The afternoon sun hung high above the sprawling desert metropolis of Nendu.
Even from the city's Inner Rim, the distant sandstone towers shimmered beneath waves of heat rising from the ground. Countless players moved through the broad stone streets carrying crates, weapons, and supplies while NPC merchants loudly advertised everything from enchanted canteens to desert survival kits.
Unlike the Town of Beginnings, Nendu never truly slept.
It was the central hub of Floor Two.
A city built upon trade, exploration, and opportunity.
Ryota slowly stepped through one of the city's massive gates with Ramos walking faithfully beside him.
The elderly NPC adjusted the straps of the backpack resting against his shoulders before looking around with amazement.
"...It's even busier than Versoza."
Ryota smiled.
"It really is."
He looked around the bustling streets.
"So this is where Rio wanted me to start."
The image of Rio handing him the map inside the guild headquarters resurfaced in his mind.
"South of Espana Village."
"Along the Sandy Oasis."
"Scout the hidden dungeon."
"Knowing your luck..."
"You'll probably find the rare item."
Ryota scratched the back of his head.
"...She really has a lot of faith in my luck."
Ramos chuckled.
"After everything I've seen..."
"I do too."
Ryota laughed.
"...Please don't jinx it."
The two continued walking through the crowded streets.
Their destination was the train station situated on the eastern side of the Inner Rim.
Although players could technically walk all the way across Floor Two...
Doing so would take hours.
The desert railway connected the Inner Rim directly to the Outer Rim settlements, making travel significantly faster.
It was the safest option.
As they approached one of the wider crossroads—
THUD.
A firm pat landed against Ryota's shoulder.
Ryota instinctively turned around.
"...Huh?"
Standing behind him was a familiar young man with short dark hair and a relaxed smile.
Ryota blinked.
"...Fayzan?"
The young swordsman laughed.
"Took you long enough to recognize me."
Ryota immediately smiled.
"It's been a while."
The two clasped forearms in greeting before lightly bumping shoulders.
Fayzan laughed.
"I didn't expect to run into you here."
His eyes quickly looked around.
"...Wait."
"Where's Rio?"
Ryota shrugged.
"Busy."
"Busy?"
"Paperwork."
For several seconds—
Fayzan simply stared.
Then he burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"I knew it!"
Ryota looked confused.
"What?"
Fayzan wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
"My brother's exactly the same."
Ryota tilted his head.
"...Elias?"
Fayzan nodded while letting out another laugh.
"Ever since the merger..."
"He's practically imprisoned inside the guild headquarters."
Ryota chuckled.
"That bad?"
"You have no idea."
Fayzan dramatically imitated someone drowning beneath stacks of paper.
"Meeting after meeting."
"Financial reports."
"Guild restructuring."
"Department assignments."
"Member transfers."
"He barely gets to explore anymore."
Ryota couldn't help laughing.
"...Sounds familiar."
"Rio's exactly like that right now."
"I left the headquarters this morning."
"She was already buried beneath paperwork."
Fayzan crossed his arms.
"I guess becoming a guild leader isn't as glamorous as everyone thinks."
Ryota nodded.
"Definitely not."
For a brief moment—
the two simply laughed together.
Then Fayzan's expression became slightly more serious.
"...A lot's changed."
Ryota nodded.
"It has."
Fayzan glanced toward the enormous city beyond them.
"Eternity Lions..."
"...isn't really Eternity Lions anymore."
Ryota quietly listened.
Fayzan sighed.
"After the merger with Burning Pride and Dark Wing..."
"...everything became bigger."
"Bigger headquarters."
"Bigger budget."
"Bigger raids."
"Bigger responsibilities."
He smiled bitterly.
"...We're officially considered a Super Guild now."
Ryota remembered Rio mentioning it before.
The triple merger.
The shareholder decisions.
Kiraya leaving.
Everything that followed.
"...Congratulations."
Ryota said sincerely.
Fayzan smiled.
"Thanks."
Then scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"...Honestly?"
"I'm still getting used to it."
Ryota understood.
A guild changing overnight...
Wasn't easy for anyone.
The conversation paused.
Then Fayzan finally noticed the older man quietly standing beside Ryota.
"...Oh."
"I've been talking this whole time."
He politely bowed his head.
"My apologies."
Ryota smiled.
"Right."
"This is Ramos."
"My traveling companion."
Ramos immediately straightened his posture.
He bowed respectfully.
"...It's an honor to meet you."
"My name is Ramos."
Fayzan smiled warmly before waving.
"Nice to meet you."
