"There’s no w-water?" Rasie was confused. Her brow furrowed deeply, her mouth slightly open in wonder.
"Well. Could the water be too clear?" Fyar said, equally confused. He slowly approached the bank of the glowing river. "The sound of water seems clearly audible here. Could the water be too clear?"
Zaefal observed the river from a safe distance. His eyes narrowed. "Be careful. It could be poisonous. Or harmful to the body."
Zaefal turned to Illya. "Are you strong enough to use healing magic, Illya?"
Illya nodded. "Yes. There should be no problem."
Zaefal nodded to himself and looked back at the river. "Alright, let me go first..."
"O-oi, doesn’t that look like gems?!" Rasie pointed at the stones enthusiastically. Her eyes sparkled.
"Whoa. Looks expensive..."
Without waiting for Zaefal’s command, Rasie sprinted toward the edge. She prepared to jump down onto the pile of gems.
"Wait, Rasie! Oi!" Zaefal called out.
Fyar just shook his head. "That girl..."
Rasie ignored him. She pushed off the edge of the short cliff and jumped.
SPLASH!
Rasie’s body hit something in empty air. A large splash of water sprayed in all directions, wetting the rocks on the riverbank.
"Pfft! Cough! Cough!"
Turns out the water is indeed too clear. Huff. Thank goodness. Fyar sighed in relief.
Rasie resurfaced. She was soaked from head to toe. Her red hair was plastered flat against her face. She coughed, wiping water from her eyes in confusion.
"This water is definitely waterrr!" Rasie shouted. She hit the surface around her.
Water splashed high. But when the water calmed again, it was completely transparent. Vanished from sight, leaving only the glitter of gems at the bottom.
"Huuh? Are you poisoned?!" Fyar shouted at her.
"Shut up, idiot! There’s water here, hurry up and come here!" Rasie shouted.
As Zaefal, Illya, and Cyhas were about to walk closer, Fyar stopped them with his hand.
"Fyar?" Illya asked.
Fyar smiled slyly and shouted back.
"RASIE, WE CAN’T SEE YOU!"
"RASIE?!"
Rasie’s pupils constricted. Her face panicked. She looked at her own body submerged in transparent water. "Oi, bastard! I’m here! What do you mean?!"
"Oi!" Rasie shouted.
Seeing that, Fyar looked at his party and smiled. He raised his eyebrows, giving a signal.
Illya, Cyhas, and Zaefal smiled faintly at the same time and nodded. They understood.
Fyar looked at Zaefal. "Zaefal, Rasie disappeared!"
Zaefal looked around with a feigned expression of worry. "I knew that river was suspicious."
"Rasie!" Zaefal shouted.
"Huh?" Rasie looked confused in the water.
"Lady Illya, w-what happened?! Lady Rasie disappeared?" Cyhas said with a panicked face.
"Rasie! Where are you?" Illya shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth.
"Rasie! What are you doing? Don’t joke around!" Zaefal shouted, his voice loud.
"L-Lady Rasie, where did you disappear to?" Cyhas shouted.
"W-what do we do, Zaefal?! Rasie... Rasie disappeared!" Illya’s face looked a little panicked as she turned to Zaefal.
"Damn it!" Zaefal shouted.
"Damn. That river is dangerous," Fyar said, his face looking panicked and worried.
"We split up to find Rasie. We have to leave here immediately," Zaefal said firmly.
Illya, Fyar, and Cyhas nodded. They turned around, preparing to leave.
Cold sweat began to spread over Rasie’s body.
"Oi, bastard!"
"Oi! Bitch, hey! I’m right here, idiot!"
"Wait!"
"Hey!!??" Rasie shouted. "Where are you going, hey!"
Panicked, she tried to get out of the river, rushing toward the slippery bank.
As Rasie panicked, Fyar turned back to Rasie and burst out laughing. "Hahahahahaha! Got you! Haahahah!"
Illya, Cyhas, and Zaefal seemed to join in the laughter.
"S-sorry, Rasie. Fyar’s idea," Illya said, holding back her laughter.
Cyhas covered her mouth and giggled. Meanwhile, Zaefal laughed lightly.
"B-bastard." Rasie bit her lip. Her face turned red with embarrassment. "Aaaah, you son of a bitch!"
Rasie went back into the river and submerged herself up to her neck, pouting.
Fyar, Illya, Cyhas, and Zaefal walked closer. They stood on the bank. They seemed amused seeing Rasie still sulking in the river.
"The water... I-is beautiful," Illya murmured.
