After she had told them that she knew of the Safe Zone's approximate location, they'd been moving at a steady pace for half an hour. The twilight descended on the forest, and the violet moon was beginning its slow ascent through the alien sky.

  "I see, so our second Trials were different," Luna said after Catherine recounted their experiences. The revelation made sense when she thought about it—there couldn't possibly be enough condemned criminals for seven percent of humanity to execute, which meant the System must have prepared alternative challenges for different groups.

  "Yeah, guess we got the longer stick?" Thomas smiled awkwardly. "I'd rather fight a hobgoblin again than face real humans with guns like your group did."

  Apparently, while the trio's first Trial had been pretty much the same as Luna's, in the second their group of ten faced one hobgoblin with a Steel Rank Berserker Class. He was only level 5, and yet ten of them almost lost one person, only saved by their Cleric's desperate healing after the creature had nearly torn the man's arm off.

  "So you, like... killed people there?" Catherine asked cautiously, her voice dropping as if the forest itself might judge her for asking.

  "They were condemned criminals. And acted like that."

  "Doesn't it bother you?"

  "I protected myself," Luna replied, not looking at the woman. "And my friends. I'd do it again if I have to."

  There was silence after that, the kind that settles between people who have discovered they see the world differently and aren't sure what to do with that knowledge. Luna let it stretch for a moment before breaking it herself, her curiosity about the Trial outweighing social discomfort.

  "Hobgoblin. Tell me more."

  "There's not much to say," Thomas said, his shield clanking softly against his back as he walked. "It was ferocious and fought with a sword in his gut for a good ten seconds after what should have been a killing blow. But in the end, we had the numbers and surrounded it from all sides. It wasn't hard, really. Just scary."

  Luna pondered their words as they continued through the darkening forest. Her thoughts drifted not to the hobgoblin, but to her own Trial—the maze of ancient corridors, the criminals with their automatic rifles, the way bodies had fallen when her arrows found their marks. She remembered Marcus dying in the pit, remembered Derek's broken howl of grief echoing off stone walls. And she remembered Victor, the tattooed killer who'd murdered his own allies to secure his place among the survivors, walking free because the System had decided ten was the magic number and wouldn't let her arrow reach him. That one bothered her more than the kills themselves.

  Somewhere in this forest, Victor was advancing, growing stronger, and Luna had no idea what he might do with that power or who he might target. For all she knew, the two they had buried before could've been his victims. The criminals she'd put down were threats that had ended. He was a threat still walking.

  Their group crested a small ridge, and Luna saw it in the distance: a column of brilliant white light stabbing upward into the purple-tinged sky, pulsing once, twice, then fading. A few seconds later it fired again—a beacon cycling through intervals, clearly designed to be visible from miles away without burning constantly.

  "Finally," Garrett said, his voice carrying obvious relief. "I hope it's the Safe Zone we're looking for."

  Thankfully, he was right.

  The village was smaller than Luna had expected—perhaps a dozen buildings arranged in a rough circle around a central plaza, all constructed from pale wood but with designs that seemed oddly modern despite the natural material. Clean geometric lines dominated the architecture, with flat roofs and large windows that wouldn't have looked out of place in a contemporary suburb, yet everything had been built from timber and stone as if someone had tried to recreate a futuristic aesthetic using only medieval resources. The effect was strange but not unpleasant, functional rather than decorative, clearly the work of a mind that valued efficiency over ornamentation.

  At the center of the plaza stood the source of both the barrier and the beacon—a cylindrical structure perhaps ten feet tall, constructed from some silvery metal. The barrier itself extended outward from this generator in an invisible dome, marked only by that faint iridescence where moonlight caught its surface.

  The plaza was mostly empty when they passed through the barrier—the transition felt like stepping through a soap bubble, a moment of slight resistance followed by nothing—but Luna spotted a few people emerging from buildings to observe the newcomers. All wore ordinary civilian clothes, their Class Forms dismissed, and they watched with the wary curiosity of people who had learned that strangers could mean opportunity or danger in equal measure. Luna counted maybe eight observers total, which suggested either this Safe Zone had fewer residents than she'd expected or most preferred to stay indoors.

  "Attention, newcomers," said one of the most unusual beings she'd encountered since the Integration began—a literal robot standing at the village's entrance. The voice was strange—clearly artificial, with a mechanical undertone that reminded Luna of text-to-speech programs, yet somehow conversational in its cadence.

  The automaton stood perhaps five feet seven inches tall—a bit shorter than Luna—its body constructed from what appeared to be polished silver metal that caught the light with mirror-like clarity. The form was broadly humanoid but clearly not trying to pass as organic—a genderless torso, two legs built for stability rather than grace, two arms ending in articulated hands with too many joints. What drew Luna's attention most were the four additional mechanical appendages extending from its back, each one attached to a large box that hummed with contained energy. The box had a small door on its front panel, currently closed.

