My mind spun with questions, who could have revealed that information? The only person I had personally told about Demon Guro was Steve.
Other than him, only June and Arkas knew. A few possibilities crossed my mind: maybe Arkas had released the information on purpose, or maybe he told someone else and the news spread from there.
But right now, I had no way to confirm anything.
Once again, I scanned the cave, trying to sense if anyone else was hiding, someone who might've betrayed us or passed on our secrets.
I extended my perception outward, focusing carefully on the Essence lingering in the air and around the stone, hoping to catch even the faintest sign of interference.
But everything seemed still. No odd fluctuations, no hidden presences. Just… quiet.
The cave itself was small, probably around fifteen feet by fifteen.
Four tunnels stretched out from different walls, leading to who-knew-where. The stone walls were rough and uneven, clearly carved a long time ago.
A few dim lamps hung from rusty hooks, casting just enough light to make out the details of the space, but not enough to feel comfortable.
I stood there in silence, trying to piece everything together. Who could've leaked what happened with the demon?
After a few more seconds of turning over the same thoughts and getting nowhere, I exhaled slowly and let the tension go. I couldn't figure it out now, not without more information.
For the moment, I had no choice but to hear what the man had to say.
Still, I wasn't about to admit anything so easily.
I looked at the man, furrowed my brows in confusion, and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Grey stared at me for a second before chuckling.
"Don't try to act smart with me, kid."
I gave a casual shrug.
"I really don't know what you're talking about."
His eyes narrowed as he kept staring at me like he was trying to see through my soul.
Then, finally, he let out a breath and stepped back.
"I get it. You think someone's coming to save you. But let me make this clear, no one leaves this place unless we let them. Not even the Emperor can reach you here. So my offer still stands: join us, and your life will open up to some... interesting opportunities."
Before I could say anything back, green gas suddenly bloomed near him.
The grandmaster who had been fighting Arkas walked out of the mist, still covered in his hood and cloak.
A raspy voice came from under the hood.
"Is he the one?"
Grey gave a firm nod.
The grandmaster responded.
"Alright. You know what to do. I'll leave him to you. But you failed to bring the girl. You'll be summoned to answer for that."
I noticed a flicker of something in Grey's eyes, his face lost its color for just a moment after hearing that.
Then, without another word, green mist poured out from beneath the grandmaster's feet, and he vanished.
Grey shook his head, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, "You really messed up my plan. So now, I'll have to take very good care of you."
Then he turned to the other two guys, pointed at the half-unconscious man, and said, "Get him treated. I'll deal with these two."
The hammer guy finally removed his cloak. Underneath was a man in his twenties, black hair, black eyes, average looks—but the way he stared at me was anything but average. His eyes burned with anger as he muttered.
"We'll meet again, Billion."
Then he turned and disappeared into one of the tunnels.
Steve looked over at me, confused.
"What did you do to him?"
I mentioned the man's half-burnt cloak and the charred patches on his pants.
Steve's eyes widened a bit.
"You serious?"
I nodded.
He let out a low whistle.
"I always wanted to do that myself."
I chuckled softly, but before either of us could say more, Grey waved his hand. Two small piles of clothes appeared in front of us.
"Wear these," he ordered.
I bent down and picked up the clothes. Grey linen pants and a matching vest. That was it.
I raised an eyebrow at him, hoping for an explanation, but he didn't say anything.
So I shrugged, stripped off my uniform, and put on the new clothes. I would've liked a shirt under the vest, but apparently Holt fashion had its own rules.
Steve followed suit, changing into the same dull outfit. Grey collected our boots and even took Steve's sword.
Finally, he spoke.
"Let's go."
He turned around and started walking down the tunnel opposite the one the hammer guy had taken.
As we followed, I realized I didn't even know the hammer guy's name. I almost laughed at that.
We walked in silence, the tunnel dimly lit by faint glowing stones embedded in the ceiling. After about a minute, the narrow tunnel opened into a much larger hall.
In the center, five middle-aged men sat cross-legged on the floor, meditating. At the far end of the hall, four glowing teleportation circles were etched into the ground, their runes softly pulsing with energy.
I narrowed my eyes.
This setup was way more advanced than anything I'd seen back at Unit 02. We only had one teleportation circle.
Four here meant they had someone who either understood space laws or was highly skilled in runic formations maybe both.
None of the meditating men opened their eyes as we passed. Grey stepped onto the second teleportation circle from the left. Steve and I joined him.
The circle lit up. A soft humming sound filled the air.
Then, in an instant, the hall vanished.
The world blurred and darkened. When things settled, we were standing in a pitch-black room.
Only a single dashed line glowed blue on the floor, forming a path forward. I tapped into my Essence perception and the surroundings slowly came into focus.
There were no visible light sources. We were in a sealed chamber, and far ahead, I saw a massive door at least thirty feet tall. Two men stood guard beside it, each wearing strange goggles over their eyes.
We were standing on a raised platform where the teleportation circle had placed us.
Grey's voice echoed in the darkness.
"Just follow the glowing line behind me."
He stepped down from the platform and started walking, the blue light guiding his way.
When he approached the massive door, he gestured to the two guards. One of them pulled a lever, and a small ten-foot passage opened in the center of the giant door, right where the glowing line led.
I doubted Grey realized I could see everything around us through the Essence. But I kept that to myself.
Steve and I followed him without saying a word.
As we stepped through the opening, my eyes widened but I didn't stop walking. I didn't want to show anything through my reaction.
The glowing blue line continued down a narrow walkway, barely six feet wide. And on both sides of it were rows of prison cells.
I reached out with my perception and scanned as far as I could. The line of cells just kept going and going, deeper than I could trace.
But it wasn't the size of the place that caught me off guard.
It was what I saw inside those cells that truly shocked me.