One night had passed since receiving the warning log. Arcadia's mornings came early. Market merchants dragged their carts across the stone pavement, and somewhere a blacksmith's hammer began its rhythm. The white-walled streets were bathed in morning sunlight, and the wooden sign of the inn "Solace's Stronghold" swayed in the breeze. Keishou Aozuki had stepped out of the inn and opened his terminal near the north gate. He was checking the warning log from last night one more time. 【ACCESS_DETECTED: Unauthorized Access Detected / Warning Level 1 / Transitioning to Enhanced Monitoring Mode】——ever since that message appeared, he'd been trying to read from the log traces just how much the monitoring from Nexus Corporation's GM—the game master—had intensified. He sat on a stone bench near Arcadia's north gate—a high stone wall with an iron-barred gate, the exit leading to the Eternal Plains—and stared at the screen. (Enhanced monitoring, huh. If I delve into a deeper layer next time, there's a chance the warning level jumps to 2.) That's when someone stood beside him. Before looking up, Keishou casually closed his terminal. Then he shifted only his gaze sideways. Jet-black short hair. Gray eyes gazing outward as if looking into the distance, beyond the north gate. A small scar beneath the right eye. Silver ear cuffs on both ears. Standing quietly, yet somehow radiating an odd presence. Keishou calculated in a second. ——Never seen before. Not a party member. A player, then. "I know the deepest route of the Forgotten Temple," It was abrupt. No greeting. No introduction. Just that single statement in a flat voice. "...Who are you," "Shion Kirjima. More importantly——I want to travel with you in exchange for providing information," Keishou observed his counterpart. Mid-twenties, probably. About ten centimeters taller than himself. Expression barely moving. No emotional inflection in his voice. Eyes——calculating eyes. (What is this guy?) "[cold]Show me the information first. I'll judge based on that," "There's no reason to show it first," "[cold]Then I'm declining," "I see," Shion didn't flinch. No sign of panic, no attempt at persuasion. He simply remained standing there. Silence continued. (…What's he waiting for?) Then light, quick footsteps on the stone pavement approached. "Oh, Keishou! You've been here since morning——wait, who's this?" It was Tooya Hyoume. His silvery-gray hair, slightly longer, swayed messily in the morning breeze. His jade-green eyes brightened the instant they landed on Shion. "A new person! A party member?" "[cold]No. I just turned him down," "Huh, why? More party members means better survival rates!" Tooya slapped Shion's shoulder without hesitation. Shion's shoulder moved slightly——whether startled or wary, it was impossible to read. "[excited]Welcome, welcome! I'm Tooya Hyoume. Nice to meet you!" "[cold]Hey, I'm in the middle of declining here," Keishou placed a hand to his forehead. Then came footsteps——two sets this time. Mireina Seraphie approached quietly. Her pale silver long hair caught the morning light softly. Her deep violet eyes assessed Shion in a glance——from top to bottom, without a second's hesitation. "[sarcastic]...Hmm. Interesting observation material," Behind her came Milia Valter, clutching documents. Her lavender eyes turned toward Shion. "[serious]If you possess useful information, there's no loss. However——data sharing is a condition," Shion looked across all four of them. Then his gaze returned to Keishou. "I accept the conditions," "[cold]...I haven't approved this," "Understood," With that, Shion began walking toward the north gate. As if it had been decided from the start. Tooya pushed Keishou's back. "Come on, let's go!" Mireina passed by Keishou's side and glanced back at him. "[sarcastic]You're the only one being left behind," Keishou sighed. In the end, all five of them ended up trailing after Shion in a procession. --- After walking northeast across the Eternal Plains for about two hours. Beyond the vast grassland, a crumbling stone structure came into view. The Forgotten Temple——an ancient ruin located in the northeast of the Eternal Plains. Ground floor and three basement levels, with undead-type monsters said to infest it. Recommended level: 20 or higher. Definitely not low. As they drew closer, the air changed. The grassland wind weakened, and the cold scent of old stone and earth filled the air. Moss clung to the walls, and the entrance steps were cracked. "[serious]There's a trap in front of the entrance door. Pressure-activated," His terminal's sensors were responding. Before the door, on the stone plate, something like a faint force field was detected. A trap that activates when stepped on——using the "Skill" function's detection ability in Immortal Realm, Keishou read it. "Fall back. I'll disarm it," "[excited]Wait a sec, I'm actually good at this kind of thing!" "[cold]I'm not leaving this to you," "Back in the day, I touched similar mechanisms in gambling hideout doors tons of times! Statistically, it's fine," "That probability calculation of yours isn't trustworthy, like I said before——" In the meantime, Tooya stepped forward. "It'll work! If I just do this..." He stepped on the stone plate with a thud. The next instant. A sound like the earth itself rumbling rose from below, and white smoke erupted from the grooves on both sides of the door. A massive smoke screen. Visibility dropped to zero instantly. "Whoa——" Coughing sounds cascaded. Keishou retreated while covering his mouth with his sleeve. The smoke stung his eyes. Mireina and Milia were saying something, but their voices were muffled. After about thirty seconds, the smoke thinned. Everyone's faces were covered in soot. Keishou, Tooya, Mireina, Milia——all of them. Soot powder clung thickly to their forelocks. Only Shion, standing a bit further back——remained unscathed. Expressionless