“Hey! Are you okay, Cole?” Sun Tie got close to the old man in a rush. The young master extended the hand to reach his shoulder. Cole slapped it away.

“I’m feeling good. It’s just the bleeding effect. I’m feeling completely okay,” the old man said, cleaning his mouth with the back of one hand and pointing to the chests in front of them. “let’s do it and get the hell out of here.”

Sun Tie shoved his worry inside him and went to open his chest. He found the contents covered with a cloth. Suddenly, getting his core back had become a little less critical.

[Compensation will come to the worthy. Sometimes, what you need is entirely different from what you want.]

Bullshit, Sun Tie thought, picking up the cloth and looking at what lay beneath.

Shock ran through his entire body. Sun Tie found a robe of unassuming appearance there—its stark white color was neither flashy nor grand.

[Garb of the Humble Man] - Uncommon

Sun Tie didn’t look at the status, closing the screen with shock and anger in his heart. His fists closed, almost hurting his hand. He put the robe inside his inventory and prepared to turn to face Cole. He was angry but rushed to leave the place as soon as possible.

Do you want to accept the [Swordsman] class?

[Y/N?]

“No!” Sun Tie yelled, staring up at the roof. He was at his limit, no more patience with this ‘system’ “I don’t want it, you damned, wretched God…” The young master pointed his hands to the sky, words dripping from his mouth with anger. "Is this some kind of joke? Garb of the Humble Man? Are you up there laughing at me?" Sun Tie turned, his face contorted with consternation, towards his companion. "Do you see this, Cole?"

In front of Cole, the creature on the throne disintegrated into ashes along with its fading cube. The archer was stoic, looking at something in his hands, now full of blood. Cole was like a statue, lost in time. Sun Tie closed the distance between them and looked at what he was holding.

A blue rock. A rune?

“Did you hear what I said?” Sun Tie asked, turning Cole by the shoulder to face him.

“Yes…” Cole muttered, a shadow falling across his face. If Sun Tie didn’t know the man better, he could swear he saw tears forming in Cole’s eyes.

“What’s that?” Sun Tie inquired, pointing at the rock. Cole clenched his fists around it tightly.

“Nothing.” He replied, tucking the rune into his pants pocket.

“So, I get a stupid robe, and you get something mysterious and incredible?” Sun Tie reached for the pocket, but Cole snapped his hand away.

“Hey! Mind your own business, kid. You got your reward, and I got mine.” The old man said, taking three steps back, but Sun Tie rushed toward him with his hand extended.

“Let me take a look, you old fool.” Sun Tie blurted, not thinking about his actions anymore.

In a swift motion, Sun Tie found himself face-down on the ground, his arm twisted behind his back. Cole had one knee pressing into Sun Tie's neck and his other hand gripping the youth's arm. Leaning in close, Cole hissed into Sun Tie's ear, his breath sending ripples through the air. Liquid touched his skin. His blood… Disgusting.

"Listen, kid. I've had enough of your nonsense! I'm not your servant, slave, or whatever you think I am. I've nearly died a dozen times in the last twenty-four hours! Half of them could've been avoided if you'd accepted that damn [Swordsman] class. Are you planning to get yourself killed over this foolish pride?"

Sun Tie tried to lift himself, but Cole applied more pressure to his knee.

“If you want to continue with your little show, do it. But keep your hands off my belongings. We can work together, but you don’t have the right to boss me around. Do you understand?” Cole’s voice had grown calmer, and he began to ease the pressure. Sun Tie could breathe again.

“Do you understand?” Cole repeated, and Sun Tie nodded.

Cole then released the young master and backed away, his hands raised to show he meant no harm.

Sun Tie brushed off his robe as he got up. He had a list of things he could say to this lowly man, all the threats he could hurl. But that wasn't the way.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The young master would eat this crow for now. The moment they got out of this dungeon, they'd go their separate ways, no matter how many times Cole had saved his life. No one humiliated him without retribution.

Silent, Sun Tie walked away, heading for the door—no words needed.

----------------------------------------

As soon as they entered the door, another message flashed before Sun Tie's eyes.

[Bonus Challenge]

Find your way out of the Dungeon before bleeding to death!

It will be easy. Sun Tie thought: just a straight path ahead, find the circular room, and then another straightforward way followed by a climb up the stairs. They'd be out in less than ten minutes.

It was only when the journey seemed longer than he remembered that Sun Tie noticed the carvings on the walls were now completely different. Instead of a linear timeline of what Sun Tie assumed was Tenedariam's history, as he'd seen before, these carvings showcased a mix of various moments, all jumbled together.

As if that wasn't odd enough, the corridor ended at another intersection, not in the circular room they expected. The path extended to both the right and left.

Oh, that’s the challenge. Sun Tie thought, already sick of the God behind this system.

He took the lead and followed the right path. Cole didn’t protest. Better that you say nothing, old man. They walked dozens of steps until they reached another intersection. This time, they could turn left or right or continue straight ahead.