  Luna activated Identify before she could stop herself.

  [Automata Tinkerer (Titanium) Level 50]

  Level 50. Luna didn't know exactly what that meant in the grand scheme of things—her own maximum level was supposedly 250, which put this automaton at only a fifth of what she might someday achieve—but she suspected Level 50 was far beyond anything a Tutorial participant could reasonably challenge. The Rank was something new as well. She'd seen Bronze, Iron, Steel, and Mithril mentioned in her earlier encounters. If she had to guess, Titanium sat somewhere in between the last two—a more advanced metal than the steel, but not magical in nature. That was only a guess, of course. But whatever the robot was, it existed in a category well above anything she'd faced so far and could probably protect the village even from the likes of the Ogre Shrum.

  "Welcome to Safe Zone 4," the robot continued, its head with one blue circle of light for an eye swiveling to address each of the newcomers in turn. "I am Cerfi, the Guide assigned to this Trial region. I serve as sentinel for all five Safe Zones within the forest, which I mention because you'll likely find it confusing when you visit another Zone and find me already there. My consciousness operates across multiple bodies simultaneously—twenty-four of us in total, sharing memory and personality cores, though only five are deployed in this region. Think of it as one mind wearing several suits of armor at once, if that helps. It usually doesn't, but people seem to appreciate the attempt at explanation."

  "You're in five places at once?" Thomas asked, his voice carrying the slightly dazed quality of someone whose worldview was being repeatedly hammered.

  "In twenty-four, my dear primate. Technically I'm in one place twenty-four times, but the distinction is philosophical rather than practical, and I've found that philosophy gives most Trial participants headaches." Cerfi's head tilted in a gesture that seemed almost human despite the completely inhuman face. "Now, the rules. Safe Zones are neutral territory—no combat between participants is permitted within the barrier, and I will enforce this personally if necessary. You don't want that, primates. Trust me."

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  "Staying within the Zone costs Sanctum Points," Cerfi continued. "The standard rate is 100 points per day, which covers basic lodging, access to communal facilities, and three meals of nutritionally adequate if somewhat bland food. Payment is due every 24 hours from the moment of your first stay. Failure to pay results in removal from the Zone, and the barrier will not permit re-entry until the debt is cleared."

  "How do we earn points?" Catherine asked.

  "Several ways. Bounties are the most straightforward—you can check available contracts at the Sanctum Terminal beside the Barrier Generator." One of Cerfi's back-mounted arms gestured toward the central pillar, where Luna now noticed a smaller pedestal with a flat surface that might serve as an interface. "Kill the listed creatures, return here, and the Terminal will verify your kills and dispense payment—don't worry, though, the kills count retroactively and the System counts everything for you. You can also complete Guide Challenges, which involve sparring with constructs I create—five tiers of difficulty, scaling rewards. And occasionally the System issues Quests with point bonuses attached."

  "What can we spend points on besides lodging?" Luna asked. She had enough points to stay here for nineteen days—longer than the Trial's remaining time.

  "Ah, an important question. The Terminal also serves as a shop interface. Food beyond the basic rations, consumables, even certain Artifacts if you accumulate enough wealth. Information packages as well, for those who prefer knowledge to material goods, like any smart primate should. I'd recommend checking the full catalog when you have time."

  Luna filed that away for later. She had 1,900 points already, but she'd want to see exactly what bounties were available before making any major purchases.

  "I should mention," Cerfi added, "that I also offer a VIP accommodation package for those who can afford it. 300 points per day instead of 100, but the benefits are substantial: a private floor rather than mere rooms, significantly better food, and—most relevantly for newcomers—a 50% discount on my Basic Information Bundle."

  Luna's curiosity was piqued. "What's in the bundle?"

  "A rough map of the Trial zone showing all five Safe Zones and major landmarks. Information on the current locations of your teammates from the second Trial, assuming they've visited any Safe Zone to meet me. And a comprehensive explanation of the Rank and Attribute systems, including details that the System's initial messages rather unhelpfully omit." Cerfi's tone carried something that might have been mild disapproval directed at whatever higher power had designed the Tutorial. "The bundle normally costs 400 points. With VIP status, it's 200. So for 500 points total, you get superior lodging, quality food, and knowledge that will significantly improve your survival odds."

  Luna did the math. 500 points for the VIP stay and bundle would leave her with 1,400—still not bad, and she could earn more through bounties or other means. The information about her teammates' locations was worth the cost on its own... especially about Mia's and Victor's teams.

  "I'll take the VIP package and the bundle, then," she said.

