“Whoa…”

  Even Kurilta—who had likely seen Ark before—couldn’t help but stare in awe.

  And holy, so did I.

  Seeing Ark on a monitor was ohing.

  But seeing it with my own eyes—

  The difference was overwhelming.

  “Look at that wall… Kronos doesn’t even pare.”

  “Kronos was already a massive city, but this… this is on another level.”

  “There’s a reason they call it Ark.”

  “…Not that Kros anymore.”

  As the refugees exged hushed versations, our truck followed the moat-lined outer wall until we arrived at the bridge.

  "How do we cross?"

  Kurilta’s question was met with a calm response.

  "Wait."

  As if on cue, a speaker crackled to life.

  [“Halt.”]

  The voice was familiar.

  Cold. anding.

  [“Disarm immediately.”]

  A simple order.

  But in a world overrun by monsters, giving up your ons was akin to suicide.

  Even if this was Ark, instincts weren’t so easily ignored.

  "…What do we do?"

  The refugees hesitated.

  But then—

  [“Failure to ply will result in immediate termination.”]

  …There was no choice.

  One by one, we surrendered our ons.

  Then, the speaker echoed again.

  [“Step back ten paces.”]

  All eyes turo me.

  "Carl?"

  "Just follow their orders."

  This was standard protocol.

  If Ark wanted us dead, we wouldn’t have made it this far.

  We stepped back.

  Moments ter—

  The bridge began to lower.

  —Hissss… Creak…

  It was massive.

  Enough to make even trained fighters stare in awe.

  And from behind it—

  Heavily armed soldiers emerged.

  The Red-17 Gate ander

  And among them—

  A woman stood out immediately.

  —Scarlet-red hair, cut short.

  —Bzing, golden eyes.

  —Sharp, strikiures.

  Lt. Imosha.

  A Gate Officer of the Red Line.

  ‘…No wohe voice sounded familiar.’

  This meant we had arrived at Gate Red-17—her jurisdi.

  ‘That’s… actually good news.’

  She wasn’t an idiot.

  We could iate with her.

  Her eyes sed us, sharp with suspi.

  "Where are you from?"

  Kurilta stepped forward.

  "We came from Kronos. More precisely, a settlement near it."

  "Kronos? Your arrival is ued. Regur exges aren’t scheduled for weeks."

  "Kronos has fallen. The entire region is gone—razed to the ground."

  "…What?"

  I wasn’t surprised.

  I had read Ark’s lore enough times to know this was iable.

  But Imosha’s rea?

  Priceless.

  "Expin."

  Ark was not always humanity’s st city.

  There were other settlements.

  Other cities.

  Kronos had been one of them.

  The beginning of The Defense was marked by the fall of those cities.

  "…Are you saying you’re the only survivors?"

  "ly."

  Kurilta shook his head.

  "Some fled elsewhere. But over a hundred vehicles set course for Ark."

  "I see."

  Imosha’s gaze shifted.

  Her attention locked onto the truck.

  "And that?"

  Kurilta grinned.

  "A war trophy."

  Her expression hardened.

  "…Do you even know what you’ve brought into the city?"

  As tension rose, I finally stepped in.

  "We’re aware of its value."

  Immediately—

  Imosha’s gaze locked onto me.

  A sharp, pierg stare.

  "How did you kill it? That’s no ordinary beast."

  "A few well-pced shots to the eyes a."

  "…That’s all?"

  I kly what she was worried about.

  There was only one reason to fear a Skull Hound even after death.

  "If you’re worried about that…"

  I reached into my coat—

  And pulled out the rusty tin .

  —Thunk. Thunk.

  From inside, a faint, unnatural noise.

  Imosha immediately stepped back, gun drawn.

  Click.

  Her pistol’s safety disengaged.

  "What’s inside?"

  "Probably what you think."

  Her fiensed over the trigger.

  "Put it down. Now. It’s dangerous."

  "No. It’s my personal property."

  "…Personal property?"

  Had this been any ate ander, I wouldn’t have dared push back.

  But Imosha wasn’t a bureaucrat.

  She was a fighter.

  A survivor.

  "That’s an iing cim."

  It was fidence.

  She khat whatever happened —she could ha.

  And that was exactly what I needed.

  " you take responsibility for it?"

  "Of course."

  "Your name?"

  "Carl Marcus."

  She nodded.

  "I’ll remember it."

  Then—

  "Wait here."

  She turned—

  And disappeared into Ark.

  Kurilta sighed.

  "Think we’ll be, okay?"

  For all his barbarian bravado, he couldn’t hide his worry.

  I smirked.

  "Probably."

  Because I knew ohing for certain.

  Ark was always desperate for soldiers.

  In such a situation, no matter how much they are outsiders, it would be difficult to dismiss them recklessly.

  Especially if they are skilled enough to hunt Skull Hounds.

  ‘There is something that slightly bothers me, but…’

  Currently, my ether sensitivity is exceptionally high.

  So much so that it would be difficult to be accepted in the Red Lihe rearmost part of Ark.

  Opinions oher are divided even within Ark.

  In the Red Lihe very rear, it is unditionally rejected, whereas the closer to the frontlines os, the more they try to utilize ether as a on.

  That recisely what I was ed about.

