It was almost noon. The coffee on the table had gone cold. Truth be told, there was barely any left in the cup anyway—dumping it wouldn’t feel like a waste. The train rumbled steadily along the tracks. Through the window, the distant landscape had abruptly turned barren. They were nearing a city.
Every city was surrounded by such desolation. Too many trees and plants would obstruct visibility. Only these empty plains let sentries spot monsters approaching. Most monsters, in turn, avoided crossing into these zones without reason. This wasteland served as a natural quarantine belt.
After days of frantic cramming, Yue Ge had barely managed to adapt to this world—no longer the clueless newcomer who didn’t even know what "monsters" were. He owed it all to Bai Ya, his walking encyclopedia. No matter what he asked, Bai Ya would calmly provide answers, even explaining unsolved mysteries with eerie clarity. Sometimes, she’d volunteer information he hadn’t even thought to ask. Like the classification system for monsters. She’d explained it unprompted. From Divine Class down to the harmless Harmless Class, monsters were loosely ranked by their "destructive power"—or rather, their threat level.
But this standard wasn’t set by the "Organization." For all its size, the Organization was still just the largest *unofficial* group of Chosen Ones. Above them existed official government departments. The monster classifications came from the official "Chosen Ones Division"—the so-called "Force." Its full name: the Monster Response Force.
This wasn’t something you could Google. Yue Ge had only heard of it from Bai Ya. In fact, the Force didn’t even maintain clear "bases." Viewed this way, the Force was even more enigmatic than the Organization. Most urban legends people whispered about actually referred to the Force. Compared to the self-funded Fate Organization, the Force better matched most people’s idea of "heroes."
None of this concerned Yue Ge. For now, his only option was to pass the Organization’s assessment and join them. Even as a "failed product," his Divine Factor—Reaper Essence—was priceless. With his current strength, defying the entire Organization was impossible. From the merest glimpse he’d seen, he understood its colossal scale.
That’s why Bai Ya’s initial insistence that he stay had actually been protection. Realizing this was why Yue Ge sat here so calmly.
"Yue Ge, will you get off at the next stop?" Bai Ya set down her tablet and instinctively reached for her coffee cup. Only then did she remember it was empty. She placed it back down.
"Hmm… not much for me to do off the train," Yue Ge replied, tearing his gaze from the window.
"I checked. There’s a popular cake shop near the station. Their cream puffs and tiramisu are excellent." Bai Ya turned the tablet toward him.
"I’ll buy some." Yue Ge glanced at the screen and nodded. He sensed this casual bossing-around was habit for her. After all, she’d originally asked him to stay as her assistant. Running errands fit the role.
"The train stops for half an hour. No rush." Bai Ya reclaimed her tablet without further comment, fingers tapping away. Yesterday had been the same—she’d spent nearly the entire day glued to it, only pausing to refill her coffee. Most of the time, her focus was absolute, relaxing only when she lifted her cup.
This wasn’t gaming. Yue Ge didn’t know what she was doing, nor did he feel the need to pry.
Little Ash had grown used to this version of Bai Ya. It mostly nuzzled against Yue Ge now, begging for playtime. When it tried with Bai Ya, she’d give a perfunctory pat before ignoring it again. Probably why Little Ash roamed outside during the day. With its intelligence, boring toys lost their charm fast. Exploring was far more interesting.
Little Ash was still a monster. And all monsters had territorial instincts. In the monster-free "paradise" of the city, it could claim any ground it walked on. That beat going stir-crazy at home.
Yue Ge scratched Little Ash under the chin and lifted it onto the windowsill. He didn’t mind watching scenery or playing with the creature—they felt equally purposeless to him. During his hospital days, he’d long forgotten what "boredom" meant. Perhaps the Reaper Essence had further dulled his emotions. Yesterday, he’d simply watched the passing landscape all day without the slightest flicker of impatience.
It made sense. Death was synonymous with eternity. As Bai Ya explained, Essences reshaped a person in every way—some even caused drastic personality shifts. With the Reaper’s Essence, waiting couldn’t possibly stir unrest in him. If the Reaper itself grew impatient over trivialities like this while dwelling alone in that empty realm, it would have gone mad long ago.
Little Ash, however, was thoroughly bored of the view. With a meow, it leaped down from the sill and vanished somewhere. Yue Ge didn’t follow. The train was approaching the station.
Gradually, the forests thinned. Past an invisible line, the land turned utterly desolate—only sand and dust remained. In this emptiness, even a rabbit would be spotted instantly unless it burrowed underground. Occasionally, jagged spikes jutted from the earth. Traps were buried everywhere.
Every city was ringed by a kilometer-wide quarantine belt. Walls were patrolled 24/7, all to keep monsters out. Ordinary people stood no chance against them. Even firearms became ineffective against Common Class monsters.
Take Little Ash: most guns couldn’t hit it. By the time a gun was aimed, it was already gone. Only overwhelming firepower could threaten it—and that was just a Common Class monster. Dangerous Class and above were far worse.
That’s why Bai Ya never worried about Little Ash roaming freely. Catching it would be difficult even for her, let alone others.
Having signaled ahead, the train smoothly passed through the city gates. After traveling underground for a stretch, it emerged at the railway station.
"I’ll head out," Yue Ge stood, stretching.
"Be quick. Buy extra—it’ll be our lunch." Bai Ya didn’t look up from her tablet.
"Sure, sure." Yue Ge didn’t mind. Stepping into the corridor, he spotted Little Ash darting through the carriages, tail wagging. Besides him and Bai Ya, only a few staff were aboard. Little Ash wouldn’t cause trouble. With this mysterious trust, Yue Ge stepped off the train.
