The guy just kept staring at me. I stared back, lowering my head slightly to avoid locking eyes completely which could provoke something. The lights flickered to life as the fire guy lit the lamps scattered around the hall. Zara started talking, her voice steady as she explained, "We found him in the forest. Kael missed his shot again, but I pinned him down in time. He says he's a beginner, tossed into the forest shortly before we caught him. The rune he claims as his own isn't worth anything. Zero nyu, no aura coming off of it."

She gave the rundown quickly, not missing a beat. The guy across from me didn't blink, his eyes still fixed on me like I was something fragile but interesting enough to keep staring at. "He says killing him would be a waste," Zara continued, "blah blah blah. Claims if we let him live and he gets stronger, he could become an ally. It's your decision."

"I don't care," Garron replied almost instantly, brushing the matter off with a dismissive wave. "Do as you please." He lay back down on the stone couch, completely unbothered. His indifference spoke volumes about how much—or how little—I mattered to them.

I glanced toward the big woman. She was pulling her lips back, as if unsure. Zara turned her gaze to Kael, who was already resting. "Kael, you got anything to say?"

"Nah, I'm tired. I'll probably kill him later. I'm going to sleep now."

Zara sighed, as if this entire situation was an inconvenience more than anything else. "Well, boy, take a seat until the leader comes," she said, motioning to the floor.

I obeyed, sitting down on the cold stone floor. The hall was circular, and I noticed five stone seats arranged around a round table in the center. Everything here was stone—the table, the seats, even the 'bed' Kael was lying on. Garron's stone couch was off to the side, and nearby was Zara's section with a chair and a small table with shelves. Each of the five portions of the hall seemed to serve as personal spaces for different members of their group. But there were no doors, no windows, just open spaces dividing the sections.

The door that led into the hall was directly across from Garron's space, separating an empty area and what I guessed was maki's 'room.' I sat in the corner of that empty space, taking in the crude layout of their home. Everything about it screamed rugged, functional—nothing more. No comfort or luxury, just stone and cold walls.

"You know," Zara said, her voice less sharp now, "I'm not really interested in hurting you, boy. If you were an adult, that'd be a different story. We wouldn't have brought you here. We've already got two kids in the group—Kael and Maki. You get the idea."

I nodded silently. I didn't need to respond; she wasn't expecting me to. I leaned back against the wall, my mind drifting. Maki was apparently not in the hall yet, off doing something below the mountain, and she'd taken my rune with her. I didn't know what they had down there, but I didn't plan to stick around long enough to find out.

Closing my eyes, I let my thoughts wander, searching for a plan, a strategy, anything that could help me build a foundation to survive this new level.

The first thought that came to mind was that most of the players here were supposed to work in teams or 'parties.' The seven from my class had also been brought here together as a party. If I were to set seven as the hypothetical maximum number of people summoned together, it didn't necessarily mean that seven had to be the maximum number in a party. There were five partitions here and only four of them. There could be someone below the mountain with Maki, but I wasn't sure. One thing, however, was clear—these guys were not summoned together.

Zara and Kael were older, and I doubted they had any relation to Garron or Maki. Kael, too, seemed to have some tension with Garron. It was obvious they had been summoned separately and had formed a party later on. The messenger had said we couldn't survive without a party, so the minimum summon number must be two. That meant the companions with whom they were summoned could be dead. My case was different—after all, the shadow said I shouldn't even be here. And to be honest, I wasn't sure I belonged here. The rune I had probably wasn't even mine, and without being able to use its power, survival was impossible.

Several options floated through my mind:

1. Become a member of this party and rely on them like a parasite.

2. Leave and find stronger individuals I could trust, then form a party of my own.

3. Obtain another rune that I could actually use, as the village lady had hinted.

But the problem was, aside from the first option, the rest seemed far-fetched. The second was unrealistic—no rune holder would want a runeless guy tagging along. The third option sounded possible, but I had no clue where to even begin looking for another rune. So, really, the first option was my only real shot.

Footsteps echoed from the passage, and I snapped out of my thoughts as the door creaked open. Maki stepped in, scanning the room before spotting Kael asleep and Garron still lounging. Her gaze fell on me, a small smile pulling at her lips as she saw me leaning against the wall. She turned to Zara. "So, I assume he got spared?"

