The doors of the 0th Descent Gate closed.
Rumble.
A heavy metallic sound echoed behind him, but...
Even after hearing it, Harun could not move for quite a while.
For the Surface Level he had dreamed of all his life was unfolding right before his eyes.
Everything was different from the Underground Level.
It could not even compare to the air of the Underground Level, thick with the stench of filth, mold, rusted iron, and decaying pipes.
There were no damp floors soaked with water leaking from burst pipes, nor any concrete walls smashed apart by violent impacts.
And above all else...
"...."
There was light.
It was not a completely open sky; enormous buildings still towered overhead, and ultra-high-rise corporate towers, magic conduits, and aerial transit routes blocked out parts of the sky, but...
Between those gaps, light was streaming down.
Something he had only heard about through the words of others until now.
Sunlight.
He could feel in his bones that this was real sunlight.
Harun raised his hand unconsciously in the pleasantly warm sunlight.
The warmth touching his wrinkled skin as the light settled on the back of his hand felt impossible to believe.
All his life, he had yearned for the Surface Level.
Whenever the people of the Underground Level spoke about the Surface Level, their accounts always conflicted.
Harun had simply laughed each time, dismissing it as absurd nonsense.
If such a place truly existed, why would bastards like us be stuck down here?
Even while scoffing like that, he would occasionally let his imagination take flight in solitude.
What in the world was this 'sky' that supposedly existed instead of a rusted ceiling?
Whenever he shivered with cold, he imagined the sun that was said to shower warmth from above.
Yet that had always remained merely a distant yearning.
Something one could hold onto only because it was out of reach.
Something one could picture in the heart only because it could never be possessed.
Yet right now.
That very yearning was laid out before Harun's eyes.
"...."
The words kept catching in the back of his throat, making it difficult to open his mouth.
He merely stood there in a daze, bathing in the sunlight.
Turning his head, he saw Kael silently taking in the Surface Level beside him without uttering a single word.
His expression was indifferent, just as it always was.
There was not the slightest hint of surprise, nor a trace of emotion.
Only after seeing that face did Harun finally regain a shred of composure.
"Hey."
"What?"
"We just reached the Surface Level, and you don't feel a damn thing?"
Kael looked around once more, fell into thought for a moment, and opened his mouth.
"It's been a year."
Harun blinked.
"A year?"
"I was captured and dragged down from here. Down to the Underground Level."
Harun stared at Kael for a moment before letting out an incredulous laugh.
"Aha."
He scanned Kael from head to toe.
"So that's why you were in such a wretched state."
"What do you mean, a wretched state?"
"When I first saw you, you looked like a guy who'd rolled straight out of a dumpster."
"Well, it's true I came out of a dumpster."
"Quick to admit it, aren't you?"
"Because it's the truth."
Harun shook his head.
Trading words with Kael made him feel like an idiot for being so tense just a moment ago.
It was then.
People dressed in black suits approached from beside the gate exit, bowing deeply the moment they confirmed Kael and Harun's identities.
"Mr. Kael and Mr. Harun, correct?"
When Kael nodded, the man in the suit gestured toward the vehicle waiting behind them.
"Right this way, please."
A sleek black luxury vehicle was waiting outside the gate.
As one operative opened the vehicle door, another beside him spoke softly into his wrist terminal.
"VIPs secured. Moving out."
Harun was left utterly dumbfounded by words he had never heard before in his life.
"VIP?"
He pointed to himself.
"Me?"
Kael remarked nonchalantly.
"Seems that way."
"That's the most unfitting word I've ever heard applied to me in my entire life."
"Congratulations."
"Is that something to congratulate me for?"
"If not, whatever."
Harun stared at Kael with an exasperated look, then cautiously climbed inside the vehicle.
Contrary to how it appeared from the outside, the vehicle's interior was remarkably spacious.
Soft leather seats faced each other on the inside, with a small table positioned in the center.
Harun froze for a moment, unable even to take a seat.
"This is... a car?"
