Day 1326 attention:

TARGET ANCHOR LOST.

NO RESPONSE FROM BASE.

Traceback II is about to pass the event horizon and enter the black hole.

We are stuck in this loop...This never-ending journey...

?? :Hello, Lincoln City.

?? :DPSC FM here to greet you on this early morning.

DPSC FM :Did you sleep well last night?

DPSC FM: Weather's nice today with winds at 5 km/hr.

DPSC FM: Certain areas have a higher Metaflux index due to the Deepspace Tunnel.

DPSC FM :Expect Wanderers to appear more often.

DPSC FM: We would like to thank the hunters in the city for allowing us to live a normal, peaceful life.

DPSC FM: Next, a detailed report for each district.

DPSC FM: Areas that are at "high risk" of being attacked by Wanderers—All medical personnel, please get ready.

DPSC FM: Today is going to be another busy day.

DPSC FM: We now have a message for all the new hunters who recently passed their exams.

DPSC FM: Now that your journey is about to begin, we want to express our deepest gratitude and wish you all the best...

DPSC FM: as you face the challenges ahead!

DPSC FM: And... that's all for today.

DPSC FM: But before we go, please enjoy this gift we received from Deepspace 14 years ago: Love and Deepspace.

DPSC FM: These electromagnetic signals have traversed time and space.

DPSC FM: A miracle of the ages.

DPSC FM: One day, we will be able to evolve from our current limitations, transcend the boundaries of life.... and reach the stars.

Singularity Echo

President: ...Fourteen years ago, the Deepspace Tunnel appeared above Linkon. It led to anomalous geomagnetic storms, and the creatures known as Wanderers emerged.

President: From such an event, the Deepspace Hunter was born.

President: Now society has returned to a sense of normalcy, but there are still Wanderers lurking in the shadows...

??: Pss Hey, After they hand out our badges, we'll be assigned to a squad, which will determine our future. Aren't you nervous?

ququ: That won't change the outcome. It's better to stay calm.

President: Our goal as hunters is to extract the Protocores from Wanderers-in hopes of destroying them once and for all!

President: That being said, congratulations on passing the selection process. We are grateful for your hard work.

President: We will now begin the ceremony and hand out badges to the new Deepspace Hunters.

President: First candidate, 481423.

??: That's you, isn't it? Hurry, get on stage!

ququ: Hello, sir.

President: umh, Place your hand here to confirm your personal info.

Personal Info

First Name: qua

Last Name : zing

Nickname: ququ

DOB: 3 — 5

President: Ah, Anhaunsen Class... It's been a while since I've seen this Evol.

President: You have a lot of potential for growth and might even acquire new abilities. I can see why Jenna picked you as soon as the rookie list was released to the public.

President: It can't be detected?

ququ: (Sigh, as usual.)

ququ: Sir, that's likely because a Wanderer attacked me fourteen years ago. And ever since then, my Evol level hasn't been stable.

President: ...Understood. That event did change many lives forever.

President: You're not the first Evolver whose level couldn't be detected. This isn't the only criterion we use when evaluating a Deepspace Hunter.

President: As long as you have the skills, this industry welcomes you with open arms.

President: Congratulations, you are now a Deepspace Hunter.

ququ: Thank you, sir!

Ever Research Base [Abandoned]

11:39 Α.Μ.

Jenna: Rookies, this is Jenna speaking. I'm your UNICORNS Captain today. Ten minutes ago, there was an abnormal Metaflux explosion at this abandoned base for Protocore research.

ququ: (The fluctuations are stronger. I'm closer to the source.)

ququ: (Ah!)

??: Oh! Your Evol's even better than the detector.

Tara: Hi, I'm Tara. Remember me? I was standing next to you during the badge ceremony.

ququ: Of course. I'm ququ but you can call me qua. We're lucky to be on the same squad. Do you want to work together?

Tara: Sure! The tarot reading I did yesterday told me that I would be super lucky today.

ququ: Look!

[IM-D-21 2193-0081 Wanderer detected. Accept the mission?]

Tara: Wanderers! They're here.

Tara: ...The highest threat level here is only B, which matches the fluctuation we just felt.

ququ: A fluctuation doesn't have a set value... Something's off.