  Zzzing, zzzing—

  The ser had been sing us persistently, to the point of irritation.

  From the moment we arrived at the front of Ark, it had been and rec us without pause.

  —Tsk.

  I stared at the entrance of Ark, where Lieutenant Imosha had disappeared, for a long time.

  ***

  Lieutenant Imosha, the entry trol officer of Gate 17 of the Red Line, was uo hide her astonishment as she ied the belongings of the refugees who had suddenly appeared.

  ‘…They took down a Skull Hound with just this kind of equipment?’

  A Grade-8 beast-type monster species, Skull Hound.

  As the leader of the Hellhounds, it was one of the most formidable beasts that appeared in the Red Lihe st defensive line of Ark.

  As befitting of a Grade-8 monster, it had a tough outer shell, ing intelligence as a pack leader, and, most distinctively, it was a beast that coexisted with bone parasites. Engaging it carelessly could lead to the creation of a Grade-7 monster, making it even more troublesome to deal with.

  Due to these characteristics, Skull Hounds were inally not creatures of the Red Li were mainly seen in the e Line…

  A, an outsider—using nothing more than what amouo toys—had taken down one of those beasts, which even Ark’s top-tier equipment struggled to subdue.

  Even seeing it with his own eyes, Imosha found it difficult to believe.

  ‘It’s possible they lost their equipment while fighting the Skull Hound… But if that were the case, their remaining gear shouldn’t all be this rundown.’

  In other words, it was more likely that they had iaken down a Skull Hound with this level of equipment.

  ‘They said his name was Carl Marcus?’

  From his inexplicably enigmatic aura to his extraordinary presehere was something unusual about him.

  [“Lieutenant, the s results are in.”]

  “Report.”

  [“All 11 individuals are human. However, one of them exhibited a signifit ether response.”]

  “…Aher response?”

  Lieutenant Imosha’s voice rose slightly.

  Even in Ark, which was adjat to the spiritual mountain Noah, humans with ether responses were rare.

  And now, an outsider with no knowy was showing aher response.

  This was, in many ways, not good news.

  “Who is it?”

  [“The one who identified himself as Carl Marcus, the person you spoke with.”]

  “…Carl Marcus?”

  Realizing that this situation was beyond his authority, Lieutenant Imosha tacted her direct superior, Lieutenant el Banol.

  [“Report.”]

  The tone suggested that Banol was already aware of what was happening at the gate.

  This wasn’t the first time Banol had reacted this way, so Imosha got straight to the point.

  “Rep. A group of 11 refugees has arrived at Red-17 Gate. They cim to have e from the east, from Kronos.”

  [“tinue.”]

  “They cim that Kronos has fallen and that they are the only survivors among the refugees heading to Ark.”

  [“I see. What is their dition?”]

  Even upon hearing the shog hat one of the st remaining human cities had beeroyed, Lieutenant el Banol’s voice remained meical.

  “The total number ees is 11. Most of them appear to be ordinary humans, but our s detected a signifit ether response from one of them. As the administrator of Red-17 Gate, I am requesting permission for their entry.”

  [“Entry is permitted.”]

  Lieutenant el Banol added,

  [“However, the one who showed aher response must be elimihey pose a potential threat to Ark.”]

  As always, his voice was devoid of emotion.

  “…They are skilled individuals who took down a Skull Hound with outdated equipment. They could be of great help.”

  Outdated equipment.

  That term referred to ons and gear from before the Great Cataclysm.

  However, the equipment they carried wasn’t just outdated—it ractically relics, worn and a beyond mere obsolesce.

  Even so, Imosha deliberately left that part out.

  After all, even she found it hard to believe.

  [“A Skull Hound, you say? That makes them even more dangerous.”]

  “They seem highly respected among the refugees. Eliminating him rashly would be uhey all have the potential to bee valuable soldiers for Ark.”

  [“…Very well. I will leave the decisiarding his fate to your discretion. But he must not be allowed inside Ark. Uood?”]

  This was a rare cession from Lieutenant el Banol.

  It was also a testament to how much he trusted Imosha.

  But that was all it was—a slight cession.

  “…Uood.”

  Lieutenant Imosha did not push further.

  She knew better than anyone what Banol was wary of.

  After all, the Bck Line, ohe frontmost defensive line of Ark, had perished for the same reason.

  That day, when 15% of Ark’s territory was lost…

  [“Survive.”]

  Imosha still had not fotten that horrifying memory.

  ***

  How much time had passed?

  It was only when Kurilta yawned widely that Lieutenant Imosha finally returned, her expression noticeably grim.

  “What happened?”

  At my question, Lieutenant Imosha gave a small nod.

  “Entry has been approved. You may proceed.”

  At that, Kurilta and the other refugees erupted in cheers.

  “Finally…!”

  “We made it! We’re alive!”

  “Carl! It’s all thanks to you!”

  But I couldn’t join in their celebration.

  I saw something ienant Imosha’s expression.

  Something uling.

  “I have something to tell you.”

  Though it was only a short sentence, her voice carried weight.

  And more than anything, her tone had ged—it was more formal, more serious than before.

  The shift in her demeanor silehe crowd.

  “What is it?”

  “Carl Marcus.”

  Lieutenant Imosha’s gaze locked onto me.

  “You are not allowed to enter Ark.”