Time: May 1, 2032. 04:00 AM.
Location: Bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Special Prison "VOID."
When Kenji regained consciousness, the first thing he felt was the absence of Mana.
"Mana Drain Cuffs" were clamped around his wrists and ankles. This technology was brand new and incredibly expensive. It meant that over the last two years, the government hadn't just learned to defend itself; they had learned how to leash "Players."
The elevator descended deeper. The depth gauge on the display flickered: -5000 meters.
Standing beside Kenji were four armored S-Rank guards and the Warden—a short man with a face like a rat.
"Welcome, Number 666," the Warden sneered with disgust. "This is 'Void.' The endpoint of the game rules. There is only one way out of here—as a corpse."
Kenji yawned (though he was dizzy from the low oxygen).
"Two years..." Kenji said, leaning against the wall. "Humanity built a place like this and mastered all this tech in just two years? Impressive. If you had spent this much energy killing monsters, the world would be peaceful by now. But instead, you're busy locking each other up."
The Warden's face turned red.
"Shut your mouth! You aren't a hero here; you're a terrorist!"
The elevator stopped. The doors slid open.
They led Kenji down a long, damp, and dimly lit corridor.
Kenji looked at the "criminals" behind the bars.
He expected to see thieves or murderers. But...
There was no evil in the eyes of those lying in these cells. There was only Pain and Betrayal.
Cell 1: A young man with a burned face, missing an arm.
Kenji recognized him. This was the tank known as "Iron Wall."
Kenji's Analysis: "I remember. They talked about him on the news a year ago. He saved Osaka by blocking a 'Boss' attack with his own body. The government said they gave him a medal, didn't they? Why is he here?"
Then he understood. He didn't have his "Rare Shield" anymore. A Guild leader or some official must have confiscated his artifact and thrown him in here for "disobeying orders."
Cell 2: A young, beautiful woman whose hair had turned completely white.
This was the "People's Doctor." She was famous for healing the poor for free.
Kenji's Analysis: "Makes sense. Her free services were hurting the business of the 'Paid Guild Hospitals.' The easiest way to eliminate the competition was to frame the rival as an 'illegal practitioner' and lock her up."
Kenji laughed out loud. The sound echoed down the corridor.
"Amazing!" he shouted. "The government has assembled a real 'Dream Team' down here! The most honest, the bravest, and the most naive players... all in one place! You call this a prison? This is the 'Burial Ground of Truth'."
"Silence!" A guard struck Kenji in the back with an electric baton.
Kenji felt the pain (since his mana was blocked), but he didn't fall. He looked at the guard with such intensity that the man recoiled.
They took him down to Sector 9—where the most dangerous prisoners were kept.
They threw Kenji into a solitary cell.
Inside, sitting in the darkness, was a man.
He was in his 40s, with long, matted hair and an overgrown beard. Though his clothes were tattered, his gaze was sharp and proud.
This was Odin. Former S-Rank Strategist and founder of the "North Wind" Guild.
"New guest," Odin said in a calm voice. "Shadow, is it? I saw you on TV. You gave the government's 'puppets' (the NPCs) quite a beating."
Kenji stood up and dusted off his clothes.
"You're famous too, Odin. Declared a 'War Criminal' a year and a half ago during the 'Defense of Tokyo' for disobeying a general's wrong order and saving your own men. Correct?"
Odin smiled bitterly.
"You have a good memory. Yes. I refused to send my entire squad to their deaths just to save the general's 'golden boy' son. As a result... here I am."
Kenji approached the bars and gestured to the other cells.
"Is everyone here like that?"
"Almost," Odin replied. "The kid over there—'Laser Eye.' He stopped a Parliament member's son from raping a girl. The MP had him arrested for 'assaulting a civilian'."
"The girl in the far cell—'Poison Thorn.' She found the black ledgers of corrupt officials."
Kenji punched the wall.
"So, monsters rule the outside, and rats rule the inside."
"This system is rotten. It can't be repaired. It has to be destroyed."
Odin looked at Kenji scrutinized him closely.
"What are you planning to do, Shadow? There's no way out of here. We are underwater. Mana doesn't work."
Kenji smiled.
"If Mana doesn't work, Intellect does."
"And one more thing... Odin, you've been sitting here for a year and a half. Do you know who is downstairs... on the lowest level?"
Odin's expression changed. He lowered his voice.
"Sector X."
"Yes, someone is down there. We haven't seen him, but the guards are afraid to even speak of him. They don't call him a 'Monster.' They call him the 'Creator'."
"Rumor has it that two years ago, when the 'Black Day' began, the government found him first and hid him here. Because he... is the only person who knows how this game works."
Kenji nodded.
"The Admin. An old acquaintance of mine."
Kenji sat in the corner of the cell and closed his eyes.
"Don't worry, Odin. We're getting out of here."
"But we aren't just escaping."
"We are going to open this 'dungeon' and unleash the 'prisoners' inside... or rather, the True Heroes."
"Just imagine, Odin. If 500 resentful, S and A-Rank 'criminals' suddenly walk free... what will the Japanese government do?"
In Odin's eyes, a spark of hope and vengeance—extinguished for years—reignited.
"They... they will simply weep."
At that moment, Kenji's Inventory (which, despite the mana cuffs, was controlled via his mind) signaled.
Laylo and Kaito had begun the operation.
[System Message: External Interference Detected...]
[Source: Sea Monsters...]
Kenji bared his teeth in a grin.
"The fishing trip has begun."