The journey continued with small conversations, nothing too intense or revealing, just enough to pass the time and build a basic level of comfort among us.

As the day transitioned into late evening, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple, the group decided it was time to set up camp for the night.

Despite my lingering skepticism about the group, I followed their lead and pitched in to help set up camp.

We worked together to prepare the campfire and other necessities for a night outdoors. It was a cooperative effort, each member contributing.

Lila, as the group's designated cook, took charge of preparing our meal. The rest of us gathered around the fire, awaiting dinner.

The warmth of the fire and the comforting crackle of the flames created a cozy atmosphere, easing the weariness of the day's travel.

Small talk gradually shifted to more pointed questions, as if they were trying to piece together the puzzle of my presence and intentions.

Isaac, always the direct one, broke the ice with the question that seemed to be on everyone's mind. “So, Kaien,” he began, his gaze steady and inquisitive, “what's your reason for heading towards the Tower? We shared ours, but we don't know much about yours.”

The question was expected, I knew their dreams of becoming S-ranked adventurers, but my own motivations were more complex and tied to a past I wasn't willing to disclose.

"Well, my reasons are a bit personal." I started, maintaining a calm and collected demeanor. "I'm seeking answers and strength. The Tower, with all its mysteries and challenges, seems like the place where I might find my answers and gain the strength to acquire those answers."

My response was honest but deliberately vague, revealing just enough to pique their interest without delving into the more sensitive chapters of my past, including my disconnection from the Arashi family.

Internally, I grappled with the nature of the answers I sought.

Was I questioning the circumstances of my second chance at life? Was I curious about the reason behind the skill I possessed? Or, like many adventurers, was I driven by the universal question of what truly lay at the end of the Tower? Perhaps it encompassed all these questions.

But amidst these contemplations, one thing was crystal clear – my pursuit of strength.

No longer did I wish to be overshadowed by those with power or experience the deep despair of helplessness that had haunted me for years.

It was about becoming strong enough to stand on my own. I had made a promise to my mother that I would grow strong, strong enough to alleviate her worries about me.

Lucas, practical as ever, nodded “The Tower certainly has a way of testing and revealing one's inquiries. Yet, only those brave enough to face it can find those answer.”

As we sat around the fire, the flickering flames casting shadows on our faces, the conversation continued in this vein.

As we talked, an unexpected sound caught our attention. Another carriage was approaching from the horizon.

It rolled to a stop near our campsite, and a group of people emerged, their expressions a mix of relief and caution.

They approached us tentatively, introducing themselves with polite courtesy. "Good evening," one of them said.

"We're travelers, too, and were wondering if it would be alright to set up camp nearby. It's getting late, and it would be dangerous to continue on at this hour."

Their request seemed reasonable, and there was a sense of solidarity between fellow travelers on the road.

We exchanged quick glances amongst ourselves, gauging each other's reactions. It was Isaac who spoke up first, his voice friendly.

"Sure, you're welcome to camp here. There's safety in numbers, after all." he said, extending a hand in a gesture of goodwill.

The new group, consisting of six men, expressed their gratitude and began setting up their a few distance away from ours.

Their meal was simple and unremarkable – stale bread and dried meat, the kind of fare typical for travelers prioritizing convenience over taste.

In contrast, Lila had just finished preparing a pot of vegetable soup, the aroma of which wafted enticingly through the camp.

The savory scent seemed to capture the attention of the newcomers, as I noticed their eyes following the steam rising from the pot, their mouths slightly agape, clearly enticed by the smell of the soup.

Yet, they made no move to ask for any, politely sticking to their modest provisions.

It was at this moment that I noticed Lucas nudging Isaac with his elbow, a silent communication passing between them. Isaac, picking up on the cue, turned to the new group with a warm, friendly smile.

"You're welcome to join us for dinner." he offered generously. "Lila often cooks more than we can eat."

The invitation was accepted immediately, the men's faces lighting up with gratitude.

As they joined us around our fire, Mia and Lila took on the role of gracious hosts. I observed them engaging with the men, their behavior reminiscent of the flirtatious manner they had directed at me earlier.

This time, however, they seemed to be laying it on thicker, emphasizing the food and feeding the men in a way that was clearly meant to charm.

I watched the scene with a hint of skepticism, wondering about the intent behind their actions.

However, any suspicions I harbored were somewhat allayed when I saw Lucas and Isaac also partaking in the meal.

