After being pushed away by Xoxo, the Solaris A.I., Zane felt the scenery shift around him—the dark starry hall dissolved into an open field under the bright glare of the sun.

Crash!

His back slammed against the metallic wall. Groaning, he pushed himself up and scanned his surroundings. The towering, unfamiliar buildings and wide roads told him all he needed to know—he was inside Solaris.

He considered waiting for his teammates, but quickly dismissed the idea. The city was vast, and the chances of them appearing anywhere near him were slim.

Just as he was orienting himself, the familiar ding of the System echoed in his mind.

[Three Quests Still Pending! One Auxiliary and two Main Quests.]

"I know," Zane muttered. "Why were you offline all this time? Don't tell me you were scared of the city's A.I.?"

[Wrong. I've been online the whole time. For your next question—no, I wasn't afraid. I simply didn't want to reveal my presence. This A.I. is an unknown Atlantis construct, and their technology is centuries ahead of Earth's. Caution was necessary. For clarity: I entered an Incognito State.]

Zane smirked. "Too chatty. Anyway, that sounds like fear to me."

[Incorrect. I have infinite methods to defeat her.]

"Yeah, yeah. Moving on." He waved his hand. "You saw Xoxo transfer two files into my head, right? Since you were in incognito mode, you must've caught them. The problem is, they'll vanish the moment I step out of the city. Can you copy them?"

[Confirmed. Copy program initiated.]

Zane leaned against the wall and waited. A few seconds later—

[Copy successful!]

"Good. Now study that map, digest it, and chart me the most efficient route connecting all one hundred weapon fragments."

[Analyzing map…]

[Scanning current location…]

[Generating possible routes…]

[Completed.]

[Host is currently at the Southern Wall of Solaris.]

For two minutes, the System ran in the background. Then, more notifications flashed.

[Pathway established. To simplify navigation, a green line with arrow markers has been projected in Host's vision.]

In the next moment, a thick green line appeared in his sight, stretching ahead like a road in a virtual game.

Zane grinned. "Perfect. Just like playing a classic RPG. Thanks, System."

Pulling out his green card, he checked the ranking display. His eyes widened. "Shit! Rank 8 already?"

He quickly pieced it together. The jump must've come from slaughtering the two-star Triple-Headed Python—the card must have absorbed its core stone.

"So just one two-star core stone shot me this high, huh?" He chuckled, pleased. "If I'm already this far up, there's no need to waste time hunting beasts for rank. My priority is the hundred fragments of that prototype weapon the Atlanteans built."

With that thought, he straightened up, fixed his eyes on the glowing green path ahead, and began walking into Solaris.

Hours passed as he followed the endless trail of green arrowheads projected in his vision. Only then did he truly grasp the scale of the city. Vast, eerily silent, and utterly devoid of life—he hadn't encountered a single soul. No humans, no beasts. Only rows upon rows of towering cold buildings that loomed above him like watchful sentinels.

The further he went, the more he marveled at the work of Atlantis. The roads were paved with stone slabs so perfectly set they looked untouched by time, while the structures themselves hinted at technology and knowledge far beyond Earth's reach. For a moment, Zane felt as if he were walking through the future itself.

Eventually, the green line led him across a wide artificial river, its flowing waters shimmering unnaturally clear. The bridge alone was a masterpiece of design—sleek metal fused seamlessly with stone.

On the other side, he finally encountered movement: a group of freshers. Their coordinated attire immediately gave them away.

"The Glimmerveil Household," Zane muttered under his breath.

The Glimmerveils were ranked at the bottom among the great noble families, but they were still nobles—and they never let anyone forget it.

Their eyes locked onto him with open hostility. The hatred in their gaze was sharper now than before, almost palpable. Zane guessed the reason easily enough—his little "loan scheme" at the city gate had left a scar they weren't quick to forget.

He ignored them, brushing past their glares without so much as a word, and continued toward the massive building ahead—the very destination marked by the System's guiding arrow.

The nobles, however, trailed behind. None dared lift a hand against him; they all knew the punishment the green card would unleash if they struck first.

Inside, the nobles scattered quickly, rushing down the long white corridors in search of treasures. Zane hung back deliberately, letting them scramble about while he walked at a calm pace. He wasn't here for scraps—they could take all the shiny distractions they wanted.

As he passed room after room, their shouts echoed through the hall.

A sudden cheer rang louder than the rest.

"Haha! I'm rich!"

Curious, Zane stopped outside a chamber where a crowd had gathered. He glanced through the glass window—and even he couldn't help raising his brows.

Inside, small mountains of mana core stones glittered under the artificial light. Zane's eyes, sharpened by mana sight, instantly picked out their grades. Most were ordinary one-star cores, but scattered among them gleamed several precious two-star stones.

The yellow-haired youth erupted in wild laughter, shouting like a maniac about being rich, his voice echoing through the chamber and drawing every gaze toward him.

Yet, no one rushed forward.

Soran—the yellow-haired youth—froze mid-celebration, realizing his mistake as he felt the weight of those envious eyes boring into him.

"We already agreed. Finders keepers," he declared, voice sharp.

No one argued, though the jealousy was palpable. They were all from the same noble family, and besides, Soran's lineage granted him privileges that made others reluctant to contest him.

His gaze then snapped toward Zane.

Zane only shrugged and said flatly, "I'm rich, dude. Those little rocks don't interest me."

Satisfied with the response, Soran dismissed the others and strode forward to claim his prize. But as he neared the glittering pile, the Green Card in his possession pulsed and suddenly drew in the first cluster of core stones.

"Argh! This stupid thing!" he cursed, his excitement souring into frustration.

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