Surprisingly enough, instead of leaving Dolk’s body out in the open, Astrid actually buried him. Though, she didn’t put his corpse with the rest of the dark elves that died. Either because she believed that he didn’t deserve to be buried with the people he killed, or the fact that she had to carry them over there which would be a waste of time.

With Dolk dead and buried, the looming threat of him attacking them vanished in an instant. Now, Hazel and Astrid could return to their campsite and plan their next move. The stroll back was long and quiet. Almost too quiet.

Hazel turned her gaze to Astrid, wondering how she was holding up. After having all of her people who came with her into this dungeon end up dead, she was likely overwhelmed with grief. However, when Hazel looked at her, the dark elf wore a neutral expression, unfazed by everything that she just experienced.

But Hazel knew that it was nothing more than a mask to hide her emotions. Unfortunately, she couldn’t tell Astrid that to her face even when she believed it would be in her best interest.

At that moment, Dolk’s words to her began to linger in her mind.

I leave Astrid in your hands…don’t make me regret it.

Although Hazel had no obligation to follow Dolk’s request, she was also aware that to leave this place, she and Astrid needed to work together. Otherwise, they’ll end up both dead.

Which is why Hazel needed to make sure that she and the dark elf remained allies.

“So, what’s our next plan?” Hazel asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

Astrid didn’t say a word for a few moments, making them linger in silence before she finally spoke. “I planned to locate a Boss on this island after reaching level ten to see how strong it was and figure out how to defeat it.” She groaned while scratching her head irritably. “Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be on in this forest.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Hazel noted. “There wasn’t a mini-boss on my island before I came here. Just a giant Fractured Cyclops. It was very difficult to take down, though.”

Astrid turned to face Hazel, looking dumbfounded. “You fought a Cyclops and won? Were you with others?”

“If I were with others then they would be with me, right?” Hazel gave her a dubious face. “Why else do you think I’ve been on my own this whole time?”

Astrid’s eyes widened with surprise. “You actually defeated a Cyclops on your own? That is…impressive, to say the least.”

“Maybe so, but I took quite a beating during the fight. I even dislocated my shoulder."

She grimaced after remembering her battle with the Cyclops. She could’ve died if she hadn’t reacted in time to kill it. That fight showed Hazel that even though she could use magic, she was far from invincible.

Astrid found it difficult to process the information she was just told as she wore a pensive expression.

“You’re level ten, right, Astrid?” Hazel already knew since she appraised her during their initial encounter, but she still asked to be polite.

“I am. And what level are you?”

“Level nine, so one level behind you.”

Ever since Hazel and Astrid encountered one another, she didn’t find the time to hunt down some monsters to get to level ten. However, with their issue with Dolk handled, it was currently possible now.

And it seemed that Astrid had a similar idea.

“We should probably get you to Level 10 before we decide to leave the island and move on to another one.”

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. By the way, since you’re level ten, have you reached your second marker?”

Players reach their first marker when they get to level five, so it was possible that they would get to their second marker by level ten. However, Hazel didn’t want to assume that in case she was wrong and get her hopes up, so she wanted to ask Astrid since she was level then already.

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“Sadly, no,” Astrid answered, shaking her head. “I expected the same thing too, but when I got to it, nothing happened.”

Hazel lowered her head, depressed after hearing the news. So, it looked like level ten was when she would reach the second marker. Did that mean it would be level fifteen? Maybe even level twenty? Just the thought of such a thing made Hazel’s head throb in pain.

Aside from the disheartening revelation of her second marker, there was something else that Hazel was curious about, and it involved Dolk’s confession regarding Astrid’s brother and his supposed deal with the High Elves. More specifically, the origin of the dark elves.

“So, you said before that the High Elves created the Dark Elves, right? Do you mind if I ask how that happened?”