Tara: Why don't we split up and look around first? Just to be safe.

ququ: Sure, I'll go inside then.

Tara: I'll scout the perimeter to see how far these fluctuations go. We'll regroup here once we're done.

Tara/ququ: Be careful!

ququ: You too!

ququ: (There's clearly been a Metaflux explosion, but it doesn't match the Wanderers' threat level... Something's not right.)

*Light earth tremor*

ququ: (What?!)

Abandoned Research Base: Deep

ququ: (...A hunter? Are they also here for the mission?)

ququ: (There are traces of Metaflux on him. As if he was attacked...)

ququ: Hey!

ququ: (I should call for backup.)

[HM-D-2193-0081: Call for emergency backup - calling]

*Handcuffing*

??: Quiet.

ququ: Are you all right?

??: I'm fine. But you...

ququ: Fluctuations!

??: Watch out.

??: It activated its Protofield. You're a hunter, right? Let's defeat it together.

[UNICORNS – DEEPSPACE HURTERS

First Trial:] Hunters will get into combat after entering a Wanderer's Protofield. Beware of the lurking dangers. Once any of you is unable to fight, retreat first to avoid casualties.

??: We're in the Wanderer's Protofield now.

??: Are we doing this?

??: It must be hiding from us...Watch out! Move!

??: Be careful. Something about it looks off.

??: You can use the Resonance Evol?

ququ: Yeah

??: It can't go on for much longer. Let's deliver the final blow together.

〔ELIMINATED〕

??: We're safe for now.

ququ: (He can use the Light Evol, and he's strong... I haven't seen anyone like him among the rookies...)

??: This isn't it...

ququ: That Protocore could've given us useful info! Why did you crush it?

??: Huh?

ququ: (Forget it... There's more to this than meets the eye. I'need to investigate.)

ququ: Were you also assigned here? This place is more dangerous than it seems. We should get out of here and think about our next move.

??: No, we can't.

??: We became prey stuck in a trap the moment we walked into this warehouse.

??: Come. *Hand-holding*

ququ: You...

To Be Continued...

Ququ: How long have you been trapped here? Did anything unusual happen before the explosion?

??: I was... sleeping at that time.

ququ: Seriously? In this place...

??: There's nothing complicated going on. Just a trick of the light.

ququ: (Wanderers and light...)

ququ: ...Nothing.

??: They're Luminivores. No movement, no fluctuations.

??: Over here. *Hand-holding* *hidden*

ququ: Luminivores eat light, and your Evol is... This can't be a coincidence... Is this a trap specifically for you?

??: ...I'm just a normal hunter. You don't need to look too deeply into it.

ququ: You might be someone's prey, but from another perspective...

ququ: (Isn't he just bait?)

??: What are you thinking about?

ququ: If we can't escape, let's lure the Luminivores out and take them down in one fell swoop!

??: You...

ququ: Use your Evol.

ququ: The point of convergence is getting stronger... Looks like they took the bait.

??: There are a lot of Luminivores. If we don't take them out in one go, they'll respawn using the light.

ququ: (In that case, we'll just...)

ququ: Use my Evol.

??: Please forgive me.

ququ: !!!

??: Huh...

ququ: (We actually defeated all of them... This is the first time I've experienced an Evol Resonance this strong...)

??: The fluctuations are gone, and so are the Wanderers. Your plan actually worked.

ququ: Yeah, but not even a single Protocore was left behind...

??: Ah, they were accidentally blown up...

ququ: The residual energy... should be enough...right?

ququ: So, we're acquaintances now? I'm qua, a new UNICORNS recruit. And you?

Xavier: I'm Xavier.

Xavier: By the way, could you do me a favor?

Xavier: If anyone asks what happened, tell them that... Aside from the Wanderers, you saw nothing else, all right?

ququ: ...Don't you think that makes you seem a little suspicious?

Xavier: I'm sorry... I'll explain why the next time we meet.

Tara - online: qua! I'm heading over to your location right now!

ququ: I'm fine. Over here!

ququ: That's my colleague—

ququ: Where did he go?

Tara: I lost your signal and couldn't contact you at all!

Tara: These Protocore fragments... You took down those Wanderers by yourself?!

ququ: No, actually I...

ququ: It's hard to explain, and I can't do it now...

