nicholas, head of the hero association and one of the only two known SSS rank ability users, was deeply troubled. An unknown presence had been felt for over a week, reminiscent of the enigmatic disappearance of the symbolic 7 Nelson. Despite his efforts to trace it, all leads proved futile.

The seven had attempted to locate the source, but it all led to a dead end. The entrance exam to the academy was looming, and troublesome students were sure to cause trouble. As he sighed, Milton pondered the younger generation of today.

Silvia, a retired hero with a commanding presence, interrupted his thoughts by entering the office. She announced, "Sir, someone is here to see you."

Milton, perplexed, responded, "I don't have an appointment at this hour."

Silvia informed him, "One of the Symbolics, Sir Nelson, is here to see you." Before she could finish, a space was torn open, and a figure emerged, followed by another space rift that engulfed Silvia.

In a matter of seconds, a figure with dark eyes, long brown hair, and a red suit stepped forward. "How long has it been, Milton? You seem to be doing well," Nelson remarked with a smile.

Milton retorted, "As usual, showing up without notice or invitation. So, what brings you here?"

Nelson responded, "You're not entirely wrong. There's an urgent matter. Another SSS++ Ancient dungeon has been discovered."

Milton was shocked. "How is that possible? The first Ancient dungeon that appeared killed 3 of the Symbolics and many others. Most of our SS rankers perished."

A powerful aura filled the room as Milton and Nelson locked eyes. "Yes, I lost good friends during that great disaster," Nelson admitted, "and though we Symbolics are not buddies, we share a connection that's hard to ignore."

"As for the new threat, Carissa already discovered its location, but the runes that bind it haven't been released for some reason, giving us time to prepare," Nelson stated as he stood up. "I'm headed to the villains' organization to confront the beast, Donovan. He's a wild card even among us Symbolics. He calls them his family, as their opinions intertwine with his."

As he finished speaking, a rift appeared, and he stepped in.

At the same time, another rift ejected Silvia, an A+ ranker, who seemed exhausted from the ordeal.

Meanwhile, in a forest on a mountain, a huge door started shaking as the golden runes on it began to glow. Suddenly, one of the four golden runes vanished, causing the beast within to let out a groan that shook the entire mountain.