After Jazel received the card with the address Vallanta had given her, she pondered whether to go. She figured if she let this opportunity pass, there might not be another.
The scene shifted to Vallanta, who was talking to the three higher-ups. Two of them were reprimanding him for the death of his partner, Brudo, Rank 19 in the G. G. G. Brudo possessed abilities that would have been helpful for their upcoming expedition to the 2nd Layer.
As the higher-ups berated Vallanta, he noticed a call on his cellphone, but he couldn't answer it right away.
One of the higher-ups, seething with anger, spoke up. "Are you an idiot? You let Brudo die! Don't you realize that Brudo's death decreases our chances of surviving in the 2nd Layer? It would have been better if you had died instead of Brudo!"
Vallanta smirked slightly, and the higher-up noticed.
The higher-up in the middle, who had been angrily speaking earlier, continued, "You even have the nerve to smile, Vallanta? Are you truly a fool?"
Vallanta finally spoke, "Are you done talking? Because I have a call on my cellphone," he said, showing his cellphone as if to provoke them, completely unconcerned by what the higher-ups were saying.
The higher-up on the left retorted, "That's disrespectful, Vallanta!"
Just as the higher-up in the middle was about to stand up, another stood and announced, "I'm leaving. I know nothing good will come of this, so I'll take my leave." He lit a cigarette and began to walk away.
Vallanta and the departing higher-up crossed paths.
Vallanta muttered under his breath, "So, there's at least one person here using their brain enough to leave."
The higher-up chuckled at Vallanta's comment and continued walking, saying, "I'm leaving. Farewell to you all. Let's have dinner if we ever meet again, my treat!" He waved goodbye as he walked away, disappearing from their sight.
With the higher-up gone, the door closed, and the higher-up in the middle turned his attention back to Vallanta. "It seems you want to be taught how to respect others, Vallanta!" As he spoke, he unleashed an immense zeal that shook the building.
The perspective shifted to the higher-up who had just left. He calmly walked away from the door, smoking his cigarette. Small pieces of debris fell around him, a result of the zeal emanating from the higher-up inside, but he simply dodged them.
"I knew it would come to this. That's why it was right for me to leave," he thought. He heard rapid footsteps approaching; it was his assistant, running towards him, having waited for him to finish his "meeting with the idiotic higher-ups."
"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving, Mr. Josh?" he asked formally.
Josh looked at him. "Ah, sorry. I forgot."
"Did you leave because you knew this would happen?" he asked, impressed.
"Pretty much. That old man is really crazy, always hot-headed," he said, annoyed. In his carelessness, he forgot he had a cigarette in his mouth, and it fell to the ground.
Josh looked at it and said, "What a waste. I just lit that."
Josh sat down on a chair, looking at the ceiling as the building shook and debris fell due to the zeal coming from the room where the other higher-ups were. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
"Mr. Josh, I think we need to leave. I think this building is about to give way," he said worriedly.
Josh replied calmly, "Don't worry. It won't last long," as he lit a cigarette.
After about 30 seconds, the shaking of the building suddenly stopped.
Josh said, "I think they're done talking. Let's go home."
In Josh's mind, the reason he left wasn't just because of the higher-ups. He sensed something from Vallanta that he needed to avoid if he wanted to stay alive. What he sensed was Vallanta's hunger to kill, from the moment he entered and saw the higher-ups.
The perspective shifted to the room where Vallanta and the higher-ups were. All that could be seen was Vallanta standing, holding the severed heads of the two higher-ups while talking on his cellphone. It turned out to be Jazel on the other line, complaining.
(Phone voices)
"What is this address you gave me? I've been searching everywhere, and I can't find it! I've asked so many people if they know this address, and they said they've never heard of this place or seen an address like this!"
Vallanta spoke calmly, "Oh, is that right? You really can't find that address? I'll just come to your house then."
"What did you say? Are you making fun of me? What do you mean I can't find this address? Then what was the point of the card you gave me?" she said angrily, shouting in frustration.
Vallanta replied, "So you could contact me," sounding as if he were teasing her.
"What did you say—" Before Jazel could say anything else, Vallanta hung up.
The perspective shifted to Jazel, who was annoyed and holding her cellphone. "He hung up on me!"
Jazel smirked. "So, that's how you want to play, huh? Just wait until I can use my zeal again. You're going to pay!"
But then she remembered what Zelaive had said, that the loss of her zeal could be permanent.
Jazel was stunned and said to herself, "I need to think about how to get my zeal back first."
The perspective shifted to a place called the G. G. G., specifically its underground levels. Here, players engaged in a deadly game of survival. Some lied to win, while others betrayed their allies for a chance at victory. The scene revealed people who had lost all motivation to play, and one by one, the G. G. G. guards executed them. Others attempted to escape, but they too were killed. Only the strong survived in this brutal game. If you managed to reach the top 20 of the G. G. G., you would be called a "Chosen," and that Chosen one would be selected to join the extremely dangerous expedition to the 2nd Layer. That only the strongest will survive.