Deciding to set aside my doubts, I served myself a bowl of the soup. The flavors were rich and satisfying.

As the evening progressed and the meal concluded, we all retreated to our respective spots for the night. The quiet of the wilderness enveloped the camp, and slowly, I drifted off to sleep.

The world around me faded, giving way to the vivid landscape of my dream.

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I found myself standing in the midst of a vast, snow-covered mountain range. The scene was strikingly realistic, every sensation amplified as if I were truly there.

The cold was biting, seeping through my clothes and chilling me to the bone. The wind howled fiercely, a relentless force that whipped the snow into my direction.

The cold air was so sharp it stung my lungs with each breath. The sense of isolation was overwhelming. There were no signs of life, no sounds but the wind’s mournful cry

As I trudged through the deep snow, my footsteps were the only marks on the white canvas. The dream felt endless, an eternal march through a frozen wilderness, each step a struggle against the cold.

I felt my body slowly succumbing to the freezing cold in my dream. Each step became more laborious, my muscles, flesh, and bones seemed to creak and protest under the intense chill, a sensation that felt too real to be just a dream.

Just as I was on the verge of becoming completely immobilized by the frost, an enigmatic silhouette appeared in the distance.

The figure was difficult to discern through the blinding snowstorm, its identity obscured by the swirling white veil of the blizzard storm.

As the crystalline frost inched its way toward my heart, the figure halted.

Suddenly, a burst of flames erupted and engulfing the figure, cutting through the frozen wasteland.

The heat was intense, rapidly melting the surrounding snow and enveloping me in a searing warmth. The flames, while liberating, were overwhelmingly hot, scorching my skin with unbearable pain.

This agonizing sensation jolted me awake from the nightmare.

"Ha~,Ha~,Ha~..."

I woke up gasping for air, each breath producing visible plumes of heavy smoke, as if my lungs were filled with icy fog.

To my astonishment and confusion, my body felt unusually cold, almost frozen.

My muscles were rigid, making even the slightest movement a struggle. I couldn't comprehend why I was experiencing such extreme cold — it was a summer night, after all, and the weather had been mild.

'What's happening to me?' I thought, bewildered and alarmed.

"Help! Someone, please! Aghr!"

Through the haze of my confusion and the intense cold gripping my body, a sudden, piercing scream tore through the night, shattering the silence of the camp.

It came from the direction of the other group’s campsite, the men who had joined us earlier in the late evening.

Straining against the stiffness in my muscles, I managed to lift my head to see what was happening. The sight that met my eyes was nothing short of horrifying.

The men from the other group were being attacked, each one caught in the grasp of a violent struggle.

Their screams of agony ripped through the air as their assailants, four shadowy figures, moved with lethal intent.

Blood spattered across the campsite, illuminated by the flickering light of the campfires.

"Why are you doing this! S-STO-" the men's plea was cut short as one of the attackers, with a swift and ruthless motion, sliced through his neck.

The brutality of the scene was merciless. Each member of the group was systematically and efficiently being taken down.

Lying there, helpless and immobile, I could only watch in horror as the scene unfolded.

As the last of the men from the other group met their grim fate, the four shadowy figures turned in unison, their attention now fixed on me.

My heart pounded against my chest, a mix of fear and the lingering cold making it difficult to breathe.

With slow, deliberate steps, they began to advance towards me, their figures gradually becoming more distinct as they crossed the flickering light of the campfire.

A bitter, humorless laugh escaped my lips. "Ha... I should have listened to my gut," I muttered under my breath, the realization hitting me like a physical blow.

The figures approaching me were none other than the group I had been traveling with – Isaac, Mia, Lila, and Lucas. Each step they took seemed to echo in the silence of the night, a reminder of my misjudgment and misplaced trust.

As they closed in on me, their demeanor shifted from menacing to a twisted form of playfulness.

"Look who finally got up," Isaac taunted, a smirk playing on his lips. "Not too cold, are we?"

His words were laced with mockery, and the others chuckled in agreement.

Mia, with a dagger in her hand, sauntered over to where I lay immobilized.

Instead of using the weapon, she unexpectedly draped herself over me, her body pressing against mine in a deliberately provocative manner.

She leaned in close, her breath warm against my neck, and I could feel the tip of her tongue tracing my skin in a perverse gesture.

"It's such a shame to get rid of you," she whispered, her voice sultry and mocking. "Your body... it's quite erotic. Imagine all the fun I could have had with you, if only you'd let yourself be seduced."

