My grin fades as I catch sight of Rox’s face—terror, pure and unfiltered. His eyes wide, voice barely a whisper, “What have you done?”

I look at him, totally baffled, then down at the orc’s body in pieces. Running a hand through my hair, I mutter, “What have I done? Uh, killed the orc... saved you...” but the words die in my throat. The air shifts, an icy chill surging in. A gust of wind slams into me, cold enough to sting. My body reacts, temperature rising to fight the chill, but I still shiver, breaths growing short.

That’s not right.

I channel more mana into my eyes, pushing my Crystal Eye to pick up on whatever's causing this, but nothing shows. Then my ears catch it—a low rumble, faint at first, but growing louder, like an oncoming storm.

Another orc? Fine, no big deal. I ready myself, dropping into a battle stance, hand tightening on my blade, when—

ROAR!

The ground trembles beneath my feet. My heart thuds against my ribs, body stiffening instinctively. So much for just another orc.

Out from the distant darkness, an orange head emerges. Its markings become clear: [Guard Orc lvl - 23].

I exhale, shoulders relaxing. Same level, same weak spots. No problem—I can take this blindfolded—

“Hold that thought,” Rox snaps, as if reading my mind. Wait, can he read minds?

I shoot him a sideways glance, thinking something reassuring like, Don’t you worry about it. I’ve got this, but then I notice more movement in the shadows.

Another head pops up. [Guard Orc lvl - 25], then another: [lvl - 27]. Three of them now, climbing in strength. Okay, fine. Just means I have to work a bit harder.

Then, two more step into the light: [lvl - 31] and [lvl - 35]. Great. Now it's getting real. But I can manage—push harder, right?

Three more heads emerge, their levels creeping over forty. Okay, this is starting to spiral out of control.

Then the ninth orc steps into view: [lvl - 44]. Uh, shit.

And because the universe loves a good joke, here comes number ten: [lvl - 51]. Oh, I'm so fucked.

“We both are,” Rox growls, his glare full of venom. “So, run!”

I don’t waste a second, breaking into a sprint before Rox even moves. My reputation? To hell with it.

“Faster, damn it! Faster!” Rox screams as he overtakes me.

“I’m trying! I’m trying!” I shout back, pumping mana into my legs, pushing them as hard as I can. The crack in the canyon wall is closer now—our escape. I can almost taste freedom.

ROAR!

The sound rips through, far too close for comfort. I steal a glance to my side—the orcs are gaining on us, weapons swinging, snarling. “They're way too fast for their size!”

Rox doesn’t say a word, just extends his hand toward the ceiling, reaching for his sword. What the hell is he planning? Fight the orcs to buy me time? Real noble of him, but… not sure how that’s going to work.

I glance up, expecting to see his blade falling into his hand, but no—it’s just hanging there, vibrating, almost like it’s alive. What the hell? Suddenly, the entire cavern starts to hum along with it, dust and pebbles raining down as cracks shoot across the ceiling like a spiderweb.

Then, with a thunderous crack, the sword rips free, and the ceiling collapses.

“Oh, my God…”

Massive boulders, some the size of trucks, crash down like a hammer from the gods. The orcs scramble, trying to dodge, but it’s pointless. The rocks hit the ground with earth-shaking force, sending shockwaves that throw us like rag dolls across the cave. I slam into the wall so hard it knocks the wind right out of me.

The orcs' shrieks are snuffed out instantly, buried beneath the ear-splitting crunch of stone on stone. The air fills with thick, choking dust, swirling around and turning the whole cavern into a tomb.

And here I was, worried about getting stabbed.

I chuckle, letting out a shaky breath of relief, slowly trying to sit up, but before I can get any momentum, Rox appears out of nowhere, grabbing me by the shoulder and hauling me to my feet in one fluid motion.

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“Out, now!” he barks, voice razor-sharp, eyes blazing.

Okay, okay! Clearly, the ceiling-crushing wasn’t the grand finale. I scramble after him, half running, half stumbling as we climb out of the wrecked cave. Rox barely breaks a sweat, and I drag myself along, emerging into the open just behind him.

Outside, the goblins are dead, littering the ground with blood and flesh, and the players are gathered in a tight circle. Jagon’s at the center, chanting something that looks suspiciously like a teleportation spell. Really? A quick exit plan, all this time? Rox doesn’t hesitate, shoving his way to Jagon’s side, and I can't help but think—did Rox somehow signal him, like with telepathy or something? The guy is full of surprises.

Just as that thought crosses my mind, I feel it: a sharp pull as the spell locks onto my mana, sucking it away, dragging me under. Everything goes black, the world disappearing in a blink.

* * *

Hands braced against the wall, I gag, fighting to keep the bile down. It’s been threatening to make an appearance for what feels like forever. My head’s finally stopped spinning, and now this—an absolute masterpiece of pathetic human experience. Motion sickness, you are truly the enemy.

And how did I end up like this? Well, teleportation. Spinning, crashing, pulling—basically a wild ride through pitch-black nothingness. Fun for the whole family. Lucky me though, I’m one of the few still on my feet. Most of the others are sprawled across the floor, including the fighters—who, by the way, are doing a fine job of redecorating the place with puke.

