The moment Ji Ran saw the name in front of him… he froze.
Kiana Kaslana.
Or rather—K423.
In terms of raw talent, she was absolutely a combat genius.
With the Kaslana bloodline and her natural ability, once trained, she could easily unleash tremendous power.
…but the problem was—
that's after training.
Right now, it's 2014.
At this point in time…
She's basically just a goofy airhead (grasshopper-level noob).
A girl who has a brain, but usually can't be bothered to use it…
and has no idea what kind of cruel future awaits her.
"…Sigh. Of all people, it had to be her."
"…Forget it. No point overthinking."
"At least her physical ability is solid. As long as I don't drag her down, it's fine."
[Teammate confirmed. Dungeon transfer will begin at 23:59 tonight. Please prepare in advance.]
"Prepare… what exactly can I even prepare?"
Rope, Swiss army knife… might not be useful, but better than having nothing.
Bricks—grab a few. Not ideal weapons, but usable.
Food and water—definitely essential.
Spare clothes…
At the thought of clothes, Ji Ran suddenly hesitated.
After a brief internal struggle…
Under everyone's gaze—
he walked straight into a women's clothing store.
"Um… sir?"
"Oh, I'm buying clothes for my girlfriend. It's her birthday."
"Her measurements are 84/59/87."
"I'll need a full set—including bra and panties."
Under the shop assistant's stare of "is this guy a pervert?"…
Ji Ran calmly continued his lie while reaching into his pocket.
Then—
out of sight—
he pulled out the system credit card from storage and placed it on the counter.
"Money isn't a problem. Just be quick."
"…Understood! Please wait a moment!"
Watching the clerk's expression change from
"possible pervert" → "definite rich sucker"…
Ji Ran felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Being seen as a weirdo isn't the main issue…"
"…why do I feel like their assumption isn't entirely wrong?"
"So troublesome… can't I just get a more reliable teammate next time?"
"If my teammate were reliable, I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble!"
At the Same Time – Nagazora City
While walking around with Raiden Mei,
Kiana suddenly heard a strange voice.
"Mei, did you hear that? Something about dungeons and teammates… so weird."
"I didn't hear anything… Kiana, are you tired?"
Mei sighed softly and said helplessly:
"If you're tired, let's head back early. It's the weekend tomorrow—I can come out with you again."
"Eh? I'm not tired! It just felt strange… I don't want to go back yet!"
Looking at the amusement park ahead,
Kiana's eyes sparkled like a child's.
"Mei, hurry up! There's no line here!"
"Alright, alright… I really can't do anything about you."
Mei smiled bitterly and followed after her.
Her friend was great in every way—
except she behaved like a child who never grew up.
Mei didn't mind it.
As for what others thought…
…it didn't matter anymore.
Ever since her father, Raiden Ryoma, was imprisoned for financial crimes…
Mei had seen the harshness of the world.
People who flattered you in your glory
would abandon—or even trample you—when you fell.
Because of that…
she treasured her friendship with Kiana more than anything.
As long as Kiana was happy—
nothing else mattered.
That Night
After washing up,
an exhausted Kiana changed into her pajamas and jumped onto her bed.
"Now that I think about it… that weird voice earlier said something about 23:59, right?"
"…Meh, probably just my imagination."
"What time is it now… oh, 23:58 already? So late."
"Whatever. I'll just sleep. Tomorrow I'm going to have even more fun!"
[Ding! The time has come! Initiating transfer.]
Before Kiana could react—
the space around her twisted.
In the blink of an eye—
she was no longer in her apartment,
but in a place she had never seen before.