An unusual feeling washed over me, causing me to pause our trek. I don’t know why, but my heart had begun aching all of a sudden... as if something important to me was lost…

“…Sophie?” Darion called out. The boy halted from moving forward and came back to check up on me.

“It’s nothing," I whispered. "Just felt a stinging sensation in my heart, is all.”

“…Did you get poisoned somehow?”

“No. Don’t worry about it. Let’s just keep going. We should be close, right?” I said, changing the subject.

“I don’t know… Those horned bastards we came across earlier were using this device for some reason. Might as well check it out.”

In Darion’s hand was a navigation tool that we stripped away from a group of monsters, if you could call them that. They were humanoid creatures, their appearance eerily similar to humans, except they had horns. They drew their weapons as soon as they spotted us and attacked. We defended against their attack and won. After looking through their weapons and armor, a spherical device happened to be inside one of their pockets. Soon after, we discovered its function and are now following the floating arrow as if it was a compass.

Along the way, we would find more of those stone doors like the ones Thonthos would be trapped behind. Usually, they would be closed off, but all of them were unlocked, meaning that what Thonthos said about the death of The Minotaur will set all of the prisoners free was true.

“Darion, who do you think killed The Minotaur?” I asked the boy, hoping that striking up a conversation would have time move at a faster pace.

“Beats me,” he answered with a flat tone. “It could be any of The Six Hunters or one of those goons we’ve fought earlier. I highly doubt it though. They were laughably weak.”

Hmm… If I had to guess, it was either Sam or Joel that must’ve killed The Minotaur. In a contest of brute strength, they are the likely candidates. I’m not saying the others wouldn’t stand a chance. They are plenty strong themselves. Camila excels in speed and fighting technique while Leo is a brilliant mage with spells that could devastate an entire city block. They aren’t in the top fifty of the rankings for nothing!

“We’re here,” Darion announced, stopping in front of a large black and red gate. It was quite the spectacle, and I would probably admire it if I hadn’t noticed it was slightly ajar. With my heightened senses, I could hear grunts and metal clashing.

“D-Darion, someone’s fighting in there! Our friends are probably inside!”

Without another word, we both bolted toward the stylish gate, squeezing through the small opening. Once my eyes adjusted, I was greeted with the sight of a woman fending off a bodybuilder of a man with glowing fists. Behind the man with the shawl were two others standing in front of a black portal, watching the fight.

“Hm?” A man with a punchable face averted his attention past the woman’s shoulder and was now staring at us.

“It seems we have more unwanted guests. Zolvo!” He called out with a stern voice. The man named Zolvo gave Camila one final punch for good measure, knocking her backward to us. Hastily, I ran and caught her in my arms, terrified for her well-being. She was pretty banged up, with blood streaming down from her noise- probably from a punch from that behemoth. One of her eyes was also turning black too. A lump was slowly forming on her eyelid.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“C-Camila! Are you okay?”

“…You shouldn’t be worried about me,” she muttered. I didn’t know why she would utter such nonsense, until Camila raised a finger, pointing at a body slumped over. I recognized the glasses that were tossed aside on a puddle of blood.

“I-Is that Leo?!”

Darion did a double take when he finally noticed the body on the ground, a flash of anger in his eyes.

“Frankly, I grow weary of these guests. Thath, Zolvo, let us proceed. If you humans wish to pursue us, be my guest. Just be mindful of your comrade’s health. Somehow, this mage is hanging on for dear life. Before long, his life will be snuffed out, like a candle in a torrential downpour…” He let the threat linger into the heavy air, before finally entering a black portal with Thath and Zolvo by his heels.

Darion rushed toward Leo’s side, propping the man upwards. After making sure Camila was fine on her own, I went on to check on Leo’s health. He was deathly pale, and his muscles relaxed. There was a small hole embedded in his chest. Taking a closer look, it seems he was stabbed through the heart by a small weapon. I then went to check for any kind of pulse.

Leo wasn’t breathing, not even a puff of an exhale.

“Darion! Give him a Torqinite crystal!”

The boy nodded and swiftly dropped the mana crystal down his throat. Just for good measure, I stuck two fingers down Leo’s esophagus, forcing the pill deeper into his body. It was gross, but I had no other choice since it was the only option.

“It’s not working Sophie. It might be too late…”

“D-Don’t say that!” I snapped. There must be something we can do! Think Sophie Think!

“…There’s nothing we can do,” a soft voice spoke from behind. Camila was clutching the side of her stomach with a sad look. “I tried my best to help Leo under the circumstances, but I’ve been too caught up in the fight. I’m afraid… Leo is dead.”

“N-No… that can’t be,” my voice cracked as I tried to hold back tears. Darion veered away, staring at the skeleton near the entrance.

That group of people from before… They must be responsible for Leo’s death...

“…Camila.” I abruptly stood up, wiping away the tears on my sleeve. “Stay here with Leo and take care of his body. Darion and I will go after them.”

The wounded woman was quiet for a moment, pondering deeply about the instructions given, before finally nodding. “I understand. I’ll probably be useless in the confrontation anyways. I’ll stay here and guard the entrance.”

“Thank you. Now, Darion. Come with me.”

“No need to tell me twice.”

Darion gently placed Leo on the ground, removing his spear from the Inventory. I too brought out my gauntlets and went on to fasten them to my wrists. Darion and I finished our preparations as we stood before the portal, with the resolve to avenge our fallen friend. Just before we could set foot, a voice we hadn't recognized shouted at us.

“Don’t forget about me now!”

We whirled our bodies around to see a black teenager staring at us, his hands tucked inside a gray hoodie.

“Who the hell are you?” Darion demanded.

“I’m not with the people who just entered the portal if that’s what you’re asking. I’m just a guy from America, just like you,” he smiled.

“That’s all the more reason to be on guard," Darion snapped. "How the hell did you get in here then?”

The new visitor simply shook his head at Darion's hostility. “You shouldn’t be worried about that, you know? We’re pressed for time, aren’t we? Don’t you want to avenge your friend?”

Darion glanced at Leo’s fallen body and then at the teenager.

“…Darion,” I whispered. “We don’t have time for this. I don’t sense any hostility or malicious intent from him. As he said, we’re pressed for time. We have to move, now.”

“…Fine.” Darion reluctantly agreed. He cast aside his weapon but was glaring at the boy as he walked over to us.

“You’ll get wrinkles on your forehead if you keep frowning like that,” he joked. “My name is Isaac, what are your names?”

“I’m Sophie, and he's Darion.”

“Alright then, Sophie, Darion. Nice to meet you. I’d love to talk more, especially about the current state of Earth, but we have things to do. Are you ready?” The cheerful look on his face was now replaced with a solemn expression.

…Current state of the Earth? What does he mean by that?

“Let’s get on with it already.” Darion was already immersed in the portal by the time he finished talking and was already whisked away.

“He’s quite the impatient guy, huh…” Isaac murmured, soon following Darion.

Okay Sophie… Take deep breaths. Don’t get cold feet now, or else mistakes will be made. You got this. Also, make sure to keep an eye on this Isaac guy. We still can’t trust him. For all I know, he’s probably working with that priest man. Remember what Joel told you- never trust a superhuman you're unfamiliar with...

As I thought of countermeasures for Isaac, I finally entered the portal after waving goodbye to Camila.