“With no time for prep, this is the best I could manage!” Jagon’s angry voice cuts through the room, as he argues with some poor archer. “What did you expect? I had seconds! No proper chant, no perimeter scan! You should be grateful we’re not halfway stuck in the ground or drowning in a lake or floating in the vacuum of space, dead!”

Good to know this nausea is only mildly inconvenient compared to, you know, dying. I let out a snicker, though it’s more of a pained wheeze, which, surprise, triggers more gagging.

“Colt, Colt!” I hear Brad yelling, his voice strained. Wiping the spit from my mouth, I turn to see him stumbling towards me. Guy looks completely delirious, but his priorities, “Where's my damn sword? Give it back!” are crystal clear.

“Your sword, yeah,” I mutter, grabbing it off the ground. I sever my connection to it and casually toss it toward him.

Just as he's about to catch it, eyes practically rolling back in his head like he’s about to pass out, I call out, “Careful not to cut—” but my words freeze mid-sentence.

The sword disintegrates into dust the moment it hits his hand.

What. The. Fuck.

Brad snaps out of his daze instantly, his scream tearing through the cavern. The raw, guttural sound makes my stomach drop, and I instinctively stumble back.

His hand claws at the dust, desperate, as if sheer force of will could somehow reconstruct his precious sword. But the dust slips through his fingers, swirling around him, mocking his efforts before disappearing into the air.

“No… No… NO!” His voice reaches an animalistic pitch, and suddenly, every eye turns his way. As Brad fixes me with a murderous glare, the others shift their gaze to me too, suspicion and curiosity written all over their faces.

“I…I didn’t do that!” I stammer, the words spilling out of my mouth faster than I can think. “I don’t know how that happened. I just—channeled mana into it, that’s all!”

Marso, a nearby fighter, raises an eyebrow, eyes widening in disbelief. “You channeled mana into a system-given weapon?”

“…Yeah,” I reply, feeling everything click into place. The realization comes a second too late.

“Why?!” Mars and Brad scream in unison.

“I didn’t know!” I shout back, barely getting the words out before Brad lunges at me, his hands outstretched, intent screaming murder.

“Hey, hey!” I sidestep his wild charge, sticking a leg out to trip him. He stumbles, face-planting right into the puddle of my spit. I wince. That’s not going to help his mood.

Brad pushes himself up, spitting out dirt and saliva, his fury reaching a fever pitch.

“Brad, I’m sorry! I didn't know mana could burn a weapon like that!” I shout, leaping back as he charges at me again.

I deflect his blows one after another as he keeps screaming, “You knew, you motherfucker! You knew everything!” But with the strength behind his swings and the maze of men and their puddles of puke to avoid, it’s hard to keep up. “You knew the weapons weren’t good mana conductors! The overseer told everyone that!”

“The overseer?!” I shout back, exasperated. “How many times do I have to tell you? He didn’t tell me shit! I didn’t know anything about mana!” My words fall on deaf ears as Brad closes in. “It’s just a damn sword! I’ll get you a new one! Why can’t you get that?”

“I get it,” comes a voice from behind, cool and menacing. Rox’s hand clamps around my nape, lifting me off the ground. I’m suddenly eye to eye with his steely glare. “I get it all.”

“Yeah, kill him, Rox! Kill him!” Brad hisses, leaning close to Rox’s ear. “He destroyed my level 17 sword. He knows everything but acts like a dumbass to get away. He doesn’t value hard work! Men like him are a plague to your team. Get rid of him, now!”

Rox’s brow furrows, the tension thickening. “Are you ordering me?”

Brad immediately shrinks under Rox's gaze, but his eyes remain locked on me, brimming with malice. “Just tell me you’ll do what needs to be done with this motherfucker.”

“I will,” Rox nods, finally releasing my throat and letting me drop unceremoniously to my feet. I gasp for breath, my heart racing. This is not going the way I hoped.

“And it won’t be going either,” he continues, picking up exactly where my thoughts left off. He can read minds, alright.

“I didn’t do it knowingly,” I say, keeping my voice steady, trying to sound as honest as I can. “I didn’t know anything about mana reactions like that. It just… happened. I’m sorry for it, really. It won’t happen again.”

To my surprise, Rox nods. “I know you didn’t do it knowingly,” he says, his voice calm. Relief washes over me—I knew he’d understand. He’s a fair guy. But then he adds, “But you did it regardless,” and just like that, the relief fades. I sigh. Well, justice works both ways, I guess.

“It wasn’t my intent—” I start to explain, but he cuts me off.

“Intent doesn’t erase damage, Colt. Whether you meant it or not, the fact remains—it happened. You acted, and now you’re liable for the consequences.”

Brad lets out a long breath beside us, tension easing from his shoulders as a crooked smile creeps across his face. He’s happy… at my expense.

“Consequences… of course,” I say, exhaling slowly, letting my shoulders sag in defeat. “A man must be held accountable for his actions. So…” I glance at Rox, my tone resigned. “What’s it going to be?”

Rox’s face turns solemn. Then he points behind me, toward the path leading into darkness and the unknown. “Walk away, and never come back.”

“I’m sorry, what—?”