"I'm Fayzan."
Ramos nodded happily.
"I've heard good things about you."
Fayzan blinked.
"...Really?"
Ramos nodded enthusiastically.
"Lady Rio speaks highly of the friends she trusts."
Fayzan looked genuinely surprised.
"...She does?"
Ryota laughed.
"She won't admit it directly."
"But yeah."
Fayzan smiled.
"...That's nice to hear."
Silence settled briefly between the three.
Eventually Fayzan asked,
"So..."
"What brings you to Nendu?"
Ryota pulled the rolled-up map from his inventory.
"Dungeon scouting."
Fayzan's eyes lit up immediately.
"Oh?"
Ryota nodded.
"Rio gave me a location."
"I'm checking it out."
Fayzan folded his arms.
"Hidden dungeon?"
Ryota grinned.
"...Maybe."
Fayzan immediately laughed.
"I knew it."
"Only Rio would casually send someone to scout a hidden dungeon."
Ryota shrugged.
"Pretty much."
Ramos nodded enthusiastically.
"Lady Rio said there might be a rare item."
Fayzan's curiosity immediately grew.
"...Really?"
Ryota rolled the map back up.
"That's the hope."
A grin slowly appeared across Fayzan's face.
"...Sounds fun."
Ryota looked at him.
"...Want to come?"
The question surprised Fayzan.
"...Me?"
Ryota nodded.
"Sure."
"The more people we have..."
"...the easier it'll be."
"And honestly..."
He smiled.
"It'd be nice traveling with an old friend."
Fayzan looked genuinely touched.
Then laughed.
"...You know what?"
"Why not?"
He extended his hand.
"I'm in."
Ryota immediately grabbed it.
"Welcome aboard."
Ramos smiled brightly.
"The more people..."
"...the safer the journey."
Fayzan laughed.
"I like him already."
Ryota looked toward the distant railway station where another desert train slowly pulled into the platform.
Steam hissed from beneath its wheels.
Passengers began boarding.
He smiled.
"...Looks like we've got a train to catch."
Together—
Ryota.
Ramos.
And now Fayzan.
Made their way toward the station.
Completely unaware...
That this simple reunion...
Would become the beginning of another unexpected adventure.
The railway station of Nendu was far busier than Ryota remembered.
Massive sandstone arches stretched over the platforms while steam drifted from several locomotives waiting beneath the afternoon sun. Porters pushed carts piled high with cargo crates, merchants shouted over one another while advertising provisions for desert expeditions, and long lines of adventurers waited patiently to board the trains heading toward the Outer Rim.
Yet despite the familiar bustle...
Something felt different.
Ryota slowed his pace.
"...Huh?"
Ramos looked around as well.
"I was about to say the same thing."
The elderly NPC adjusted the straps of his backpack while scanning the station.
Armed guards stood at nearly every entrance.
More than Ryota had ever seen.
Uniformed railway security walked back and forth along the platforms, carefully checking passengers before allowing them through the boarding gates.
Even the cargo loading area was surrounded by guards carrying enchanted spears.
The atmosphere wasn't tense...
But it was undeniably stricter.
Ryota frowned.
"...Was it always like this?"
Fayzan chuckled.
"No."
"Not even close."
He folded his arms while watching another group of passengers have their bags inspected.
"This all started recently."
Ryota raised an eyebrow.
"What happened?"
Fayzan laughed as though the answer itself sounded ridiculous.
"Apparently..."
"...there was a train battle."
Ryota immediately looked away.
"..."
Ramos quietly looked at the ceiling.
"..."
Fayzan, completely oblivious to their reactions, continued.
"I'm serious."
"They say a bunch of players started fighting on top of one of the moving trains."
Ryota scratched his cheek.
"...Really."
"Oh, it gets better."
Fayzan grinned.
"According to the reports, some of them even broke into the cargo cars."
"There were explosions."
"Broken cargo."
"Destroyed containers."
"The railway company nearly lost an entire shipment."
Ramos coughed.
"...Sounds terrible."
"It was."
Fayzan nodded.
"They even had to stop the train halfway through the route."
"The whole incident caused such a mess that the railway company completely changed their security policy."
He pointed toward the entrance checkpoint.
"See that?"
Ryota followed his finger.
Several players reluctantly placed their weapons into enchanted storage lockers managed by station personnel.
One guard carefully checked each weapon before handing the player a numbered claim ticket.
"...Weapons aren't allowed anymore."
Ryota blinked.
"Seriously?"
Fayzan nodded.
"No swords."
"No bows."
"No spears."
