Crippling chills, cold as a winter night. It felt as though the wind blows directly through the clothes I wore, hitting my skin as if it was laid bare.

*Badum *Badum *Badum

I can hear my heartbeat so close to me like the time when I pressed the side of my head on a pillow. Except, it hits harder. Much harder, it’s making me suffocate from its hurtless pain. I kept wondering what is happening with the world around me. I see Boland holding the potion bottle he fed me. I see the golem roaring with its mouth wide open, and I see Galliano frozen in place.

No, everything is frozen in place. Every being, everything, all in a disturbing scenery I can’t fully comprehend. Incomprehensible things, the nightmare I want to avoid.

*Grab*

If words can come out, I’d be gasping at the sensation of the cold touch unknown to me, suddenly grabbing my elbow. It’s hard and rigid, if only I can move my eyes to see it. In front of me, I see a lot of colors, but why do I feel that behind me is nothing but darkness?

*Grab *Grab *Grab

The more I wanted to wheeze, as my body is slowly being touched by these things. I can feel fingers, their hands. I counted 13 and it kept going up. My entire body is enveloped by it. Fatigue, I can feel it quickly rising to my head as fear and desperation surge into my brain. I wanted to roll my eyes and pass out there and then, but I couldn’t even do it. Eventually, the thing grabbed my neck, my head, and my mouth, until eventually, I’m completely wrapped. I see pitch-black fingers, rigid and hard, but I couldn’t even see their palms. Closing my entire sight full of colors into nothing but cold black darkness.

{+5000 Exp}

! {Level UP}

My eyes open wide to the ringing sound of notifications coming my way. My sight is flooded by these things until I close them all.

! {Level UP}

! {Boss Defeated}

~ {Loot Obtained: E-Grade Random Item Box}

“Lass, you’re finally awake.”

*Pant *Pant

My eyes shake as I ponder to myself, ‘What am I looking at right now?’

Not only that I’m being carried on Boland’s back, we’re in a new area. The same fortification, but instead of a circle, it’s a wide-open space with a linear pathway, and not only that. Seeing these mushy green plants and trees growing out of the pavement, and the stone walls give a vibe of that of an abandoned building decades old. And I don’t like any of it.

“Where…”

“I’m not sure. But this surely is an ominous place.”

“Wh-What happen to… that thing, the golem.”

Boland stopped, and as his expression showed a sign of confusion, I know that something is weighing his mind. What he muttered stated the obvious, “I don’t know.”

“Huh? Wh-What do you mean you don’t know, sir?”

“Just call me by name, lass.”

Putting me down, I then noticed that the rest of the raid party are not with him, so I asks, “Where are the others?” asking as I check my Profile Status.

“We split up.”

“What?”

“After you drank the potion, you suddenly passed out. But all of a sudden, the gate was opened. So, I told the others to pass through while that Traveler and I deal with the golem, but…”

“What happened?”

His brows frowned, “That thing suddenly turn his back on us, showing no interest to continue the fight, and a moment later, it shattered itself to pieces.”

"That… doesn’t make any sense.”

Turning around, surveying the area, “Believe me, it’s not even the thing that we have to worry about, it’s the others. When we entered the gate, the Traveler went missing and so is everything behind us. Replaced with that large wall full of webs. There was no gate at all.”

“…”

“Know anything about it?”

“Teleportation… maybe.”

I sat down to collect myself. Pondering, ‘So, that was just a dream, huh? A sleep paralysis, maybe, but to think I actually slept in-game. In any case, my raid party…’

Pulling up the list, I see everyone’s name still there.

“They’re still alive, it seems.” My chest tightened, “We can take a break for a bit, but we need to hurry and find them before it’s too late.”

“What do you mean?”

“There must be a reason why Travelers chose to avoid this place. And adding the little info we have about them. I’m worried about even wasting a minute moping around.”

Taking a seat beside me, “You seem to know something we don’t.”

“Isn’t that why you chose my route?”

He nods.

“Do you want to me explain how I know?”

“No. I just want to know how we should go from here.”

“…” turning my head to take a few rocks, I drew the layout I made back in the cell, “I don’t have the exact map nor have I been into this place, but I know that there is a secret passage that would allow us to… ignore a couple of things that will get in our way.”

“But first, is the group. There are three designated points of interest. We are here in the middle, and the other two are here and here. We have to find a way to get to them.”

“How do we know we’re in the middle?”

“From the look of this place, I feel like we are.”

“So, you’re not certain.”

“Regardless, we will be looking for an intersection. We need to find them fast before they accidentally bumped into one of the guardians in this place.”

“Guardians? You mean like that golem?”

“Far worse, probably.”

Stroking his subtle thick beard, “Hmm…”

“The guardian will be the least to our problem if we can regroup. Once I level up a bit more, I’m sure that I will be even more useful than I am now.”

‘Shoot, I mentioned leveling even though he might not know that term. Wait, shouldn’t the system be changing my wording when it comes to these things.’

“Hmm, just like that Traveler, you seem to be relying so much on the Divine System.”

“Eh?”

“It’s due to the very same thing that we were tossed into this place, but if it can also bring us back home. I suppose it’s not a bad option to consider.”

Making me sweat a little bit, ‘So, he knows about the system. No, it seems like the system and everything it has is totally normal to them. In any case, the raid party getting split up is the worst thing that could happen. I need to bring them back and stat!’