I had no idea why Ayla, the Daughter of the Sands, was stranded here alone.
But I could understand it.
After all, Ayla was the type of person who constantly engaged in bizarre, inexplicable activities.
'Did she sniff out another money-making opportunity?'
Her actions were always erratic and eccentric, but one thing remained consistent—
Every single thing she did was driven by profit.
More specifically, since credits weren't used outside of Ark, wealth in the form of tangible assets.
'I have no idea what she's hoping to find out here…'
As far as I knew, there was absolutely nothing of value in this area.
And right now, even Ayla herself was surrounded by beasts and monsters, fighting for survival.
Wealth was meaningless in a situation like this.
'Well, not my concern.'
What mattered was that this was an opportunity for me.
'Time to go.'
I activated Kupf's Bone Mask and secured my hood.
I was here for business, but that didn't mean I planned to expose my identity completely.
["…You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"]
"I probably am."
["No way—!"]
Without hesitation, I threw myself off Horus' back.
From this height, falling without preparation would be fatal.
Not that it bothered me in the slightest.
Swaaaaaaaash—!
Was this falling or plummeting?
As the tiny figures below rapidly grew larger, I lightly brushed my fingers over the Z-74 jetpack's control button.
'Better not use it.'
My goal wasn't to fly—just to land.
There was no need to activate a piece of equipment that could potentially reveal my identity.
Sure, only a handful of people in Ark knew I had the Z-74 jetpack, like Maybell Pilgrim, but it was always better to be cautious.
That meant I had to find another way to land.
'Esther.'
["Here we go again…"]
'Just do it.'
["Yeah, yeah."]
With a grumble, Esther summoned ether beneath me.
[Slowly?]
[Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch. Catch.]
[Gotcha…]
The speed of my descent slowed, just enough to prevent me from splatting into the ground.
Of course, my initial falling speed had been extreme, so even with the reduction, the impact wasn't negligible.
'Janus.'
[Kiiik!]
In response, Janus' bone tendrils extended, wrapping around me.
Creeeak…
And then—
As the bone tendrils fully enclosed me—
BOOOOOOM—!!!
It felt like a meteor crashing from the sky.
Of course, the actual impact wasn't nearly as devastating, but the beasts beneath me wouldn't see it that way.
[Kieeeek…]
[Kiehk!]
As the dust settled, two Grade-8 beasts lay crushed beneath me, vomiting blood.
No matter how tough their hides and strong their bodies were, getting smashed under a mass of bones dropping from the sky was fatal.
["…Can't you land more gracefully?"]
'Maybe if you slowed me down more.'
["Wait, so this is my fault now? Ugh, forget it. I give up."]
While Esther muttered to herself in frustration, the beasts surrounding Ayla let out vicious roars.
[Kieeeeh!]
[Kraaaah!]
Esther clicked her tongue as the monsters charged toward me.
["Tch. They've got no idea who they're messing with."]
There was no need to use the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher.
Anything would suffice to wipe out these pests.
Click.
Ziiing… Chik—
The Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle shifted into shotgun mode.
The greatest advantage of shotgun mode was its sheer stopping power in close-range combat—
Perfect for this kind of situation, where I needed to protect someone.
BOOM!
With a deafening explosion, the Ark-15 shotgun fired a spread of buckshot.
I ignored stealth mode entirely—there was no need for silence.
I also avoided using A-985 Explosive Rounds since Ayla was too close to the blast radius.
Swaaaak!
Swaaaak—!!!
One shot. Two shots. Three shots.
Each time I pulled the trigger; another beast was ripped apart.
[Kieeeek!]
[Kraak!]
Even standard buckshot was devastating at this range.
And with the sheer stopping power of the Ark-15 shotgun, the beasts couldn't even get close.
It was practically a wall of bullets.
[Kieeeeh—!!]
[Kik! Kik!]
With some breathing room, I finally got a clear look at Ayla.
Copper-toned skin.
Long black and brown hair flowing from beneath a white scarf wrapped around her head and face.
Striking golden eyes.
Everything matched the Ayla I knew.
'Hmm.'
Even in the midst of all this chaos, she didn't scream or panic.
She simply observed everything in silence, protecting herself and waiting.
She wasn't just calm—it was as if she had expected this to happen.
'Not the time to think about that.'
For now, I had more immediate concerns.
The beasts, momentarily deterred by the shotgun fire, began charging again.
'Annoying.'
Their gaping maws were now right in front of me.
Without a hint of concern, I pulled the trigger once more.
BANG!
BANG! BANG—!
Their flesh and already-wounded hides burst apart as I kept firing.
