After settling the bill, I stepped back out onto the street.

My next destination was the private battlefield.

But first, I needed to change my clothes.

Shing-!

Slipping into a restroom to avoid prying eyes, I unzipped my backpack.

I pulled out the robe and mask I had stowed inside.

Flutter-

Draping the robe over my linen shirt, a warm, soft texture enveloped my body.

Clack-

Next, I placed a fox-shaped mask over my face.

That completed my preparations.

Some might think I was an attention seeker, but it was better than having my identity exposed and falling into danger.

With that thought in mind, the moment I stepped outside…

“Huh? It’s Hans from the Arrow of the Blue Sky.”

A person I ran into right in front of the restroom recognized me.

“…?”

I was taken aback.

I had only ever worn this outfit while active in Yukantar; I never expected someone to recognize me here.

‘Who is this?’

His face did seem somewhat familiar, though.

“Wait, weren’t you operating in Yukantar? I came all the way up to the northern region to avoid you on purpose, so why are you here?”

Thinking back, he seemed to be one of the players from a private battlefield I had participated in.

At his words, the surrounding crowd’s attention converged on us.

Not good.

Since I was trying to operate quietly, drawing people’s interest would only lead to negative consequences.

Running into someone I was personally acquainted with here was a stroke of bad luck.

“You’ve got the wrong person.”

I needed to slip away quickly.

“These clothes, this mask. They’re exactly the same.”

But there was no way he’d believe me, and the guy stubbornly stuck to my side.

Judging by his behavior, he was definitely a champion-origin player.

He possessed absolutely zero manners.

“Can’t you just give me a little hint about what deck you’re running this time? I came all the way here, I need to at least break even.”

“Don’t follow me.”

Since he was speaking so casually, I had no choice but to drop my formalities as well.

I drew a clear line, but the guy completely disregarded it and acted nonchalant.

“I’m just heading to the private battlefield too, why are you being so sensitive?”

He emphasized that he wasn’t following me, but our destination was simply the same.

It was obviously an excuse, but I didn’t want to waste time bickering over it.

Phew-

I let out a deep sigh inwardly.

Wasn’t everyone’s attention being drawn to us because of this guy?

“What item combination formula do you have to build such a strong deck?”

Seriously, to lack even this basic level of etiquette.

If he had asked another player this question, it could easily be taken as a challenge to a fight.

I looked at him, wondering if he was trying to get under my skin on purpose, but he wore an expression completely devoid of thought.

‘How did a guy like this become a player?’

For a ruffian like him to obtain player qualifications…

Looking at it another way, it meant he was highly likely to be an outstanding champion.

That overbearing behavior probably stemmed from confidence in his own abilities.

My real body was far too frail; if it came to a fight, I’d be the one taking the loss.

‘Let’s settle this in the battlefield.’

“Players are so stingy, I swear. Wouldn’t it be great if we all just shared information with each other?”

I arrived at my destination with this muttering baggage still attached to me.

[Toros Construction Company]

The host of this private battlefield was a place called the Toros Construction Company, located in the northern region.

Who organized it wasn’t the important part.

The reasons for hosting a private battlefield varied, and a player simply had to participate and prove their skill.

“Welcome.”

An employee stationed in front of the building greeted me.

“May I see your player Emblem?”

Following the employee’s instruction, I operated my device and displayed the emblem signifying my player status.

“Confirmed. Thank you for participating in this Toros Private battlefield.”

He then glanced behind me and asked,

“Is the person behind you also part of your party?”

“No.”

Seeing my chance, I tried to shake off this annoying piece of baggage.

“Hey! I’m a player too. Look, look right here.”

But as the guy tailing me flashed his player credentials,

“Ah, I apologize.”

The employee bowed his head in apology and guided us together as a group.

“Please follow me.”

From the employee’s perspective, there was no need to guide customers with the same destination separately.

“Hehe- Let’s go together.”

My attempt to ditch the dead weight had ultimately failed.

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand why he was trying to cling to me.

Champion-origin players rarely had extensive connections; he probably wanted to get close to me to exchange information.

In fact, it was common practice for champion-origin players to form communities and share information.

It seemed he wanted to pull me into his community.

Having faced me directly, he must have realized my skills were exceptional.

But it was just a nuisance to me.

There wasn’t much battlefield knowledge I could gain from others.

If there was any benefit, it would be the strong combat capabilities of champion-origin players?

Becoming friendly with guys who could throw a punch might offer me some degree of personal protection.

Even so, I had absolutely no need for a community right now.

While I was with Chasey, I had the formidable protection of the Adjudicator Ariel.

“Wow, look at that- Must’ve made a lot of money? Fancy.”

Even on the way to the waiting room, the guy kept running his mouth.

His remarks drew the stares of the people visiting the company, and I felt embarrassed for no reason just standing next to him.

“There’s even a map?”

A map?

I had been walking while ignoring him, but his words piqued my interest, making me turn my head.

Maps were inherently hard to come by, so it was best to look at one whenever the opportunity arose.

‘That’s…’

Just as he said, a map of the 3rd Plains of Solar hung on the wall.

Some of the buildings were colored in vibrant hues.

Seeing my interest in the map, the employee chimed in with an explanation.

“This is a status map showing which buildings our Toros Construction has built. In this district, there’s hardly a place untouched by our hands.”

Among the buildings Toros participated in, completed ones were marked in green, while those in progress were marked in yellow.

Just as the employee said, most of the 3rd Plains was dyed in yellow and green.

“Impressive.”

