Clank- clank-

The magitech train, exhaling pure white steam, pulled into the station.

“Ooh— so cool.”

The little boy holding his mother’s hand sparkled with wonder, and even his parents, who should have been keeping him in check, stared at the train as if bewitched.

“Please step back!”

The station attendant pushed the crowd back, preparing for any potential accidents.

Clank- clank-!

Kki-i-i-i-

The train slowly decelerated, letting out the grating screech of metal against metal.

This was a magitech train, a sight usually only found in cities of considerable size.

Chatter- chatter-

As departure time approached, the station bustled with crowds.

Most of them were onlookers who had come simply to see the magitech train, the new attraction of the Artemis region.

The train, which had slowly rolled in along the tracks, came to a complete halt.

Hiss-!

As if announcing it was ready to receive passengers, all the doors slid open simultaneously.

The moment the doors opened, the waiting passengers boarded one by one, while the children who had only come to watch gazed at them with envious eyes.

“Huu-“

Watching the scene, I let out a deep sigh before boarding the train.

Perhaps because winter was approaching, a faint wisp of breath escaped my lips and quickly dissipated.

‘I’ve finally made it this far.’

After Hans’s death.

Fearing the potential threat of assassins, I had hastily fled Luteran at dawn that very day.

It was a long journey that meant a continuous cycle of life and death for ordinary people.

Avoiding the plunderer champions along the way was pure luck.

But thanks to the damnably vast expanse of the Empire, it took me a full half a month just to reach the nearest city.

My precious linen shirt was utterly caked in dirt and dust.

Last night, getting attacked by a pack of wild dogs and rolling around on the ground had not been a pleasant experience.

Fortunately, they didn’t seem to want my flesh and blood badly enough to break through my Solid Exoskeleton; after struggling and whining for a while, they ran away.

Because I had overused my skills, I suffered from Mana Exhaustion for the first time yesterday and even passed out.

Having collapsed defenseless on the roadside, I was found this morning by a group of merchants traveling between cities, narrowly avoiding becoming a snack for wild animals.

The merchants, who had displayed such friendly smiles, demanded ten Silver Coins as a “service fee” the moment we arrived in the city. When their champion escort glared at me, I had no choice but to swallow my tears and pay up.

Here, I had two options.

One was to find lodging, enjoy a warm bath, wash my dirty clothes, and take a leisurely rest.

The other was to board the Artemis magitech train, which ran once a week and was departing soon, to head to a more distant region.

Between these two contrasting options, I chose the latter.

The ticket booth selling train tickets displayed prices that made my jaw drop.

Having arrived late with no other options, I had no choice but to purchase the most expensive ticket with trembling hands.

Beeeep- beeeep-

“It’s already here?”

Seeing the train pull into the station right after I bought the ticket, I hurriedly made my move.

But perhaps because I hadn’t lined up early,

“Excuse me, coming through!”

As the train entered the station, the attendant pushed the crowd back for safety.

Since my destination was the train entrance, pushing against the crowd moving in the opposite direction was a difficult task.

“The train is departing shortly! Passengers who have not yet boarded, please hurry and board the train!”

“Uwaah-!”

Somehow breaking through the human barrier, I could finally make out the face of the man wearing the black station attendant’s cap.

“Confirmed. Have a pleasant journey!”

After showing my hastily purchased ticket to the attendant and letting out a sigh of relief, I finally set foot on the Artemis magitech train.

Fwoosh-!

As I stepped inside, a comforting warmth brushed against my skin.

Perhaps because it was a premium cabin, a heating system was running inside the train, making me feel as if lubricating oil had been applied to my creaking body.

Flop-!

“Phew-“

I slumped into an empty seat as if collapsing into it, and only then did a sense of relief wash over me.

I rubbed my eyes and dryly washed my face with my hands.

Not having had a proper night’s sleep in days, my eyelids had grown incredibly heavy.

“Excuse me…”

Flinch.

Someone spoke to me.

Highly on edge, I flinched in surprise and snapped my head up.

A black-haired woman stood there.

She looked as though she had just reached adulthood, not quite having shed her youthful aura.

With fair skin, red lips, and long, jet-black straight hair, she stared at me with an uneasy expression.

“Um, could you please move your feet?”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

It seemed my outstretched legs were blocking the aisle.

As I corrected my posture, the woman took the empty inner seat.

Then, hugging the bag she had been carrying, she gazed out the window.

I watched her for a brief moment before quickly losing interest and slowly surveying the interior of the train.

‘There are quite a lot of people.’

I didn’t know the details, but rumor had it that a new rail line had opened after the player ruling the Artemis region achieved Gold Tier.

Although the train service had been running for less than a year, many people were already using it despite the steep prices.

The train tickets varied in price depending on the cabin class, but this premium cabin, the most expensive, cost 200 Shillings per person.

It demanded an outrageous ticket fee equivalent to two whole Gold Coins.

The guide at the ticket booth stated that half of that amount went straight to the local lord.

How much money did they make every time the train moved?

It made the funds in my account, which I had thought were sufficient, feel pathetic.

