Achieve What Should Be Achieved

If one left the city, the wilderness at night became pitch-black, so dark one could not see a hand in front of one's face. Fang Ran had learned this when he traveled aimlessly through Italy in a carriage, holding that girl in his arms.

It was already deep into the night after midnight, London time. The plains outside the city were utterly dark, and rustling sounds occasionally came from the blackness, making one unable to help but fear that some danger might be lurking within it.

Yet incredibly, Fang Ran did not feel afraid at all.

Why? A day was still twenty-four hours, but time in London seemed to pass far more slowly than it did back in The Cabin. Perhaps nights with Participants were always long.

Or perhaps it was because he himself had become a "Participant."

Covering the wound in his abdomen, which had actually been hurting so badly it made him tremble, Fang Ran let all the excitement and fervor of the night drift away with the slightly cool darkness. He rested against one side of the seat, one foot on the steering wheel, quietly lost in thought.

What a long night. He had clearly gone to experience England's spa massage during the day, yet that now felt strangely disconnected and distant.

He took out the "Strange Sphere" he had found beneath the manor. The spherical space was more than half-filled with black liquid, though it had not yet filled completely. In such darkness, even with a Participant's eyesight, Fang Ran could barely make out its presence.

He raised it toward the moonlight and stared at this spoils of war in contemplation.

Judging by those people's attitude, it should have been something very important.

But what exactly was it?

Still unable to find an answer, Fang Ran