Why did Yuki betray Jake Spencer?

There must have been a reason she approached me so deliberately…

I fiddled absently with my device. Then, I opened my mouth carefully.

“Then what will happen to Yuki’s punishment?”

“If Yuki Beta is connected to player Hans’s death, she would have to face appropriate judgment. However, I have yet to find any evidence.”

The fact that Ariel—who had managed to identify Jake Spencer from nothing more than the residual mana at the crime scene—had been unable to find evidence was tantamount to saying that no evidence existed at all.

“If the crime cannot be proven, the Imperial Investigators would carry out punishment for any prior offenses she may have committed.”

After hearing Ariel’s words, I could vaguely understand why Yuki had come to Trivik.

Trivik was a city beyond the Empire’s reach. No Imperial Investigators operated here.

Crimes committed within Trivik could be dealt with internally, but even if someone with a criminal record entered from outside, the city had no authority to punish them for those prior offenses.

Trivik was, in essence, a kind of extraterritorial sanctuary.

Naturally, punishment would be possible if they requested cooperation from the Imperial Investigators, but Trivik’s leaders despised imperial interference so intensely that such a scenario was highly unlikely.

The reason Trivik maintained decent public order was simple: anyone who committed a crime within the city and was expelled would then have to face the Imperial Investigators waiting outside.

Thanks to this, even criminals kept their heads down while inside Trivik.

“I see…”

That was all the news about Yuki.

Whether to distance myself from Yuki or continue communicating with her—that choice was left to me.

It had been a somewhat uncomfortable conversation, but I still owed her my thanks.

“Thank you for resolving the case so quickly.”

“It was simply my duty.”

Ariel nodded expressionlessly.

The reason I hadn’t been taken into custody by Imperial Investigator Johanna on the day Hans died was also thanks to Ariel’s intervention.

I would likely need to rely on Ariel’s influence again in the future, so I needed to grow accustomed to her way of speaking…

But recalling what had just transpired, that wouldn’t be easy.

Ariel’s lips parted slightly, as if debating whether to say something.

I braced myself for whatever might come next, but her words caught me off guard.

“What kind of person was the Chasey Einthoven you met?”

“Chasey?”

Had I called Chasey’s name too familiarly?

Squirm.

A crease formed on Ariel’s forehead.

The form of address apparently didn’t sit well with her. I quickly corrected myself.

“Ms. Chasey Einthoven struck me as a rather thoughtful person.”

“I see.”

Ariel gave a slight nod, and her expression returned to its default state—utterly impassive.

‘She must dote on her younger sister.’

Judging from the reactions she had shown so far, Chasey clearly held a significant place in Ariel’s life.

It was Chasey who had arranged this meeting in the first place. Part of the price for teaching me the druid deck included a promise to find out how Hans’s case had been resolved.

Based on my first impression of Ariel, I had wondered whether even Chasey’s request would be enough to get proper information out of her.

Surprisingly, Ariel had been quite cooperative, and I was able to resolve most of my questions.

I would need to be more careful when discussing Chasey around Ariel.

Creak-!

“Did your conversation go well?”

As I stepped outside, Chasey, who had been waiting, approached me.

“Yes, it was a great help.”

The reason she had been waiting was straightforward.

Freud had contacted me last night to confirm that the faction member registration process had been completed successfully, which meant we had finally obtained the qualification to participate in private battlefields.

Chasey’s face was slightly flushed, clearly brimming with anticipation.

“Here you go.”

Chasey handed me a pale gray robe devoid of any pattern.

The robe came with a hood that could conceal my face if pulled low enough.

But since that alone wouldn’t provide complete concealment, I had already purchased two cheap masks from the market in advance.

I draped the thick robe Chasey had given me over my linen shirt.

“It’s quite warm, isn’t it?”

The insulation seemed superior for a garment of its thickness.

Chasey explained.

“It has a simple enchantment on it. It’s a spell that blocks external interference, so it should be able to ward off basic vision-related magic.”

Perhaps because it was a spell designed to block external interference, it apparently had the added benefit of maintaining a degree of warmth.

Someone could potentially use a skill to uncover our identities, so we were taking every possible precaution.

I ran my fingers along the hem of the garment. The fabric was as smooth as silk to the touch.

“How much does something like this cost?”

The material was incomparably more luxurious than my linen shirt, and with the enchantment on top of that, the price had to be considerable.

“Five hundred shillings per garment. Please take good care of it.”

“Five hundred shillings?”

A full five gold coins.

It was an outrageous price. No matter how enchanted the garment was, could it really cost that much?

The combined cost of the two robes Chasey and I were wearing was equivalent to the prize money for placing first in the Einthoven Private battlefield.

“Enchanters themselves are rare, so it can’t be helped. It’s made from Arachne Silk, so the material alone is quite expensive.”

“How long does the enchantment last?”

“They said it lasts about a month if undamaged. It’s quite remarkable that an enchanter of this caliber exists in Yukantar.”

They were practically highway robbers. A garment that could only be worn for a month costing five hundred shillings.

My determination flared. I resolved to squeeze every drop of value out of the private battlefields over the next month.

“So, where’s the first one?”

I hadn’t told Chasey the destination yet, so her face was filled with curiosity.

“Let me explain the plan.”

Shrrk-!

I pulled out a sheet of paper I had prepared in advance and unfolded it.

It was a rough map depicting Yukantar’s major buildings, purchased for a modest sum at the market.

Among the illustrations on the map, three locations were marked with circles.

Those circles marked the venues where private battlefields would be held over the coming week.

