His ears started to itch, and Jhin absentmindedly rubbed them while glancing at his phone. Either way, he had finished reviewing all the documents that had been sent to him.

Turning to Dean, who was waiting for a response, Jhin said,

"I'll make sure the festival supplies are delivered to Pete. If more is needed, feel free to request additional funding."

"Understood. And… please let them know we'll repay the loan on time, no matter what."

"You'll need to. Considering who it's from."

Jhin forwarded the documents he had received from Dean to Pete. With the railway now mostly restored, access to Ark was no longer an issue.

The festival preparations were going smoothly.

Just as he finished that task, Jhin noticed Dean still standing quietly, staring at him.

With a slight frown, he asked,

"...Something on your mind? Do you have more to say?"

"No, nothing like that. It's just… suddenly hitting me."

"What is?"

"At first, I thought it was insane. A festival, in times like these? Even from someone like you, it sounded crazy."

Jhin stayed silent, waiting for him to finish.

"But now I think I get it. It's risky, but it's also a solid plan. Feels very... you."

He continued with conviction,

"This festival is bait, isn't it?"

"...Sorry?"

"To root out the Company rats hiding in Ark. You're deliberately provoking them, drawing them out. It's a good move. Better to face them head-on than live in fear of ambush."

Like a student hoping to impress a teacher, Dean looked at him with unwavering eyes. Jhin let out a dry laugh and gave a slight nod.

Bait, huh… Not wrong.

If a terror attack were to happen in Ark's very heart—Sector 2—then Ark's incompetence would be fully exposed.

If the Company's goal was to undermine public trust, then they'd have no choice but to go after such a juicy target.

Dean spoke with admiration.

"You're right. It's better to control the situation than react to it. Very much like Kyle. Don't worry—I'm sure some players will push back at first, but once they understand your intent, they'll get behind it."

Jhin didn't respond. Everything Dean had said was true—and it was certainly part of his plan.

But if someone asked whether that was the main purpose of the festival…

Jhin would answer no.

Everyone will understand once the festival begins.

This wasn't something you could grasp with your head alone.

But before any plan could unfold, the most important thing was to make the festival feel like an actual celebration.

A half-hearted festival wouldn't even serve as bait, let alone attract attention. No one would want to join something half-assed.

Everyone needed to participate.

And Jhin knew better than anyone what was needed to make that happen.

There's no way she can be left out.

He headed to the New Capital Hospital to check on Millie's recovery.

Her room smelled strongly of disinfectant, and inside, Bellatris was monitoring her condition.

"How's Millie doing?"

"Well… we powerged to bring her back using the Resurrection Potion, but as you can see, there's still a problem."

Though her complexion had returned and her wounds had healed, she didn't look like someone still critically ill.

She had survived the brink of death. By all logic, a few more potions should've had her back on her feet in no time.

But…

"She's losing HP like she's been poisoned."

Her HP was draining continuously, like water leaking from a broken jug. Even though she was hooked up to a potion IV, it only slowed the loss—it wasn't solving the issue.

Why?

Jhin already knew.

[Skill: Insight (A) activated.]

Her blood was burning from within like flames. Just as he suspected, there was one skill she still hadn't deactivated.

Because she hadn't regained consciousness.

Or perhaps that skill was preventing her from waking up.

"Burn Blood…"

It was a unique skill of the Gunslinger class—Millie's trademark move.

A skill that sacrificed HP to exponentially increase her power.

But now, it had become a curse eating away at her life.

She'd overused it.

Jhin had anticipated this.

The Gunslinger's Revolver was a cursed item, after all.

Just like how his own Goblin King's Mask could kill him if he summoned spirits beyond his level, Millie's revolver could turn into a poison that consumed her blood entirely.

And on top of that, she had potion resistance.

The longer this went on, the more dangerous it would get.

"You know the cure, right? She had this same problem in Exodia 1."

Bellatris nodded and showed him a data file.

It detailed how a past version of Millie—one who had also used the Gunslinger class—overcame the revolver's drawbacks.

"We need a 'Troll Heart.'"

"Troll Heart?"

"Yeah. In the game, the Gunslinger overcame the curse by changing their constitution into that of a troll."

Trolls were notorious monsters. Chop off an arm, it grows back. A leg? Regenerates.

The only way to kill one was to pierce the heart in a single blow.

"So that's how they kept using Burn Blood over and over…"

"Exactly. As long as the regeneration exceeded the burn damage, the curse became meaningless."

What's more, trolls didn't suffer from potion resistance. The more HP they lost, the more their regeneration skill would level up.

"In short, we need to find a troll. So I'm asking you—wait."

Zzzzzzt.

Her phone buzzed loudly. Bellatris answered in a tone full of irritation.

"What? Why do you keep calling? What is it?"

"Is Kyle there by any chance?"

"Yeah, he's here."

"Could I speak to him—"

"Forget it. Just tell me what's going on."

Trial nexus. Hell difficulty.

It was supposed to be just a tutorial, and yet it had taken countless lives. Even Ark had officially declared the quest unsolvable.

Only one person had ever been known to conquer it—Jhin. Or so it was believed.

But the truth was, a secret lay buried beneath that assumption.

I'm not the only one who cleared Hell difficulty.

How did he find out? Well… it was obvious, really. Jhin realized it the moment he cleared the Trial nexus.

Because I didn't get the 'First Clear' title.

