The Transfer Spring was a large stone fountain positioned at the center of Arcadia Plaza. Normally it bustled with departing and returning players, but at this hour past noon, few people lingered. The water's surface quietly reflected the light. Aoi Keisho sat on a nearby bench, his terminal spread open before him. On the surface, it was just an ordinary in-game window. But what Keisho had open was the code layer—invisible to regular players. He was carefully, methodically extending his fingers into the foundational program of Immortal Realm, the system designed by Nexus Corporation, probing deeper into its depths. （Yesterday's analysis revealed part of the structure.） The day after his equipment check from Milia at the inn "Ikoi no Negiya." Reviewing that detailed analysis, Keisho had come to a realization. This game contained both "specifications" and "non-specifications" mixed together. And what separated them was whether you could read code. Key inputs continued. Then, a voice came from right beside his ear. "Your log analysis method—it's completely different from a normal player's." Keisho reflexively tried to close the terminal. His hand froze. It wasn't so much that he stopped closing it—his movement simply locked up. Someone was beside him. Since when. He turned to see a girl with pale silver long hair streaked with faint purple highlights sitting at the edge of the bench. Deep violet eyes looked directly at him. A small silver piercing glinted on her left ear. Mireina Seraphie. She'd been here last night too. The day before that as well. Before he knew it, she was always beside him. "...That's hacking, isn't it." Her voice was low. Nearly a whisper. Keisho didn't answer. He pulled the terminal closer to his chest. His heartbeat struck once, hard. The next instant, Mireina quickly put distance between them. She moved to the opposite end of the bench and crossed her legs. Her expression hadn't changed at all. "[sarcastic]Why are you trying so hard? It's funny watching you." Her voice was cool. He couldn't tell if she was teasing or if she genuinely found it amusing. Keisho slowly steadied his breathing. He'd been seen through while panicking, and now he was being laughed at. "[cold]...Where did you come from?" "[sarcastic]I've been here the whole time. You just didn't notice." She said it as if it were nothing. Keisho turned his gaze forward and let out a small groan. While concentrating on his code analysis, he hadn't noticed someone approaching beside him. That itself was a problem. In this world, carelessness led directly to death. （...Her observation skills are sharp.） Keisho opened the terminal again. This time he angled it differently, holding it so the screen was harder to see. Mireina said nothing. She simply remained there, quietly. --- Then, footsteps approached from across the plaza. "Yo, you two! Can I join in on the information gathering?" Hyoui Toya came running over, flashing white teeth. His silver-gray hair was tousled by the wind. His jade-colored eyes sparkled with energy. "[sarcastic]...He came." "I came! Three people would be more efficient, right?" Keisho didn't answer. Well, fine, he thought. Toya wasn't useful often, but he was better than nothing. Toya leaned in to peer at Keisho's terminal. "Whoa, that's amazing. Is that code? Can I try a bit too? I might actually have a knack for it." "[cold]Don't touch it." "Just a little! Just a tiny bit!" Before Keisho could stop him, Toya's finger brushed the edge of the terminal. The next moment. A deafening alert sounded around the Transfer Spring. 【WARNING: SYSTEM ACCESS DETECTED——NOTIFICATION SETTINGS: FULL BROADCAST】 Popup windows spread across the plaza. Large ones, small ones, over a dozen in total. Players nearby turned in unison. An adventurer resting nearby stood up from his chair. An NPC woman with a child gasped and stepped back. "Ah, this is bad——" "[angry]How do I stop this!?" Toya panicked and pulled at the terminal. Keisho silently swatted his hand away and reclaimed the device. Three seconds to revert the settings. The popups vanished. The alert stopped. Silence. A few players nearby were still looking at them. With suspicious expressions. There was an atmosphere of "something's off about those guys." "[sarcastic]...Please stop bothering the genius, Toya-san." "[sad]I was kind of thinking I was a genius too..." "[cold]Touch code and even a genius dies." Keisho said it curtly and placed the terminal on his lap. The surrounding gazes were gradually becoming uncomfortable. Work would be difficult for a while. Toya shrank into himself. Whether he was genuinely remorseful or just embarrassed was unreadable. --- After a brief pause, he resumed work. The surrounding gazes settled down. Toya said "I'll just watch," and sat on the edge of the spring, gazing at the water's surface. That was enough, Keisho thought. After some time, Mireina quietly spoke. "[serious]...What is that?" Keisho didn't