as ever. "[angry]...Shion, why were you dodging!?" "I knew it would activate before you stepped," "[angry]Then stop me!!" "I had no obligation to stop you," His voice was quiet. Devoid of inflection. Keishou wiped the soot from his face and looked at Shion. (No obligation to stop me, huh.) He hadn't said it to be mean. He was simply stating fact. That made it all the more unsettling. This guy moves based on "obligation or lack thereof," not team safety. Milia let out a small sigh. "[sad]Your probability calculation isn't trustworthy...that was my misjudgment," Mireina looked at the soot on her silver hair, then at Keishou. "[sarcastic]...A splendid debut," "[cold]I was against this from the start," --- After brushing off the soot and regrouping, they entered the interior. The first basement level had a structure of multiple stone corridors intersecting. Game-world luminescent bodies mimicking torches were installed at regular intervals on the walls, but half were extinguished, leaving the ground dark. Ancient cracks ran through the stone walls, and somewhere water dripped. And——there was movement. Clatter-clatter-clatter, the sound of bones. Skeletons emerged from the corridor depths. Not just one. Three, four of them. Wielding corroded swords and bows, eyeless skulls all turned toward them at once. Identified using Immortal Realm's "Skill" system. Skeleton——undead-type, moderate danger level, recommended level 20 or higher monster. That's when Shion moved. "Keishou analyzes action patterns from the rear. Tooya uses the left pillar as a shield for front-line. Milia provides support magic from the right. Mireina handles——item collection from center," Instructions without hesitation. Everyone exchanged glances. Skeptical, but the skeletons were closing in. Keishou opened his terminal and fell back, Tooya dashed to the left pillar as instructed. Milia prepared magic from the right side, Mireina quickly took the center position. Combat began. Tooya used the pillar as cover to pull the front skeleton's attention. Milia's support magic——attacks using the "Skill" function that Mireina employed in Immortal Realm——dispersed enemy movement from the right. Mireina stood her ground in the center, swiftly collecting dropped items while repositioning. And Keishou tracked enemy movements from behind, following Shion's instructions——only the positions he was directed to were nearly unscathed. It took less than two minutes to defeat all four. "[surprised]...You're incredibly accurate!?" Tooya shouted while catching his breath. Shion said nothing. Mireina spoke quietly. "[serious]...True. You can't give instructions like that without knowing this place's layout beforehand," Keishou tracked Shion's movements while watching the analysis log on his terminal with one eye. His reaction speed was abnormally fast. His grasp of terrain was too precise. The pillar positions, corridor width, skeleton movement patterns——could someone calculate all that instantly in a dungeon they'd never seen? (Not a first visit. This guy's been here before.) Once the combat aftermath settled, Keishou asked directly. "[cold]Have you been to this dungeon before," Shion paused for a beat. "Result of information gathering," That was all. He wouldn't answer further. Keishou wanted to press. But there was no evidence. "Information gathering" was neither lie nor truth. It proved nothing. He had to back off on the surface. After a while, Mireina approached Keishou's side and spoke in a low voice. "[whispers]Your suspicious face is showing," "[cold]Let it show," Mireina's mouth corners rose slightly. She said nothing more. --- When they descended to the second basement level, the air grew even colder. The wall quality changed. The stone was older, its surface carved with fine patterns. Keishou aimed his terminal's camera there. Scan function——using the "Hidden Data Analysis" skill in Immortal Realm, he decoded the ancient-script-like patterns. Analysis ran. After a moment, fragments appeared on screen. 【PROMETHEUS / Consciousness Transfer Attempt / Experimental Subject Selection Criteria】 "...Prometheus," The word came out low. Louder than intended. "This word appears here too. This game really was——designed as an experiment from the start," The Prometheus Project——the codename for Nexus Corporation's covert consciousness transfer experiment. The words "Consciousness Transfer Attempt" and "Experimental Subject Selection Criteria" were carved into the game's walls in ancient script. This wasn't coincidence. At that moment. At the edge of Keishou's vision, Shion's eyes——moved toward the text for just an instant. Until now, he'd been expressionless. His eyes hadn't shifted focus. Yet the moment the word "Prometheus" was spoken——his gaze turned toward the text, and his lips tightened slightly. Just an instant. Then he returned to his blank expression. Keishou saw that change. (I saw it.) He confirmed it internally. Confirmed it, and said nothing. After a while, this time Mireina leaned close to Keishou's ear. "[whispers]Just now——Shion froze the moment he saw the text," "[cold]...I noticed too," He answered curtly. Then his terminal vibrated. He checked the screen. 【WARNING: External Transmission of Analysis Log Detected / Warning Level 1 Continuing / Access Remaining: 2 More Uses】 (Two uses left.) Any more hacking-adjacent actions here, and the GM would pinpoint him completely. If the warning level rose, it would affect the entire team. "[serious]We're cutting the investigation short today. We're heading back," No one objected. --- They returned to the inn "Solace's Stronghold" as the sun began to set. The innkeeper NPC brought warm soup while saying "Welcome back." Today it was bean soup, lightly salted, and it seeped into their bodies. Five people sat before the fireplace. Shion lowered himself into a chair slightly apart. He naturally sat i