"Yeah, no one's really interested in him. I guess we can send him back. You have his rune?" Zara answered nonchalantly.

Maki turned and tossed my rune at me. I caught it mid-air, turning it over in my hand. The pale yellow stone was as dull as ever. Maki's voice cut through the quiet. "So, what do you plan on doing with it? I don't think you can survive a day with that."

"I don't know," I admitted. It was the truth—I didn't have any idea how I'd make it another day with this rune.

"Well, if you don't mind... can I stay here for a while? I need to come up with a proper plan before I head back." I finally asked, swallowing a bit of my pride.

Maki and Zara exchanged glances. After a moment, Maki nodded. "I guess it's alright since nobody here has any problem with you. You can stay for a bit."

My eyes flickered toward Kael, who was still sleeping, his face peaceful despite everything that had happened. Zara must have noticed my doubt because she chuckled softly. "Don't worry about him. He might say he wants to kill you, but he's just joking. He's never actually killed anyone since he came to this level."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

She paused, her gaze drifting to Kael as she continued. "Almost half of his party got killed by beasts back in Level 0. A couple of them decided to go solo. In the end, he was left with just his office coworker. Actually, he mentioned they were all sucked into this game on their first day at work—him, his manager, and a few other staff. His coworker was the only person he really knew, but he got killed by another party in this level, trying to protect Kael. Since then, Kael's been convinced that if a party took his only partner, then it's fair for him to take something from others too. But really, he's just angry at himself. He doesn't hold anything against you, especially since you're just a kid."

Her smile softened. "Seeing you alone, I'm guessing your party got killed too?" she asked, her tone sympathetic.

I nodded, though she was wrong. I let her believe it to gain a little more of that sympathy. She sighed. "Sorry for being so hard on you earlier. I didn't realize you were just a kid. You were tall from behind."

"Ah, no problem," I shrugged. "At least I didn't get killed. It's my fault for being weak."

Zara stretched, pushing aside her chair and pulling out what looked like a mattress. "Well, guys, I'm heading to sleep." She sprawled on it, quickly finding comfort and drifting off within minutes.

Now, it was just Maki and me, the silence stretching long. I leaned back and closed my eyes, letting the quiet settle as my mind wandered, trying to piece together a way to make it through tomorrow.

Their confidence that I wouldn't attempt to kill them was a stark reminder of their belief in their own superiority. Watching Zara effortlessly shove aside the boulder made it painfully clear that one serious punch from her could spell my end.

"Are you asleep?" The soft voice of the young girl pierced the darkness, revealing she was awake too.

"Yes," I replied, my tone low and careful, as if any louder would shatter the fragile calm around us.

"I don't mean to offend you, but what made you ascend to this level? If you can't utilize your rune, it seems more natural to stay on Level 0, where it's safer. If you just survive the beasts and like find refuge in one of the kingdoms, you could lead a normal life instead of being here, in this hell."

Her words dripped with an unsettling mix of curiosity and concern. A soft sigh escaped my lips.

"It's because I was told to." I revealed.

She shifted closer, her head peeking around the corner of the bed, barely a meter away. Though it might not seem like it, I am not really good with girls.

"Told to? By who? Were you forced to ascend?" The curiosity in her eyes glimmered like a blade, sharp and piercing.

"Yeah, I was forced. By a friend."

A heavy silence enveloped us, stretching uncomfortably. "Did your friend ask you to leave to protect you?"

"Yes." Another pause lingered in the air. "Did he survive? And why didn't he come with you?"

"Because... he was fighting—not for me, but for his rune. A fateful battle indeed." I could feel the weight of my own words, the echoes of decisions made in desperation.

"You seem young but remarkably mature. Did you spend years in Level 0?"

"No." I managed a smile, finding it funny. "I only stayed for three days."

"Only three days?" Her shock was evident. "If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

"17." I replied truthfully. "What about you?"

"I was 17 when I got here too," she replied, her voice distant. "I've been in this level for three years now."

"Did your party get killed too? By the beasts?"