Her words sent a shiver down my spine, not from the cold but from the realization of how dangerously manipulative she was.

Struggling to find my voice amidst the cold shackling my body, I managed to utter a single word, heavy with confusion and a need for understanding. "Why?" The word escaped my lips in a slow, cold whisper.

Mia, still draped over me, paused and looked up, amusement flickering in her eyes. "Why?" she echoed, her voice dripping with feigned innocence. Then, her demeanor shifted as she let out a laugh, sharp and devoid of warmth. "Of course, it's for money. What else?"

Before I could process further, Isaac strode over, his movements deliberate and confident. With a swift motion, he grabbed Mia's hand, pulling her away from me and into his embrace.

Isaac gaze was cold and contemptuous. "Pathetic." he sneered.

"You're so naive, seeking help from strangers. Did you really think we were just friendly travelers?"

His words were laced with mockery, each one a stinging indictment of my trust in them.

"But hey, you've been a real blessing to us." Isaac continued, his tone playful yet sinister.

"Thanks to you and those other travelers, we've got funds for our journey. Looks like the gods are on our side, huh?"

Isaac's face twisted into a mocking smirk as he looked down at me. "You look confused?" he said,

"Let me do you a favor, since you were kind enough to let us take advantage of you. I'll tell you why you're in this state. We were even considerate enough to give you a heads-up, and yet, you were too naive to see it. How stupid can you be?"

He paused for a moment, reveling in my shocked expression. "Thanks to Mia's ability, we concocted a potion with a Hypothermia effect. We saved it for situations just like this one. We added it to the food that Lila prepared, and with her 'Nutritional Boost,' the effect was intensified. That's why you're freezing right now."

His explanation hit me like a ton of bricks, each word sinking in with the weight of deceit.

"H-how?" I managed to ask, my voice barely more than a whisper, a cold breeze accompanying each breath.

Isaac laughed, a sound that was both cruel and triumphant. "How, you ask? Oh, you mean how we aren't affected by it? That's simple. Lila brought us our servings before she added the potion to the pot. What we ate was free of hypothermia, you idiot!"

Lying there, incapacitated and humiliated, a sense of my own idiocy weighed heavily upon me.

Isaac leaned in close, the cold blade of his dagger glinting ominously in the dim light of the campfire.

He traced the edge of the dagger around my face, his actions deliberate and menacing. "How about I give you a chance to fight for your life?" he taunted, his voice laced with a twisted sense of amusement. "Who knows, maybe the gods will favor you."

With a cruel smirk, Isaac grabbed both of my hands, placing them around the handle of the dagger, his own hands firmly over mine.

"I'm going to push this dagger down towards your throat." he explained, his tone mockingly instructional.

"All you have to do is push back, struggle as hard as you can to keep the edge from penetrating your neck. Simple, right? Well, good luck."

His words sent a surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins. Despite the cold that had numbed my body, the imminent threat of death ignited my instinct to survive.

I braced myself, ready to push back with every ounce of strength I could muster. My survival depended on it.

Isaac's eyes met mine, a glint of anticipation in them, as he slowly began to apply pressure to the dagger, edging it closer to my vulnerable neck.

The dagger inched closer, the sharp edge pressing slowly against my skin, a trickle of blood began to form, marking the start of what could be a fatal wound.

The cold, the fear, and the feeling of betrayal mingled in a chaotic swirl within me.

But amidst this turmoil, a flash from my dream surged to the forefront of my mind—the figure engulfed in flames, a burst of fire emanating from within.

In that instant, as I lay at Isaac's mercy, a sly smile curled the corners of my lips.

My expression caught Isaac off guard; his eyes widened in confusion and a flicker of concern passed across his face. He couldn't fathom why I would smile at such a dire moment.

But he soon understood. Suddenly, flames erupted between us, originating from nowhere. The intense heat was immediate and searing, particularly at the point where Isaac's hands clutched mine on the dagger's handle. It was as if he was holding onto a red-hot piece of iron.

"Fuck!" Isaac yelped in pain and shock, hastily retracting his hands. He staggered back, shaking his hands frantically in an attempt to dispel the agonizing heat.

The others, alerted by the commotion, turned in alarm, their eyes wide as they witnessed the sudden burst of flames erupting from within me, engulfing my body in a fiery aura.

"Ah~, I feel much better."