***
She was a member of the first and only party to challenge the 8th floor boss.
It was widely known that the party was annihilated, and she was the only one who survived and returned to the city.
She, Yustia, better known by her moniker the Silver Knight, knew that was not the truth.
While it was true that the party suffered near-annihilation at the hands of the 8th floor boss, they ultimately defeated it.
The 8th floor boss fell with Yustia's final blow.
What appeared before Yustia, the sole survivor and successful conqueror, was none other than the truth of this world.
She had cleared the game.
And as a reward, she received the option to proceed to the next cycle.
That was the truth of this fleeting world.
This world existed solely for the clearing of the labyrinth.
Once it was finally accomplished, time would simply rewind, and the same hollow act would be repeated in this world of closed fate.
There were no secrets, and no possibilities for the future.
Looking back, the sense of incongruity had been everywhere.
No one cared what existed outside this city.
They knew something was out there, but it remained purely in the realm of thought.
In reality, no one attempted to leave the city, and Yustia, the only one who tried, was blocked by an invisible barrier.
If she ventured beyond the mist, she would inexplicably find herself back in the city at some point, and the attempt itself would be as if it had never happened.
Day and night changed, children grew into boys and girls, and flora and fauna aged, but nothing else ever interfered with this repeating cyclical structure.
And around that time, she realized.
That this world had already repeated countless times.
She had discovered the diary left by Mael, the party leader.
The secret of that foolish yet incredibly lovable man, who was usually clueless but sometimes displayed suspiciously sharp insight.
He had already tested every possibility, including those Yustia had tried and those she hadn't.
The result was always the same ending.
Even the ending of 'Only one person survives' was already predetermined.
Since only one person could receive the option to proceed to the next cycle, under the absolute rule of 'the System,' the party's annihilation was impossible to prevent, no matter what measures were taken.
And so, Mael finally made his choice.
To save Yustia.
The smile he left just before dying, and his words, 'I'm counting on you for the future,' held that meaning.
After learning the truth, Yustia wept for the first and last time.
It wasn't out of longing for lost love or former comrades.
It was because she knew that promise could never be kept.
And Mael, too, must have known that fact.
One day, an 'external entity' came to Yustia, who was left with nothing but despair.
She said she came from 'The Ark'.
'The Ark' was an infinite space capable of containing any world, a repository of records.
She said that the world Yustia belonged to was also recorded in The Ark.
She made a proposal to Yustia.
To cooperate according to the will of The Ark.
In return, she promised.
To give this world a 'future'.
Yustia accepted the offer and became the champion of The Ark.
“Yustia.”
Late in the afternoon.
On her way back to the commander's quarters after finishing work, a woman with a hooded cloak approached and spoke to her.
Though her appearance was concealed, an unusual aura emanated from her.
It was a mysterious feeling, as if she had come from another dimension.
Though it was now a distant past, Yustia had encountered this strange mana only once before.
It was at that very moment her destiny began to flow down an entirely different path.
“You are in danger right now.”
The Manager of the Ark said this out of the blue.
“What do you mean?”
“There’s no time for a detailed explanation. I can’t stay connected here for long. Someone is currently hacking this world. If they succeed, the link between you and The Ark will be severed.”
Who? For what purpose? Such questions arose one after another in her mind, but Yustia realized they were far from the immediate actions required and chose not to voice them.
“What should I do?”
“The virus hacking this world has entered somewhere here. The best way is to find and eliminate that virus, but it certainly won’t be easy. If you can buy some time, I’ll look for a way to stop the hack from the outside.”
“Understood.”
After finishing her words, she vanished immediately.
Alone once more, Yustia raised her head and gazed into the distance.
When she heard she was being targeted, the person who immediately came to mind was none other than Elia.
The only value in life Yustia had found in this world, which had gained a future but was still incomplete.
The moment she thought Elia might also be targeted, her body was already sprinting towards the Adventurers' Guild.
Fortunately, the Adventurers' Guild had not yet closed its doors.
