Caius’ POV
Six people, myself included, sat inside the shaded cave.
Several hours had already passed since Elliot’s arrival, and after he had rested enough, we gathered here.
And let me say—Elliot’s arrival was wonderful.
Not because he was strong or anything like that, but because of what now stood near the cave’s entrance.
Large chunks of ice. The hot desert air passed through them and turned into a cool breeze that eased the cave’s heat.
As a result, staying here had become comfortable.
I looked around to find Kyle sitting in the corner, fiddling with his arrows, while Izel stood leaning against the wall.
Leona was still seated with a core stone in her hand, and the hero himself was also sitting, his back resting against the wall.
I did the same, a essence stone in my hand, while Ellen stood with her arms folded. She wanted to say something, but hesitation was clear on her face—and not just hers, but everyone’s as well.
After a while, Ellen finally spoke.
"Alright, let’s shorten things here... We’re lost in a place we know nothing about, and we don’t even know where it is. More importantly, we have no idea how to return... or whether we can return at all."
She looked at everyone. "So, does anyone have any information or ideas about where we are?"
No one spoke. It seemed none of them had a clue.
Should I tell them?
That thought had circled in my mind these past days, but I was still hesitant.
Not because I feared the questions they would ask me—but who knew what kind of reaction they might show.
So I remained silent about it.
"Since we have no idea where we are, I don’t think sitting and talking will help us," I said, my voice echoing through the cave walls as everyone focused on me.
"So I think we should move through this place... who knows, we might find a clue that leads us to a way back."
Elliot sighed. "He’s kind of right."
Ellen raised a hand and rubbed her temple. "Yes... in the end, we don’t have any real choice."
"If we choose to move, we need to choose the direction we’ll take," Leona added, and Izel nodded.
"We don’t have many options there either. In fact, only two."
"Cross the rocky maze—or return to the vast desert."
From her tone, it was obvious she didn’t want the latter... and neither did I.
In truth, I had already chosen the direction we should take days ago, but I remained silent while listening to them.
Ellen continued,
"From what we know, the desert sands contain many lesser monsters in the form of large worms with hard outer shells."
"As for this stone maze, it seems to be home to some greater monsters that hunt those worms and use them as food."
She paused, and Elliot continued,
"Entering the stone maze could expose us to those birds... and I don’t think we can defeat them."
"Even heading into the desert doesn’t mean we won’t encounter them, not to mention the worms—and they’re not weak by any means. I know because I faced many of them on the way here."
Leona sighed. "So we’re trapped on both sides."
I looked at Kyle, who had been silent the entire time—and it seemed he would continue that way.
After some thought, I spoke.
"I think we should head through the maze."
My words echoed in the space as Ellen raised an eyebrow.
"And why is that?"
I shrugged. "It’s better than wandering through an open space like the desert. And who knows—we might encounter something worse than a Rank 4 monster out there."
I knew that possibility existed even if we continued through the maze—but I wanted us to keep heading north.
"He has a point," Elliot supported me.
Finally, Kyle, who had remained silent until now, lifted his head. "Moving through the maze will give us many places to hide even if we encounter something. Unlike the desert, we can make better use of our abilities."
As soon as Kyle finished, Izel raised her hand. "I support that too."
Leona smiled. "Since everyone wants that, I won’t object."
Seeing this, Ellen exhaled. "Then we’ll move through the natural maze... but let’s take some time to rest, and while Leona’s arm heals."
Leona scratched the back of her head when she heard that, and I nodded as well. "Yes. And moving at night would be better—with the faint moonlight instead of this scorching sun."
...
In the end, we all agreed to move after nightfall.
It might take two days or more, so we had enough time to rest here—especially since this place seemed free of monsters.
As everyone stopped talking and sank into their own thoughts, I stared at Elliot.
This magnificent hero with his many amazing abilities sat here beside me.
It seemed he noticed my gaze and turned toward me, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
I smiled. "I’m just thinking how great and strong you are... so why don’t you kindly get up and use that strength of yours to create some rooms for us instead of sitting here staring at each other like fools?"
When I said that, everyone without exception looked at Elliot, as if something clicked in their heads—especially the girls.
Ellen looked at me with gratitude in her eyes before focusing on Elliot. "He’s right, Elliot. You can do that with your abilities."
"No, you should do that," Izel added while I reached out and patted his back for him to stand.
"Come on, Elliot. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll finish."
He raised his hand in protest. "But why am I always—"
But when he saw the sharp looks from the girls, he immediately stopped and let out a tired sigh.
"Fine... fine... I’ll do it. Six small rooms—that’s what you want, right?"
I nodded as Elliot stood, walked over, and placed his hand on the wall.
Before he began, Leona raised her hand. "Um... can you add a bathroom and a bathtub and fill it with clean water?"
Elliot froze, his shoulders trembling... perhaps he felt like we were using him as a slave again.
But he didn’t stay that way long and soon began working.
In the next moment, the rocks forming the cave wall receded and changed shape. The place shook slightly but showed no signs of collapse.
...
Time passed, and Elliot worked hard for two hours. In the end, he managed to create something resembling a house with six rooms inside this rocky mountain.
With two separate bathrooms—and a bathtub filled with cold water.
Elliot exhaled heavily in exhaustion. "Alright... I think I’m done now."
We stood in the corridor leading to the rooms. I stepped forward and patted Elliot’s shoulder. "Well done... maybe you should start a construction company after graduating from the Axis."
Leona smiled. "Thank you, truly, for all your hard work."
Izel smiled happily as she headed toward the bathroom he created.
"Finally," she muttered before disappearing inside.
Perhaps everyone here was eager to bathe after days of running through dust and blood.
Including me.
I went to the other bathroom, passed through the passage that concealed the inside from the outside—and there it was on the floor. A large basin of clear water.
I didn’t hesitate. I quickly removed my clothes, keeping only my undergarments, before jumping into the water.
Water splashed out of the basin and struck the walls as a refreshing sensation flooded every part of my body.
I lifted myself and emerged from beneath the water, brushing my hair back as I looked at Elliot and Kyle, who had just entered and were quietly stepping into the basin.
I moved to the corner, sat down, and leaned against the edge.
All I needed now were some snacks.
Sending some essence into my ring, a few bottles of drinks appeared.
I grabbed two and tossed them to Elliot and Kyle, who caught them.
Elliot looked at the metal bottle in his hand before asking, "You’re not going to make me pay for this, right?"
I smiled. "Well, you worked hard, so consider it a free gift."
With a soft click, I opened the can in my hand and watched white mist escape from it.
I raised it to my mouth and took a small sip. A slightly sour yet refreshing taste spread across my mouth.
This was our first real rest in more than a week.
...
Quickly, more than two days passed, and the sun once again showed signs of setting, announcing the approaching time of departure.
In one of the rooms Elliot created, Leona sat on the temporary bed, her breathing slightly rough as she felt new power flowing through her veins.
At last, after days of hard work, she broke through to the advanced rank.
But her happiness did not last.
Because that night—
She had a dream.
A strange dream.