This kind of promotion was one of the reasons for hosting a private battlefield, so I should humor him to some extent.

“Haha, not at all.”

The employee, seemingly full of company loyalty, smiled with satisfaction.

In high spirits, he began explaining the company’s operations.

I offered perfunctory responses as we arrived at the player waiting room.

“Here we are.”

There were four people already seated in the player waiting room.

They were also players who had come to participate in the private battlefield.

Scanning the room, my gaze stopped on one particular spot.

‘What is that?’

I was stunned.

No, you wouldn’t be human if you saw that and weren’t shocked.

“Hm?”

As the waiting room door opened, everyone’s attention focused on us, and the guy I had been staring at looked our way.

‘He is a player, right?’

A bandit’s beard grew wildly across his face, and his unwashed hair was matted into clumps.

His waist was as thick as a log, and his muscular physique created an uncanny sense of dissonance that made it hard to see him as human.

Was that really a person?

Rattle-

The guy stood up from his seat as if he had spotted something.

It wasn’t apparent while he was sitting, but once he stood, it became clear.

A height reaching nearly 3 meters.

His head came dangerously close to brushing the ceiling.

I wasn’t short by any means, yet I had to crane my neck far back to look up at him; he boasted a massive frame.

Thud- thud-!

Heavy footsteps echoed with every step he took, and my body tensed the closer he got.

His appearance was reminiscent of the Cave Troll I had seen in the battlefield.

His gaze briefly flicked toward me before he scratched his head vigorously and walked past.

Then, he offered a cheerful greeting.

“What is it, Soryu?”

In contrast to his alien appearance, his voice was surprisingly normal.

“Yeah, long time no see, Melchapin.”

The two exchanged friendly greetings.

It seemed he was acquainted with the guy who had been following me.

‘Melchapin, huh…’

It wasn’t an Imperial name.

Judging by his appearance and name, he was clearly of a different race, though I couldn’t tell exactly what bloodline he had.

The man called Melchapin grumbled at Soryu.

“What are you crawling all the way to Solar to feast on now? You should’ve stayed put in Yukantar, knowing your place.”

Despite his words, his voice carried a tone of genuine gladness.

Soryu, the man who had followed me, shot right back.

“You think I came because I wanted to? I ran away to avoid a bastard destroying the ecosystem, and lo and behold, he followed me all the way here.”

“Who’s that?”

“Are your eyes just for decoration? He’s right behind you.”

At Soryu’s words, Melchapin looked at me.

A sharp gaze.

I felt an inexplicable sense of intimidation, but since my face was thoroughly wrapped in a mask, I didn’t let my stiff expression show.

Melchapin spoke.

“Someone you know?”

“No, I first saw him at the last private battlefield. Ran into him by chance on the way here.”

Hearing Soryu’s words, the man’s eyes filled with curiosity.

“Is this guy a champion-origin too?”

“I don’t know, why don’t you ask him?”

‘This isn’t even backbiting, what are they doing?’

They were openly talking about me while I was right there, which needlessly soured my mood.

Feeling like a victim of a random mugging.

Their voices were so loud that the other people’s attention was drawn to them as well.

Leaving their conversation behind, I took a seat at an empty table.

There was no reason to feel intimidated since I wouldn’t be throwing fists here anyway.

Swish-

Once seated, I gestured to the employee.

The employee, who had been fretting over whether something might happen, hurried over.

“Yes, how may I help you?”

“Do you happen to have a guidebook?”

“One moment, please.”

As if he had been waiting for this, the employee pulled a bundle of paper bound in hardcover from his coat.

Swish-

“This is the guidebook containing information about this battlefield. Please take a look, and let me know if you have any questions.”

[Toros Private Battlefield Guidebook]

To achieve good results in a private battlefield, it was best to determine the direction of your deck in advance to some extent.

Well, there was no need to examine it too seriously.

I hadn’t expected an Irregular-level player to be in a 999+ tier private battlefield.

I should just set a rough direction and start.

Just as I was about to open the first page of the guidebook…

Thud-!

A thick hand came down on top of the guidebook.

It was covered in a dense growth of black hair, making it look more like the hand of some beast than a human.

Sidelong look.

I had to look up for quite a while before I met the guy’s eyes.

“Are you a champion-origin too?”

Rude.

Not feeling it was worth a response, I spoke in a low voice.

“Take your hand off.”

Hearing my reply, the guy looked baffled.

Then he looked back and said.

“Soryu, you’re not friends with this guy, are you?”

“You could become friends. Don’t fight.”

Melchapin’s and my eyes clashed, and the players in the waiting room focused their attention, wondering if a fight might break out.

The guy seemed dissatisfied about something, but he quickly averted his eyes and took a step back.

If there was a reason, it was probably because he was mindful of the guy named Soryu who had followed me.

But I found this whole situation distasteful, and my irritation flared.

Just as I was about to say something, Soryu intervened.

“Hey, if you’re going to fight, go to the Colosseum. What are you doing before even entering the battlefield?”

“Tch, something about him pisses me off. I’ve never seen a guy who hides his face like this be anything but a coward.”

You know the type of person.

The kind where from the very first meeting, you think you and this person just won’t get along.

The emotion he felt looking at me seemed to be the same as the one I felt looking at him.

Lacking strong self-control, I couldn’t help but open my mouth instinctively.

“You’d be better off hiding your face too.”

Shrrk-

Leaving that quiet remark behind, I tuned him out and opened the guidebook.

“What…?”

The guy pondered what I meant for a moment, and realizing the implication, his face flushed belatedly.