The days dragged on in the reward room, each one blending into the next.

More slimes had started popping up, and Lila had taken to playing with them just to kill time.

When we first met she seemed curious, probably thinking I was some sort of tamer, especially since these slimes looked somewhat similar the ones from the first floor.

But she wasn’t stupid. She most likely already figured out that these weren’t tamed—they were created.

Even though I hadn’t told her my actual class, prior to confirming with her that i was a tamer. I knew she could tell at this moment in time that I wasn’t being honest, but for whatever reason, she didn’t push it.

Maybe because we weren’t close enough yet.

Maybe because she trusted me just enough to not need the full story.

Whatever the reason, I could sense a bit of tension between us, hanging there unspoken.

Still, she trusted her instincts. Her Pathfinder ability had led her to me, and so far, nothing about me seemed to have triggered any alarm bells for her. That was enough for now, I guess.

But after days of being stuck in this room, watching slimes bounce around with nothing to do, it was clear Lila was getting bored. Hell, I couldn’t blame her.

And out of nowhere, she finally broke the silence. “So… what’s your home like?” she asked, her voice hesitant but clearly curious.

I blinked, a bit caught off guard by the question.

I hadn’t expected her to ask something personal, especially after we’d spent so much time in silence.

Shifting slightly, I rubbed the back of my neck, thinking about how to answer. Talking about home wasn’t exactly easy.

"My home?” I started slowly, trying to figure out how to describe a place like Earth . "It’s... different from anything you’ve probably seen here."

Lila perked up, clearly intrigued. "Different how?"

I scratched my chin, searching for the right words.

"Well, I didn’t always live in a place like Arn's. Before that, I lived somewhere safer. The kind of place where you don’t have to worry about monsters or bandits. Danger’s still there, but it’s rare. You could live your whole life without ever encountering it."

Her eyes widened, obviously puzzled. "No monsters? No bandits?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Where I’m from, safety wasn’t really an issue. People could walk around freely, travel from one place to another without always looking over their shoulder. Life was... easier, in a way. But," I added quickly, "that doesn’t mean everything was perfect."

She tilted her head, her curiosity deepening. "What do you mean?"

I sighed, leaning back against the wall. "Food wasn’t hard to come by where I lived. There were markets with plenty of it—fresh fruits, meats, vegetables. But just because there was enough food didn’t mean it was free. You still had to work for it, and sometimes that work was tough. Really tough. Some days, you’d spend hours on end just working to make sure you could afford what you needed."

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

Lila frowned, trying to process that. "So, even though there was plenty of food, you still had to fight for it?"

"Not fight." I corrected. "But there was always competition. Whether it was for food, money, or a better life, people were always trying to get ahead. Even if you didn’t have to worry about starving, you had to work hard to keep up with everyone else. Some people worked long days, barely having time for themselves or their families. And even though "home" seemed comfortable, it had its own struggles."

She looked thoughtful, like she was trying to imagine what that would be like. "But if you had what you needed, wasn’t life... easier?"

I chuckled softly. "You’d think so. And yeah, on the surface, it was easier. No monsters, no constant threat of death. But that doesn’t mean people were happy. There was always pressure—pressure to do more, to be better. You could have everything you needed and still feel like it wasn’t enough. Like you were constantly chasing something you couldn’t quite reach."

Lila’s brow furrowed as she played with one of the slimes. "I guess I never thought about it that way. My village was always moving, always trying to survive. Life was hard because we didn’t have enough. But over in the human settlement, it’s hard in a different way."

She glanced up at me, her expression softening. "But you still had everything you needed, right?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, for the most part. I had a roof over my head, food, and security."

Lila was quiet for a moment, taking in everything I had said. Her eyes softened, a hint of wistfulness in her voice as she finally spoke. "It sounds like... paradise."

"Paradise?" I repeated, caught off guard. My home wasn’t paradise—far from it—but compared to this world, with its constant threats and survival instincts, it could easily sound like one.

"Maybe I'll bring my family there to settle one day, once I get out...Where is it? What is you home called?" Lila added with a soft smile.

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. Bring her family? Settle down? My mind raced.

I hadn’t even considered the possibility before, but her question stirred something inside me.

What if... what if her Pathfinder ability could actually locate Earth? Could she find it? Would her power lead her back to my home?

That thought shook me to my core.

I hadn't told her about Earth, hadn't told her the truth about my origins, but now this question dug deeper into my mind than I wanted it to.

What if the ability that led her to me could also lead her somewhere else... somewhere impossible?

I had to know.

"Lila!" I said aggressively, choosing my words carefully,

"I don’t think you’d be able to find my home. Not with your ability... it’s too far away, and it doesn’t exist in the way you think." She raised an eyebrow, looking slightly confused.

"But," I continued, "I need to know something. Could you... try using your Pathfinder ability? Just to see if it picks up anything."

She blinked, her expression now mirroring my confusion. "You want me to use it? But we’re still in the reward room. Nothing’s going to happen here. I need to be outside the dungeon to locate your home, for it to work."

I hesitated, the words coming out in a rush. "I know. But... my home doesn’t exist anymore. Not here, at least. I need to know what your ability will show. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe I’m right, but I have to know."

The seriousness in my tone must have caught her off guard because she stared at me for a moment, as if deciding whether or not I was joking. But when she saw the intensity in my eyes, the weight of what I was asking her, she seemed to understand. She gave a small nod, hesitant but willing.

"Alright... I’ll try." she muttered, her gaze dropping as she prepared to activate her inheritance.

A subtle shift filled the room as Lila closed her eyes, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please... show me the path to Leon’s home."

I held my breath, watching her closely, anxiety gnawing at me as I waited, wondering what would happen next.

Suddenly, her eyes flew open, her face a mask of surprise and confusion.

"Lila?" I asked quickly, my heart pounding. "What is it? What did your inheritance show?"

She blinked, struggling to form words, her voice shaky. "It’s... everywhere. The smoke, the pathfinding aura—it’s all over the room."

I stared at her, not understanding. "What do you mean? The path leads... everywhere?"

She nodded slowly, still baffled. "It’s the first time I’ve seen this. Usually, if something doesn’t exist, the path remains hidden, or there’s no direction at all. But if it exists, the path shows a clear way, however far it is. But this..." She gestured around the room, her voice trembling. "The smoke—it’s covering the entire room. I can’t even tell where it ends."

My breath caught in my throat. I knew what that meant.

I’d suspected it, a nagging thought in the back of my mind... but any lingering doubt was crushed in that instant.

The way back to Earth… was inside the dungeon.