"Yes," Cyhas nodded.
Zaefal crouched by the river. He reached out his hand into the empty space in front of him. His fingers touched a cold surface. Ripples formed, refracting the light of the gems below.
"Should be safe," Zaefal said.
"Damn it! Cold!" Rasie shivered. "Oi, it’s safe already. What are you waiting for? Hurry up!"
She’s acting like this is a trip to the pool or something, Fyar criticized inwardly.
Zaefal looked at Illya. "If anything strange happens to me, heal me quickly."
Illya nodded. "Yes."
Zaefal then scooped up water with his hand and drank it slowly.
Zaefal was slightly surprised. The water felt very refreshing in his throat. It tasted like ordinary water, but much purer and colder.
He waited silently for a few seconds, prepared for any side effects. But after thirteen seconds, he felt nothing.
Zaefal nodded to himself and looked at his party. "Safe."
Slowly, Fyar tried drinking the water in the river using his hands. Cyhas and Illya did the same. The sulking Rasie joined in drinking. The refreshing taste of the water eliminated the thirst that had been tormenting their throats.
After ensuring the water and river were safe, they decided to rest for a moment and clean themselves. Their bodies were sticky with dried blood, explosion dust, and sweat.
The area where they washed was divided. Fyar and Zaefal walked a few meters away from Rasie, Illya, and Cyhas, slightly upstream. Illya used her earth magic to create a simple dividing wall of earth so they couldn’t peek.
Fyar knelt by the river. He cupped both his hands into the invisible water. A cold sensation immediately stung his skin. He washed his face roughly. The cold water washed away the sticky dust and sweat.
Fyar stared at the surface of the river. Faintly, he saw his reflection among the water ripples above the gemstones. The face looked tired. Dark circles under his eyes. There was a new scratch on his right cheek. His gaze was sharp and wary. He saw a stranger there. A figure far different from the Fyar who came to this world a few months ago.
A few months ago, I might have been pretending to be a chef to kill. Or practicing martial arts with.
I don’t know if anyone is worried or not about my disappearance from Earth.
I wonder what my school friends are doing? Is their career going well? Are they married? Do they still remember me?
Fyar smiled faintly, his gaze fixed on his reflection in the water.
I wonder what my school self and my friends back then would react if they knew I entered an Isekai and have a girlfriend.
He rubbed his hands vigorously. The crust of dried blood between his fingers dissolved, carried away by the invisible current.
"Fyar? You okay?" Zaefal asked while cleaning his body.
Fyar gave a thumbs up. "I’m okay."
On the other side of the river, Illya helped Cyhas. Cyhas’s long white hair was dirty and tangled. Illya gently poured water onto the girl’s hair. She combed it slowly with her fingers, untangling the knots.
Cyhas sat silently, hugging her knees. Her shoulders trembled slightly.
"T-Thank you, Lady Illya."
"Just call me Illya. Don’t use Lady, Cyhas," Illya said while continuing to clean Cyhas’s hair. She gave a gentle massage on Cyhas’s head.
Cyhas nodded. "Yes, thank you, Illya."
After finishing, Illya used her small wind magic to dry their clothes. Once their clothes were dry, they sat by the riverbank, letting the cold dungeon wind touch their skin. Their gaze was fixed on the night ceiling filled with artificial stars and beautiful blue aurora.
Suddenly, a bright orange light appeared from the direction of the mushroom forest.
Thousands of points of light floated in the air. They approached the river.
"Look at that," Fyar said, pointing up.
It was a swarm of small jellyfish. They were only the size of a fist. Their bodies were transparent and emitted a warm orange light. They swam in the air.
Thousands of jellyfish floated across the river. Their fine tentacles swayed gently following the wind current. Their orange light reflected on the invisible surface of the river water, creating a stunning visual effect. The sight was a stark contrast to the blue world around it.
One of the jellyfish descended low, approaching Rasie. Rasie reached out her hand, trying to catch it. The jellyfish twisted and slipped in the air, avoiding her hand easily.
"Slippery!" Rasie complained.
Fyar sat on a rock by the riverbank. He watched the parade of jellyfish in silence. Illya walked closer. Her wet green hair dripped water. She sat next to Fyar.
The two of them stared at the strange beauty. Thousands of orange lights danced in the darkness of the cave.
"For some reason, this feels like a vacation," Fyar murmured. "Do you agree?"
Illya nodded. She rested her head on Fyar’s shoulder.
They enjoyed the view for a while. Their bodies felt refreshed. The mental burden from the battle in Elfier was slightly lifted.