Tara: Well, what matters is that you're OK. We'll talk more once the mission's over, all right?

ququ: (Xavier... How mysterious. Him being here surely couldn't have been a coincidence...)

To Be Continued...

Mission complete. On the way back to HQ, I passed by Destiny Café on the corner of the street.

It's said that one may have special encounters here...

〔You've received a new message.〕

Unknown Just Now

\[Audio\]

Unknown

The cosmos disappears while u sleep.

Unknown – Audio: Don't go anywhere near that base. It's dangerous, and I'm not talking about the explosions or Wanderers.

ququ: You're... Xavier? *Read*

Xavier: Yeah

ququ: How did you get my phone number? *Read*

Xavier: I can delete it if U want

Xavier: But I already memorized it... Itll take me a while to forget

ququ: You're always so mysterious. You know more than you let on I wanna say... *Read*

Xavier: When you truly want to know something

Xavier: Theres always a way to find out

Xavier: I have to run some errands. Talk to you later.

Unicorns Bulid

The cleanup at the abandoned research base wrapped up nicely. The other hunters, Tara, and I returned to UNICORNS.

As expected, no threat levels higher than A rank were detected in the area affected by the Metaflux explosion.

When we cleared out the remaining Wanderers, we didn't encounter any more danger.

Tara: By the way, did we get anything from the data we sent back to HQ?

ququ: They said Data Analysis would conduct another investigation. We have to wait for the results before assuming anything.

Tara: It was kinda scary now that I'm thinking about it. I'm glad you're okay.

ququ: You should do a reading for me. Maybe my luck's also pretty good today!

Tara: You're still in the mood to crack jokes?

Tara: I have been trying to contact you for a while, and I was just about to try every method possible. Both scientific and mystical!

The bright screen on the wall suddenly dims. Captain Jenna emerges from a hidden door.

Jenna: Finally, we meet face-to-face, UNICORNS recruits.

Everyone falls silent under her commanding gaze.

Jenna: I am relieved to see that everyone has returned in one piece. Your performance was recorded and uploaded to our database by the Hunter's Watch each one of you is wearing.

Jenna: UNICORNS only chooses the best of the best. The squad will take that into consideration and assign you to the appropriate sector.

Jenna: In the foreseeable future, the difficulty of your assignments, nature of your work, and scope of your missions will correspond to your sector's role and responsibilities.

Jenna: The uncertainty and fear we need to be prepared to face is far greater than what we've seen today. This means we will need to have an open mind, remain flexible, and have trustworthy allies.

Jenna: As for today's mission... I have to say that it was executed very well.

Jenna: Thank you.

With those words, Jenna smiles briefly, looks around, and then slips behind the hidden door.

The room's lights turn on and are followed by beeps from the Hunter's Watches. One after another, everyone erupts into a frenzy.

Base Announcer: Mission data analyzed. Please report to your respective sector at 8:00 Α.Μ. tomorrow.

Tara: "Sector: Data Analysis. Captain: Andrew."

Tara: Wow, Data Analysis! Yesterday's fortune was right!

Tara: Well? What does yours say?

I look at my own watch. Under the UNICORNS section, it says—

ququ: "Sector: Alpha Team. Captain: Jenna."

Tara: You're working directly under Jenna?

Wow... Can I visit you in the future whenever I want?

ququ: Are you sure you're not using that as an excuse to gawk at Captain Jenna?

Tara: I have two eyes. I can look at you and her at the same time, right?

ququ: ...Oh, you.

Tara: Well, that's it for today. Wanna grab a bite to eat?

We walk out of the Hunters Association. Not too far away, in the heart of Linkon, is Azure Square.

Mini drones equipped with 360-degree eyes-infrared sensors designed to monitor Wanderer activity-patrol the sky.

Today's Linkon is nothing like the one that was attacked fourteen years ago.

After Tara and I grab a quick snack, we decide to walk around the square, relaxing our minds after a busy day.

ququ: So you admire Captain Jenna because she saved you? Is that right?

We stroll past the trees lining the path before sitting down on a bench near the square's monument. Her eyes light up as she excitedly shares her past from over a decade ago.

Tara: ...And just like that, the Wanderer was gone! Poof! Disappeared into thin air!

