A flash of light brightened this underground chamber for a second as a half-naked man emerged out of thin air. The lips on the statue cracked, trying its best to smile. Astabuen the statue was elated as his successor finally returned.

“You have returned my successor! This called for—”

“Spill it,” Zach said. Cutting Astabuen off as he stood there demanding an explanation.

“Excuse me?”

“Based on what I’ve heard at the moment, it’s either you’re an NPC or you’re one of the past participants of the war,” Zach said. “So tell me. Which one are you?”

“As expected of a man that took the hardest path,” Astabuen said. Gazing at Zach reminded him of his early experience of being sent here to the prelude realm where everything was strange and new. At first, he thought he was a foolish man taking the hard path unlike the others, but he succeeded in the end, triumphing over others. One thing he learned throughout all those years, hard work was the essence of everything.

Zach narrowed his eyes. “So you’re once a classless,” Zach said. He was intrigued as he had assumed that Astabuen might be the same case as him.

“Classless, that has quite a ring to it,” Astabuen said. “A pity though that I’ve never thought of such a simple thing.”

“I’m fine with you reminiscing, but I’m short in time here,” Zach said. “I’m not gonna pry how you’re still here and half dead, but I do want to know. What exactly is this war?”

“I can’t really say,” Astabuen said.

Zach frowned. “What do you mean you can’t say?”

“It means I do not know,” Astabuen said. “The only way for you to know the main reason why this war is being held is either you become the sole ruler or the…”

Astabuen suddenly fell silent. Leaving Zach hanging at the incomplete explanation. “The what Astabuen? What is it you want to say?”

The balls of flames in the statue’s eye socket flickered before they snuffed out on their own. Zach stood there confused. Then a sense of foreboding crept into his mind. Not a second too late, even the seven flames around him started to flicker as if a strong gust blowing to douse them out. Then the lights went out.

Zach stood in the darkness alone by his lonesome self. No matter where he look, he could see nothing. His fists clenched tight, burning on the inside as he should have known not to trust that soul demon. Then the thought of being imprisoned here for the rest of his life shook his whole being. No, he denied that possibility. Immediately he traced his steps back, recalling where the teleport circle was. Even if it wouldn’t work, Zach had to try.

“Fuck, where is it?!” he shouted and yet it sounded muffled as if swallowed by the darkness around him. Before long, Zach started to get down on all four as his hands blindly searched for the teleport circle, not like it would work, considering there was no etching on the floor. But again, Zach had to try something.

Who knew how long it had been, it reminded Zach of the time when he was in the white dimension. A long dreadful span of time that seemed endless, and yet both had a stark difference, a difference that separated heaven and earth itself. Unlike here, the white dimension had a sure escape path. But not here. Not when the source of magic wasn’t…

It dawned on Zach. The thought of magic came to play as the things around him from the floating flames to the teleport circle all function through a supply of mana, and without the presence of that fucking demon, none of those things would work, not unless Zach replaced that source of mana. It was worth a shot. A shot that meant the whole world to Zach as he did not want to die, not right now when he was still young.

Pain erupted from his body as mana flowed from his heart, reaching the tip of his fingers. He fought to stay conscious as the pain was unlike ever before. The subtle glow of light coming out of his hand barely illuminated the things around his hand. Yet it was sufficient. He scrambled on the floor and found what he was looking for. Thankfully, the drawing of the teleport circle was still there, not glowing like before. He then attempted the riskiest gamble in his life. Unless he succeed, he would die here all alone, starving, and parched.

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But moments before his hand could touch the circle, the lights went on. All around him, the seven flames were birthed again, illuminating the whole underground chamber.

“I apologize,” Astabuen’s voice was heard once more. The moment he returned back into the statue, he saw what Zach trying to do. It did not take long for him to realize how bad of a mistake he had made to the potential successor.

Zack got up, glaring. Flicking his middle finger at the statue, roaring in anger. “Fuck you! Now get this damn teleport circle work again 'cause I’m fucking leaving this shitty place,” Zach said.

“Successor, please, it’s not what you…”

“Do it!” Zach bellowed. He was not taking no for an answer.

“As you wish,” the moment Astabuen said it. The circle began to glow. Not a second too late, Zach stepped inside and vanished from the chamber.

