Clank- clank-

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

Screech- screech-!

Accompanied by the grating screech of metal, the train gradually slowed before coming to a complete halt.

Rattle-

As the doors slid open, passengers disembarked one by one, guided by the station attendant’s instructions.

The passengers’ luxurious attire and composed bearing exuded an unmistakable air of affluence.

Passersby near the station watched them with envious eyes.

At that moment, a man who disembarked next drew everyone’s attention—his haggard appearance starkly at odds with the refined atmosphere.

People regarded him with curiosity, but finding nothing particularly noteworthy, their gazes quickly scattered.

The Eastern Region residents, having wasted enough time gawking at the train, hurried on their way.

“Have a pleasant trip.”

Leaving the train attendant’s farewell behind, I set foot on the soil of Yukantar.

Crunch-!

As I stretched my arms, a satisfying series of cracks echoed through my body.

The stiffness that had settled into my muscles began to ease.

Spending twenty hours on a train was quite an ordeal.

I wasn’t particularly prone to motion sickness, but…

The perfumes favored by imperial citizens tended to be overwhelmingly potent, leaving my head throbbing.

Sssp-

Drawing in a deep breath, I caught the faint scent of sand carried on the cool breeze.

Geographically, Trivik sat between the boundary of the Herseba Desert—which sprawled across the southern continent—and the Regalavak Great Plains.

The western and northern regions bordered the Regalavak Great Plains.

The Eastern Region abutted the desert’s boundary line.

The south marked the true beginning of the desert, making it inhospitable for human settlement.

Perhaps because of this, the Eastern Region’s standard of living fell far below that of the other regions.

“Move it, move it!”

Neigh-!

“Airag for sale! Cold airag here!”

The bustling crowds.

The skittish animals.

The boisterous calls of merchants hawking their wares.

Even the vagrants, eyes gleaming at the sight of train passengers.

This gathering of humanity in all its variety, brimming with vitality—this was Yukantar, the Eastern Region of Trivik.

‘What a madhouse.’

Amidst the chaos, what caught my eye were the flags fluttering in the wind.

Flags of every conceivable size and shape.

Among them, the largest one—commanding everyone’s attention—bore the emblem of a figure mounted atop a horse.

Ahem-

Yuki appeared beside me, making her presence known—I hadn’t even noticed when she’d gotten off.

She loved flaunting her knowledge, and she wouldn’t miss an opportunity like this.

“That’s the emblem of Liberthan, the largest faction in the Eastern Region. They rank fourth in Trivik’s overall faction rankings, and the Liberthan Mercenary Corps is quite well-known even beyond Trivik’s borders.”

Besides Liberthan’s, several other flags bearing various designs fluttered before the train station.

In front of each stood scouts from their respective factions, eyes bloodshot with the hunger to recruit exceptional talent.

“Looking for strong champions to work the forge! We’ll even help with your blacksmith class change free of charge!”

“Sword and Shield, a faction with a promising future! Warrior-type champions are all welcome!”

Some offered conditions tempting enough to give one pause.

But given my current abilities, joining a faction would undoubtedly mean menial labor, so I paid them little heed.

My immediate priorities were a comfortable bed, a decent meal, and a bathhouse with hot water.

‘I’m starving.’

A gorureuk sound rumbled from my stomach—I’d lost count of how many days it had been since my last proper meal.

Unfortunately, there had been no such thing as meal service on the train.

It was the most intense hunger I’d felt since putting my life on the streets behind me.

Should I grab something to eat?

– Handmade airag, only 2 copper coins

My gaze drifted to the nearest street vendor, and as if on cue, a voice sounded beside me.

“Airag is a beverage made by fermenting animal milk. The original is made from buffalo milk, but given how cheap this is, they’ve probably substituted other ingredients.”

Buffalo or not, it didn’t matter as long as I could fill my starving stomach.

“Two airag, please.”

“Sure~ just a moment!”

The price was hardly steep, so I paid without hesitation.

“Oh, you’re buying for me too? I’ll enjoy it.”

‘I was planning to drink both myself.’

I paid and received the white-colored beverages.

One sip revealed a thickness I hadn’t anticipated.

An indescribable taste. My brow furrowed involuntarily.

“Not to your liking, is it? They probably skimped on the ingredients—didn’t even bother adding sugar or spices. If you want proper airag, you’ll have to go to the western district.”

Loath to waste money, I forced down the airag in one gulp, but Yuki couldn’t bring herself to drink it, offering only an awkward smile.

Anyone who could afford a train ticket must have had some means…

It was such a cheap, foul-tasting drink that I almost felt sorry for having bought it for her.

“Give it here.”

Gulp- gulp-

At this rate, the airag’s destination was going to be the trash. I took the cup from Yuki’s hand and downed it in one swig.

I’d paid for it with my own money, so there was no reason to hesitate.

Perhaps that sight tugged at someone’s heartstrings.

“Haha- Our airag is delicious, isn’t it? I’ll throw in another one for free—take this too!”

“Uh…”

Somehow, I’d achieved the dubious feat of downing three cups of airag in succession.

Yuki watched me with fascination.

Then she suddenly burst into laughter.

Puheup-

“…?”

Wondering what had happened, I glanced around, but Yuki’s laughter only grew louder.

“Hihi- Mr. Shin here is quite a peculiar person, I think.”

“What? Me?”

Peculiar? That was a first.

“Boarding the train so confidently in those clothes, and the way you are now… Not caring at all about what others think, living as you please—I find that incredibly enviable…”

I was slightly taken aback by Yuki’s words.

Those clothes?

They might have gotten a little dirty, but my ten-silver-coin linen shirt was a point of pride…

This was all because of those damned wild dogs.

If I wanted to salvage my fashion pride, the laundromat would have to be my first stop.

