Anyway, Enjin kidnaps Rudo. It was pretty easy considering how badly Rudo was hurt, so he took him to a doctor to patch him up. While there, Enjin tells one of his teammates that he has found a talented kid to join their team. Rudo yells that he never agreed to join Enjin’s team, but Enjin tells him he doesn’t really have a choice—he’s definitely going to die out there without help.
The doctor starts yelling at Rudo too, telling him it was beyond stupid to head into no man’s land on his own. With all that toxic air he inhaled, the doctor is surprised Rudo is even alive, and says he should be grateful Enjin saved him. Just looking at Rudo’s face annoys the doctor, so he tells him to pay up and get out. After that, Enjin pays the doctor, and the two leave together.
Rudo is genuinely grateful that Enjin is helping him so much, but he’s serious about not being able to join Enjin’s team. He has to get back to the sphere to get his revenge. He doesn’t have time to sit around collecting trash or whatever it is Enjin’s team does. Enjin tells Rudo he’s free to go around asking for information on how to get back to the sphere, but there are two things he should know first:
- Everyone here hates spherids just as much as the body sellers do, so if anyone finds out Rudo is one, he’s done for.
- This isn’t the kind of place where you can get information for free, so asking around won’t do much good.
Inside one of the trash cities, Enjin buys Rudo some real food while they sit at a table. Rudo loves the burger and is a little surprised, since he always imagined the pit being nothing but trash. However, now that he’s seen it, it looks like a regular city—just with trash everywhere.
Enjin explains that trash often contains a mix of emotional power called Anama. Sometimes, Anama gathers into a large mass, which gives rise to trash beasts like the ones Rudo fought. Trash beasts attack humans on sight but tend to stick to dumping sites, so the city folk rarely deal with them—though there are occasional incidents. It’s not easy to take out trash beasts; you have to destroy their cores, which can only be done using special equipment like Enjin’s umbrella or Rudo’s gloves. Ordinary objects can become powerful weapons if Anama inhabits them, but only a few people, called Givers, can draw out their full potential—and Rudo is one of them.
Enjin says he’s a cleaner who works for an organization of trash beast exterminators, and they need all the Givers they can get. He wants Rudo to join him. Rudo asks if Enjin will really tell him how to get back to the sphere if he works with him. But Enjin admits he has no idea how to get there—he only lied earlier to get Rudo to listen. He says his boss is more up-to-date on current events and might know a way.
Frustrated, Rudo realizes he now has to meet Enjin’s boss just to maybe have a shot at returning to the sphere. A few moments later, Enjin gets a call and has to take care of some business. Before leaving, he gives Rudo a bag of money and says he can do whatever he wants with it. Rudo is shocked by Enjin’s generosity and asks if it’s really okay to take it, but Enjin says it’s fine—especially since it’s the money he got from selling Rudo’s spirit clothes.
It’s only now that Rudo realizes his clothes are missing, and he’s furious that Enjin sold them without his permission. But in Enjin’s defense, wearing spirit clothes around here would only draw unwanted attention, so he was actually doing Rudo a favor. He walks off before Rudo gets a chance to yell at him. While Rudo isn’t paying attention, a cat jumps down from a signboard, snatches the money from the table, and runs away. Rudo isn’t about to let himself get robbed by a cat, so he chases it into an alley.
The cat is too fast for him to catch barehanded, so Rudo grabs a nearby stick to help. It works to pin the cat down, but he doesn’t realize the stick belongs to someone—and that someone is not happy. The man accuses Rudo of robbing him. Rudo, confused, says he has no idea what he’s talking about. The man, Zanka, tells him he’s referring to the stick in Rudo’s hand. Rudo can’t imagine how an ordinary stick could be so important.
Zanka snatches the stick back and explains it’s no ordinary stick—it’s a vital instrument, and stealing one has serious consequences. He activates it and warns Rudo that even if he is a prodigy, he has no right to touch another man’s weapon. Rudo asks how Zanka knows about him, and Zanka explains he’s one of the cleaners and that Enjin already told him about Rudo, asking Zanka to teach him a few things. While Enjin has high hopes for Rudo, he still needs to learn basic lessons like not taking other people’s belongings.
Rudo insists he wasn’t stealing; he just needed the stick to catch the cat that stole his money. But Zanka isn’t interested in excuses. He insults Rudo by saying he must have had a terrible father to think stealing is okay. That crosses the line, because insulting Regto enrages Rudo.
Rudo recalls a lesson Regto taught him—that people can’t come to an understanding when angry, and sometimes it’s best to cool off and see things from the other person’s perspective. He realizes that from Zanka’s point of view, it must have looked like he was stealing the stick, and he can relate—he’d be furious if someone tried to take his gloves. So he apologizes.
The apology works. Zanka deactivates his stick and says he’s willing to let it go. He even apologizes for threatening Rudo, saying that as a teacher, he should have stayed calm. Rudo is surprised by how easily the situation was resolved. Zanka extends a hand to help him up and asks what his vital instrument is. Rudo says it’s probably his gloves, though he can’t activate them at will yet.