Cole gestured to the left, and Sun Tie agreed. If logic had any place here, that was the way to go. They pressed on. Despite trying to ignore it, Sun Tie couldn’t help but be annoyed by Cole’s presence. He couldn't hear the older man's footsteps, but Cole's breath grew increasingly complex, which certainly wasn’t helping.

“We’re lost.” Cole muttered behind Sun Tie.

“No, we’re not.” Sun Tie replied harshly and took a glance at Cole. The man was sweating heavily and had blood on his neck, forming a macabre portrait. “Keep up.”

A worry itched in Sun Tie’s mind. The bleeding effect. He needed to get out of there as soon as possible. The Young Master occasionally looked over his shoulder at Cole, but the older man kept looking ahead, muttering something under his breath. Is the old man losing it? Sun Tie wondered.

The archer stumbled on his feet and almost fell to the ground. Sun Tie stepped in his direction, but the other man lifted a hand to stop him.

“I’m okay. Let’s keep moving. No need to help.” Sun Tie sighed. What a moment to be prideful, just like the old goat.

Cole and Sun Tie's grandfather bore little resemblance to each other, but their recent interaction in the last room had him thinking of the Elder. Growing up, he'd had plenty of such confrontational situations, but one stood out more than others.

"You can't be weak like your father! Focus! You'll either be the next clan leader or serve the next one." A slap had followed those words—one of many. Sun Tie was no stranger to violence.

While Sun Tie was grieving his long-lost father, his grandfather seemed more concerned with pushing him around. That day was etched into Sun Tie's memory forever.

It was the day he decided he would no longer bow his head against his will. Of course, he failed spectacularly at that for years, not anymore.

On second thought, Cole had little in common with his grandfather. The comparison was unfair.

Sun Tie looked again over his shoulder and noticed Cole lagging. The young master backtracked a few steps and approached him.

"Hey, what's the issue?" Sun Tie asked. Cole’s eyes were unfocused.

"I'm sorry, Jackie..." Cole mumbled. A shiver raced down Sun Tie's spine. Sun Tie put one hand at Cole’s heart and felt it slow and unpredictable, like the one of an animal close to death. The young master swallowed the void and felt his sweat becoming cold. The old man was probably dying of internal bleeding already.

“Who’s Jackie, Cole?” Sun Tie asked, trying to decide what to do next. The carvings on the wall could be the answer. Sun Tie noticed some were fading as he looked at them, and it was difficult to identify what they represented.

“Huh?” Cole asked, lagging even more. Sun Tie needed to take the lead if they were to leave the damned place.

“Can you use your rune skill?” Sun Tie asked and gripped the man’s arm, pulling him along the corridor.

“I did,” Cole responded, more conscient this time. “Saw nothing, kid. It’s hot in here. I need to find him.” Cole replied, cleaning his forehead with one hand.

“Find who?” The young master asked but had no answers.

Oh, gods… let me find a way out of this hell.

Sun Tie looked again to the walls, settling on the carving of the strange purple creatures, looking skyward, seemingly receiving messages from the System. It wasn't the form of communication he wanted, but it gave him an idea.

Sun Tie kept walking, searching for the carvings of the humanoids fishing and hunting. After a couple of minutes, he found them. Now, he just had to follow the sequence.

Except the order kept getting jumbled. Between depictions of hunting and fishing, Sun Tie saw carvings of reptiles, or the System—disrupting the expected sequence.

Found it! The perfect sequence was in front of him. Now, we just need to follow it and get out.

“Cole, I found the way. Can you—?”

The youth couldn’t finish his sentence. Cole collapsed on the ground with a hollow sound.

Sun Tie felt his heart climbing up to his mouth, the heat of the tunnels becoming a freezing chill. Is he dead? The young master rushed to the man and confirmed he was breathing, barely. Sun Tie gathered all his strength and hoisted Cole onto his shoulder, following the correct carving on the wall.

"I'm sorry, Jackie," Cole murmured, almost as if in a trance. “I'll find you, I promise." The air was getting difficult to breathe, and Cole was heavier by the second. Sun Tie could not concentrate enough on the carvings.

“Come on, Cole. Hold up! You can handle this. Don’t die on me, old man.” Sun Tie muttered, his voice shaky.

This can't be happening. Not again.

Feeling his strength waning, Sun Tie continued along the path indicated by the carvings, but still, no circular room. The torches seemed to lose its light, the freezing feeling in his skin getting colder. Desperation consumed the young man’s heart. They would die in that place. Alone, just like the monster in the other room.

THUMP!

He struck hard with his head, and the young master almost dropped Cole to the ground. The old man’s breath was practically inaudible. His hands searched for a handle.

"Found it!" Sun Tie yelled, swinging the door open and dropping Cole outside. Sun Tie himself fell to the ground.

Relief and the jungle’s wind washed over him. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Closing his eyes tight, he felt Cole start to grunt, to heal. He felt the [Experience Time] kicking in.

Sun Tie slowly got up and brushed his robe, feeling good about himself. He heard a slight clicking sound and turned his back to a gun pointed at his head.