I slowly woke up as I felt something hovering directly above my face.
"Good morning, Arche."
I rubbed my face and let out a sigh.
"Morning, Reina."
Reina smiled faintly, then her eyes emitted a soft glow.
"Perfect timing."
"Someone is on their way to this room."
"Most likely the person Karen assigned to escort you to Green Serpent's headquarters."
I nodded.
"Then I'd better get ready."
I got out of bed and began checking all of my equipment.
I inspected Splitfang first.
I removed the magazine, then reinserted it.
Next came the Cinder-9 at my waist.
Thermal Scrambler.
Wire Hook.
Knife.
Everything was still there.
After making sure nothing was missing, I packed all my gear into my backpack.
Not long afterward...
Click.
The room door opened.
A tall, broad-shouldered man entered with calm, steady steps.
Heavy armor covered most of his body, while a long rifle hung across his back.
His gaze was sharp, but showed no hostility.
"I'm Riven."
"A veteran scavenger."
"Come with me."
I simply nodded and followed him out.
As we walked through the corridors of The Whisperer's headquarters, I finally broke the silence.
"Riven."
"There's something I'd like to ask."
"Hm?"
"For this mission..."
"What about ammunition and gadgets?"
"Is The Whisperer covering the cost?"
"Or do I have to use my own equipment?"
Riven answered without slowing his pace.
"We're heading to the armory."
"Take whatever ammunition and gadgets you need."
"The Whisperer will cover everything."
Inside my head, Reina immediately commented,
"At least they're genuinely covering your operational expenses."
"So you don't have to worry about the cost."
I nodded slightly.
"That's good news."
Several minutes later, we arrived at a massive armory.
Steel shelves filled the room.
Weapons, ammunition crates, grenades, medical supplies, and all kinds of gadgets I'd never seen before were neatly arranged on them.
Riven walked toward the right side of the armory.
He began picking out several infiltration tools and fastening them to his body.
Meanwhile, he pointed toward the other side of the room.
"Take whatever you need."
"Ammunition."
"Gadgets."
"Don't hold back."
I nodded.
"Understood."
I walked toward the ammunition racks.
While I was gathering several magazines for Splitfang, Reina suddenly spoke.
"Arche."
"Something's strange."
"What?"
"Riven."
"I've already scanned his body."
"He doesn't have a single modified body part."
I glanced briefly toward the man.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"He's a veteran scavenger."
"But his entire body is still completely biological."
"That's unusual."
"Most veteran scavengers in Firmament have replaced at least one limb with a prosthetic."
I placed several Splitfang magazines into my backpack.
"Maybe he's never fought badly enough to lose a body part."
"That's why he's still intact."
"I don't really care."
Reina let out a long sigh.
"You should at least know."
"Today you'll be heading to Green Serpent's headquarters together."
"There's a chance you'll be fighting side by side."
"Knowing your partner isn't a bad thing, Arche."
I picked up several magazines for my Cinder-9 and put them into my bag.
"Alright."
A few minutes later, I finished preparing everything.
I returned to the center of the armory.
Riven was already standing there, tightening several devices attached to his armor.
He glanced at me.
"Ready?"
I nodded firmly.
"Yeah."
"I'm ready."
***
Riven quietly closed the door to Karen's office.
His footsteps echoed through the silent corridors of The Whisperer's headquarters.
As he walked, his thoughts kept replaying the conversation from several minutes earlier.
"At last, we've found someone capable of wiping out Green Serpent."
Karen's words still echoed clearly in his mind.
Riven had been a scavenger for many years.
He understood the way Karen operated better than most members of The Whisperer.
Whenever Karen made a decision, it meant she had calculated it over and over again.
And Riven immediately understood the reasoning behind her plan.
It wasn't that Karen lacked the ability to kill Garrick.
She simply didn't have an outside asset valuable enough...
...yet cheap enough to throw away.
Members of The Whisperer were never used for operations like this.
Even the smallest trace of the organization—no matter how well concealed—would eventually be discovered by an enemy patient enough to look for it.
Karen understood that principle better than anyone.
It was precisely because she always thought that way that she had risen to become one of The Whisperer's executives.
She didn't want Green Serpent to uncover any direct connection between the two organizations.
That was why...
She waited.
Waited for someone from the outside.
Someone with no ties to The Whisperer.
Someone who could be used...
...and then discarded.
Riven recalled a single name.
Archemidas.
A beginner.
According to Karen's report, the young man had already killed six Green Serpent members.
Six.
A number that even most experienced scavengers could never achieve.
That was why Riven had developed certain expectations.
He imagined someone with piercing eyes.
Refined movements.
The unmistakable aura of a veteran forged through dozens of battles.
But...
When he opened the room Karen had pointed him to...
He stopped for a moment.
"..."
Riven even looked at the room number once more.
Then glanced down the hallway.
Then looked back at the number on the door.
No mistake.
This was the correct room.
And the young man standing inside...
Really looked like nothing more than a rookie scavenger.
No overwhelming presence.
No expensive equipment.
No excessive body modifications.
Just an ordinary teenager.
During their walk to the armory, Riven observed Archemidas without saying much.
The way the boy walked.
The way his eyes moved.
The way he examined every corner of the hallway.
Yet the longer Riven watched him...
The harder he became to understand.
The Whisperer's headquarters was filled with surveillance cameras and recording devices.
Most visitors would show signs of nervousness.
Or at least pretend to remain calm.
But Archemidas...
Behaved as though none of it existed.
Why?
Was he simply that confident in his abilities?
Or...
Was he truly such a beginner that he didn't even realize he was being watched?
Riven found no answer.
He had spent years surviving in Firmament.
He had seen far too many rookies enter the ruins.
And far too many of their headless corpses return.
Most of them had died at the hands of Green Serpent.
Yet this boy...
Was hunting Green Serpent instead.
He had even managed to kill six of them.
Riven couldn't understand it.
Was Archemidas really a beginner?
...Or did he merely look like one?
The question continued to linger in his mind.
Then he remembered Karen's final order.
"Most likely, he'll succeed in killing Garrick."
"If that happens..."
"Don't let him leave alive."
Archemidas already knew the location of The Whisperer's headquarters.
He also knew the secret underground route leading to Firmament.
Secrets like those...
Could never be allowed to leave the organization.
That was why Riven had accepted one final assignment before departure.
If Archemidas failed...
Let him die inside Green Serpent's headquarters.
But...
If Archemidas succeeded in killing Garrick...
Then the one who would finish him...
Would be Riven himself.