In an unfamiliar forest, silent as the starry skies above, a portal tore open in midair and expelled several individuals before vanishing. Scott and his companions twisted in the air, bracing for the landing. The ten-man party touched down, their feet sinking into the damp earth without a sound.

Your rewards are being calculated! Welcome to the 24th layer of Thisos’ Labyrinth, The Dark Forest! Make it to the end of the dark forest to reach the final layer of the labyrinth! Good luck!

The system message appeared noiselessly, its pale blue glow mingling with the silver moonlight from the crescent moon.

“There’s no sound,” Orion’s voice suddenly echoed within the party channel.

Scott and the other champions turned toward him. Slim attempted to speak aloud, but his mouth moved in vain. Zara tried as well; her voice trapped in silence. Crouching, the brawler reached for a small twig and snapped it in half. The twig broke, but the air remained eerily quiet.

“Fan-fucking-tastic…” Slim cursed within the party channel. The necromancer looked ready to vent his frustration, but a new system window interrupted.

Skill: Party Communication has leveled up! You can now use mental avatars to communicate!

The champions exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes flicking between the system message and each other. Orion's laughter on the channel broke the silence, and a miniature, illusionary version of himself materialized beside the mage.

“So, that’s how you do it,” the tiny avatar said, floating effortlessly. “Just think about forming an avatar and one will appear.”

Almost simultaneously, Slim and Zara conjured their own miniature versions. Slim’s avatar was a tiny, thin-boned skeleton wearing a top hat, while Zara’s took the form of a miniature cat. Ember, with a small dragon circling above her head, and Scott, with a contorting blackened mass bubbling above his right shoulder, followed suit.

The champions studied each other’s avatars, their gazes lingering longest on Scott’s. Its insidious and terrifying model elicited an unsettling sensation within them.

Scott, however, remained indifferent to the scrutiny. His focus was on Fi-Fi. The elemental slime, back in its blob form, squirmed and contorted in the shadows, its features pitch-black.

The champions followed Scott’s gaze, noticing the elemental slime squirming in the shadows.

"Fi-Fi, are you okay?" Zara asked mentally, stepping closer to the trembling slime.

Fi-Fi gave no response, but Zara pressed on, crouching beside it. “Something’s wrong,” she muttered, her eyes fixed on the slime's unsettling movements.

"Let me have a look," Orion said, his curiosity piqued.

He retrieved a small, golden rod from his inventory and approached. The others gathered around but refrained from touching the slime. Meanwhile, the vampires lingered a few paces away, their only link to the group being Orion. They discussed their bizarre situation amongst themselves, while constantly scanning their surroundings. Unlike the hound extermination crew, who seemed unaffected by the silence, the vampires struggled to maintain their composure, aware that danger could strike at any moment.

As Orion probed Fi-Fi with the golden rod, Ember and Scott communicated on a private channel.

"Are you okay?" the dragonkin asked, her eyes on Orion, who was immersed himself in his examination.

"I've had better days, but I'll survive," Scott replied, watching Fi-Fi's contorting body. The uncertainty about whether the slime was in pain added to their unease.

"I don’t know why you did what you did, but it was reckless fighting a lesser god candidate," Ember cautioned. "Their abilities are beyond what we can handle right now. Some can use a fraction of their sponsor's powers."

She shifted her gaze to Scott, her voice softening. "But what you did was incredibly brave. I loved the defiant look in your eyes," she said, reaching for the sides of his neck.

Scott allowed her touch, feeling the warmth of her hand as she caressed his neck before lowering it. She looked at him intently. "Do you want to share your burdens with me?"

Scott met her tender gaze, shaking his head slightly. "It's a long story—"

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"We have time. I'm listening," Ember interrupted with a gentle smile.

Scott hesitated, his lips twisting as he weighed his words. After a moment of silence, he sighed and began. He shared an abridged version of his experiences with Ember, who listened quietly, her expression unwavering.

"Yeah, so, that’s everything that’s happened so far," Scott finished. Before he could say more, Zara pulled him into an embrace, gently tapping the top of his head.

"You don’t have to say anything more. You’ve suffered so much already," she whispered. "Among my people, we believe in hugging and comforting each other during hard times. It’s reassuring to know there are others who understand your plight."

She patted his head again, her touch slow but equally comforting.

At that moment, Slim, Zara, and Orion turned toward Scott and Ember, exchanging sly grins but staying silent, pretending not to notice the duo.

“Pardon me for asking and feel free not to answer if it makes you uncomfortable,” Ember said, patting Scott’s back again. “But I heard the examiner mention something about your variant crossing the point of no return. How is it that you’re here if that’s true?” Ember asked, unable to hide her confusion.

Scott chuckled softly. “That’s an even longer story, and one I’m not entirely sure of just yet. But I’m here, and I don’t plan on going anywhere, not now, and definitely not in the future.”

“I’d like that,” Ember said with a warm smile. “Do you miss your world?” she asked, suddenly changing the subject.