look up. He was about to answer "Code analysis," when he heard her next words. "[serious]Not that. Your left wrist." Keisho's fingers stopped. Slowly, he looked at his left wrist. His coat sleeve had shifted slightly. Peeking out from beneath was a blue pattern. Lines twisted intricately together, forming something like a circuit diagram. Not an ordinary scar, not a tattoo, not a game skill marker—some kind of strange mark, as if something had been carved into him. "[serious]It's a different shape from game skill tattoos. Where did you get that?" "[cold]...I've had it since long ago. Don't worry about it." He answered briefly and pulled his sleeve down. But Mireina didn't avert her gaze. She stared at his wrist. Her violet eyes glowed quietly. Not pushy, but not backing down either—that kind of look. It was uncomfortable. Keisho turned the question back on her. "[cold]Your hair. That silver color isn't normal, is it? Are you dyeing it?" Mireina's expression changed, just for an instant. Something clouded over. Not so much darkening as—becoming distant, was the better way to describe the shift. "[serious]...There was a small accident a while back. Since then." She said only that, then turned her gaze toward the spring. The air made it clear she wouldn't say more. Keisho said nothing. A strange atmosphere flowed between them. Both carried parts they didn't want probed. Questions asked, deflected, deflected back. They both understood. （...She's hiding something too.） Wariness mixed with something else. Keisho couldn't put a precise name to it, but one thing was certain: Mireina had stopped being simply "a mysterious girl whose allegiance was unclear." At the spring's edge, Toya called out, "Ah, there are fish! Fish in a game!?" Both of them looked toward him at the same time. "[laughing]Hey, don't touch the spring." "I'm not touching it! I'm just looking!" "[sarcastic]...You said the same thing earlier." Toya fell completely silent. --- Evening came, and the sky turned orange. Toya said "I'm hungry, heading back to the inn first," waved goodbye, and left the plaza. His silver-gray hair caught the sunset, glinting slightly as he walked away. "[serious]Still here?" "[cold]Just a little longer." He answered without looking up from the terminal. Mireina said nothing and hugged her knees at the edge of the bench. She didn't say she was leaving. Keisho resumed his connection to the code layer. This time he changed his approach. Yesterday's analysis had revealed a route where access logs were easy to leave. So this time he'd avoid it. He'd enter through a thinner, deeper pathway. Carefully. Slowly. The code's depths opened before him. Keisho's eyes narrowed. 【CORE_CRYSTALLIS_COORD: DATA STRUCTURE RECONFIRMING——】 It was there. It existed. Multiple pathways to the Core Crystallis were confirmed. Not just one. Three, or perhaps four. Each connected from different depths. Not a bug. Not coincidence. This was—a route deliberately designed by someone. （Intentionally created hidden passages.） Something solidified in his chest. It transformed into certainty. The Core Crystallis was real. And the path to it was hidden within the game. Mireina quietly watched Keisho's profile. She didn't speak. Just watched. Keisho was aware but kept his focus on the terminal. ——Then. A small string of text appeared briefly in the lower right corner of the terminal. 【TRACE_ACTIVE: OBSERVER 1 INSTANCE】 Then it vanished. Keisho looked at the terminal twice. What was that. He opened the same screen again. Scrolled through the logs. Nothing. No error records. As if it had never existed, it was cleanly erased. （Was it my imagination...） No. Keisho slowly closed the terminal. He wanted it to be his imagination. But code doesn't lie. That single line had definitely existed. It had floated on the screen for just one second, then disappeared. Someone was watching his access. "[whispers]...Your complexion looks bad." Mireina said quietly. Keisho paused before answering. "[cold]...It's nothing." She didn't say "liar." Mireina didn't press further either. The sunset painted Arcadia's white stone pavement red. The Transfer Spring quietly flickered with light. Watching that light, Keisho thought. The pathway to the Core Crystallis definitely existed. That was proven tonight. But the problem had multiplied. Someone was monitoring his hacking. Was it someone from Nexus Corporation? Or someone else? And—should he tell his companions? Toya. Milia. About this. Keisho couldn't decide. Sharing information was strength. But at the same time, it would expose those who learned of it to danger. Mireina stood up. "[cold]Let's go. Before the inn gets crowded." "[cold]...Yeah." Keisho put away the terminal. The pattern on his left wrist caught the sunset. The blue light seemed to flicker faintly. The two walked out of the plaza side by side. Their footsteps echoed on the stone pavement. The observer might still be watching from somewhere.