The moment I crossed the gate, a three-dimensional interface appeared before me, forming into successive rows of information.

It took my mind a brief moment to comprehend the sudden changes.

Fortunately, it did not last for more than a second.

[Processing Student Information]

[Welcome, student Neron. What type of weapon do you prefer?]

I did not think much about it.

I mean... I am a swordsman. What else would I choose other than a sword?

[Rank: 1923 — Neron Statlas. Welcome to the world of simulation.]

The world around me suddenly began to change.

A bright light assaulted me, forcing me to cover my eyes for a moment.

Skrrrt—

After a few blinks, I found myself standing in the middle of a ruined city.

Crumbling buildings surrounded the place, and the air carried the scent of dust and destruction.

And beside my waist...

A black sword rested.

I quickly glanced around me.

There were four other people.

After a few moments, one of them approached me.

A young man with short brown hair, who looked clearly full of energy.

He smiled lightly before extending his hand:

"Alfonso Brandian. Rank 523."

Then he bowed slightly in an exaggerated manner as he added with a wide smile:

"Honored by the presence of the young Lord Statlas."

I shook his hand calmly, while a strange feeling crept into me.

Was he... trying to curry favor with me?

"Edward Shamren. Rank 640. Greetings, sir."

"Diana Smith. Rank 350. Nice to meet you."

After Alfonso, an unexpectedly handsome young man stepped forward.

But unlike his appearance...

He seemed extremely awkward.

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, avoiding eye contact, as though he were an extremely unsociable person.

Kind of like me.

I did not remember ever seeing him before.

Which made me assume he was just a side character who ended up dying early.

And by the way...

He was not alone.

I did not know anything about all three of them.

Except that girl...

She was looking at me as if she would devour me at any moment.

I ignored it.

Then I turned my head toward the last person.

The only person who had ignored my existence from the beginning.

Not literally...

But he had simply remained silent.

He possessed a naturally well-proportioned physique, and an ideal height.

Honestly...

He could work as a fashion model.

Knox Leonhard.

He carried an oddly calm aura.

The kind of person who looked as though they never lost their composure.

Strands of his black hair hung over the front of his face, subtly accentuating his wide eyes.

I shook my head slightly before approaching him.

"Neron Statlas. Rank 1923." I extended my hand toward him. "Nice to meet you."

There was no actual need for introductions.

Because I already knew him very well.

But completely ignoring him would be too rude.

Although, to be honest, that was not the real reason.

I simply wanted to see him up close.

And how could I not?

He was the owner of the sleeping talent.

A talent that could even be compared to Ethan and Zahid.

And had he not died at the beginning of the events...

He would have been an enormous addition at the end of the world.

"Knox Leonhard. Rank 56." He shook my hand calmly before adding, "Likewise... pleased to meet you."

We shook hands for a few brief seconds before each of us withdrew our hand.

I breathed calmly.

Even the air...

Felt astonishingly real.

The whole thing was truly amazing.

And yet, I did not have time to be amazed.

Silence settled between us for a few moments, before Alfonso finally broke it:

"So, what are we supposed to do from now on? Does anyone have any idea?"

The moment he finished speaking...

All eyes turned toward me.

I could only smile faintly.

How truly interesting.

I had the lowest rank among all of them, and yet they treated me as though that meant nothing.

Rather, as though I were the most important person here.

Was it because I was from a great family?

What if I were not from the Statlas family?

Would they behave the same way?

Impossible.

If I were just a person with no status, they would have mocked me from the very first moment, drowning me in ridiculous titles and condescending looks.

I sighed inwardly.

What truly makes the other person?

Does status grant power?

Or is it power that grants status?

Perhaps both together.

I took myself as an example.

I am the weakest among them, and yet they treat me as though I hold the highest standing.

Isn’t that somewhat ridiculous?

Truly...

This world was a strange place.

"I think it would be best if we moved away from here. This place is far too exposed."

Knox was the first to speak.

But strangely...

The other three did not seem genuinely interested in what he said at all.

I sighed in resignation before saying:

"He’s right." I cast a quick glance around us. "It looks like we’re in the middle of the city... and staying here is not a good idea."

I did not wait for anyone’s response.

I simply moved.

Somehow... I found myself acting as though I were the leader.

But, well...

They were the ones who had treated me that way from the beginning.

And even stranger than that...

A part of me felt a bit proud.

...Don’t tell me I’m starting to develop young master syndrome?

That would be somewhat embarrassing.

I sighed weakly.

Anyway...

I had to find a way to deal with Neron’s emotions.

I could not keep being affected by them every single time.

I am not the real Neron...

Am I?

"I’ll deal with it later."

Alright.

If I am not mistaken...

Ethan should be in the north, near the monster zone.

While Larshia and Serin are in the east.

Which means...

Zahad is most likely in the south.

Oh...

If the events have not changed...

Then that means Liana should be close to here.

I could not even complete the second thought before it suddenly happened.

Skrrrt—

"Fwooosh—!"

An arrow shot past my neck at incredible speed, only a few centimeters away.

Had I not instinctively tilted my head at the right moment...

It would have pierced straight through my throat.

...And honestly, that would have been extremely painful.

Damn.

Where the hell did that attack come from?

I quickly looked around.

But because of the scattered rubble and ruined buildings, it was difficult to immediately determine the attacker’s location.

And yet...

I finally managed to catch sight of them.

A figure standing atop a distant building in front of me.

Their long red hair fluttered with the wind.

I did not even need to see her up close to know who she was.

Liana Greenfield.

Of course it would be her.

Who else could attack from that distance with such precision?

And I did not even get the chance to think any further.

Because I saw her preparing to attack again.

At that very moment—

Out of the corner of my left eye, I caught sight of a massive fireball tearing through the air toward us at terrifying speed.

And from the right...

Sharp ice shards surged toward us, heading directly to pierce through our bodies.

"Tsk—"

On top of that...

There were two people charging toward us from behind.

One of them carried a long spear, while the other dragged a massive hammer as though preparing to crush everything in his path.

My eyes froze for a moment as I breathed with great difficulty.

We had been surrounded.

From every direction.

We had fallen into a trap.