She didnt reply.

I opened my eyes, suspicion gnawing at me. I turned at her. She was looking at me, straight in the eyes. A wild grin, her face illuminated in the dim light, yet there was an unsettling intensity in her gaze.

Upon closer inspection, I began to glean the nuances of her features. She appeared to be around my age, yet there was an unsettling contrast in her youthful visage and the heavy weight of her experiences. Despite her claims of having lived in this harsh reality for nearly 3 years, her appearance seemed almost untouched by time, as if she had been preserved in a moment that belied the horrors she'd faced.

Her hair, a glossy shade of black, framed her face in a way that drew attention to her delicate features. It fell just to her shoulders, each strand catching the faint light. Her brown eyes sparkled with an intriguing mixture of mischief and wisdom, as if they held secrets that could never fully escape her lips. They were both inviting and unnerving, drawing me in while simultaneously warning me to tread carefully.

A small scar adorned the bridge of her nose, a subtle testament to past struggles, adding an edge of vulnerability to her otherwise captivating appearance.

Her grin, while undeniably charming, held a strange, almost predatory quality. It hinted at a playful spirit, yet beneath it lurked an unsettling darkness. Though she was undeniably cute, my intuitions were better. I felt a tension in the air, a whisper of something ominous that reminded me I was in the presence of someone who had navigated a landscape of blood and betrayal.

"No," she replied at last, her grin unwavering, as if it were a mask she wore with practiced ease. Her eyes, dark and piercing, locked onto mine.

"They were killed… by me."

"Oh?" I responded, arching an eyebrow, my curiosity piqued. "And why did you do that?"

"Because, it asked me to."

The stone was embedded in her nose, nestled just above the scar—a vivid green glint that seemed to pulse with an almost sinister allure. It was her rune, a mark of power and a reminder of the choices she had made. The color was striking against her skin, a testament to the dark bond between her and the force that had driven her to such violence.

"It asked me to cut open each of their throats while they slept." She rolled over, her gaze fixed on the dim ceiling of the hall, shadows dancing in the corners. "They were all asleep. We were at a girls' sleepover, completely unaware of the fate awaiting us. Everyone was asleep—everyone but me." A chuckle escaped her lips, light and eerie. "I was awake when we got summoned here. I didn't rouse them. Instead, I wandered, exploring the unfamiliar terrain. There was a river nearby, and I washed my feet in its cool waters. I wasn't scared. No, I was excited."

Her voice took on a seductive lilt as she spoke, pulling me deeper into her dark tale. "I found a seashell—who knew they could be found in rivers? I held it in my hand." She raised her palm, as if conjuring the shell from the depths of her memory. "It was beautiful and sharp! And then, the voice whispered to me. It urged me to cut their throats while they were still in slumber. I obeyed."

The air grew heavy with the weight of her words. "They didn't even know what was coming for them, lying beneath the silvery moonlight and the swaying trees. The girls died agonizingly, their last moments stretching out in confusion as blood gushed from their bodies. My hands were stained crimson, the warmth of their life spilling onto my skin. The Harmonis, a gift from the darkness, descended gracefully from the heavens, settling into my grasp. It granted me the power to heal and regenerate at a speed and efficiency that surpassed the average rune. I could have saved them as they lay there, helpless. But I didn't." Her chuckle echoed again, a haunting melody in the stillness.

I remained silent, the weight of her words pressing heavily upon me. Her hand fell limply to the stone bed, the tension between us thickening like fog. Neither of us spoke, the stillness stretching out, wrapping us in an uncomfortable embrace. After a few minutes, curiosity gnawed at me, prompting me to check on her once more.

With deliberate care, I rose from the cold stone floor, straining to make no sound. Her eyes were closed, yet her smile lingered, an unsettling juxtaposition against the darkness surrounding us. One thing was clear: she was asleep.

I sank back down, resting my head in my hands as I sat on my knees, a whirlpool of thoughts crashing in my mind. What the hell had just happened? Was she merely spinning tales—delirious from the trials of this world? Or was she something more sinister, a delusional mind reveling in the horror she'd wrought? My head throbbed, the uncertainty gnawing at my sanity.