Perhaps because of the late hour, it was quiet inside.
As Yustia rushed in, the clerk at the reception desk looked at her with a somewhat flustered expression.
“What can I do for you?”
“Is Elia upstairs?”
Normally, she would have used a title instead of a name, but perhaps due to her urgency, Yustia didn't pay it any mind.
“Yes... the Guild Master is here, but...”
“I'll go see her for a moment.”
“Then would you mind waiting here? I'll go inform her—.”
“No. I'll tell her myself.”
Yustia declined and ascended the stairs.
“Ah, if you just go in—.”
She heard the clerk's troubled voice from behind but ignored it and entered.
“Elia. It's me. I've stopped by for a moment on urgent business.”
Yustia stood before the Guild Master's office door, knocking as she spoke.
A faint sound could be heard from inside.
It was a strange sound.
Concerned, Yustia pressed her ear closer to the door.
A sound like someone groaning.
Like her disciple, Yustia, who had lived as a virgin for a long time, did not realize it was the sound a woman makes during intimate relations and took it seriously.
“Elia? What's wrong? Damn it!”
Thinking her disciple might have been targeted first, Yustia frantically knocked on the door, then, left with no choice, broke the doorknob and burst inside.
“M-Master?”
To her surprise, Elia stood perfectly fine, looking at Yustia, who had burst in rather violently, with a flustered expression.
“Why the door...”
“Are you alright? I heard strange sounds from outside and thought something was wrong...”
“Strange sounds? Well...”
Elia said, feigning ignorance, standing in a somewhat awkward posture.
Yustia was concerned, sensing that Elia was hiding something.
“Who is this person?”
At that moment, someone interjected and asked.
She turned her head to see a man standing to the side, with a somewhat sinister and stubborn-looking expression.
It was Kyle, an executive of the Alchemist Guild.
“Ah, Papa, no, Mr. Kyle. Let me introduce you. This is Ms. Yustia, my mentor.”
“Ah-ha... The Silver Knight, you say...”
Kyle's gaze turned cautious.
He had encountered her multiple times in public settings, but she had always concealed her appearance with a helmet and armor, so he seemed not to have recognized her until now.
“Why were the two of you together?”
When Yustia asked, Elia glanced at Kyle and replied.
“We were discussing the price adjustment of healing potions. To reach a mutually satisfactory agreement.”
“And yet you’ve rejected all the Governor’s requests to discuss it in public forums until now?”
“Well... people can change their minds, can’t they?”
Yustia shot a distrustful glare at Kyle.
Like her disciple Elia, Yustia didn't particularly like Kyle.
Because he had many connections with the Hunter's Guild, was a morally corrupt individual, and was associated with all sorts of bad rumors.
Despite all this, the sole reason he hadn't been brought to justice was his significant influence within the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
She had worried about a situation like this. Even though he wasn't imprisoned, it happened anyway.
“Well, since you’re here, let’s have a discussion.”
Kyle proposed.
“There is nothing for me to discuss with you.”
Yustia refused coldly.
“That’s a disappointing thing to say. I thought if you participated in this discussion on behalf of the Governor, we might reach a conclusion that could calm the current situation in the city.”
Kyle said.
Then Elia chimed in, as if to help.
“Please, Master. No, Ms. Yustia. Please help.”
After a moment of deliberation, Yustia squeezed her eyes shut and let out a deep sigh.
Then she walked to the sofa opposite Kyle, sat down, and glared at him with wide-open eyes.
With a look that dared him to speak.
“Shall we resume our discussion, then?”
Elia said, sitting down next to Kyle.
Kyle began to explain why the price of healing potions had been raised.
It was a rambling, lengthy explanation. A verbose discourse that seemed to deliberately stray far from the core issue.
As she listened, Yustia felt her patience steadily wearing thin.
Just as she was about to snap and question him.
“'Vampiric Authority.'”
A chilling resonance, utterly different from Kyle's voice she knew, echoed in her ears.
Then, suddenly, her mind began to blur as if shrouded in mist.