The sewers of Kazimierz, infested with dangerous Infected creatures called Gloompincers. Beneath the city, Yujin sat in the center of a makeshift Infected encampment, looking at a woman with flowing red hair.
"…Are you insane? You don't want to break someone out of Sector Zero, you want to break in?"
"Yes. Is there a way?"
"Way? Just go provoke the knights patrolling the perimeter. If they beat you up and arrest you, you'll go straight to Sector Zero."
The woman with the red tail looked at Yujin as if he were mad. Everyone avoided Sector Zero like the plague; rumors painted it as a hell for the Infected.
"I‘m asking for a way to get in reliably, without getting beaten half to death."
"Do you think there is one?! We Infected are busy just surviving down here. Don't talk nonsense..."
"Is that so?"
The woman, who had been shouting, shrank back with a whimper as Yujin stared her down with half-lidded eyes.
"Strength is everything, huh... What a miserable life..."
"If I wanted to kill you all, you‘d already be dead. I need to get in there to stop the Merchant Association. I‘m asking for cooperation."
Hearing the name "Merchant Association," the woman‘s eyebrow twitched, and she sighed.
"So you're an enemy of the Association."
"Something like that."
She tapped on a wooden crate, deep in thought. Just as she opened her mouth to speak:
"Boss! We have a problem! Gloompincers are swarming where the kids are...!"
"What?! What were you doing instead of stopping them?!"
"We tried, but there are too many! And they're unnaturally aggressive!"
"Argh! Seriously!"
Ignoring Yujin, the woman sprang up and bolted out of the room. Yujin quietly followed.
Gloompincers. According to Daniel, they were Infected crustaceans used for knight training or combat performances.
To an untrained civilian, they were dangerous, but manageable. However, "unnaturally aggressive" suggested something else.
Arriving at the scene, they found a swarm of Gloompincers pouring in like insects. Several Infected fighters were holding the line with swords and spears, but they were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers.
"…This is strange."
They were common creatures found in rivers and lakes, but their numbers were excessive, and their shells were stained red. This wasn't a natural occurrence.
As the tide of creatures surged toward the struggling defenders, Yujin sighed and drew his sword.
Platinum light flooded the blade. In the dark sewer, illuminated only by dim flashlights, the brilliance was blinding.
"What the...!"
The woman gasped at the radiant wave. At that moment, Yujin thrust his sword toward the oncoming tide of Gloompincers.
Open the path. He pushed back the wave with overwhelming force.
It looked like a simple thrust, but the weight behind it was immense. To the woman, time seemed to stop, leaving only the image of Yujin‘s strike.
Crunch, crack, snap!
The wave shattered. Shells broke apart. The wave of light from the tip of the sword was stronger than the tide of chitin crashing against it.
BOOM!
The platinum light ground the Gloompincers to dust and slammed into the sewer wall, causing it to crumble. Everyone stared at Yujin, jaws dropped at the impossible sight.
"…What are you looking at?"
The man responsible for the devastation simply tilted his head, looking unimpressed.
"Can you get them off me?"
"Endure it. You can't be mean to kids."
The atmosphere between the woman and Yujin had relaxed considerably. However, Yujin was currently surrounded by children, chirping around him like baby birds, eyes shining.
They had recognized the platinum wave. Only one person could produce such light—the knight they had seen countless times in the Champions League broadcasts.
Yujin‘s reputation among the Infected also played a part. In past interviews after his victories, Yujin had responded calmly to malicious questions targeting his Sarkaz heritage and origins in Kazdel.
When asked loaded questions about the Infected, he didn't get angry; he answered with composure. Getting angry or twisting his face would only give them what they wanted. He refused to feed the trolls.
To the general public, his calm demeanor was just a lukewarm reaction, but to the Infected, it meant something different.
Is he different?
Infected could not be knighted, nor could they participate in sport matches. Some still hoped for change, but most had grown weary of waiting for a change that never came. Furthermore, most knights showed either indifference or hostility toward the Infected.
"Hehe. Still, I should say thank you for the help. Thanks. Without you, there would have been casualties."
"Don't mention it. Saving people is what matters."
"You're different. Most people these days think otherwise."
The woman smiled bitterly. But soon, she gave Yujin the answer he sought.
"You wanted to get into Sector Zero? There is a way. A reliable way that doesn't involve getting arrested."
"Really? How?"
"You just use the escape route in reverse."
In other words... go against the flow of the path used to break out of Sector Zero.
"Is it possible to escape Sector Zero?"
"It is, if you know the routes and can bypass the heavy security. But even knowing it, most people lack the ability to pull it off."
It was an obvious answer, but it exploited a blind spot. They might expect a breakout from the inside, but a break-in from the outside? Especially now, with the Champions League potentially relaxing security elsewhere?
It was far safer than getting beaten and detained for an ID check.
"Are you okay with that? A noble knight crawling through sewer water?"
"I‘ve dug through trash before. It's not much different. I don't care."
The woman looked surprised at Yujin‘s words but quickly hid her expression.
"Why are you trying so hard to get into Sector Zero? A man of your caliber has a guaranteed path to success."
"The path is secure, but I don't like it. I don't like the Merchant Association, and I don't like the knights who stand by and watch this happen."
"Righteous."
"Thanks for the compliment."
The brief conversation ended. Time was pressing, so he had to leave.
Yujin played with the children for a bit before pulling his ragged hood back up. As he turned to leave, a child shouted.
"…Can I become a knight too?!"
Yujin stopped. What should he say? You're Infected, so it's impossible? That didn't suit him.
"Why do you want to be a knight?"
"Because it's cool! Like the Last Knight in the stories, I want to be a knight like that!"
If the child dreamed of being a knight, that dream was impossible in the current Kazimierz.
So...
"Don't forget that heart and the chivalry from the stories. If you work hard, you can definitely become a knight."
I'll just have to change Kazimierz.
A wasteland with no green fields, only scorching earth under a hot sun. A land swept by Catastrophes, devoid of trees, beasts, or people.
"Buldrokk, I think that's the fourth mirage you've seen."
"Better than when you made a fuss about finding an oasis. We have no food, and the water is running out. What are we going to do?"
"Water...! Water...!"
"He's lost his mind."
"Aaaargh! How did Yujin find Kazimierz with this damn map—?!"
Stressed and screaming in the middle of nowhere, unable to find even the edge of a Kazimierz city... Theresis clutched his head, and Buldrokk had already given up.
They were out of fuel too.
Buldrokk and Theresis, lost for 5 days...!