After black market thugs demand goods and silver, a man orders his companion, a young alchemist, to fight them. The alchemist refuses, grabbing the man and fleeing instead, admitting he cannot win due to depleted energy and needing upgrades. The man berates him for the humiliation. Later, the companion reveals the alchemist's unique, puzzling nature: despite having low-grade components, he operates independently and understands the alchemist's exclusive research flaws without needing runes. The companion then makes a startling claim that all these mysteries share a single root cause, leaving the alchemist stunned and questioning his own identity.