"No visible combat equipment."
"Everything has to stay in storage until you reach your destination."
Ramos looked surprised.
"...That's strict."
"It gets stricter."
Fayzan pointed toward the glowing blue pillars positioned beside the boarding gates.
Thin streams of magical light connected every pillar together, creating an invisible barrier surrounding the station.
"Those are suppression pylons."
"They're enchanted."
"The moment you board..."
"...combat skills become unusable."
Ryota looked genuinely impressed.
"...They can do that?"
"Only inside the train."
"The enchantment suppresses active skills."
"No one can cast offensive abilities."
"No one can activate combat techniques."
"It doesn't stop passive skills..."
"...but anything that could start another train battle is completely sealed."
Ramos slowly nodded.
"...That actually makes sense."
Fayzan laughed.
"After what happened..."
"...the railway company wasn't taking any chances."
Ryota and Ramos quietly exchanged glances.
Neither of them said anything.
Because...
The train battle Fayzan was talking about...
Had been them.
Or more specifically—
The ambush carried out by Epsilon Dawn.
Ryota could still remember standing atop the speeding train as blades clashed beneath the blazing desert sun.
The explosions.
The collapsing cargo cars.
Rio firing her musket while balancing on the roof.
Sayanaki disappearing between the train cars like a phantom.
Looking back...
It really had been complete chaos.
"..."
Ryota awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
"...Well."
"...About that..."
Fayzan slowly turned toward him.
His eyes narrowed.
Then...
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"...Wait."
Ryota froze.
"...Hm?"
Fayzan pointed directly at him.
"So..."
"...I'm guessing that was you guys?"
Silence.
Ryota looked toward the sky.
Ramos suddenly became very interested in a nearby luggage cart.
Neither answered immediately.
Fayzan burst into laughter.
"I KNEW IT!"
Ryota couldn't help laughing as well.
"...Guilty."
Ramos sighed dramatically.
"...Very guilty."
Fayzan nearly doubled over laughing.
"I knew there was no way something that ridiculous happened without Rio being involved somehow."
Ryota raised both hands.
"To be fair..."
"We didn't start it."
"Epsilon Dawn attacked us first."
"Oh, I believe that."
Fayzan laughed.
"But somehow I also believe Rio probably made things ten times more dramatic."
Ryota thought for a second.
"...That's actually fair."
Ramos nodded seriously.
"Lady Rio has a unique talent."
"For attracting unbelievable situations."
The three shared another laugh.
Eventually they reached the boarding gate.
A station employee wearing a navy-blue railway uniform politely greeted them.
"Welcome."
"Weapons, please."
Ryota opened his inventory and withdrew his sword.
Fayzan placed his own weapon beside it.
Even Ramos surrendered the small utility knife hanging from his belt.
Each item was sealed inside an enchanted locker before they received matching claim tickets.
The attendant smiled.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
"Please proceed through the suppression barrier."
One after another they stepped through the shimmering blue curtain.
Ryota immediately felt something strange.
It wasn't painful.
Rather...
It felt as though a heavy blanket had settled over the flow of mana inside his body.
He instinctively tried activating a basic skill.
Nothing happened.
"...Weird."
Fayzan laughed.
"Told you."
"Combat skills won't activate until we arrive."
The train whistle echoed across the station.
Steam burst from beneath the engine.
Passengers began filing inside.
The interior looked surprisingly luxurious compared to the outside.
Soft upholstered seats lined both sides of the cabin while large windows provided an excellent view of the endless desert beyond.
Ryota chose a window seat.
Ramos sat beside him.
Fayzan dropped into the seat across from them.
Outside...
The platform slowly began moving.
Or rather—
The train did.
The station gradually disappeared behind them as the locomotive accelerated across the desert tracks.
Golden dunes stretched endlessly toward the horizon.
Rock formations passed by one after another.
The afternoon sun painted everything in warm shades of orange.
Fayzan leaned back comfortably.
Then grinned.
"...Alright."
Ryota looked up.
"What?"
Fayzan folded both arms.
"Start talking."
"...About what?"
"The train battle."
His grin grew even wider.
"I want the whole story."
"How ridiculous was it?"
"Were you really fighting on top of the train?"
"Did Rio actually shoot someone while standing on the roof?"
"Were the explosions as big as the rumors say?"
Ryota laughed.
"...Where do I even begin?"
The train continued speeding toward the Outer Rim.
As the vast desert rolled endlessly outside the windows...
Old friends laughed together once more.
And somewhere beyond those distant dunes...
Another adventure patiently waited for them.