Exodia had a particular fondness for the word "first." Titles were often awarded when someone was the very first to accomplish something.

Naturally, a tutorial quest of this magnitude should reward a title only to its very first conqueror.

But he didn't receive one.

Someone else already claimed it.

Suddenly, he recalled the status board for the Hell difficulty.

In the early stages, the number of challengers would occasionally increase, but near the end, only one remained—represented by the number linked to Jhin.

No new challengers had appeared since.

A simple guess might be that all others had died, thus reducing the count to one.

But that wasn't it.

The number also decreases when someone clears it.

If someone cleared it, rather than died, that changed everything. And since the 'First Clear' title had been taken, there was no room for doubt.

…Tempah. That's what he said, right?

Jhin looked more closely at the aura radiating from beneath Tempah's feet. No doubt about it—this was a skill possessed only by someone who had first cleared a tutorial quest.

And the color of that aura? It indicated difficulty.

Just for a moment, but he had seen it—a shimmering, rainbow-like glow that melded into Tempah's body before vanishing.

The rainbow aura. The mark of the first to conquer Hell.

"You ready?"

"… I don't know what your goal is, but you'd better brace yourself."

"This'll be fun."

Jhin drew in a breath and called upon every ounce of Power he had.

[Skill, 'Power Focus (F)' has been activated.]

The aura Tempah had just summoned—was the skill awarded to the one who earned the title of 'First Forerunner.'

Unity of Mind and Body.

For a limited time, the user's mind and body were merged into one, enhancing their physical capabilities purely by willpower.

In the game, it only offered a percentage boost to stats. But in real life… what kind of power did it truly bring?

To merge body and mind…

In Exodia 2, vague descriptions like that often carried immense power when brought into reality.

How could something like "the heart" be quantified?

Jhin clenched his trembling fists, swallowing the tension building inside. His knuckles were shaking.

He's strong. I won't be able to win easily.

And he was terrifying.

[Skill, 'Soft skills(A)' has been activated.]

Golden light flooded his eyes as he read the flow of energy within Tempah's body. What he saw sent chills down his spine.

Not a trace of Power was present.

This man had reached this point and cleared Hell difficulty without using even a single drop of power.

Jhin's throat went dry.

He's a full-strength character…

And unlike Grid or Trigger—there was a world of difference—this guy knew exactly how to use his body.

KUUUUUNG!

With a sudden burst of air, Tempah folded space and charged. Just a punch—and the air itself seemed to explode.

Jhin barely dodged it. But the compressed air trailing behind the attack slammed into the wall and shattered it into rubble.

"Good!!!"

Jhin laughed heartily as he slipped into Tempah's blind spot. Tempah reacted quickly, but Jhin was even faster.

Thud! Smash! CRACK!

So this is 'Unity of Mind and Body'…

His body was far tougher than before. Despite having no power, the man withstood Jhin's blows like a beast. It felt like fighting the Giant Horned Lizard.

…But still.

Jhin unleashed a flurry of attacks.

For every one punch Tempah threw, Jhin struck three.

It didn't take long before the once-impenetrable body of Tempah began to emit odd sounds.

THUD! THUD! …THUNK!

Tempah's face briefly twisted in surprise. Seizing the moment, Jhin upped his tempo even further.

He drew every last drop of Powerhe could.

But—was it a trap?

Tempah grabbed him all at once, clamping his arms tightly around Jhin's torso. He grinned wickedly.

"Got you!"

And then—came the crushing force.

Muscles squeezed him so tight it felt like his bones were bending. Even with his body shielded by concentrated Power, it was like wearing a paper-thin suit.

At this rate, he'd lose.

…No. This is success.

Jhin's eyes precisely scanned Tempah's joints. Those naturally vulnerable connection points where muscles were thin.

The knees. Elbows. Ankles…

All of them were badly twisted by his relentless blows.

And finally—he saw a response.

"…Hnh?"

Tempah's grip began to loosen. As the crushing force eased, Jhin broke free with little resistance.

Soon after, Tempah sagged like a puppet with its strings cut.

The reason was simple.

If you have zero power, that means you also have zero magic defense.

His thick muscles had served to block power-based attacks until now, but with Soft skills, Jhin could pinpoint even the subtlest weaknesses in moving muscles.

His repeated "Power strikes" had dug through that armor and targeted every last joint hidden within.

That was how you conquered this man.

A body with damaged joints couldn't move, no matter how much muscle it had.

At least, that's how it should've gone…

"Hhhgggggh!"

Tempah forced himself upright, joints cracking, defying all reason. Unity of Mind and Body. His mind had given the order—so even if his body broke, it obeyed.

It was a brutally overpowered skill.

Damn it.

Jhin muttered irritably.

"Stop. If you keep going, you really won't move again."

"Come at me! It's not over yet!"

"…Haaah."

Jhin let out a deep sigh and channeled a heavy surge of Power into his palm. If he left things like this, the guy would keep fighting until he died. It was time to end it.

"He won't die from this, right?"

He wouldn't. Jhin had already experienced just how durable this man was.

KWAAAAAAANG!

He shot forward like a flash of light and struck Tempah's jaw with full force. This time, the power-packed blow shattered the jaw completely.

That—he couldn't withstand.

KWOONG!

Tempah collapsed, unconscious, sprawled across the floor.

Jhin turned to one of the players nearby, who had been tensely observing the fight.

"Please heal him, for now."

"…Should we tie him up?"