"Good, then take it out. Actually, let’s get them inside first."
Blondie nodded. "I’ll take Flavia. You take Ben."
Without hesitation, he crouched and picked up the tangerine-haired woman, carrying her towards the cave’s entrance.
I just stood there for a second, mouth slightly open.
’Son of a... you expect to carry this giant?’
I turned to Ben’s unconscious form, lying sprawled out on the ground like a collapsed wall of muscle. His breathing was slow but steady, face sared with blood and dirt from the earlier beating.
I clicked my tongue.
"Man... fuck you," I muttered under my breath as I crouched down.
Lifting him was surprisingly easier than expected. I had assud he’d weigh as much as a boulder, but sothing about his build—maybe his aether composition—made him lighter than his sheer size suggested.
’Still heavy as hell, though.’
Grumbling, I trudged toward the cave, following Blondie’s lead.
At least things hadn’t turned into a complete bloodbath. Yet.
...
Inside, the cave had an odd stillness to it. The air was damp but not musty, the walls rough with jagged formations that glistened faintly under the dim light.
Blondie had already placed Flavia down and was rummaging through his backpack. His fingers moved quickly, searching for sothing. I placed Ben near the wall and stretched my arms, rolling my shoulders.
A mont later, Blondie pulled out an artifact.
It was a star-shaped object with a green orb embedded in the center, tallic with a dull gray color. The edges looked slightly worn, but the craftsmanship was sturdy—almost industrial.
The mont he pressed it against Flavia’s hand, his voice was firm.
"Flavia, put your aether in."
Despite her pain, she nodded. Her twisted expression softened slightly as she focused, and the artifact humd to life.
A green hue spread from the orb, a soft glow pulsing outward as her body absorbed the energy. The tension in her shoulders eased.
’Interesting.’
Blondie then moved toward Ben, pressing another artifact against his chest. But this ti, he activated it himself, his aether seeping into the device.
Sa effect. The green glow spread, though slower this ti.
I frowned.
"Why did you make Flavia use her own aether, but for him, you poured yours?"
Blondie glanced up, a little surprised by the question.
"It’s because she was awake. If I had used my aether on her, her body would’ve involuntarily rejected it."
I nodded. "So, since he’s unconscious, his body isn’t resisting."
"Exactly."
That was... pretty useful information.
I humd to myself, but I didn’t miss the way Blondie kept glancing at my arm.
Right.
My wound had already healed.
Not even a scar remained.
His paranoia was almost palpable. His fingers twitched, his jaw clenched slightly, like he wanted to say sothing but was holding himself back.
I sighed.
"Don’t worry," I said, chuckling. "I’m not so kind of monster. I just have my own secrets, and I’d rather not disclose them."
I could’ve lied, said it was so artifact or healing magic. But I had no idea how healing artifacts worked, and if I bullshitted my way through it, I might just end up making him more suspicious.
Better to own the mystery than to fumble a weak excuse.
Blondie seed to accept that. His shoulders eased, though his curiosity remained.
’Good. He respected boundaries.’
I glanced toward Flavia. She was clutching the artifact tightly, brows furrowed as she continued to pour her aether into it. Though her condition was improving, she still looked terrible.
’Now, I feel bad.’
[ System: Host, is your humanity coming back? ]
[ (°ロ°)!!! ]
’Nobody has ever been more human than .’
[ System: Press X for doubt. ]
[ ಠ_ಠ ]
’Bitch.’
I sighed. Hallucinating system ssages again.
I definitely needed therapy.
I pushed those thoughts aside and approached Flavia. The mont I sat beside her, she instinctively tensed.
She tried to subtly shift away.
I cleared my throat. "I’m sorry. I took things too far."
Her eyes widened slightly.
I bowed my head, as much as I could while sitting. She was shocked by the sudden apology.
’She definitely thought I was a bad guy.’
She parted her lips, probably about to say sothing, but I cut her off.
"Focus on healing yourself first."
I gave her a small smile and got up, stepping away before she could respond.
Blondie was still tending to Ben, his face set with concentration. The healing was working—but slowly.
Agonizingly slow.
Leaving them to it, I moved toward the cave entrance.
...
The mont I stepped outside, the air felt... different.
A cold gust swept through the canyon, sharper than before. The night sky stretched endlessly above, but there were no stars. Only darkness.
And then—
I looked toward the town.
The so-called abandoned town.
Sothing was off.
Maybe it was my constant exposure to battles, maybe I’d developed so kind of innate danger sense, but every instinct in my body scread the sa thing—
This place is wrong.
Not just abandoned. Wrong.
Like sothing was watching.
And then I rembered—
System’s warning.
It had spoken earlier.
It never speaks unless it’s harassing . But this ti, it had been serious.
"Do not turn back."
I swallowed. My gaze drifted back toward the town.
Then—
A flicker of movent.
Sothing shifted near the town’s gate.
I froze.
Near one of the wooden pillars, just beneath the old, ragtag sign, a silhouette stood.
At first, I thought it was just a shadow. But no—it was there.
A figure.
Shrouded in pitch-black darkness, its features obscured.
But it was staring at .
Intensely.
I could feel it.
A slow, creeping sensation crawled up my spine, sinking into my bones. The air around felt heavier, thicker.
And then—
It smiled.
A grin that stretched far too wide, ear to ear.
A mouth that was too white.
The contrast was unsettling—pure darkness, yet those teeth glead like polished bone.
My breath hitched.
A wave of nausea rolled through .
Sothing inside stirred.
[ Chaos Embryonic Core is saturating. ]
My heart slamd against my ribs.
’What the fuck?’
I could feel sothing crawling inside .
Sothing moving.
Shifting.
Eating.
The thing at the gate didn’t move.
It just... smiled.
I took a slow step back.
It didn’t follow.
But sohow, I knew—
It wasn’t because it couldn’t.
It was because it didn’t need to.
Not yet.
The cold wind howled through the canyon, and for the first ti that night, I realized—
The temperature hadn’t changed.
I was just shaking.
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