The group trudged heavily through the forest.

Finn and Daion carried the barrels. Finn did so without complaint; Daion, on the other hand, grumbled the entire way.

When they told him this would be his first mission, he imagined something epic—fighting monsters, uncovering ancient secrets, maybe even a life-or-death duel.

But no… his first job was playing pack mule.

As they moved forward, the forest began to change. The once-lush trees twisted at unnatural angles, their dry, brittle leaves looking as if something had drained the life out of them.

Daion frowned.

"Has this place always been like this?"

Finn shook his head.

"When monsters move in, they devour the Omega energy from all living things. They don't leave corpses—just… emptiness."

A chill ran down Daion's spine.

For the first time, he understood why the people of SteelWall were terrified. They weren't just fighting beasts—they were fighting something that erased all traces of existence.

Above, two suns burned bright. He didn't want to think about it too much, but something in his gut told him that sky made no sense.

He turned to Finn.

"Hey… no one else finds the two suns weird?"

Finn glanced at him and shrugged.

"Jack and Haruka come from more primitive worlds. Places like this, with no science or advanced tech. For them, it's normal."

"And you?"

"Mandatory high school class," Finn replied, unbothered.

Daion nodded slowly.

So… was he the only one here who actually understood the laws of physics?

What if this had something to do with his past?

Not the time to overthink it. Yeah, sure, maybe in his previous life he'd been a prestigious quantum physics professor… at seventeen.

Pushing the thought aside, he focused on the mission.

After nearly two hours of walking, Jack raised a hand, and the group stopped.

Before them, a dark, ominous cave yawned open in the earth.

Bad idea. That was Daion's first thought.

He glanced at Haruka and noticed she was also eyeing Jack with irritation.

"Dungeons are never a good idea, Jack," Finn muttered, visibly uneasy.

Daion didn't get what they meant, but something about that cave put him on edge. His skin prickled, and his glove pulsed faintly, as if trying to warn him of imminent danger.

Minjae noticed Daion's reaction and smirked to himself, saying nothing.

"There's nothing to worry about," Jack said dismissively. "It's just a shallow cave."

"Then why stop?" Finn asked, distrustful.

Jack sighed, as if explaining was exhausting.

"We tracked the missing soldiers here… but turns out this place is a Nest of Devourers."

"That doesn't sound particularly good," Daion said, frowning.

"Nah, it's not that bad." Jack waved a hand dismissively. "They're like rats… or something." He hesitated, coughed, then continued, "The good news is, they stash their prey near the entrance to keep it from rotting. And that's where our supplies come in."

He kicked the barrels Finn and Daion had been carrying.

"Since we're so generous to the townsfolk…" he said mockingly before adding in a mutter, "and because Devourers hold grudges like crows, we drop these barrels at the entrance, Haruka lights them up, and—BOOM!—the monsters get trapped in their own nest."

Daion froze.

"Wait…" He took a step back, away from the barrels. "Are you telling me I've been carrying explosives this whole time?"

Jack smirked.

"Yep. And look at you—still in one piece."

Finn snickered as Daion shot Jack a death glare.

Without further delay, they slipped into the cave, moving silently. They placed the barrels at the weakest structural points. Jack signaled for them to draw their weapons and proceed with caution.

Daion unsheathed his sword with ease. Haruka pulled a 30-centimeter-long cylinder from her bag; with a quick flick, it extended into a nearly two-meter staff, revealing razor-sharp blades at the tip. Minjae drew a pair of knives from his back, while Finn unfolded a hunting rifle.

Finn's weapon reminded Daion of the masked man's—though smaller and simpler.

They moved carefully through the cave. Only the echo of their footsteps and the faint trickle of water seeping through the cracks in the stone broke the silence.

Daion was just beginning to relax when something brushed against his leg.

He spun, glove raised. Light illuminated the ground—

And revealed Haruka, who had nudged him with her foot.

She smirked and moved ahead.

Daion exhaled, half relieved, half annoyed. Idiot.

To distract himself, he aimed his light at the walls.

Cave paintings. Interesting.

The images depicted a world drenched in red, where "up" and "down" didn't seem to exist. It reminded him of that god's domain… but worse.

Further ahead, he noticed two triangles with figures inside. At the base, scattered dots. Higher up, four distinct colors—pink, blue, black, and green. And at the very top, a single red dot.

Daion narrowed his eyes.

Something about those symbols piqued his curiosity, but before he could examine them further, Jack's voice cut through his thoughts.

"Turn that off," he whispered sharply, all traces of sarcasm gone.

Daion obeyed. As the light dimmed, he caught movement in the darkness.

A creature.

About 50 centimeters long, shaped like a salamander, but its body was completely black, glowing red lines running along its skin, emitting a smoky haze.

Daion froze.

So did the creature.

They studied each other in tense silence.

Then, the beast opened its mouth.

No tongue. No throat. Just teeth. Rows upon rows, spinning like gears in an endless spiral.

It lunged.

Instinct kicked in before thought.

Daion dodged back and, with a swift strike, cleaved the creature in half.

Silence filled the cave.

Jack stared at him, a mix of irritation and unease.

Minjae wasn't happy either—some of the creature's blood had splattered onto his sleeve.

"…Sorry," Daion muttered, shutting off his glove.

A whisper went unnoticed by the others, but Daion caught it.

Haruka, almost under her breath:

"Dungeons aren't ruins. They're graves waiting to be filled."

The group pressed on until they reached the end of the cave.

Something glowed in the distance. Light?