Zanka begins explaining how vital instruments work, but Rudo is distracted by how different Zanka looks when smiling. He wonders if this is what Regto meant when he said, “You look better with a smile.” Wanting to try it himself, Rudo attempts to smile—but it comes out worse than before. Zanka has no idea what he’s looking at and thinks Rudo is mocking him.
Rudo tries to explain that he’s genuinely trying to smile, but his expression makes it hard to believe. On top of that, Zanka dislikes Rudo’s attitude toward the cleaners’ work, since they risk their lives daily to protect others. He assumes Rudo is doing this for some foolish reason.
This enrages Rudo, who remembers Regto’s final words about changing the world. He’s furious that Zanka would call his goal stupid when it’s meant to honor Regto’s last wish. Zanka says he tried to keep an open mind, but he can’t get along with Rudo, so he’s done being nice. Rudo has also had enough, so he grabs something from the trash and prepares to fight.
Zanka is shocked to see Rudo use something other than his gloves as a vital instrument, finally understanding what Enjin meant when he called Rudo a prodigy. Still, he says raw talent means nothing without the skills to back it up.
Just then, Rudo notices that Zanka isn’t holding his stick anymore. When he looks up, he sees it flying straight toward him. He manages to dodge, but Zanka rushes in and starts applying heavy pressure. Rudo eventually finds an opening to counterattack, but only grazes Zanka’s cheek.
Zanka then slams Rudo into the ground and calls him a pathetic excuse for a Giver—until he notices something on his cheek. To his horror, after sniffing it, he realizes it’s poop. Looking over at Rudo, he realizes the weapon Rudo grabbed from the trash is actually a filthy plunger.
Rudo has no idea why Zanka is so freaked out, since he’s never seen a plunger before. But he isn’t about to stop fighting. Even as Zanka begs for a timeout, Rudo keeps chasing him, assuming the plunger must be a dangerous weapon. Proudly, Rudo leaps into the air and swings it at Zanka, splattering filth everywhere.
A little while later, Enjin returns to check on Rudo. When he finds him, Rudo is standing over an unconscious Zanka, both of them covered in poop. After hearing the whole story in the car, Enjin bursts into hysterical laughter—he never imagined Rudo and Zanka’s first meeting would end with poop-flinging.
For Zanka, a spoiled rich kid on the surface, this was extremely humiliating. Rudo is ashamed too, realizing too late what he’d been swinging around.
Enjin, however, thinks it was a good bonding moment, and assures Rudo that Zanka is the best there is at controlling vital instruments, making him a great teacher. Zanka feels honored to receive such praise from his idol.
While Zanka basks in the recognition, Rudo notices a pair of boots sticking out of the trunk. Enjin says it’s just Rio. When asked what she’s doing there, she says she wanted to see the new guy in person. Rudo, inexperienced in talking to girls, freezes when Rio starts playing with his hair, saying she likes the color. Even Chowa was never this touchy with him.
Meanwhile, Enjin announces they’re heading straight to the cleaners’ headquarters. Upon arrival, Rio says goodbye, and Enjin takes Rudo to meet the receptionist, Semiu. She already knows where Rudo came from and has an idea of his potential, but wants to see it for herself.
Rudo doesn’t understand, so Enjin explains that Semiu’s glasses are her vital instrument, boosting her kinetic vision to read details about a person. When she activates them to examine Rudo, her view is suddenly blocked by a black haze when she tries to look deeper. Startled, she quickly composes herself.
When Enjin asks if something is wrong, she brushes it off, saying Rudo is in good physical shape, has a solid bond with his vital instrument, but lacks skill in using it. He’ll need a lot of training to activate it on command. Still concerned by her earlier reaction, Enjin presses her, but she changes the subject—pointing out there’s poop on the back of Rudo’s neck.
Enjin can’t stop laughing, still amused by the earlier fight. Once Semiu finishes her assessment, Enjin says he’ll take Rudo to meet the boss. On the way, he explains how the cleaners’ organization works—combatants, sentinels, and supporters, totaling around 100 members. Because of constant missions, it’s rare for all of them to be in the building at once.
He asks if Rudo is ready to meet some co-workers. Rudo questions the timing, but Enjin insists it won’t take long since most should be out. Unfortunately, nearly every cleaner is hanging out in the break room, so Enjin decides introductions can wait.
He leads Rudo to the boss’s room but warns him not to demand information outright—information is valuable, and he’ll need to offer to work for it. He also advises never to ask about the boss’s vital instrument; the boss doesn’t like discussing it, and no one else knows what it does anyway. They trust the boss completely, so they’ve never cared to find out.
After hearing how much the boss is respected, Rudo wants to make a good first impression. So, he opens the door to introduce himself, but to his surprise, the office is empty. Just then, Semiu walks up behind them and says she totally forgot to mention that the boss is out on some business, so he won’t be around for a while. Engine had no idea, so he apologizes to Rudo and asks Semiu if she knows when the boss will be back. But she’s got no clue where the boss even went to begin with, so it looks like Rudo is just going to have to sit and wait until the boss gets back.
