As they walked through the forest, Lucas looked around, noticing the tall trees swaying gently in the breeze. Sunlight hitting on the leaves, and soft moss covered the ground making it very calm and peaceful.

“Mucus?” Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow. “And... tame?”

Minato sighed, in sadness. “Mucus was a German Shepherd. I found him wandering around this world. It seemed like he was searching for humans—probably because dogs like him are raised by people from birth. They rely on humans for care.”

Lucas nodded. "Ah, a German Shepherd. That makes sense. They're often used by the police—maybe this one died while protecting someone.”

“Yeah,” Minato said with a sad sigh. “I really wish he was still with me. But after losing him, I decided never to tame another animal again. They’re... well, they’re just too dumb sometimes.”

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, animals wouldn't understand with their limited intelligence that those balls could take them away," he said calmly. "Don't worry too much—he might've gone to a better place. Who knows?”

Minato sighed. "I hope so," he said with a faint smile before continuing, "Anyway, let's get back to the magic ball topic. Why am I even telling you all this?"

Lucas nodded, not wanting to hear more about someone else's sadness. He thought it was pointless but didn’t want to say it outright. *Just get to the point, man,* he thought but held back. Even after dying, he couldn’t bring himself to be that straight. With a sigh, he reminded himself that Minato was his only source of information right now. *I’ll stay calm and keep listening,* he decided.

Minato continued as they stepped over some roots coming out of the ground. “I don’t know where people go when they touch those things. But remember it doesn’t matter how you touch them—whether it’s with your hand, a stick, or even a stone—it’ll suck you in. So don’t try anything stupid.”

“Got it,” Lucas replied.

“Some of us came up with a theory. We think those balls might lead to the afterlife. Maybe they’re portals. The colors might represent good luck or different regions you’ll be sent to. Others believe they could take you to another world entirely.”

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Lucas imagined the possibilities in his mind, while nodding his head.

“I’ve died a couple of times here,” Minato admitted with a small laugh. “Once, I was reconstructed in a snowy region. Another time, it was the desert. When I died in the desert again, I ended up back here. Someone I met told me he’d seen mountainous regions with brown balls. I’ve only seen white ones in the snow and yellow in the desert.”

Minato paused for a moment before saying, "The ones inside the dungeons are a mystery. I've entered a few times but can't remember anything afterward. That's how I realized—if you go in, you lose all memory of what happens inside.”

Lucas frowned. “That’s... Upsetting.”

"Yeah," Minato agreed. "This world is massive. It's like a giant continent divided into four regions, each with its own unique nature. The entire island is surrounded by a vast sea. I've never reached the sea myself, so I don't know much about it. I’ve spent years exploring, yet every region feels endless. But I once met someone who claimed to have seen the sea. He described it as filled with strange creatures, unlike anything on Earth. It made me wonder if this world might be just one part of a much larger universe—maybe even a single continent or island. We can only be reborn here because this place seems meant for people from Earth alone.”

Lucas nodded, processing the information. "Yeah, it could be much bigger. If someone could create a place like this, why would it be limited to just Earthlings? Maybe our entire universe is just a part of it... or there could be countless other universes connected. Who knows?"

Minato replied, his voice carrying a hint of excitement, “Exactly. The possibilities are endless.”

As they continued walking, Minato suddenly pointed to a tree ahead. “Look!”

Lucas followed his gaze and saw a tree with bright red apples hanging from its branches.

“The fruit in this world are amazing,” Minato said with a smile. “They’re way sweeter than anything on Earth. You should try one.”

Lucas looked up at the apples, then glanced at Minato, his eyes narrowing slightly. He leaned slightly to look at Minato’s ass.

Minato noticed Lucas looking at his ass and quickly covering it with his hands and asked "What are you looking at? I'm not gay!”

Lucas shook his head quickly, his expression a mix of awkwardness and amusement. "No, I’m not gay," he said, trying to clarify. "I was just... I was looking to see if you had, you know, a hole. If you eat these apples, where does it go? I mean... I don’t see any... any... holes."

Minato burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! I was just kidding! You’re hilarious!"

He waved a hand dismissively.

"Don’t worry about it. We can eat and taste things here, but somehow, we don’t need to poop. Don’t think too much about it—just enjoy.”

Minato bent down and picked up a nearby stone from the ground. He looked at it briefly before tightening his grip.

Making a smooth throwing motion with his arm, he aimed at an apple on the tree.

The stone hit a thin branch of the tree connected to the apple, breaking it free from the branch. The fruit fell to the ground.

Without wasting time Minato picked up another stone. With the same hand gestures, he took aim and knocked down a second apple just as easily..

Lucas was visibly impressed.

Minato noticed Lucas's reaction and smirked. “If you didn’t look so amazed, I’d think you were dumb,” he said confidently. “No normal modern person can hit it like this.”

Lucas nodded. “Yeah, did you learn this skill after coming here?”

“Well,” Minato said, bending down to pick up the apples, “I think I got this skill from a dungeon. I wasn’t good at this before, but one day after coming out of a dungeon, I realized I had it.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Did you clear the dungeon and got the skill as a reward?”