“Well, you’re already quite free-spirited as it is. Hihi-“

It sounded like an offhand remark, but it felt more genuine than anything else she’d said.

Our acquaintance had been brief, but Yuki had been a tremendous help.

Of course, I knew.

There was no way a woman like her would be this kind to someone like me.

It wasn’t narcissism—I could assess myself objectively.

My appearance was the very definition of ordinary.

Unwashed for days and looking disheveled, I was hardly charming enough to win over a beautiful woman at first glance.

I’d been keeping my guard up without making it obvious, but in this moment, I couldn’t help letting it down a little.

“Mr. Lee Shin, is there a faction that interests you? It’s much easier to get by in Trivik if you’re affiliated with at least one.”

“I plan to look around first before deciding. There’s no rush.”

Yuki was subtly trying to change the subject, and I played along naturally.

“Oho- Is that it?”

Just then, a man walked past us.

“…!”

At the sight of him, Yuki’s eyes gleamed as if she’d spotted prey.

The man was heading toward the green flag bearing Liberthan’s emblem.

Before it stood a hulking man clad in desert colored armor with a silver cloak draped over his shoulders.

A few people, seemingly interested in Liberthan, tried to approach him.

Thud-!

“Only those confident in their abilities, step forward.”

His words, punctuated by a stomp of his foot, made the crowd hesitate and fall back.

But the man pressed forward undaunted, brimming with confidence.

“I am Saite, a 2-Cost fighter.”

Fighter Saite.

That was the identity of the man who had caught Yuki’s eye.

“Fighter Saite is a 2-Cost champion who placed in a martial arts tournament hosted by Artemis. He’s still just a promising prospect, but with his exceptional talent, he’s already eyeing Gold-tier battlefields, they say.”

“Gold-tier?”

Gold-tier meant he was among the upper echelon of champions—a formidable fighter.

“What’s remarkable is that he’s not even a 1-cost, but a 2-cost. I suspect he’s here aiming for the Colosseum.”

Gold-tier and above battlefields did have 1-Cost champions, but not all of them were actually 1-Cost champions.

Many 2-Cost champions chose to participate as 1-cost, despite the restrictions that entailed.

It was a choice typically made by those who couldn’t compete within their own tier.

In other words, even a 2-Cost champion who’d been weeded out in competition was still stronger than the average 1-Cost champion.

The difference in mana efficiency was simply that significant—there was no helping it.

‘He looks young, though?’

Which made it all the more astonishing.

Fighter Saite had proven competitive among 2-Cost champions at a young age.

But how did Yuki know all this?

“Ahem- A scholar must always pursue knowledge, you know. The city I was in before was Artemis, so I just happened to remember.”

Yuki averted her gaze, perhaps embarrassed.

I sensed something beyond mere curiosity in her—a genuine passion.

‘If this were Earth, she’d be an… otaku?’

Contrary to Yuki’s assessment, the scout from Liberthan didn’t seem impressed with the talent before him.

“2-cost?”

The man’s expression soured.

“I believe I said clearly that only those confident in their abilities should step forward.”

Fighter Saite, who had stepped forward so confidently, appeared taken aback by the unexpected response.

“It seems my reputation hasn’t reached this far yet, but I—”

“Enough.”

A frigid atmosphere.

Even the surrounding pedestrians stopped to watch the scene unfold.

Was that really necessary?

From where I stood, I couldn’t understand it.

Whisper.

“There’s a rumor that the Liberthan Mercenary Corps—Liberthan’s main force—recently had an accident and lost most of their assets to penalty fees. They simply don’t have the resources to nurture prospects.”

Then if they weren’t going to recruit prospects, why send a scout at all?

“It’s a show of force for the other factions. Liberthan wouldn’t even glance at a 2-Cost champion! We’re still going strong!”

Looking around, I saw that scouts from various factions were indeed watching the spectacle, just as Yuki had said.

An innocent bystander had become collateral damage in the rivalry between factions.

“… …”

His pride wounded, but unable to challenge an entire faction alone, Saite swallowed the humiliation.

“Haha- No need to get so worked up.”

Just then, another man inserted himself between the two.

The newcomer radiated a feral energy, his body covered in scars that spoke of countless battles.

Emblazoned across his chest was a crest depicting a lotus flower and a clenched fist. The man pointed to it proudly as he introduced himself.

“We are the Azure Heaven Martial Faction^[note], ranked eighth in the faction rankings. Martial arts-type champions interested in joining a faction, come this way!”

Still nursing resentment from his earlier treatment, Saite made no secret of his hostility toward Liberthan.

“Good. A man should go where he’s needed. I’ll make them regret treating me so shabbily!”

“Haha- With that confidence, you’ll build your strength well in our faction!”

An ordinary faction would never dare make such provocative remarks in front of Liberthan, the ruler of the Eastern Region.

But the Azure Heaven Martial Faction was a rising power, experiencing explosive growth of late.

Even Liberthan’s scout said nothing, merely watching the exchange unfold.

The Azure Heaven Martial Faction was, after all, one of the factions that even Liberthan found troublesome.

Perhaps because they’d witnessed what had just happened?

After Saite, no one else stepped forward to stand before Liberthan’s flag.

Seizing the opportunity, those bearing flags of various other emblems began raising their voices.

People always on the hunt for talent to expand their factions.

The area before the train station still had many newcomers unfamiliar with Trivik, and perhaps they were swayed by the benefits being offered.

“Excuse me-“

“You’ve made the right choice. Please, this way!”

“Uh, um…?”

Large and small factions alike snatched up their prey like hyenas.

Most came up empty, but occasionally they unearthed a truly exceptional talent.

Since such discoveries could elevate a faction’s ranking, this had become a sort of recurring event timed to coincide with each train’s arrival.