Just then, Riyou shows up and tells Rudo that if he’s got nothing better to do, he’s free to come watch her work if he wants, and it would be a great opportunity for the two of them to get to know each other better. Rudo agrees to go with her. Semiu gives a breakdown on the mission Riyou will be going on: one of the towns near a polluted zone is worried because trash beasts have been approaching its gate recently, and they don’t want to take any chances, so they ask the cleaners to come help.
It seems simple so far, but Rudo hasn’t been following a single word Semiu just said. So she asks Engine if he actually explained anything to Rudo or not. Engine admits that he may have skipped over a few important details, so Semiu gives him a crash course. Basically, on the ground, there are two different types of land: the habitable areas known as safe zones, and the trash-filled wastelands known as polluted zones. While all polluted zones are dangerous, some are particularly deadly; these areas are called No Man’s Land. The trash beasts there are so powerful and violent that any human who wanders in usually ends up dead.
It’s nothing short of a miracle that Engine found Rudo when he did because Rudo definitely would have died if left on his own. Semiu warns Rudo that whenever he’s in a polluted zone, he needs to wear a gas mask because breathing toxic air for too long can make him seriously ill.
A little while later, Rudo arrives at the job site with Riyou and her team. Even though he can’t officially become part of the cleaners until the boss approves him, she wants him to stay close and pay attention. Rudo looks beyond the city wall and sees an empty wasteland, which must be where the polluted lands start. He wonders how long he was breathing toxic air when he first got here.
Now that he’s seen the cities down here, he is amazed at how different they are from his expectations. Back when Rudo was in the Sphere, he thought people dropped into the hole would die immediately, and he had no idea there were people living down here. For a moment, he wonders if the other Spherers know about this, but even if they did, they would probably continue dumping trash here.
Once Rudo catches up with Riyou, he asks who the other guys are. She explains that they are cleaners on the mission, but without powers, so they mostly handle support. One supporter turns around and introduces himself, but when they shake hands, he accidentally squeezes too hard. Riyou laughs and tells Rudo that the guy is known for his physical strength—he can crack trash beasts open with a single punch. Rudo is amazed that everyone here is on such a different level, so he plans to watch and learn as much as possible, even though this is supposed to be an easy job.
Just then, trash beasts emerge from the polluted lands. Riyou tells Rudo to stand back and watch. At first, there are only weak ones that can’t damage the fence, but then larger ones arrive that could break through. Rudo panics, but Riyou assures him it’s still under control and even says they might finish early so she can throw him a welcome party. Rudo asks how she could think of a party at a time like this, and Riyou tells him that to survive on the ground, he needs to learn to keep a cool head in dangerous situations.
Rudo agrees, but then a giant trash beast appears. Riyou can’t believe her eyes—this is the first time she’s seen one like this. She takes out her vital instrument, planning to thin out the herd first. She jumps into the air, activates her scissors, and beheads several trash beasts in one move. Rudo is mesmerized by her skill, but the supporters remind him that even as an observer, he still needs to watch his surroundings to protect himself.
One of the trash beasts manages to slip behind Rudo while he isn’t looking and is about to ram into him. At the last second, a supporter steps in, stops it with one hand, crushes its skull, and throws it over to Riyou. She readies her scissors and splits it in half when it lands. She asks the supporters to keep them coming, so they get to work crushing trash beasts and tossing them toward Riyou.
Trash beasts can’t be truly killed without the use of a vital instrument, but the supporters can crush or disable them to make it easier for Riyou to finish them off. Once most of the smaller ones are gone, Riyou goes after the big one. While she’s doing that, the supporters keep the remaining small trash beasts out of her way. However, one supporter is caught off guard when a trash beast suddenly springs back to life and is about to crush him.
At the last second, Rudo steps in to protect him. After seeing how well everyone works together, Rudo realizes that if he wants to be part of the team, he needs to pull his weight and have their backs. As he says this, his powers react with a rod in his hand, turning it into a protective cage. Rudo has no idea what triggered his power this time, since it has only activated when he’s angry, and he wasn’t angry at anyone. The cage crumbles soon after, but it buys enough time for Riyou to arrive and destroy the trash beast.
They’re all grateful to Rudo for stepping in, but the big one still remains. Riyou tried cutting it in half earlier, but it somehow pieced itself back together. Annoyed, she decides to keep slicing it until it stops moving. Since it’s a new type of beast, they don’t know what it’s capable of, so a few supporters head out to warn nearby cities while Riyou engages it again. She stabs its face, then attacks the tendrils on top of its head.
After cutting them all off, she spots a glowing area on the back of its head that seems important. The beast reacts violently, confirming her suspicion that it’s the weak spot. She leaps into the air and slams her scissors into its head, piercing whatever was powering it and turning it to dust.
When the supporters ask how she defeated it, Riyou explains that she pushed “this thing” out of its head, and it must have been its power source. She hopes she’s wrong, though, because the object in her hand is a vital instrument. If trash beasts can fuse with vital instruments, they have a serious problem.
Elsewhere, the man who tried to kidnap Rudo wakes up in a pile of trash, confused, since the last thing he remembers is getting beaten by a spirit kid. Just then, he notices a man sitting on a couch in front of him. The man tells him he wants to hear all about the spirit kid that beat him up.
