"No. That won't help."

It was at that moment—

Tzzt, tzzt.

Tempah's shattered jaw, hanging limp on the floor just moments ago, began to reassemble itself. Bone fragments shifted back into place on their own, and fresh flesh rose to fill the gaps. It wasn't long before the injury was nearly fully healed.

"…Just leave him."

He really was a monster—this man.

A short while later, Tempah opened his eyes from inside the massive prison cell built within Ark.

Thick iron chains wrapped around every inch of his body.

They wouldn't do much, of course. But the players of Ark had wrapped him in them anyway—as a last line of defense, a bare minimum measure of safety.

The moment he opened his eyes, Tempah asked,

"…I lost, huh."

Jhin nodded.

"Hah. The world really is a big place."

"But more importantly… what exactly are you after?"

"Hm?"

"I mean, why the hell did you pick a fight all of a sudden?"

There was a curious look in Jhin's eyes as he stared at Tempah. And understandably so—this man… his soul was peculiar.

Even putting aside the fact that he's not a malevolent spirit… this is the first time I've seen a soul this… good.

If it had been an evil spirit, he would've made sure to tear it apart completely—so it could never regenerate. Healing? No—he'd have been lucky to live.

But what Jhin saw with his Spirit Sight was something else altogether.

A soul not just white—but so white it was nearly translucent.

"Hm… You're not quite like the rumors said."

"Rumors?"

"I heard you kill anyone who rubs you the wrong way."

"Ah."

He must have heard the nonsense floating around from Nazoral. That bastard's rumors were never accurate, so a misunderstanding was understandable.

"That's a misjudgment."

"Hmm. Got it."

A short silence passed.

It was unclear if Tempah really understood, but Jhin didn't press any further.

Instead, he shifted the conversation.

"You said you cleared Hell difficulty."

"Yeah. That was a fun quest."

"…What was your ID in Exodia 1?"

Countless players flashed through Jhin's mind. Among them, he remembered a few oddballs who had gone for extremely skewed stat builds—just like this guy.

Like that idiotic saint who dumped every point into the hidden stat 'Divine Power' because she wanted to be the greatest healer. Morfin. Ranked 6th in Heaven Above Heaven.

Or the Wind Spirit Mage who thought the game's movement was too slow, so she dumped everything into Agility. Kel. Ranked 11th.

And there were others—full Strength, full Vitality builds. Eccentrics, all of them.

They were ridiculously specialized—weak in some ways but impossible to ignore. Especially in PvP, where they became nightmares.

Just like Tempah.

"I didn't play."

"…What?"

"I don't do computer games. They kill muscle gains."

Jhin let out a hollow laugh.

So this guy—he had no prior knowledge of the game at all, and still developed the textbook 'pure Strength' build—the optimal spec for Hell difficulty.

When he asked how he'd survived up to this point, the answer was even more absurd.

"I worked out."

"..."

"And I ate a lot."

His entire method of character training was just… working out. In a world overtaken by dungeons and monsters, all he had done was exercise, eat, and fight.

Well… in a way, it makes sense.

The more they talked, the clearer it became.

Tempah wasn't just odd. He was a man who'd walked completely outside the rules of common sense.

Why'd he put all his stat points into Strength? Because he wanted to lift heavier weights during his workouts.

Why'd he pick the Hell difficulty quest? Because he liked the word "Hell."

Even the way he became a player was bizarre.

Monsters suddenly appeared one day. So he beat the crap out of them. And that awakened his powers.

…It's actually kind of shocking. That someone can awaken without accessing the internet at all.

But how did an average person beat monsters to death bare-handed? It was absurd.

And yet… the man who had done exactly that was sitting right in front of him.

"You really are… a monster. In every sense."

"Haha, hearing that from you is kind of embarrassing."

At some point, Tempah had broken free from the iron chains binding his wrists. Now he was scratching his head, looking sheepish.

Jhin sighed quietly.

"I just have one more question."

"Shoot."

"That skill you used to fix your jaw… Unless I'm mistaken, that was a regeneration skill. Where'd you get it?"

"This thing? I got it after eating a bunch of those sharp-eyed, pig-faced bastards."

"…Yeah. That tracks."

Even after that, the two continued chatting for a while.

Eventually, Jhin stood up, looking visibly lighter.

Meanwhile.

In the Lizardman well, where frantic movements filled the area with noise, one man stood still—staring into a glowing crystal orb.

It was Fey. Or rather—Felix.

"What's the situation?"

—"There was some resistance from the healers, but we powerged to spread a large volume of spore virus into Sector 3."

"Oh?"

—"However, now that Kyle has appeared, we've gone silent for the moment."

"…Kyle is there?"

Felix let out a soft laugh of disbelief. That guy had been in a dungeon just recently. When did he powerge to return to Ark?

He moved like a phantom—appearing and disappearing as he pleased.

Even through the crystal orb, the voice on the other end carried concern.

—"Yes. That's why we're checking in. We wanted to know whether to proceed with the operation."

The original plan was simple: while the high-level players were away, they'd strike Ark with full force. Tear it up from within. So that when the players returned—they'd be greeted with despair.

But now? Kyle was already there?

—"What do we do? Should we go into hiding for now…"

"No. We continue the operation."

Felix's eyes glinted coldly.

"This is actually an opportunity. Unleash Trigger. Let chaos explode inside Ark. Keep Kyle so distracted he won't even have a chance to glance at the dungeons."

A cautious voice sounded from beyond the crystal.

—"But, Sir Felix… There's something odd."

"What is it?"

—"We heard that Kyle is… suddenly throwing a 'festival.'"

"…Festival?"

Felix stroked his chin thoughtfully.

A festival. At a time like this?

What kind of game was he playing?

"…It's a trap."

—"That's what we think too."

"But if we can pull this off… the benefits are too good to ignore."

He'd made his decision.

"If he's setting the stage, then we'll attend. You have full clearance. Make sure the operation succeeds."

—"Understood."