The rental house was probably located in the city’s N2 (North Two) district.
To reach the E3 (East Three) district by train, the journey required passing through seven or eight streets.
Logically, that was more than enough time for a short nap to conserve energy for the upcoming fight.
But I did not sleep.
The events of the day had struck like a merciless collision, forcing something into my chest that left me irritated and with nowhere to vent.
Instead of closing my eyes to escape, I wanted to watch the scenery along the way and let my mood loosen a little, even if only by the smallest amount.
The greenery outside the train window almost filled my entire field of vision.
Even though the night was hazy like a thin veil, the trees still radiated stubborn vitality in the darkness, as if they would not dim even slightly because of humanity’s minor setbacks.
This was probably a sight unique to the border between spring and summer.
As roadside trees planted to beautify the city, they maintained a certain tacit solemnity among their own kind.
Even if each tree’s posture differed, to our eyes they were still grouped as “similar” or “pretty much the same.”
“Ah… In comparison, we humans would probably be sneered at by them. Of course—if they had noses.”
This two-role banter failed to make me laugh at myself.
I sighed, pulled my gaze back from the window, and turned it toward the carriage interior.
The hour was not particularly late.
Besides, nighttime activities in the BHAO world were far richer than those during the day.
So the people in the carriage, regardless of whether their destinations matched mine, were almost certainly out for BHAO-related business.
“By the way, I joined a territory!”
A girl’s excited voice drifted from diagonally ahead of me.
“What? Which territory?”
“The KING OF GUNNER (Gunner Lord) in the S1 (South One) district! Biu biu biu, the shooting kind.”
“Speaking of which, Yachan is a long-range character. Being able to join a territory… I’m really envious.”
“No way, Luchan’s beast tamer is amazing too!”
…
Conversation inside the train had almost entirely shifted to BHAO topics.
It was less that BHAO coexisted harmoniously with humanity and more that BHAO had swallowed the world whole, leaving only its own rules breathing.
I twisted my neck and exhaled again.
Better to look back out the window. At least that would not spawn any more meaningless thoughts.
Yet when I tried, the patch of green had already been left far behind by the train.
Now only modern buildings stacked from concrete remained outside—cold, rigid, neat, like rows of copied-and-pasted shells.
“Looks like the E3 district is almost here.”
I was not sensitive to changes in lighting, but the deeper the train pushed into the city center, the stronger the colorful glow around us became, as if neon had nailed the night firmly to the walls.
In the peaceful era centered on “normal work,” the streets here had once each possessed their own names.
But in today’s BHAO-dominated world, street names had been replaced by area codes.
Each area began with a directional letter—E, S, W, or N—while the following number indicated the sequential street order within that area.
The train slowly pulled into the platform.
I stepped off with brisk strides and headed toward my destination.
This trip’s goal was a private BHAO club.
Before entering, however, I still had one necessary task.
I quickly slipped into the small alley behind the club and connected my phone to Wi-Fi.
It was the old-style phone that carried the “Unknown Name Warrior” account.
The account labeled a “useless character” by students, teachers, and many high-end players.
Yet at this moment, it held extraordinary significance.
“Connect search—Endless World!”
My fingers slid rapidly across the screen.
As long as it was connected to public Wi-Fi, entry into the “Endless World” was possible.
There, things far more fascinating than ordinary duels existed:
monsters hunted in exchange for points;
towns that divided lord territories;
wild-level lords that wandered the wilderness as enemies to every player in the world.
These were all features unique to the “Endless World.”
Of course, it also included extremely rare enhanced armaments.
All of this was widely known “known information.”
Yet even beneath the shell of “known,” the temptations hidden inside were still enough to churn one’s mood to the brink of losing control.
“I wonder if the intel this time is accurate… A hidden armament really has me looking forward to it.”
My right thumb slid across the screen one final time, completing the operation.
Immediately afterward, I casually set the phone down in the corner of the alley.
The goal was obviously not to let the “Unknown Name Warrior” actually enter the Endless World.
I only needed it to forge a signal source.
Because the signal source’s location was extremely close to the club I was about to enter, no matter how those people investigated, they would reach the same conclusion: the one entering the Endless World was that trash account named “Unknown Name Warrior.”
The players who clamored in front of their screens that “this witch is simply unfathomable” would probably never imagine that this method made me resemble a true “cheater” even more.
A concealment technique completely impossible to explain with BHAO’s normal logic.
Ding-ling, ling-ling.
The wind-chime sound of the club door opening and closing drew my attention.
A man in a black windbreaker was walking in.
At the boundary where black met neon, his silhouette looked strangely distorted, as if warped by the light.
Thick knee-high leather boots and white gloves covered nearly every possible inch, like someone who had lived long in cold regions—or like someone deliberately unwilling to let anyone touch his real skin.
I could not see his face clearly.
Perhaps he intended it that way.
The brim of his hat was pressed extremely low, the angle precisely in the range where “others cannot see clearly.”
His steps were fast and light.
In almost the blink of an eye, his figure vanished into the club’s play of light and shadow.
“What a strange guy.”
It was not enough to shock me, yet it felt utterly out of place with the surroundings.
Still, since he had appeared here, he was most likely a player who often trained in the Endless World.
Thinking this, I pushed open the glass door hung with wind chimes.
“Welcome, guest.”
“Cat ears…?”
The person greeting me was a maid with coffee-colored short hair.
Neat slanted bangs covered one eye, while the other amber-like pupil brimmed with the liveliness expected of a receptionist.
But what was truly unforgettable at first glance were the large cat-ear accessories on her head, matching her hair color in hue.
Their fluffy texture almost tempted people to reach out and pinch them.
“Guest, what kind of room would you like to book for entering the Endless World~meow?”
“Ordinary is fine.”
High-class rooms only offered useless fruits and drinks, which held no meaning for me.
“Mm~ An ordinary room costs 100 points per hour. May I ask how long the guest needs~meow?”
Her voice was soft and gentle, floating close to the ear with a fluffy, melting feel.
“Five hours… No.”
I paused, as if confirming that my impulse was not momentary.
“Extend it all the way until dawn.”
Time in the Endless World differed from reality.
Compared with the “time-stationary state” of group battles or ordinary duels, the Endless World’s time flowed extremely fast—fast enough for “change” itself to become a continuously occurring event.
I was not entirely clear on the exact conversion ratio, because the value kept changing.
But one thing was certain: the Endless World’s time flow was always faster than reality.
“Understood~ Your room is number 03, guest.”
“Please refrain from making too much noise while not connected, so as not to disturb other guests. Feel free to tell me if you need anything~meow.”
“Mm, I understand.”
I passed through the snack area and found room 03.
Next came the truly exciting part.
I took out the pink cellphone and opened Wi-Fi.
Almost no extra steps were needed; the screen’s touch scan completed the fingerprint recognition.
Crack.
That preconceived cracking sound rang out.
Immediately afterward, a mechanized prompt tone fell beside my ear—clear, calm, and carrying no extra emotion:
WELCOME TO THE ENDLESS WORLD.