Tara: After escorting me to a safe place by the road, she said, "You're safe now. Go home." Aaaah! That's what we call max level of security!

Tara seems completely engrossed in her tale. Then she turns to look at me, suddenly serious.

Tara: So yes, as you can see, I became a hunter to follow in Captain Jenna's footsteps. I want to be as badass as she is to be her equal and fight alongside her.

ququ: One day, you'll be able to achieve your dream.

Tara: Oh, I've just been rambling on. What about you? Why did you become a hunter?

ququ: Me? Well...

Under the clear sky, Azure Square is lively. I look away, and as far as my eyes can see, the horizon is painted by the gold of the setting sun.

I still remember that from fourteen years ago. It was also a lively evening. The roars of Wanderers, like a flood, drowned out the screams and cries for help.

I sprint through the street covered in rubble, not even knowing what monster is chasing me. Until a sharp pain pierces me and burrows itself into my heart.

A makeshift shelter made of the remains of collapsed buildings is within sight. Trembling, I muster all the strength I have and crawl toward it. Amidst the dirt and gloom, a small seedling breaks through the soil.

If I survive this, I don't want to be anyone's prey. I don't want to only run when there's danger...

Tara: Looks like you're reminiscing about something from a looong time ago.

ququ: That's amazing. You can tell fortunes and read other people's expressions.

Tara: Yeah, I can see you're anxious but also full of anticipation...

Mr. Guidey – ROBOT: ...This is a very important symbol for Linkon City! Mr. Guidey welcomes you to Azure Square!

Mr. Guidey – ROBOT: Here the past and future coexist! The old and new mingle together seamlessly! This is the charm of Linkon, the City of Innovation! Wow!

Tara: Ahhh...It's sooo noisy, like a kid who's constantly shouting.

Mr. Guidey – ROBOT: Everyone, look over there! Tide Street is hosting a marine-themed exhibition! Follow me...

ququ: Let's call it here. We have to get up early for work tomorrow. We should go home and get some rest.

Tara: Right. After all, we've experienced a real battle. Getting a good night's sleep is important. I live pretty far from here, so I should be heading home soon.

ququ: See you tomorrow.

Tara: Hehe, goodbye!

After Tara leaves, I also get up. I'm ready to head home.

Noticing a figure that's been hiding behind the bushes, I can't help but sigh.

ququ: Hey, kid. Can I help you or anything?

ququ: But I'll just get going if you don't need me.

The bushes rustle slightly, then quickly stop moving.

I'm only able to take a few steps before I feel a tug on my coat.

Boy: So Miss, I overheard your conversation... Are you a hunter on a mission?

ququ: I'm a hunter on standby.

Boy: Everyone says hunters are super strong and you can do anything I ask. Right? Riiight?

Brimming with confidence, he pulls out a stack of shiny, gold cards from his pocket.

Boy: Here's what I'll give you as a reward! A full set of Super Hunters AR cards! And it has the limited edition Hunter Lux. Follow me!

ququ: Hold on, at least tell me what you—

Boy: We're almost there. I need you to help me catch that little red fishie!

ququ: Sure thing, but I can't promise I'll succeed. Is that okay with you?

Girl: Lucas! You can't cheat in a contest!

Boy: Oh no, she spotted us! Take this net and don't say anything about me hiring you!

ququ: Sigh... He ran away already...

??: Unfortunate. This species of fish can only survive for a week on land.

ququ: (...A tourist?)

??: The fish is gonna slip away, you know.

??: Ta-da. *take the net* *Catching fish*

??: The owner probably just wanted to throw in some fish to fit the theme.

??: But this one, bright as a flame, is a real Flammula from Lemurian legends.

ququ: Oh.

ququ: Flammula? I'm not very familiar with those myths or folklore...

ququ: Hat Island is closed off because there have been reports of Wanderers. You should stay away from that place for now.

??: That explains why I couldn't get a boat ticket. It's good that you were here to let me know. Otherwise, I really would've wasted my time.

ququ: Wait.

ququ: Here's the fish you caught. I hope it'll survive longer with you.

??: ...

ququ: If you like the sea, you should go to Whitesand Bay. It's the most beautiful beach in all of...

ququ: (But he didn't even let me finish...)

Message from "Roarine Chack?"

ququ: Darn it

To Be Continued...