“First of all, the Arrow of the Blue Sky faction we joined has a low ranking, so we’re blocked by the rating restrictions at most private battlefields. These three locations are the only ones we can participate in this week.”

Chasey stared at me in surprise.

“This isn’t all of them? Are there really this many private battlefields being held in Yukantar?”

Unlike Luteran, where private battlefields were held only once or twice a week at most, the sheer number of them here astonished Chasey.

I shook my head and said.

“No, it’s not usually this many. A notice recently went out about the Garos Private battlefield opening. Perhaps in preparation for that, the frequency of private battlefields has surged dramatically over the past few days.”

“It must be because of the reward attached to the Garos Private battlefield.”

The de facto master of Trivik. The fact that Laurent Garos, leader of the rank-one Garos faction, had opened a private battlefield carried that much impact.

Naturally so, considering the grand prize for the private battlefield was a “Lowest-Grade Augmentation Body.”

“An augmentation body…? What is it that has everyone so worked up?”

It seemed Chasey knew little about augmentation bodies.

If Chasey, who had grown up under a Silver-tier player, didn’t know about them, it meant information about augmentation bodies hadn’t spread very far.

But it was a familiar concept to me.

‘To think augmentation bodies would exist in the battlefield too.’

An augmentation body could be considered a type of buff item that affected the entire game.

Boosting champions’ attack and defense, for instance.

Granting additional effects to synergies, or increasing gold income.

Because it offered tremendous advantages, an augmentation body held a value entirely distinct from item combination formulas.

If one could obtain an augmentation body, even the most talentless player could easily reach Silver Tier.

Chasey’s eyes gleamed.

“So it’s that remarkable?”

“More importantly, let’s focus on the private battlefields right in front of us for now.”

“All right.”

Chasey pouted slightly.

Beating out every player in Trivik to claim first place was nearly impossible.

It was premature to discuss a reward reserved solely for the winner.

Only eight players would advance to the main bracket.

Even now, players of all kinds were flocking in upon hearing rumors of the augmentation body, making it incredibly difficult just to place within the top eight out of hundreds.

Chasey would need to quickly master the Open Port strategy to prepare for the Garos Private battlefield.

I was no exception.

Unlike Chasey, who had three item combination formulas, I had none at all, making it even more difficult for me.

There was only one solution.

The private battlefield in the Western Region opening in twelve days. I had to obtain the first-place reward there—the item combination formula known as “Bramble Armor.”

But the rating requirement for the Western Region private battlefield featuring Bramble Armor was 100+.

That meant we needed to raise the Arrow of the Blue Sky’s ranking into the top 100 to participate.

With the Arrow of the Blue Sky currently ranked 988th, the road ahead was long.

Excluding the faction leader Phil Kruger and vice-leader Freud, the Arrow of the Blue Sky had no other members.

In practical terms, only Chasey and I could earn faction points.

I pointed to a spot on the map with my finger and said.

“The first battlefield is here.”

An underground gambling establishment located in the third alley of Yukantar’s commercial district. A 999+-tier private battlefield being held there was our first destination.

“Shall we go, then?”

Chasey tugged at my collar, her excitement palpable.

I offered no resistance and obediently set off, tucking the map away.

My heart was pounding just as much as hers.

***

Yukantar Commercial District, First Alley.

As the area where the most money flowed through Yukantar, ornate multi-story buildings lined the street.

The buildings housed various famous brands including Cheongma, and the well-dressed patrons exuded an air of leisurely affluence.

They strolled unhurriedly along the street, browsing shops to purchase whatever they needed.

As we passed through the main street of the commercial district, the buildings gradually grew shorter.

Yukantar Commercial District, Second Alley.

Single-story buildings crowded together in a tangled maze, making this area noticeably noisier than the one before.

The faces of people rushing about, carrying loads of various goods, were etched with exhaustion.

Ordinary residents bustled between stalls and vendors, searching for affordable ingredients.

Voices rose as people haggled over prices, leaving the street no moment of peace.

The mouthwatering aromas of street food diverted people’s steps.

As I passed by, clutching my growling stomach, the vibrant atmosphere of the street began to shift little by little.

Yukantar Commercial District, Third Alley.

The walls and fences of buildings along the street were covered in grime and indecipherable graffiti, while the ground was littered with broken bottles and various kinds of trash.

The people wandering the streets had glazed, unfocused eyes as if a screw had come loose in their heads, and thick cigarette smoke poured from the cigarettes clamped between their lips, filling the street.

Some were dead drunk, treating the street like their own living room as they tried to sleep.

Among all of this, the most incongruous sight was a garish signboard that clashed with the gray, dreary world around it.

Clack-!

As we approached, two large men blocked our path.

Without a word, Chasey and I displayed the Arrow of the Blue Sky emblem. One of the bouncers produced some kind of device from his coat and held it up to the emblem.

Ding-!

The bouncers stepped aside, opening the way once more.

Leaving the stares of vagrants roaming the street behind, Chasey and I descended the long staircase into the underground gambling den.

Beeeep- beeeep- beeeep-!

Faint singing drifted out from within.

We arrived at the entrance of the gambling den.

Creak-!

When the door opened, a lavish space revealed itself—one utterly at odds with the atmosphere outside.

Trickle- trickle-!

The sound of a roulette wheel spinning, dice tumbling, and cards being shuffled.

Thud- thud- thud-!

The sound blasting from the speakers made my heart pound in time with the beat.

The underground gambling den in Yukantar’s Third Alley—Paradise Profano.

This was where today’s private battlefield would be held.