One day had passed since Keisho stepped foot into the city of Arcadia. Last night had been consumed entirely by information gathering. He'd grasped the city's layout, identified which areas were safe and which were dangerous. But that wasn't enough. To understand this game—or rather, this experiment's system—he needed information from other players. It was essential. Keisho headed toward the inn called "Restful Hideaway." He'd spotted the sign yesterday evening—a white-walled wooden structure. An inn was the perfect base for information gathering. People congregated there, rumors were born, and sometimes crucial intel reached your ears. He pushed open the door. A bell chimed—*karan karan*. The interior was warm with the scent of wood. Behind the counter stood a woman with silver hair down to her shoulders, thin violet streaks woven through it. A small communication device was embedded in her left ear. Her right hand bore several fine scars. "Welcome," the woman—Milia, the inn's proprietress—greeted him politely. Her tone was calm, carrying an air of someone well-educated. A small fire flickered in the hearth behind the counter. Morning sunlight streamed through the windows, brightening the shop. Several tables already had players seated at them. Keisho found an empty table and sat down. "……" He closed his eyes. The silver-haired female player he'd seen yesterday still nagged at his mind. That smile. That atmosphere. That mysterious presence. *(What was that about?)* Thinking this, Keisho rested his elbows on the table. Then— "Yo!" A voice suddenly called from the adjacent seat. Keisho's body tensed instantly. His reflexive habit of observing his opponent kicked in. Sitting next to him was a young man with slightly long, disheveled silver-gray hair. His jade-colored eyes were calm and smiling. A small scar marked the corner of his mouth, and when he smiled, his distinctive double teeth showed. He had a tall frame and wore light equipment. His atmosphere was—cheerful, carefree, yet with a hint of calculation. "First time meeting you! I'm Hiyaame Toya. Looks like you just joined this game, yeah?" The young man extended his hand. There was nothing off about his smile. He genuinely seemed approachable. *(Can I trust this person?)* His hacker instincts were analyzing the other man. Beneath that cheerful exterior lay calculation. This type was dangerous. But right now, there was no reason to be hostile. Keisho silently shook his hand. "Aozuki Keisho." A brief introduction. He judged that anything more was unnecessary. "Ooh, cool vibe! I like it, I like it. I'm a gambler at heart, you know? The type who thinks 'we can totally do this!' about everything. So I figure if I team up with someone analytical and cautious like you, we'd have good balance." Hiyaame was getting excited on his own. Watching him, it was hard to tell if he was genuinely this cheerful or just performing. *(This guy's not simple.)* Just as that thought crossed his mind, a voice came from another table. "——According to this, the monster spawn rate in the initial area is 12.3% lower in the morning. Which means we should act during daylight hours." Keisho turned to see a female player with chestnut-colored hair and gray eyes, spreading out thick log documents. Her expression was serious, carefully analyzing each piece of data. A communication device embedded in her left ear, fine scars on her right hand—the marks of someone handling important information. "Ah, that's Milia. That girl's so serious it's actually exhausting, you know?" Hiyaame laughed. But something different flickered in his eyes. Calculation. He was observing Milia for some purpose. Keisho caught all of it. Just then, the inn's entrance opened. The bell chimed—*karan karan*. The woman who entered had pale silver long straight hair with thin violet highlights mixed in. Her eyes were a deep purple, large and almond-shaped, exuding an alluring quality. She was about 158 centimeters tall, with a small silver mage's insignia earring in her left ear. When she spoke, faint light leaked from her fingertips. The silver-haired woman he'd met at the Transfer Spring yesterday. She slowly surveyed the shop interior. And her eyes met Keisho's. *(Damn.)* Keisho mentally cursed. He'd tried to avoid it, but looking away would give her the advantage. She wore a mischievous smile. "Oh, the person I met at the Transfer Spring. How nice to see you again." Saying this, she walked toward Keisho's table. Hiyaame happily gave up his seat. "I'm Mileina. Pleased to meet you." Mileina—the woman—sat down. Her posture was elegant, almost aristocratic. But her eyes held playfulness. "Mileina, huh? Great character. Totally my type." Hiyaame spoke again. His casualness seemed genuine, but Keisho wasn't fooled. Hiyaame was probing Mileina's reactions. Soon after, Milia also joined their table, thick log documents in hand. Fatigue was visible on her face. "Oh, Hiyaame-san. Mileina-san too. And Aozuki-san." Milia greeted all four of them. Her politeness suggested a perfectionist streak. "So, let's introduce ourselves." Hiyaame proposed. "I'm a former gambler. I've got guts nobody can match. This game's a death game—kill or be killed—but I think I'll win. Why? Because I'm the guy who survived through gambling. So if we all work together, we can definitely escape. That's what I believe." His words were too optimistic. Keisho frowned. *(This guy's really airheaded.)* Next, Milia spoke. "I specialize in information analysis. In about three days, I've grasped nearly all of this game's systems. If I record and analyze all the data, I should find the optimal solution. So... death can be avoided." Her words were definitive. But uncertainty flickered in her eyes. There was something analysis alone couldn't solve. Mileina opened her mouth. "I'm... well, I'd say observation is my strength. I enjoy reading people's psychology. And you see..." Mileina let faint light leak from her fingertips. "I have some knowledge of magic. Even in the forbidden fields." Her words concealed some secret. Keisho sensed it. "...I'm a hacker. Finding system vulnerabilities is my specialty. Beyond that... there's no need to say more, right?" A brief introduction. But hidden within it was a message: *I'm keeping secrets too.* Silence hung for a moment. "Alright! So let's form a team of four!" Hiyaame suddenly proposed. His face was radiant. "Four of us, surviving. Winning for sure. That's what I believe." "Wait, please. Let me calculate the odds first." Milia objected. Her serious attitude clashed with Hiyaame's optimism. "Sounds fun, so I'm in favor." Mileina smiled. Whether she genuinely found it interesting or wanted to toy with them was impossible to tell. Keisho remained silent, observing the three of them. *(Can we actually cooperate like this?)* He wondered. Hiyaame's overly optimistic victory fantasy, Milia's overly detailed analysis, Mileina's teasing tone. Everyone was subtly misaligned. Could this really become a team? But in a death game situation, surviving alone was impossible. He'd felt that acutely since yesterday's transfer. "...Well, better than being alone." Keisho muttered. "Yes! Decision made!" Hiyaame raised his hand. Milia wore a complicated expression. Mileina giggled. "So tomorrow, let's head to Eternal Plains." Hiyaame suggested. "Wait, please. First we need to optimize equipment and gather more information——" Milia objected. "Don't sweat the details! Action is everything!" Hiyaame wasn't listening. He completely ignored Milia's sincere opinion. "Oh, this is getting interesting." Mileina giggled. Keisho held his head. *(I'm getting a bad feeling about this coordination.)* But simultaneously, he thought: *(But... maybe it's not so bad.)* This adventure with four people. Companions met in the extreme circumstances of a death game. He sensed that, awkwardly at first, trust would gradually take shape. On the table, four hands overlapped. No one had suggested it. There was simply a silent agreement that it was necessary. "Let's do our best." Milia whispered. "We'll win." Hiyaame laughed. "I'm looking forward to it." Mileina smiled. Keisho said nothing, simply feeling the weight of their hands. The morning sunlight grew stronger in the inn. Outside the windows, Arcadia's city was coming alive. Players walked. NPCs went about their business. And somewhere— A plan was progressing. Under Nexus Corporation's surveillance, 3000 test players were being collected as data without their knowledge. These four were among them. Behind their backs, the experiment advanced steadily.