The Second Step...

Mr. Nobody viewed those who had reached the First Step as strange beings who had earned the right to wield the power of the supernatural world. They were true miracle-workers, but if one knew the method, they could be defeated. He himself had proven this time and again.

But those who had reached the Second Step... He considered them true monsters. A completely different level of power.

Mr. Nobody had never encountered a weapon capable of defeating someone at the Second Step level. They felt untouchable. It was hard to imagine a way to defeat them.

And now Noir... Someone possibly connected to something as terrifying as the Disappearance Phenomenon could have reached that level of power.

"..." A hint of suspicion and wariness appeared in Mr. Nobody’s gaze.

But on the other hand, despite his strange behavior and lack of a shadow, Noir had already saved him once and had been quite friendly toward him.

"Huh? What’s with that weird look, bro?!" Noir feigned surprise and put his hands to his face. "Wait, do you really think the Second Step of the Path of Concord means the same thing as the Second Step on other Paths?"

"...What do you mean?"

"God, you really don’t know... Alright, watch this."

Noir pressed one of the buttons, and a hologram with a corporate login interface appeared above the table.

Noir logged into the system, then brought up one of the recordings on the table.

The video showed a man in an unusual, dark capsule. He was breathing rapidly, as if he were nervous or preparing for something.

The atmosphere in the recording resembled a classified experiment in a hidden basement.

"I don’t know about the other Paths, but I’m sure they also require some kind of a specific, large-scale ritual to take the First Step, just like on the Path of Havoc," Noir explained, fast-forwarding through the recording. "But the Path of Concord is different. It’s no coincidence that the advertisements say, ’All you need is a symbolic fee.’"

The recording skipped to the moment when a man in a lab coat approached the capsule and closed it.

The scientist had brought a strange container with him, suggesting that there must be something important inside.

"The Path of Concord is great because you don’t have to be tied to a specific Path and can get practically any ability you want. For example, bulletproof skin and eye lasers are very popular right now. Of course, the effectiveness isn’t great with a build like that, but it looks really cool!"

"...Literally any?"

"Well, not exactly, but that’s not the point... The most important thing is how many cool abilities you can fit into yourself and how powerful they’ll be. That’s the difference in the Steps on the Path of Concord. Now watch closely..."

"T-that’s...!" Kuronuma exclaimed.

Mr. Nobody followed her gaze and...

"...No way." He whispered in shock, instinctively clutching the claw amulet around his neck.

Memories of an unforgettable, deadly battle with the bloodthirsty predator began to flash before his eyes.

In the video, the scientist took a massive, red-glowing core out of a container. He inserted it into a compartment on the capsule containing the man.

Immediately, energy from the core began to be absorbed and drawn into the capsule.

"That’s a Ryskar core..." he whispered in shock. "Kuronuma, have you seen anything like this before?"

"H-huh? Y-yes, where I used to live..." the girl sighed. "The Dirty Baals Scavengers used to dig dozens of these out of the sand. So that’s what those things were for..."

"Holy shit..." Mr. Nobody was genuinely stunned by this information.

’No wonder the people in suits made contact with the Dirty Baals so easily and struck a deal with Kuronuma. They’ve been working with them for years, all while forcing ordinary citizens to despise them.’

"Hmm... Actually, in a couple of hours, the process will be complete, and this guy will be able to gain an ability. As a rule, at the First Step level, you can get a maximum of two." Noir scratched his cheek, fast-forwarding through the video with a bored expression.

"And the Second Step level? What changes at this level?"

"Glad you asked! Actually, a lot depends on which abilities you chose in the First Step..." Noir smiled. "But your ’total capacity’ increases to about five to ten times its base value. To put it simply, in theory, you can become ten times stronger!"

"...I don’t think it works exactly like that."

"That’s why I said I’m simplifying it!"

"Got it. Will the procedure for the next level be the same? And how many of those red things do I need to advance to the Second Step?"

"Hmm... Something like 10 red cores? And something similar... but of a different type," Noir replied.

"...Got it."

’Sure, Ryskar is powerful, but... Just ten cores from remains of machines like that, and you can move on to the Second Step?’

Mr. Nobody sighed, leaned back in his chair, and put his hands to his face.

’This is madness. Unlike the other Paths, here you don’t even need a special ritual that makes superpowers so inaccessible to ordinary people... At this rate, Big Brother could create a real army and take over the whole world. And to do this, he doesn’t even have to use his own resources; he just keeps exploiting the remnants of a defeated enemy’s legacy.’

"This is madness..." he whispered, glancing at the girl through his fingers.

"E-ek...!" Meeting his gaze, Kuronuma shyly hid her face in the cat’s fur.

"Hah... Alright, now finally tell me what I’ll get for this job... And why the hell do you need this girl for the mission?"

...

A few minutes later.

Mr. Nobody’s expression darkened.

"So, thanks to her, we’ll be able to pinpoint the exact location of the Village of the Fool Baals..."

"That’s right. She’ll point us in the right direction, and then she’ll just fly away in a transport to a safe place."

"...Then we’ll show up there with a bomb in hand, blow everything to hell, and interrupt the Ceremony..."

"Exactly." Noir nodded contentedly.

"...And then we bolt as our lives depend on it, preferably grabbing some Essence obtained from the Ceremony. We run and hope like hell they don’t eat us alive. Did I miss anything... or is that about it?"

"Mm... Well, yeah, you’re right."

"Got it." Mr. Nobody stood up. "That’s the most fucked-up plan I’ve ever heard."

"Well, it’s hard to disagree with that either..."

"Noir, you’re either crazy or you’ve just lost your mind over the reward and can’t see the obvious. Those are the Fool Baals." He pointed at the girl. "Do you feel that sense of horror emanating from her? It’s not some fake bullshit, but our instincts reacting to the true nature of creatures like her. If what emanates from this girl represents even a tenth of what awaits us, then..."

"...Is that why you left me?" the girl’s cold voice cut through the air.

A red light emanating from beneath her cap began to dominate the room.

"What?" he said, feeling a shiver run through his body.

"I-is that why you cast me aside?!" Kuronuma shouted.

Tears streamed down her face, and her eyes glowed red.

"No, I didn’t..."

"B-because I’m a monster?!"

"No, no, you’re not a..."

The girl didn’t listen to him; covering her face with her hands, she ran away.

"Kuronuma...!" he shouted, but the only response was the door slamming shut.

"Oh..." Noir said awkwardly. "I didn’t even know you two had that kind of history."

"Damn," he spat, about to chase after the girl.

"Wait, wait, bro!"

"What else?"

"If you haven’t decided to agree yet, visit the hundredth floors. With my pass, it should be possible." Noir sent the data, and the black bracelet on his wrist responded with a vibration. "If we pull this off, on top of the main reward, you can take whatever you want from there... Well, sort of."

"God... I’ll think about it." He scooped the cat up and opened the door.

"I’ll be waiting for you in three days at the planning center! Free guns, gear, and cookies! See you later, bro!"