“Every day,” Scott whispered. “But it doesn’t matter. We’re all stuck in this tower for who knows how long.”

“You should visit my kingdom. You’d love it,” Ember said gently.

Scott chuckled, shaking his head. “Sure. Let’s hope we live long enough first.”

“Ahem,” Slim’s voice echoed on the party channel. “Sorry to interrupt, but it seems Orion has figured out what’s happening with Fi-Fi.”

“Oh, that’s a relief,” Ember said, relaxing her embrace. She turned to the group, crossing her arms, waiting for Orion’s explanation. Scott mimicked her stance, ignoring Zara's knowing winks.

“Since everyone is here, I’ll share my observations,” Orion said, standing up. “The good news is that Fi-Fi isn’t in any danger. The bad news is that our squishy friend might be in this state for some time.”

“Why though? What happened?” Ember asked, her brows creased in concern. The same question lingered in the minds of the other champions as they watched the slime’s contortions.

“Do you remember the beast from the hidden path?” Orion began.

The champions nodded, and Orion continued, “It seems Fi-Fi absorbed the blood of that creature, and it’s rapidly inducing an evolution. Due to insufficient data, I can’t tell what sort of evolution is taking place, but Fi-Fi will likely recover once it’s complete. The only problem, if you can call it that, is estimating when the evolution will be finished.”

“Take a guess,” Scott said, his gaze shifting between Orion and the slime.

Orion smiled and adjusted his glasses. “Fi-Fi will be like this for at least six months. A partial or complete evolution varies among species. Fi-Fi might be in this state for years, even decades, depending on how much blood essence it can absorb.”

Orion crouched again, retrieving a runic orb from his inventory. He placed it close to the slime, which was sucked into the orb. Standing up, he said, “We can’t leave Fi-Fi here. Rest assured; I won’t let anything happen to our companion.”

The orb shrunk significantly, and Orion placed it inside his mouth, eliciting stunned gazes from Slim, Ember, and Zara. Scott watched with keen interest, while also observing the nearby trees.

“Don’t worry. I’m no devourer. I have a unique space in one of my teeth. The container will be safer there,” Orion explained with a chuckle.

“So, what do we do now?” Slim asked after a brief silence. “I don’t know if any of you noticed it, but while we were falling earlier, I saw that this forest extends in all directions. How are we supposed to find our way out?” His voice carried a hint of frustration.

“Indeed, the size of this place is remarkable,” Orion mused, his curious eyes wandering. “There’s surely a way out, though. We just need to find it.”

“That’s the hard part, isn’t it?” Slim sighed, stretching his limbs. “Do the vampires have any idea?” he asked, glancing at Orion.

“I think I might know something,” Ember said, drawing all eyes to her. “I wasn’t expecting we’d end up here, but now that we have, it’s best I tell you what I know.”

Orion reached out to the vampires, and the trio silently closed the distance. Although they couldn’t hear Ember speak or see her avatar, they sensed the importance of her message from Orion’s.

“Those who went before me speak of a place one should wish never to encounter. At night, silence devours all sound, leaving one in solitude. By day, darkness consumes all light,” Ember said softly. “I’m not sure if the place they spoke of is this forest, but it’s highly likely.”

“Did they mention any dangers in the forest?” Zara asked, a hint of caution in her voice.

Ember shook her head. “According to legends, they escaped by never losing sight of the full moon,” she said, pausing as if recalling more. “Yearn for the dark; the moon will not lead you astray. The light will only lead you to destruction. I’ve heard that a lot over the years.”

The group exchanged glances, puzzled by the cryptic words. They looked up at the moon but saw nothing unusual.

The moon will not lead you astray… Scott thought, staring at the crescent moon. He observed it for a moment, searching for any hidden clue.

Is it a code? Or is it… Scott’s thoughts trailed off, his pupils dilating. Without knowing when or how, he suddenly saw hundreds of champions running along ladders constructed from silver moonlight.

“Guys, are you seeing this?” Scott asked mentally, but only static greeted his inquiry.

He averted his gaze from the moon and felt a hand on his shoulder. Ember’s voice filled his ears, “… okay?” only the last words of her question registering.

Scott turned to her, wordlessly pointing at the moon. “You guys should look at the moon,” he said.

“What’s wrong, buddy? We already did that. Did you notice something?” Slim asked, but he followed Scott’s instruction. Only the plain crescent moon revealed itself, and the champions lowered their gazes again.

“Scott, what did you see?” Zara asked, her curiosity piqued.

“You guys should look properly. Don’t avert your gaze until you see it,” Scott advised.

The champions exchanged puzzled glances but followed Scott’s advice. At first, nothing happened. But as they kept their gaze steady, the scenery began to change. At exactly one minute, the moonlit ladders became visible, as well as the numerous champions climbing them.

“If you can hear me, don’t look away. You won’t see it anymore once you do,” Scott’s voice echoed in their minds.