"Mmmh! Das schmeckt so gut! (Mmmh! This tastes so good!)" Uschi remarks, devouring the food Jeongeun had cooked for them in a ferocious manner.

Although hesitant at first, the otherworldly adventurers soon gave into their temptations upon seeing how delighted Uschi seemed while eating—devouring the food in a slightly less yet still messy manner.

"Just a few days ago we were enemies…sir's charisma is really out of this world, wouldn't you both agree?" Takashi queried.

"Well…I guess he is. I mean, he was even able to recruit us two troublemakers back then, and turned us into something a bit more decent…now that I think about it, he seems more and more unreal. A cheat character if you will." Kafil answered.

"Charisma? Have you both gone crazy? He has been threatening them ever since the alliance was made." Sungah spoke solemnly.

"Well, when you put it like that…I would argue, but I know you're too damn smart for me. I'll say one thing though. In times like this, he is undoubtedly your saviour.

"He's strong enough that he has no need to be dependent on others. He's not hesitant to abandon his morals for the sake of his own survival, which, I guess I understand why you hate that part of him.

"But at the same time, he's aware of the backlashes he may receive from it. Yet he is prepared to take them all without making excuses. You got to give it to sir. Whether you like or hate him, he's not someone you can easily dismiss as a mere villain." Takashi retorted.

"...Fine, he has the qualities of what it takes to survive in this horrible circumstance. But to me, he's still nothing more than a cold-hearted psychopath."

"Suit yourself what you want to think of him as, I guess. After all, it won't be my problem if he decides to let you go from your disobedience. I couldn't care less if I'm working underneath an evil man. As long as he supplies me with food and basic necessities, it's enough for me to give him my loyalty."

…

"...Kafil, did you build that?" Takashi questioned as he pointed at what appears to be a massive cave opening in place of the aftermath of their battle with the beast.

"You're overthinking too much, Takashi. Even I'm not strong enough to build that just in a single night. My ability has its limits." Kafil responded.

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"But still, who knows if you're actually hiding your true potential. Maybe even got that mage to help you with it."

"I told you, I'm still not strong enough to erect an actual, functioning fortress. So stop making the assumption that I'm the one who built it."

"But still…" While Kafil and Takashi argued as to how such a situation occurred—Jeongeun was busy investigating something he should have asked a long time ago to Uschi.

"Wie alt sind Sie, und woher kommen Sie ursprünglich? (How old are you and where are you originally from?)" He inquired.

"13, und natürlich aus Deutschland. (13, and of course from Germany)"

"Das ist nicht das, was ich meine. Wie...wie bist du hier in Korea gelandet? (That's not what I mean. How...how did you end up here in Korea?)"

"Wie ich hierher gekommen bin? Nun...Ich erinnere mich nicht mehr genau. Das Letzte, was ich weiß, ist, dass ich, nachdem ich meine Freunde gefunden hatte, ohnmächtig wurde und mich in einem heruntergekommenen Laden wiederfand. (How did I get here? Well...I don't remember exactly. The last thing I know is that after I found my friends, I passed out and found myself in a run-down store.)"

"Heruntergekommener Laden? Nun, selbst wenn es nicht weit weg war, wie haben Sie sie wiedergefunden? Es muss eine Grenze geben, wenn man einfach ziellos umherwandert. (Run-down store? Well, even if it wasn't far away, how did you find them again? There must be a limit to just wandering aimlessly.)"

"Aber ich bin nicht wahllos umhergezogen. Irgendetwas...ich weiß nicht mehr, was, aber es sagte mir, ich solle ihm folgen, und als ich das tat, sah ich, wie Sie sie bedrohten. Aber das Ding sagte mir, ich solle woanders hingehen, anstatt sie zu retten. (But I didn't move around at random. Something...I don't remember what, but it told me to follow it, and when I did, I saw you threatening her. But the thing told me to go somewhere else instead of saving her.)"

"Ein 'Ding' oder ein Wesen hat Ihnen gesagt, Sie sollen ihm folgen? Erinnern Sie sich an seine Erscheinung? (A 'thing' or being has told you to follow it? Do you remember its appearance?)"

"Nein, ganz und gar nicht. Jedes Mal, wenn ich versuche, mich an sein Aussehen zu erinnern, wird das Bild einfach unscharf. Ich bin mir nicht sicher, warum. (No, not at all. Every time I try to remember what he looks like, the picture just goes out of focus. I'm not sure why.)"

"Sehr interessant… (Very interesting…)"

They continued chatting for a while until the ground quaked out of the blue. The violent quaking worsened to the point it became near impossible to keep one from tumbling onto the ground. But it was only the start.

The ground cracks as ravines began appearing, separating all of them. The cave emitted an otherworldly glow, electrical currents surrounding it until a lightning bolt shattered it into pieces—unveiling a massive glowing portal with a blue hue that threatened to swallow the world.

Intense wind rose from the ravines, blocking their path to escape as the portal grew larger and larger by the seconds until eventually…everything ceased to exist.

…

"Mhmm…ah…?" Sungah mumbled as she arose from her unconscious state.

Opening her eyes, she discovered herself all alone and enclosed by pure darkness. Even the tiniest hint of light was not present—making it nearly impossible for her to traverse the uncharted terrains she was presented within.

However, she was not someone who would give up that easily. Using her katana as a cane to ensure she would not crash into anything unexpected. Cautiously, she walked at a steady pace as she attempted to map out the area she resided in.

Unexpectedly, light reappeared—blinding her momentarily but also allowing her to see her surroundings.

"Ah…ah…" She murmured while stumbling onto the ground. She was trapped within a corridor filled with skeletal remains donning old, worn-out armour. Perhaps it was because of how long they had been here that she did not pick up the putrid scent of the deceased.

The walls were covered in molds and stained with blood for who knows how long. But what caught her attention the most was a peculiar broken statue holding a tablet with mysterious letters inscribed onto it.

'Ah…no…please…Someone…save me.' Sungah begged earnestly, yet no one came to her rescue in the end

'It's so…lonely…and cold here…When is someone going to come...Or is…no one coming? I'm…scared.'

…