Footsteps. The sound of footsteps grew louder with each passing second. Someone was approaching, and Cosmo's instincts reacted to it. Perhaps the sharpest thing Cosmo possessed now was his perception, keen as a double-edged sword.

Cosmo dropped everything he had brought with him and took the initiative to leave that dark and hostile environment.

But what he saw was unexpected.

A giant cave opened up before his eyes. The cavern was immense, its size imposing, bringing with it a sense of insignificance. If not for the torches around the entire cave, it would be impossible to deduce its true size.

As his eyes adjusted to the light, his ears to the sound, and his nose to the smell, Cosmo began to grasp what lay ahead.

After a long time in a dark place, with the musty smell and only the sound of dripping water, being exposed to this flood of sensations caused great confusion for Cosmo. But gradually, he began to adapt, and his tolerance increased significantly.

"Hey."

"Ahh!"

"Who is that?"

Noises, murmurs spread and echoed through the cave. It was painful for Cosmo, as if his eyes and ears were being squeezed with pincers. But with his eyes half-closed, he adapted more. It’s incredible how quickly humans can adapt to stressful situations.

As his senses adjusted to the environment, he saw in front of him many children, some crying, others sitting silently in a darker corner. There were also older people who could barely stand. But what stood out the most were the guards. Cosmo could sense how skilled they were.

"Hey!"

A guard was calling Cosmo, but in his mental confusion, he simply walked forward, paying no attention to anything around him.

"Another one..." murmured the guard, shrugging slightly in disinterest.

The cave did not seem man-made, so they were probably in some remote location, maybe a hideout? The jagged rocks at the top were an important detail, proving that these formations take millennia to form. The absence of human-caused wear was another clue.

"We’re probably more than 400 feet underground," he thought.

These rocky formations are not found easily above that depth. The structure of the cave narrowed as it rose, like an inverted bowl. Ahead, there were some deteriorated human constructions, indicating that this place had been inhabited or used some time ago.

These observations made people think Cosmo was mad, someone who had lost it. Slowly, everyone began to ignore him, but Cosmo didn’t care. He carefully observed everything around him, trying to deduce what every unusual detail might signify.

While walking, he unintentionally collided with someone. The person was twice his height, with long black hair, wearing a well-fitted outfit of purple and red. The most striking feature was a black mask with a blindfold covering the eyes.

Suddenly, everyone in the cave knelt and pressed their foreheads to the ground, even the guards, and maintained silence.

"Who are yo—?" Cosmo began to ask, confused, but was quickly interrupted by a guard who pushed his head forcefully to the ground.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Forgive me, my lord. He’s a newcomer who appeared recently..."

"So much time has passed, and a new person has appeared... pitiful."

The guard did not make a sound, not even his breathing was audible. Cosmo felt this and tried to make as little noise as possible, while his forehead began to bleed from the forceful impact with the ground.

"Hmm... Is it worth keeping him alive? He’s already behind, and his chances of completing it in time are slim..."

"I understand, my lord..."

"You know that any failure, no matter how small, will not be tolerated."

"Absolutely, my lord..."

The masked man turned and approached the group of people present. After some murmurs echoed, the man left. Cosmo felt the tension around him ease.

"We’re lucky to be alive..." sighed the guard, slowly rising and heading towards the crowd, ignoring Cosmo. But he was somewhat friendly, or perhaps he was just being nice because his life was at stake. Either way, it didn’t matter; Cosmo needed to understand what was happening.

As Cosmo got up, two people quickly approached him, followed by another at a slower pace.

"That was close, newbie..."

"Yeah, we could’ve all been dead because of you..."

The first two grumbled and argued about what Cosmo did, but he didn’t understand.

"Calm down, everyone. He doesn't understand anything... The most peculiar fact is Danaver’s sudden reappearance, as if this newbie’s arrival had something to do with it."

A soft, feminine voice resonated, gradually overpowering the grumbling.

"Nice to meet you, I’m Yeol. Those two who can't stop grumbling are Heila and Urman... What's your name?"

"C-Cosmo..." he answered, slightly embarrassed.

"Hmpf, let’s go, Heila... We don't have time to waste here."

After Urman’s grumble, both returned to the crowd. Only Yeol remained.

She slowly sat down on the ground, a bit away from the crowd.

"Won’t you sit, Cosmo?"

Embarrassed, Cosmo quickly sat down, but a bit farther from her. He could barely make eye contact.

"Pfft..." Yeol let out a slight smile, making Cosmo blush more.

"You know, I’ve been watching you from afar... It seems your observation skills are quite sharp."

"Well... I guess the time I spent confined in that dark place might have heightened my sensitivity and observation..."

"Dark place?" Yeol asked abruptly.

"Y-Yes?" Cosmo responded vaguely, not fully understanding the question.

"Which cell were you in, Cosmo?"

"Cell?"

"Yes, each person here has a number based on how deep their cell is located... Mine is 67. I’m the third deepest. Above me is Heyoin, that gray-haired man, in cell 83, and above both of us is Jasmin in cell 88. But she’s not here; Danaver took her three days ago... I believe..."

"I understand," Cosmo said, sensing the uncertainty about Jasmin’s fate haunted Yeol.

"I overheard the guard calling me number 59."

"59? And it took you so long to get out? And you were in a dark place? As far as I know, up to cell 110, everything is lit..."

"Well, I ended up taking a wrong path..."

Yeol was a bit suspicious of Cosmo but accepted it. For Cosmo, it didn’t make sense to say his cell was above 120; he didn’t know what that meant, and the highest number disappearing could mean something, so it was better to keep it a secret and wait to see...

Yeol stood up slowly and extended her hand to Cosmo.

"Come, let's join the crowd. I’ll explain the information given to us while we walk."

Cosmo, with a slight smile, warmly accepted Yeol’s offer.

"But first, let me give you a warning: not everyone here is as nice as I am... So avoid mentioning your cell number is above 100."

Cosmo froze, never imagining Yeol was so perceptive, or that she would deduce his cell was far off...

"How did I figure it out? Well, you mentioned it was all dark, so your cell must be in three digits... and we already have someone from cell 59. You didn’t consider that, did you?"

Yeol explained, her smile interrupted by giggles. To her, Cosmo’s naivety in considering some things was amusing.

...

But not to Cosmo. His gaze was cold, and a small detail Yeol didn’t notice in him was his impeccable survival instinct. This was a spark for Cosmo...

Then, Cosmo changed his expression, smiled slightly, and shyly nodded in agreement with Yeol.

"Let's go... haha..."

...

"Oh yes, say you were in cell 34. There’s no one with that number. Remember that!"

...