The [Blade Rounds] effect had weakened the beasts' defenses, and with the added damage bonus from the [Beast Hunter] trait exceeding a certain threshold, eliminating them didn't take long.
There was no need to use the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher or A-985 Explosive Rounds. Taking care of beasts and monsters of this level was simple enough.
Kiiiii…
Bang—!
After putting a final bullet through the last struggling beast's head, I turned to face the Daughter of the Sands, who stood in a corner gripping a pistol.
Running into Ayla here… was something I never expected.
'And right when I was on my way to meet the Sandstorm Caravan.'
Was this mere coincidence?
I couldn't say for sure.
"Thank you for saving me. I don't even know how I can possibly repay this debt…"
Ayla bowed politely; her gratitude seemingly sincere.
At first glance, there was nothing unusual about this.
Right now, I was her savior. It was only natural for her to express thanks.
'The problem is that the person smiling and thanking me… is Ayla.'
Ayla was one of the most predictable and simultaneously unpredictable people in this world.
It sounded contradictory, but anyone who had observed her actions firsthand would understand.
'Her goal is always clear. But the way she achieves it? Impossible for ordinary people to comprehend.'
Strictly speaking, no one could understand her actions—except Ayla herself.
Those familiar with her merely watched in silence, assuming she had some underlying reason for her behavior.
That was why I chose to observe her carefully.
If I could understand her true objective, it would prove useful later when dealing with the Sandstorm Caravan.
And more importantly—
Why had Ayla been alone, stranded in this place, surrounded by monsters?
"I wasn't expecting any payment," I replied.
Of course, that was a lie. But it was the safest thing to say in this situation.
["At least try to sound convincing."]
'Shut up.'
["Well… It's not like you're the only one lying here."]
Esther chuckled.
Something about her laughter irritated me.
"No, that won't do!" Ayla protested passionately. "You saved my life—how could I brush that off with just a simple thank you? If you hadn't intervened, I would have died!"
She wasn't wrong.
Ayla wasn't particularly skilled in combat.
If I hadn't stepped in, she would have been monster food within minutes.
'But something about this still feels off.'
The Ayla I remembered wasn't like this at all.
"Money, money, money! Pay me! More money! More, more, more!"
That was the image I had of her.
Of course, memories were often unreliable, but my general impression of her had always been along those lines.
Yet the Ayla standing before me now…
"My father always told me: 'Never forget your enemies, but never forget those who save you, either.' In times like these, it's more important than ever. How could I ignore a debt of life? Please, allow me to repay you, sir."
That money-obsessed devil wanted to repay a debt?
Who could possibly refuse such a heartfelt offer?
"You want to repay me? How?"
"I'm afraid I have nothing of value to give you right now. So… would you be willing to accompany me somewhere?"
"Where?"
"My family's caravan is camped nearby. If you escort me there, I'll make sure to reward you properly."
Even to an outsider, this proposal would have seemed suspicious.
Outside of Ark, the greatest threat wasn't beasts or monsters—it was other humans.
And yet, Ayla was inviting a complete stranger into her faction's domain.
There were only two possible explanations.
Either she genuinely trusted me—
Or she planned to kill me.
Of course, the Sandstorm Caravan was a merchant organization. They didn't lure people into traps just to kill them.
Not because they were morally upright—simply because it would be bad for business in the long run.
In fact, their neutrality stemmed from their extreme dedication to commerce.
That was only true, however, because I understood the Sandstorm Caravan's principles.
For the average person, blindly following Ayla would be nothing short of idiotic.
In a normal situation, no one would accept this offer.
But this wasn't a normal situation.
"Alright."
Ayla blinked in surprise at my immediate agreement.
For a brief moment, she widened her golden eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.
"You've made the right choice!"
She smiled brightly at me.
I smiled back.
Of course, she couldn't see it behind my bone mask.
"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ayla Nasser. You can call me Ayla."
"Pawn."
"Sir Pawn!"
I had just used the name that Ark has given to me to avoid revealing my identity.
But Ayla clapped her hands together enthusiastically, completely buying into it.
Her reaction was too much.
'I have no idea what's going on in her head… but it doesn't matter.'
My goal had always been to meet the Sandstorm Caravan.
This was the perfect opportunity.
Whatever Ayla's true motives were, as long as I could use her to my advantage, that was all that mattered.
"This way! Our camp isn't far from here."
"Alright."
I followed Ayla as she briskly trotted ahead.
Whatever her true intentions were, I had my own plans.
'Let's see if she knows what a bad deal looks like.'
Esther shook her head.
["…Just so you know, don't ever take that mask off."]
'Why?'
["Your smile is creepy."]
'...'