[Secret Realm Cavern Path.]

​A few hours later, the Secret Realm had reset. Qin Li stood before the swirling, blood-red gateway, staring at his remaining thirty fighters. The atmosphere was heavier this time, etched with the memory of their recent losses.

​"Alright, guys! I know we all suffered losses today, both men and resources," Qin Li announced, projecting renewed confidence. "But that won't stop us from clearing this Secret Realm again! All thanks to our new, powerful allies!" He gestured toward Sunny and Josephine, who stood slightly apart, Josephine now holding the precious Moon Blade with an air of possessive curiosity.

​"Let's go!" Qin Li yelled, diving into the swirling gateway. His mercenary fighters followed, determination overriding their fatigue. Sunny and Josephine walked in behind them.

__

​In the damp, dark cavern path, Qin Li moved toward Sunny and Josephine, wanting to finalize the terms.

​"Sir Alex, Ma'am Isabella," he said with a respectful smile. "You don't have to trouble yourselves with the small monsters outside. We only need your help against the core enemies and, most importantly, the Boss. Our fighters can handle the goblins and minor patrols."

​Sunny nodded, appreciating the efficiency. "Understood. Tell me, Qin Li, how many of these Secret Realms are active in this world?"

​"Well... we can't count them precisely," Qin Li explained, adopting the tone of a seasoned guide. "These Secret Realms' locations aren't fixed like Ruins or Dungeons. They can appear anywhere, even inside a city wall. Wherever one appears, it projects a pillar of bright light, revealing its presence. After one day, the light will disappear, and the countdown starts. Once the timer hits zero, the Secret Realm vanishes again, or..."

​"Or?" Josephine asked, intrigued by the structure of this strange world.

​"Or the light pillar is Red," Qin Qin Li finished, his face grim:

"A red pillar signifies a Volatile Realm. Once the countdown zeros on a red realm, all the monsters and Bosses inside will burst out and kill everything on sight. And these Volatile monsters are always far stronger than the creatures in a normal secret realm." He sighed softly. "The Human Kingdom has lost countless villages and lives due to these."

​Sunny and Josephine exchanged a meaningful look—a massive, uncontrolled threat to civilization.

​"Tell us about the political situation in this world," Sunny requested. "About the ruling powers."

​"Ah, the politics." Qin Li took a moment, gathering his thoughts. "As you've quickly realized, we humans are at the absolute bottom of the food chain."

​"The strongest kingdom here is the Elven Kingdom. Their King is a Sixth Order powerhouse—the highest level of strength widely known here. It's rumored that the pinnacle is the Seventh Order, but no one has hit it in centuries." Qin Li's eyes were bright with a mixture of awe and desperate aspiration. "If I can get to the Seventh Order, I will be able to enter the legendary Great World and join one of the three ruling factions there."

​He blinked and chuckled lightly. "Sorry, I kind of diverted from your question."

​"The second strongest kingdom is the Wendigos," he continued, his tone turning to contempt.

"Those disgusting fools eat humans. They have a total of five pillars of power, and their First Pillar is a maniac—she is just too powerful, utterly ruthless. And she isn't even a Wendigo; she's a human, do you believe it?" he finished, his teeth gritted in sheer hatred.

​Sunny's composure was unshakeable, but a silent alarm bell rang in his mind. 'Olivia. The First Pillar of the Wendigos is no one other than Olivia.' He remained silent, letting Qin Li finish his tale.

​"The Wendigos have a powerful backer from the Great World, a Goddess known as Madeleine. While the Elves have another, known as Nymeria."

​Sunny and Josephine froze at the name Nymeria. Josephine drew a sharp, audible breath and then slowly exhaled, managing to calm the internal storm of rage and shock.

​"What happened? Did I say something wrong?" Qin Li asked, confused by their sudden, intense reaction.

​"Nothing," Josephine answered smoothly, forcing a small, strained smile toward Sunny.

​'So, Josephine's mother is still alive, and she's not only in the Great World, but she's the backer of the Elves. And she's the bride of our worst enemy, Lester Blood,' Sunny calculated, the scale of the challenge growing exponentially.

​He looked ahead at the mercenaries, who were now efficiently cutting down the small Earth Goblins.

​"That is essentially all the political tension," Qin Li finished with a heavy sigh. "We humans don't have any backing power, nor do we have any guaranteed chance of survival. We can only get stronger, and maybe... just maybe... one of us can born a Seventh Order who will advance to the Great World and become a powerful backer—someone so potent that even the three existing factions would have to bow."

​"I believe it will happen," Sunny said, offering a genuine, encouraging smile.

​"That's impossible," Qin Li scoffed, shaking his head. "We lack the resources, the bloodlines, and anyone of that destined level..."

​"Don't worry," Sunny insisted, his golden eyes briefly glinting with absolute certainty. "You will believe it when you see it." He changed the subject. "Is that all the information?"

​"No... wait," Qin Li recalled.

"In the Human Kingdom, there are three primary ruling families: the Qin family, the strongest of them all; followed by the Blade family—those guys are renowned Swordmasters; and lastly, the Xin family. The Xin family is highly proficient with poisons; they have the strongest known venom in the human kingdom and can infuse it into their weapons."

​"Thank you for all this detailed information. If you need legitimate, long-term help in the future, you can ask me," Sunny said, nodding his head.

​'Forming a strong reputation and a quiet alliance with the Qin family, the most powerful human faction, isn't a bad thing at all. I have already secured valuable intelligence about the Wendigos' backer and the power structure for almost no cost,' Sunny thought, looking forward to the Boss fight.

​"We're almost there! Brace yourselves!" Qin Li called out, gripping his own sword, ready for the second confrontation.

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