Kael merely took a seat on the opposite side with complete composure.
"Looks like it."
"Why do you always react like that to everything?"
"We've seen more than enough scrapped cars to get sick of them."
"How is a scrapped car the same as an actual car?"
Just then, a woman dressed in a black suit who had been waiting inside the vehicle bowed her head.
Her light brown hair was tied back flawlessly, and her tone and posture carried refined formality.
"It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Kael, Mr. Harun."
Her tone was unlike anything he had ever heard before. Harun marveled inwardly, wondering if this was what genuine gentleness and elegance sounded like.
"I am Elena Weiss, Chief Secretary of Seraph Industry."
Harun blinked at those words, while Kael quietly observed her.
Elena continued, unfazed by their reactions.
"It is an honor to escort you both today. Please do not hesitate to speak up if you require anything during transit."
Pausing ever so briefly, she added politely:
"The Representative instructed me to treat you both with the utmost respect."
"...."
Kael's reaction remained lukewarm.
Harun was the exact opposite.
Having never experienced such treatment in his life, he awkwardly rested his hands on his knees.
"Uh, well... I'll speak up if I need something."
"First, please accept these."
She placed two thin black cards down onto the table.
Silver circuit patterns flowed across their surface, and an authentication seal of Seraph Industry was faintly engraved on one side.
Kael picked up one card and scanned it briefly.
Harun also carefully lifted the other card, directing a question toward Elena.
"What is this?"
At his question, she replied with a polite smile.
"It is a Magiterra Temporary Citizen Card."
Harun's hand froze for an instant.
"Citizen Card...."
He rolled the word slowly around in his mouth.
Citizen.
"You two currently hold the status of temporary citizens under the special sponsorship of Seraph Industry. While formal citizenship requires certain procedures, until then, you may use this Citizen Card to access basic transit, housing, healthcare, dining, and communication services across the Surface Level."
Examining the card back and forth, Kael asked Elena:
"Does this mean I can eat meals with this, too?"
"Yes. It includes payment functionality at designated shops and Seraph-affiliated facilities."
"How convenient."
Harun was still staring blankly at the Citizen Card.
"On the Surface Level, most transactions are conducted with digital data. The Citizen Card serves as identification, payment, and access authorization. If you lose it, you must contact us immediately."
Then, struck by a sudden thought, Harun finally raised his head.
"If I lose this one thing, they won't throw me back down below, will they?"
"Not at all."
Elena answered gently.
"Your identities are guaranteed and registered in Seraph's internal network, not on the card itself. The Citizen Card is merely a tool to verify that identity."
Only then did Harun breathe a sigh of relief.
"I see."
Kael slid the Citizen Card into his pocket and followed up with a question.
"What about where we'll live?"
At those words, Elena answered right away, as if she had anticipated the question.
"The Representative has already prepared residences for you both."
When she placed her hand on the table, a thin holographic map materialized.
"We calculated every factor of convenience and security to select the most suitable location."
Elena enlarged a specific spot on the map with her finger.
"It is a secure residential facility near the Seraph Management Zone. It is close to hospitals, restaurants, shops, and public transit routes, while unauthorized access is restricted. Everyday essentials have already been prepared as well."
After her detailed explanation, she added:
"However, if there is a specific place you prefer, I will gladly assist in guiding you there instead."
Kael tilted his head slightly.
"Anywhere?"
"Anywhere, except for legally restricted zones or the private property of other corporations."
"...."
..
..
Once Elena's basic explanation of the Surface Level concluded, silence settled inside the vehicle.
And Harun was the first to break that silence.
"Excuse me."
Elena immediately turned her head toward him.
"Yes, Mr. Harun. Please feel free to speak comfortably."
Harun opened his mouth, then closed it again as if the words would not come easily.
Then, he finally forced himself to speak.
"Not where corporate folks live. Couldn't I... just live somewhere with ordinary people?"
Kael's gaze shifted to Harun.
"Hmm."
Perhaps not expecting such a request, Elena blinked for a moment and sought confirmation.
