"Looks like I am lost."

Hide muttered to himself, letting out a dry, exasperated sigh as he stopped in the middle of the sprawling, chaotic thoroughfare.

He was standing in the heart of a massive bazaar located just outside the main borders of Area 10. Area 10 was the glittering capital of Ufrifa, and looking up, Hide could see exactly why it was called the gem of the western continent.

The entire central metropolis was completely encased in a colossal, semi-translucent dark dome. It was a marvel of structural engineering made from an advanced, heavily tinted glass that deflected the brutal desert sun, keeping the city inside perfectly climate-controlled.

But out here in the external bazaar, there was no such luxury.

The air felt overwhelmingly oppressive, radiating a suffocating heat that felt exactly like standing directly in front of an open oven. Every breath of the dry wind threatened to pull the moisture right out of his lungs.

To combat the weather, Hide had completely ditched his jacket and heavy combat trousers. Instead, he was wearing a loose, open, half-sleeved white shirt over a thin black undershirt, paired with lightweight dark shorts. On his head rested a sleek blue cap.

The cap wasn’t just a simple piece of fabric. It was a D-Rank artifact he had acquired from the Trade Center before their flight. Woven with micro-strands of Frost-attribute mana, the cap actively absorbed the excess heat from his body, projecting a invisible cooling field around his head and shoulders. Without it, he was fairly certain the Ufrifan sun would have baked him alive.

Hide adjusted the cap, pulling the brim down slightly to shield his eyes from the glare, and started walking back the way he supposed he had come.

The bazaar was a dizzying, labyrinth of commerce. Floating holographic neon signs in vibrant oranges and purples hovered above the streets, advertising everything, mainly oasis-water.

The shops lining both sides of the wide, sand-dusted road were a mix of traditional open-air tents and sleek, metallic automated kiosks. Robotic vendors with multi-jointed arms flipped heavily spiced meats over laser-heated spits, their mechanical voices calling out to potential customers in a dozen different languages.

Hovering lazily above the massive crowds were the city’s surveillance drones. Unlike the sleek, aerodynamic models back in Varisus, these drones were specifically adapted for the desert. Each mechanical unit possessed a miniature, dark dome-like structure mounted above its chassis

The dome acted as a dual-purpose shield—it generated electricity directly from the punishing sunlight while simultaneously keeping the main body and delicate optical sensors of the drone completely protected from the direct, heating rays.

As he navigated the packed street, Hide stopped at a small automated stall and bought two ice-creams, paying with a quick tap of his black, special issued card. He had obtained a few hours ago from Claire.

He streamed through the dense crowds, eating the cold treats as he casually observed the people of the western continent. They were a loud, vibrant people, completely different from the grim, hurried citizens back home.

His blue eyes, ringed with that faint, predatory violet, drifted over the crowd until they landed on a young family. A mother was laughing brightly, holding the hand of her little boy as they pointed at a holographic display of a dancing clown.

Hide slowed his pace, his expression softening into something distant and quiet.

He could not remember when was the last time he went out with his mom like that. He had almost forgotten everything from back then—the sound of her laugh, the warmth of her hand.

The memories were buried so deep beneath that they felt like they belonged to an entirely different person.

Without thinking, his free hand drifted downward, his fingers lightly brushing against the fabric of his shirt over his abdomen. Beneath the cloth lay the ghastly, jagged scar where the Calamity Beast had impaled him.

There was this one night that he could never forget, even if he wanted to. The blood, the terror, the suffocating helplessness as he watched his mother die to protect him.

Hide closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, taking a deep breath of the hot air. His jaw tightened, and he forced the dark, swirling emotions back down. He wasn’t that weak, helpless kid anymore.

Pushing the memories aside, Hide’s attention was caught by the rich, savory aroma drifting from a grand, multi-story building up ahead. It was a high-end restaurant, its entrance framed by glowing amber light and polished sandstone. Deciding he needed a distraction, Hide walked in to try the delicacies of this country.

The interior was a marvel of western opulence, cooled by internal air conditioners. Hide ordered a variety of local dishes—heavily spiced Sand-Drake skewers, rich broths made from desert herbs, and a strange, bubbling blue beverage that tasted like cold lightning.

By the time he finished his meal, paid the hefty bill, and stepped back out onto the street, the atmosphere had completely changed. The brutal sun had finally dipped below the massive canyons, and the sky had started growing dark, painted in deep, bruised shades of purple and black.

The neon lights of the bazaar flared to life, casting long, colorful shadows across the pavement. It was getting late.

He had to get back to the hotel where Claire, Rol, and the rest of his team were staying. Maddox would be coming in two days, just before the starting of the tournament and had undoubtedly planned some hellish training regimen for them.

Though he was thoroughly lost in the winding streets, Hide wasn’t worried. He had a way to find his hotel easily.

Two weeks ago, during their grueling training sessions, Hide had realized he needed something other than heavy combatants like Zenith and Aegis. He needed utility.

Using a small, specialized core he had harvested, he had created a new summon—a tiny, incredibly agile tracking phantom. It looked like a small, pitch-black raven made entirely of shifting smoke, capable of locking onto the specific mana signatures of his teammates.

He just needed to summon it. However, manifesting a creature of pure, corrupted dark mana in the middle of a crowded civilian street would undoubtedly be a bad decision.

Hide scanned the neon-lit street and finally found what he was looking for: a narrow, secluded alleyway tucked between two towering commercial buildings, completely draped in heavy shadows.

He adjusted his blue cap and altered his trajectory, stepping away from the bustling crowd and heading toward the darkness.

But just as he reached the edge of the alley and prepared to channel his mana, his enhanced perception picked up a sound. Hide froze, his footsteps completely silent against the pavement.

From deep within the shadows of the alley, he heard a muffled, desperate sob.

Hide’s eyes narrowed, the faint violet ring around his pupils glowing dangerously in the dark. He silently leaned around the rusted corner of the building and peered into the gloom.

Pinned against the filthy brick wall at the dead end of the alley was a young, terrified girl. She was crying, her clothes disheveled as she struggled uselessly. Looming over her, gripping her arms and pressing her forcefully against the brickwork, were two massive, burly men with crude, glowing cybernetic enhancements grafted onto their arms.