It was as Dulia expected. There was no way an expedition team of five would be able to function normally after losing two members and then even their head. It took only two days for Yunael to realize that they shouldn’t have kicked out the head of the team. No, perhaps it wasn’t even two days; Yunael had lost track of time ever since they came underground and had to wander around in seemingly endless darkness with only one companion.

Soon, the torch they had prepared beforehand lost its functionality. Unable to see without the light, Yunael thought they were going crazy, and they couldn’t figure out which way they were going at all. They tried to find their way to the center of this space or even back to the outer areas again, but it felt as if they were going in circles, and it was driving them mad. Yunael had insulted the head for being so slow in advancing, but after experiencing the role of a guide firsthand, they understood the reason behind Dulia’s choices. And like that, Yunael and their sole teammate had to spend the next couple of days wandering listlessly and battling on repeat.

What about sleep? Of course, they couldn’t take a proper rest. When they spotted a suitable place to wind down and tried to take turns sleeping, enemies always ambushed them. It was the same for meals. They just shoved whatever they found in their belongings into their mouths and resumed battle while munching on food. Unable to meet their basic needs, it didn’t take long for them to grow weary and exhausted. It seemed they...