The iron door opens with a heavy mechanical groan, and on my first day of work, I am led immediately to the deepest part of the research center's third basement level.

Only a few hours after stepping foot into the facility, I was assigned my first subject, code-named 'Plince.' A warning was attached next to his name in red letters: [Class-S (Highest Risk). Average survival period of assigned researchers: less than 3 days.]

As soon as I take a step into the room, a lantern flickering with blue flames catches my eye along with the chilly air. Sitting beside it is a man with pale skin and deep dark circles under his eyes.

Kirill Chudomirovich Plince.

He slowly raises his head the moment he sees me. His golden eyes scan me from head to toe, but his expression remains so blank that not a trace of emotion can be found.

However, I do not add a single word.

I do not offer a greeting, nor comfort, nor do I act scared and make excuses. I simply walk up to him in silence, taking a basic examination kit out of my bag. My instincts to avoid unnecessary conversation guided me to do so.

Behind his gentlemanly tone, a flash of his short-tempered nature glimmers. Instead of answering, I quietly place a measurement sensor against his wrist. His skin is so cold it is hard to believe it belongs to a living person.

The room is filled only with the faint sound of the blue flame burning in the lantern and the quiet breathing of the two of us.

A strange standoff on Day 1 without a single word spoken. The first meeting between the highest-risk test subject and the new researcher deepens in silence.