He returned to the forest. Breathing in the fresh oxygen from the trees that mingled with the smell of leaves, flowers, grasses, and decaying flesh. He missed it. The sensation of being alive. The feeling of being able to continue another day. His eyes were closed, relishing the moment, bathing the moonlight as if it was cleansing his body from the filth of the underground. Then his eyes opened, and he somersaulted in the air. His feet found the ground as he saw the creature that had charged right at him. It was a chitinclad boar, and it was a perfect enemy to vent all the raging flames in his body.

“Come on!” Zach bellowed. Waiting for the chitinclad boar as it turned and prepared for another charge. Then it went off. Pushing its stubble legs, generating a force that could break every bone in Zach’s body. But he was prepared to counter. His blade in his hand, glowing in a reddish hue.

But then it stopped. A foot away from Zach as there was a subtle purplish glow in the chitinclad boar eyes. Zach glared, noticing what was happening.

“Successor,” Astabuen said. “Can you please listen to my explanation first?”

Zach paid no heed to him. Approaching the still chitinclad boar as Zach let out all of his frustration in the open. The tip of his sword stabbed in and out of the chitinclad boar as Zach went mad. Hate poured into his attacks, making one hole after another, killing the chitinclad boar in the most gruesome way in such an easier time.

Zach’s breath was ragged, staring at the dead chitinclad boar he just killed. He went overboard but he had to vent. Not after what he had been through. But out of the darkness, came a light. Contrary to his expectation, an item floated above the carcass of the chitinclad boar. Of all things, it had to be a helmet and not a tunic or armor. Two curved horn-like structures protruded on top of the helmet which he figured inspired by the chitinclad boar’s mammoth-like tusks. But to him, it sort of resembled the helmet of someone he knew.

“Loki,” Zach said. Grabbing it by the hand as he quickly wore it over his head. He didn’t know what it was, but wearing it made him feel better. Zach reckoned it must be the effect of the item. Well good for him, considering what he went through.

“Luck shines on you,” Astabuen said. His voice was like a needle pricking Zach’s eardrums.

Zach looked around and saw a tiny bird fluttering its bee-like wings, buzzing around him like a fly. He swung his blade, wanting to kill it. But he missed. “Fuck off,” Zach said. He headed back to the fort while the bird-bee followed.

“Again, I apologize for that mistake as it is not my intention,” Astabuen said. “Right before I can finish that sentence, there’s an energy that looms over the sky of the prelude realm, and I’m afraid it senses me trying to speak the unspeakable.”

In Astabuen’s defense, it seemed he had stumbled on an unexpected event which led to Zach’s panicking like a bitch. True to what he had said from the beginning, his reach was limited that included the knowledge that he could share.

Zach’s emotion softened a bit. But he still couldn’t forgive Astabuen for leaving without saying a word. He might be overreacting, but the fate of death was not something easy to accept. Nonetheless, the temptation that a previous participant’s resources were hard to ignore.

Then he stopped. “If you know you can contact me through this method, why you didn’t do it from the beginning,” Zach said.

“This method is a bit risky. Exposing me to the Law that governs this prelude realm, and it’s a bit taxing on my mana reserve,” Astabuen said. “Unlike what you think, establishing a mind connection through a tamed beast is the hardest feat one could—”

“Spare me the lecture and tell me is being trapped in an underground chamber not risky enough?” Zach asked, and Astabuen could not even say a word back.

“Apology, successor,” Astabuen said. “It’s an error on my part, and I should have been more thorough.”

“You know an apology is useless, right?” Zach asked. Subtly implying something else.

“You can take the mantle of the Seven Star, and—”

“Not that. You’re not even close to leading me to whatever mumbo-jumbo of your Seven Star nonsense,” Zach replied. “What I want right now is what skill can you offer me. Especially in a place and in a time like this.”

“But in order to do so, we need to return back to the statue,” Astabuen said.

“Fuck that. I’m not going near your fucking den, not until I’ve got a surefire way of escaping that place by myself,” Zach said.

“If that’s not an option, then there’s only one way,” Astabuen said.

“Spill it,” Zach said.

“You need to learn it manually from the start,” Astabuen revealed. To his words, Zach’s eyes twinkled.

“Do you know how?” Zach asked.

“Do I know? Humph,” Astabuen scoffed. For the first time, he showed his smugness. “I am the Seven Star, and I bet my pride on my class, that unless a Sage resides here, I’m the most knowledgeable in this prelude realm.”

Hearing that brag, Zach found his golden goose.