Although it might’ve been a touchy subject for dark elves, that didn’t stop Hazel from asking anyway. She was extremely curious regarding how the High Elves created Astrid’s people. And if Astrid wouldn’t talk about it, then that was fine as well. Hazel would likely find some information regarding it herself once she returned home since both their worlds were being merged.

Astrid stopped in her tracks for a moment, staying silent. Hazel got nervous since she might’ve overstepped her boundaries because of her curiosity. However, the dark elf took in a breath and then sighed right after.

“It’s…a very long story,” She stated before continuing. “Before the High Elves, Dark elves, and even the moon elves were created, there were just the Elves. Just normal pointed ear, nature-loving elves.” Astrid frowned while staring at the ground. “That was until one of said Elves wanted to improve his species and make them better than before.”

Hazel listened intently, not wanting to interrupt Astrid with her storytime.

“So, this elf began to research ways to enhance the Elven race. Making them faster, stronger, and more intelligent. He even started to experiment on himself so that he could be the first perfect Elf. And he succeeded, thus becoming the first High Elf.” Astrid rubbed the back of her head. “Soon after, more High Elves were created until they became an entire species themselves. Then there were the normal elves and the High Elves.” Her expression darkened as she continued. “Then the first high elf had an idea, what if he could go further? What if he could make something even better than a High Elf?”

“I’m assuming that what happens next doesn’t…exactly end well, right?”

Hazel knew from experience that stories like this don’t have a happy ending. Considering what she currently knew, she could tell what happened when the High Elf came up with this idea. And it wasn’t good.

Astrid grimly nodded. “You’d be right to assume that. Because the first high elf does exactly that and begins his experiment once more, trying to make an even more perfect elf. Only one of his experiments ended up as failures. Very big failures, in his eyes.” She gazed up into the space above them through the trees with a solemn look. “And those failures were the first dark elves of our race. He saw them as such a blight…such a disease that he tried to kill them before they could procreate and make more of us. They managed to escape, but the high elf didn’t allow this to stand and continued to hunt them down until he killed every last one of them. Which then led to a very long war between the Dark Elves and the High Elves. While the dark elves simply wanted to live in peace, the High elves made it their mission to eradicate their supposed inferior counterparts by any means necessary. And the battle is clearly still going on to this day.”

“Whoa…” Hazel said in awe. “That’s…pretty intense.”

More than intense, it was tragic. To think that the origins of the dark elves were the results of experimentations made by the First High Elf. All because he sought after perfection. And in the end, created something he considered a blight.

To make matters worse, the bastard tried to end the Dark Elves before they grew and got stronger. Whether he saw them as a threat or such an eyesore, Hazel wasn’t sure. In her mind, she believed that it was both.

Which then led to a long feud between the two races. There was so much lore buried in the story that Hazel wanted to know more. But on the other hand, a part of her was afraid of what else was in store.

What happened during the feud? How much blood was shed during the war between the Elves?

But more importantly; just what exactly was Astrid’s brother planning with the High Elves?

According to her, the High Elves despise the Dark Elves for being failures and abominations. So why was Dolk working with them? Was it involuntary or mutual?

If it was the latter, just what exactly caused it? Why would a dark elf and a High Elf work together?

Just what exactly were they planning to do? These thoughts plagued Hazel’s mind before Astrid’s voice pulled her attention away from them.

“You have no idea,” Astrid scoffed. “Because my people were seen as defects, the High elves saw that it was only natural for them to kill us. We were nothing more than a pest in their pursuit of perfection. Even though they created us in the first place.” She kicked a nearby pebble, watching it skit across the ground before hitting a nearby tree. “Putting aside the origins of my people, we should start focusing on getting you to reach level ten. How about it?”

Astrid gave Hazel an eager smile, to which the mage returned the gesture, a wide grin forming on her face.

“Yeah, let’s get to work!” Hazel fist-pumped herself, feeling eager to hunt more monsters.

Although Hazel was curious about what Astrid’s brother was planning with the High Elves, she had bigger problems to deal with at the moment.

And that was leveling up.