Sun Tie trekked impatiently through the woods. His steps crunched on branches and leaves, but the young master was indifferent. Deep down, he hoped some creature would emerge; perhaps delivering a few blows would ease his mind.

Damned old man... Who does he think he is? Thoughts of Cole's betrayal and his mission to retrieve his core dominated his mind throughout the journey. He couldn't focus on anything else, maybe besides the message he had received nearly an hour ago.

Congratulations on surviving the first 48 hours in the new world. Healing is now less effective. Exercise caution—you may die if you are not careful. Continue your journey wisely.

As anxiety crept into his thoughts, Sun Tie chose to slow his pace, tuning into his environment more closely. If he were to find Sun Li and his grandfather, he needed to stay alive; thus, a cautious approach might be prudent. He was all too familiar with how menacing the creatures of Eternal Wind could be—coming face-to-face with a dragon now? That could well be his undoing.

He was uncertain about the potency of Earth's creatures, but that jaguar had been quite the opponent. Do dragons exist on Earth, too? he pondered as he journeyed. He hissed—Cole, that dead weight, might have had some use in answering these questions about his filthy home. However, of the three planets, the one that intrigued him the most was the mysterious Umbraheim.

Giant bats and undead wolves? This integration was an entirely different game. If these were the weaker monsters of the planet, as he suspected, he needed to power up and fast.

Always best to be ready. Sun Tie accessed his inventory and pulled out his new robe. Thinking about wearing it prompted the system to equip him with it. He now wore a simple yet elegant white robe in a heartbeat. It wasn't the stealthiest garment he'd encountered, but it was pretty impressive. His eyes then darted to the countdown.

[2 days, 22 hours, and 30 minutes remaining.]

Just as Sun Tie was about to continue, a faint noise from afar caught his attention. He tilted his head, pausing and holding his breath to listen closely.

The sound of breaking branches underfoot persisted, and the murmur of human voices carried from a distance. Whoever or whatever it was, they were heading straight for Sun Tie's location.

The young master quickly hid behind the trunk of a large tree, pausing to assess the situation and determine his next move.

As the voices drew nearer, Sun Tie started to discern more. Two men were heatedly discussing something he couldn't quite make out.

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“We are too far, already!” One voice exclaimed behind the tree.

“We only walked fifty steps! What are you talking about?” The other responded.

“She's gonna go ballistic if we come back empty-handed," the first voice said, anxiety evident in his tone.

"Ballistic? She's always on edge, man. What's the worst that can happen?" the second voice replied, clearly less concerned.

"Don't play it cool. You know what she did to Eddie. I don't want that to be me," the first voice insisted.

"Yeah, Eddie messed up. But he was always a screw-up, you know? She's out in that dungeon right now, it will probably take some time. She will not even notice if we go a little more deep in the jungle." The second responded, taking a few steps in Sun Tie’s direction.

The young master held his breath, already preparing to fight if necessary.

"Notice? Are you kidding me? She notices everything. I swear she's got eyes in the back of her head." The first one retorted, making the second one sigh profoundly and take some steps behind, relief easing Sun Tie’s breath.

"Man, you're too paranoid! We'll find something, chill out." The second one replied.

"No, you chill out! Your lack of concern is why we're in this mess. You're too reckless." The first voice was suddenly high-pitched as if one of a pre-teen.

"Maybe if you weren't so jumpy all the time, we could actually get something done." The second man paused for a while and continued, consternation in his voice. “And how the damn Apocalypse is my fault?” His voice was starting to get louder, too.

Who are these two idiots?

"It's not the Apocalypse, man, it's your attitude. You act like rules don't apply to you. It's risky!" The first voice shot back, sounding even more anxious.

"Risky? Let me tell you something: everything is risky now. You think a boar with fire for fur gives a damn about risky?" The sound of steps was getting far. The two men were now close to one another.

"Exactly, it's a freaking fire boar, dude! It’s dangerous. That's why we should be extra careful." The first one replied, this time with a hint of fear. So they spotted a fire-boar? If they are in these woods, I should take extra care. The cowardly one is right to be afraid.

"You're missing the point. We're living in a new world. It's eat or be eaten. And right now, we're on the menu if we don't bring something back." The second one probably shoved the first one, but Sun Tie was uncertain if it was one of the strange affection gestures of people from Earth or if they were beginning a fight.

"Okay, genius, you want to catch a fire boar? You got a plan for that, huh?" The first one inquired, this time with impatience in his voice.

"A plan? I don't need a plan; I've got guts." The second one replied with a playful voice.

"Guts don't make up for stupidity."

And then Sun Tie heard the sound of a punch and many grunts and swearings. Sun Tie looked behind the tree and saw two men, probably a little older than Sun Tie, grappling on the ground, fighting like two little kids.

One was notably larger than the other, yet he got the worst of it. The smaller adversary, though shorter, had a more robust build and was landing his punches without restraint. Both had yellow hair and pale skin. Their striking resemblance suggested to Sun Tie that they might be brothers.

The scene reminded some of Sun Tie’s disciples behaving similarly, and his urge to intervene dissipated. Still, he had his journey to continue, so he opted for a detour to avoid the fray.

The young master stepped away from the tree trunk and moved to the side, attempting to skirt around without catching their attention. The duo seemed oblivious to his presence, and Sun Tie aimed to depart without confrontation.

“Hey!” One of them exclaimed. Sun Tie turned back and saw the smaller man pointing at him. The young master sighed profoundly. “Who are you?” The man completed.

“Oh, I’m nobody,” Sun Tie replied, “I was just passing by, but I’m afraid I heard your conversation. You guys form a spectacular team. But if you can't even decide how to find dinner, I wonder how you'll manage with something really dangerous.”

The pair traded glances, slowly getting up to look at Sun Tie, who completed his statement, already thinking about a second alternative.

“Good luck with that fire boar, you're going to need it. Especially if you can't even trust the person next to you.”