"By a place with ordinary people, do you mean a general residential district?"
At her words, Harun awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
"I don't know much about fancy terms like that. Just... not a place with corporate guards standing watch at the gate, cameras on every wall, where it's obvious only high-and-mighty folks live."
He continued slowly, carefully choosing his words.
"A place where people buy groceries, eat meals, kids run around, and no one looks sideways at an old man sitting on a bench."
Elena listened quietly to what he had to say.
Harun let out a dry cough, as if finding it difficult to put his feelings into words.
"I've always...."
His voice was softer than usual.
"It was always my wish to live an ordinary life."
Harun looked down at his Citizen Card.
"I never asked for anything grand. I don't need a big house, I don't need expensive clothes, and I don't want anyone bowing and serving me."
He rubbed the edge of the card with his thumb.
"Just opening the door in the morning to step outside, greeting the neighbor, buying a little food at a shop, and turning off the lights to sleep when night falls."
Harun tried to smile, but it didn't come easily.
"I just wanted to try living like that once."
Kael said nothing.
As the silence dragged on, Harun scowled self-consciously.
"What? Aren't you gonna laugh?"
Kael looked at him.
"Why would I laugh?"
"I thought you'd definitely have something to say."
Kael looked out the window for a moment.
It was a view where sunlight seemed to cascade across the glass windowpane.
"Living an ordinary life."
Kael continued calmly.
"Sounds good."
Harun's eyes widened slightly in surprise at his reply.
"What does it matter? It's your life, so why should you care what anyone else thinks?"
"...."
"If it's what you want, that's all that counts."
Harun stared at Kael for a long time, his lips moving as if to speak, before he finally closed his mouth.
"...Yeah."
Elena quietly worked her terminal.
"I will prioritize searching for general residential districts with high security and excellent access to daily amenities. While it will be a bit distant from the Seraph Management Zone, emergency contact networks and healthcare access will remain fully functional."
Harun nodded.
"That is more than enough."
"And if you wish, I will also look into finding a workshop nearby. That is, unless you plan to retire completely."
Harun paused for a moment at Elena's words.
"A workshop...."
He let out a soft chuckle.
"I've tinkered with scrap metal my entire life, so I wonder if I really need to do it up here too."
"You do not have to if you do not wish to."
"No."
Harun looked out the window.
"I think it'd feel even stranger doing nothing at all. Idle hands only give a man too much to think about."
Elena nodded.
"Understood."
The vehicle altered its destination and headed toward Harun's prospective residence.
Not toward the central district where Seraph's secure residential facilities were located, but toward a general residential district further out on the outskirts.
The view outside the window gradually began to change as well.
The towering corporate skyscrapers and dazzling billboards grew sparse, giving way to low-rise residential buildings and small shops. The streets were filled not only with corporate employees dressed in suits, but also people carrying grocery bags and parents walking with their children.
Harun could not tear his eyes away from the window.
Before long, the vehicle came to a stop.
"We have arrived."
The vehicle doors opened smoothly the moment Elena finished speaking.
Bright sunlight poured inside, accompanied by the lively chatter of people outside.
Harun stepped slowly out of the vehicle and looked around while standing in the middle of the street.
He said nothing. Rather, no words could come out.
Elena directed her gaze toward an employee sitting in the front seat.
"Please accompany Mr. Harun. Help him inspect prospective residences and workshops nearby so he can find a place to his liking."
"Understood."
The employee stepped out of the vehicle and bowed respectfully.
"Mr. Harun, I will guide you."
Harun nodded awkwardly.
"Sure. I'll leave it to you."
He took a few steps, then paused and looked back.
Toward Kael, who was sitting inside the vehicle.
"Kael."
At his call, Kael raised his head.
"What?"
Harun seemed at a loss for words for a moment before forcing himself to speak.
"Thank you."
His voice was quiet, but Kael heard it clearly.
"Truly."
Kael looked at Harun for a moment.
He gave a brief reply.
"Don't mention it."