  [You've lost 500 SP]

  [Current Sanctum Points: 1,400]

  "Excellent choice. Payment processed." Something shifted in Cerfi's posture—a subtle straightening of those mechanical shoulders. "Your accommodations are in building three, the entire third floor. Private rooms, personal bathroom, balcony with a decent view of the forest. The key will materialize in your Space Pouch momentarily. Note that other people can't stay on your floor for longer than three hours a day. Now, regarding the information bundle, I'll need a moment to compile the relevant data for your specific—"

  The automaton's words cut off mid-sentence. Its head swiveled sharply toward one of the buildings across the plaza, and Luna had the distinct impression of someone suddenly remembering an urgent task they'd nearly forgotten.

  "Ah. One moment. Almost forgot—someone is abusing my hospitality."

  The door on the large box attached to Cerfi's back slid open, and Luna caught a glimpse of intricate machinery within—gears turning, metal parts shifting and clicking together with precise movements. In the span of perhaps five seconds, three small constructs assembled themselves from component pieces and emerged one after another. Each stood about two feet tall, vaguely humanoid in shape, made of the same silver metal as their creator but with simpler, more utilitarian designs. They moved with surprising speed, skittering across the plaza toward one of the larger buildings—the VIP quarters, Luna realized, based on the more elaborate construction.

  "What are those?" Catherine asked, watching the constructs disappear through the building's entrance.

  "Tinkerlings. Minor constructs for minor tasks. I'm simply dealing with a pest. Nothing that concerns you—just standard enforcement of Zone policies."

  Luna's curiosity got the better of her. She asked Cerfi to wait with its explanation, and moved toward the building. Whatever "standard enforcement" meant, she wanted to see it for herself.

  She didn't have to go far. The Tinkerlings were already emerging from the building's entrance, and between them they half-carried, half-dragged a young woman in full Adventurer Class Form—brown leather armor, a small sword at her hip and a shield. She was struggling against their grip, her boots scraping against the wooden floor of the plaza as they pulled her toward the barrier's edge.

  "Please! I can get the points, I just need more time! One more day!"

  "Your 24-hour period expired a minute ago," one of the Tinkerlings said in a tinny approximation of Cerfi's voice. "Payment is required immediately or removal will be enforced."

  "I tried to hunt! But no one would team up with me after my group—they said I was dead weight, that I'd just slow them down! I can't fight those things alone!"

  Luna activated Identify as the woman was dragged past her.

  [Human Adventurer (Iron) — Level 2]

  Level 2 after a full day in the Trial. The woman had barely advanced at all, which explained why potential teammates had rejected her. The Adventurer Class wasn't built for solo combat—Luna remembered Emma and Clark from her own group, how their abilities had been useful for support and utility but weren't as practical when monsters got close. Without a group willing to carry her through fights, this woman had been trapped in a downward spiral: too weak to hunt alone, too weak to attract teammates, burning through points just to survive another day.

  "Perhaps," Cerfi's voice came from the automaton's main body, which had followed at a leisurely pace, "you shouldn't have purchased VIP accommodations if you lacked the means to earn your due. The standard lodging would have given you an extra two days to find your footing."

  The woman's face crumpled. "I thought—I thought if I had better food, a private room to rest properly, I could recover faster and—"

  "And instead you spent points you couldn't replace on luxuries you couldn't afford. A common mistake among those who confuse comfort with survival." Cerfi's tone wasn't cruel, exactly, but it carried no sympathy either. "The barrier will not permit re-entry until you pay the basic fee of 100 points... or find someone else who will, which I doubt. Don't worry though, miss primate—there's a simple Quest the System gives to everyone with zero points that lets you earn as much."

  "Yeah, I have it, and it requires killing five monsters! I'll die out there! You know I will!"

  The other residents of Safe Zone 4 had emerged to watch—maybe a dozen people now, observing from doorways and the edges of the plaza. Luna saw expressions ranging from uncomfortable sympathy to studied indifference, but none of them moved to help. She understood why, in a cold tactical sense. Paying for a stranger meant fewer points for yourself, fewer resources, fewer safety margins in a Trial designed to push everyone to their limits. The math of survival didn't favor charity. Besides, the woman was partially at fault for squandering the little she had.

  But Luna thought of the Grove. Of Astra's offer of sanctuary, of the animals who had accepted her without demanding anything in return. She thought of all the people in this Trial who couldn't fight as well—the Adventurers and Clerics, the ones whose potential had manifested in ways that didn't translate to combat effectiveness, or who were pacifistic by nature.

  Those like Mia.

  "Wait a minute."

  The Tinkerlings paused mid-step, still holding the woman's arms, their featureless heads turning toward Luna in eerie synchronization. The woman's struggling ceased as she stared at Luna with fragile, barely-believing hope, like someone who had been drowning and just felt fingers brush against hers.

  Luna met Cerfi's one-eyed blue gaze.

  "I'll pay for her."