Perhaps because the tickets were so expensive,

the people using the train were financially comfortable, and that atmosphere was perfectly reflected inside the cabin.

As I looked around, I occasionally made eye contact with people.

That was because my disheveled appearance, which starkly contrasted with the refined atmosphere, was drawing their attention.

In situations like this, avoiding eye contact was the best policy.

I crossed my arms and buried my face.

Choosing the train to escape potential threats was unavoidable, but

getting into trouble over my bottom-tier status as a 1-Cost Champion would do me no good.

“Huu-“

I had somehow acquired the qualification of a player, but nothing had significantly changed from before I obtained it.

Players only received proper treatment if they either held a high Tier or had formidable backing.

Looking at Hans, I could tell that the treatment a Bronze Tier player received was no different from that of an ordinary person.

A player originating from a champion, and at the lowest Bronze Tier no less, belonged to the absolute lowest stratum even among players.

Still, a player was a player; it was better than being a mere 1-Cost Champion, but it wasn’t something I could go around boasting about.

I had never heard of anyone becoming a player through the same method I did.

If this fact were to be revealed… it probably wouldn’t end well.

From Hans’s death, I realized many things.

Even if I had the ability to succeed as a player, I was powerless against an immediate blade.

Therefore, what could protect my life was not a Player’s Tier, but my own strength.

And strength didn’t simply mean physical force.

Accumulating gold to purchase higher-grade skills, and raising my Tier enough to stand confidently before others.

Increasing my value was the only way for someone like me, who couldn’t properly manipulate mana, to gain power.

Through Hans, I knew that the knowledge I possessed actually worked.

But finding someone who would trust me and reward me was nearly impossible.

In that regard, Hans was an anomaly, but sadly, he was no longer here.

I fiddled with the Device on my left wrist.

‘I’ll definitely pay him back later.’

Once I gain enough power. I won’t be running away like this anymore.

My immediate goals were to raise my player Tier to Silver and learn a 2-star skill.

Between the two, the easier one to achieve, contrary to popular belief, might be reaching Silver Tier.

Just reaching Silver Tier as a player was enough to receive proper treatment.

The prestige of Silver Tier carried enough qualification to pioneer and manage one’s own territory, provided one had sufficient funds and foundation.

Of course, growing a territory like the Einthoven family, the lords of Luteran, would be difficult.

But simply holding an equal qualification meant I could live without being arbitrarily looked down upon wherever I went.

Bringing up my other goal—learning a 2-star skill as a champion—might be premature at this point.

Since I couldn’t sense mana, the only way for me to learn a 2-star skill was through a skill book, and that required a massive amount of gold.

Still, having saved the 500 gold that would have been spent on purchasing player qualifications, I could consider the timeline for buying a skill book moved up.

They call it a blessing in disguise.

I had fled Luteran as if driven out by the potential threat of assassins, but unlike my hazy past, a clear hope had emerged.

That must be why I could ride a magitech train so beyond my means like this.

In reality, everything I was doing right now could just be a futile act driven by my megalomania.

It was entirely possible that no one actually cared about me, and Hans was simply a victim of a crime committed over a combination formula.

But there was a saying I had picked up somewhere while living on the streets.

‘If you get a bad feeling, don’t do it.’

I had actually witnessed with my own two eyes a guy lose his hand for ignoring this advice and trying to pickpocket a passing champion, so it was a phrase etched clearly in my mind.

That’s why I couldn’t help but overreact.

Seeing Hans’s corpse had sent a chill down my spine so intense it left me freezing.

The marks of torture left on his body.

He wasn’t the kind of guy to make enemies anywhere, so the brutality was excessive if they were simply after a combination formula.

While a combination formula had value,

it was hard to believe it was worth killing Hans, who was slowly making a name for himself in Luteran.

Then were they truly after the information?

That was the only conclusion I could guess.

Did the Hardcore Assassin deck strategy hold that much value?

Even I hadn’t anticipated what kind of butterfly effect the small piece of information I shared with Hans would trigger.

‘I don’t know.’

Anyway, I currently lacked the ability to get closer to the truth.

Hans’s death was an incident connected to the Einthoven family, the rulers of Luteran, so they would undoubtedly be proactive in solving the case, if only to save face.

Therefore, all I could do was pray that the assassin would be caught quickly.

Thud-!

The train doors closed.

It seemed departure time had arrived.

Hiss-!

“The train is departing. Everyone, please step back!”

The voice of the station attendant, sweating as he controlled the crowd, faded into the distance.

Kki-i-i-

Along with the unpleasant screech of metal, the scenery outside the window began to slowly change.

Clank- clank-!

Leaving the city behind, the train gradually picked up speed and moved rapidly toward its destination.

– This train is bound for Trivik. Passengers are advised to refrain from using mana inside the train for safety reasons.

Estimated time of arrival: 20 hours.

As I stared blankly at the passing scenery, perhaps my tension eased, and my eyes began to drift shut.

‘Nothing should happen. I’m on a train, after all.’

Because of that, I didn’t notice.

“Shieldbearer Lee Shin…”

The fact that there was a gaze continuously fixed on me.