In his sleep, Fyar was dreaming. He was once again in the middle of an endless cosmos, but this time, there was a surface beneath him, a dark plain covered in a shallow pool of water. The water reflected the beautiful cosmos from the sky above.
In front of him, a man with green hair and mismatched blue and gold eyes was wearing a white long-sleeved collared shirt and a black long coat. He was sitting in a chair, and in front of him was a small table set with a chessboard.
The green-haired man stared straight at Fyar. He chuckled and said, "So you’re finally going there."
Fyar walked toward the green-haired man, his gaze focused on the chessboard in front of him. Fyar tilted his head. "You can play chess?"
The green-haired man replied casually while arranging his pieces, "I was bored and peeked into your memories." After he finished arranging the pieces, he extended his hand. "Sit. Let’s play one game. If I lose, you can ask one thing, anything."
Fyar then sat across from him and gave a small laugh. "You really have no manners, peeking into someone else’s memories without permission."
The green-haired man raised one of his eyebrows. "Your reaction is not what I expected."
Fyar began to move a piece with his hand while leaning on his other palm. "Well... I would probably do the same thing if I were in your position. Besides, my past isn’t that important."
The green-haired man moved his own piece, his eyes fixed on the chessboard. "Not that important..."
Fyar chuckled while moving his piece. "Besides, getting angry won’t change anything. I can’t hurt you and I can’t kill you. I also doubt my words could hurt your feelings... so I’m just refusing to do something futile."
The green-haired man’s eyes glanced at Fyar for a moment before returning to the chessboard. "Good thinking."
Fyar then looked at the green-haired man. "May I ask one thing? Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with secrets or anything related to what’s happened to me."
"Ask away," the man replied.
"Are you happy with what you’re doing now? Are you happy doing your duty every day?" Fyar paused for a moment before asking again, "Do you enjoy what you’re doing now? Carrying out your master’s orders and being on his leash? What is the meaning of life to you?"
The man roared with laughter at Fyar’s questions. He was silent for a few seconds before finally answering. "What do you think? At least I know what I have to do and what my purpose is... so what about you, Fyar? Why do you want to live peacefully for two years? What is your reason for becoming rich? For what? For whom?"
Fyar was silent, hearing the questions thrown back at him by the green-haired man. He smiled faintly. "You’re a bastard."
After more than fifteen minutes had passed, the match ended with Fyar’s victory.
The man then leaned back in his chair and shifted his gaze to Fyar. "What do you want to ask?"
Fyar then looked up at the cosmos, his mind trying to choose one question from the many in his head. After a few seconds, Fyar looked back at the green-haired man with a smile. "What is my power?"
The green-haired man replied casually, "Neutralize. A power that can neutralize all magic... You cannot choose a path after obtaining this power." He paused for a moment, waiting for Fyar to digest what he had said.
The man added with a cunning smile, "You have no idea how terrifying that power is... If I could give you some advice, don’t say anything about it to just anyone, if you don’t want the side-character life you dream of to disappear."
Neutralize... The name is plain, but it seems quite overpowered... If this power can neutralize all kinds of magic, then this is clearly the best thing I could have in this world... Ugh, I want to ask more, but I’m out of questions. Fyar placed his hand on his chin, occasionally glancing at the man.
The green-haired man then stood up and extended his left hand. "Until next time, my friend." A faint smile graced his face. "Next time, I will defeat you. Good luck on your journey."
Instantly, Fyar’s vision turned completely black.
After that, Fyar heard a familiar female voice gently calling his name.
"Fyar..."
"Fyar, we’re almost there."
Illya gently poked Fyar’s cheek while calling to him.
Rasie took out a glass of water from her bag and smiled widely. "Should I?!"
"There’s no need!!" Fyar answered firmly as he woke up from his sleeping position.
"Tch," Rasie clicked her tongue in disappointment.
Zaefal closed the book he was reading, then looked at his party members. "Our first focus after entering is to find the golden-colored fruit to restore Fyar’s sealed power. If his power truly returns, then everything will become much easier." He then paused for a moment before adding, "Are there any objections?"
Rasie raised her hand. "What if Fyar’s power doesn’t return?"
Zaefal glanced at Fyar for a moment before turning back to Rasie. "We’ll just take the fruit there for us to sell or for our own personal collection. We’ll then immediately hunt monsters and go to the boss area. Do you have any objections, Rasie?"
Rasie shook her head gently. "No, that’s a good plan."
Illya added, "I have no objections."
Fyar just gave a thumbs up to Zaefal while nodding.
Zaefal smiled faintly. "Good."
After seven minutes had passed, they finally arrived at a lowland area filled with green-leafed trees. Their trunks were thick, and some of the trees had faces that moved slowly.
On the right side, there was a large cave with a circular blue light rotating inside it. The light came from a portal embedded in the stone wall of the cave. In front of the cave, a simple wooden table stood on the pink, grassy ground.
Two guards were sitting there. They wore all-pink outfits, from their long robes and head coverings, down to their shoes. One was a black-haired woman with blue eyes and slightly tan skin. The other woman, who was holding a spear, had blonde hair, white eyes, and smooth, pale skin. One of the guards was holding a spear, while the other was writing something on a sheet of paper on the table.
The four of them walked toward the two guards.
It’s just like a fantasy world... Unique. If only I hadn’t lost my headphones... Fyar looked around and admired the strange place, a smile spreading across his face.
One of the guards who was writing something looked up at them.
"Please show me your adventurer cards," the black-haired woman said in a flat tone.
Rasie, Illya, and Fyar then gave their adventurer cards to Zaefal to hand over to the guard. After she finished inspecting their cards, the guard turned to the blonde woman holding the spear and nodded at her. She then returned the adventurer cards to them.
She then stood up, looked at the adventurers in front of her, and gave them an artifact in the shape of a piece of paper. Each of them received two pieces.
That artifact... Fyar remembered that artifact. It was in the book he had read yesterday. It could transport the user to a marked location. The way it worked was by placing one piece of paper at the desired location. To teleport, the user would burn the paper they were carrying.
They’re quite caring toward their adventurers... Could it be that adventurers are rare in this kingdom? Fyar felt strange about the kindness he had received from the Adventurers’ Association.
"Place one of these at your entry point. Use it to return. It can only be used once, so use it wisely." After saying that, the black-haired woman wrote down their names.
She then gestured for them to enter the glowing cave.