Journeying back up through the floor was a relatively simple task. Not only were most of the traps already triggered, the path forward had also not changed much, despite the hours that had passed…

It felt as if they had been riding against the tides of fate, and only now that they had passed through the storm, its guiding hand had eased up once again.

"Do you think Rodrick will even believe our story?" Myrin said as he balanced on top of a narrow path—one that led down into a deep abyss on either side. Soren walked behind him slowly, carefully matching his footsteps.

They had crossed through this section once before—only, the ground was far less solid, shifting around with every step the pair of magi took. Soren had no reason to doubt that below them lay the corpses of many brave explorers that long have perished in this trap… And yet, at the moment, nothing was happening to them.

The very mechanisms within these mystical walls had been shut off…

Taking another step forward, Soren decided to answer, "If he doesn't believe us, it will be his loss. We already obtained most of the valuables we needed. If he doesn't wish to honor his end of the deal, then so be it…"

Myrin nodded for a moment then continued walking forward. The silence between them stretched longer than the narrow path they were walking on.

"Say…" He spoke in a rather hushed tone this time… Myrin hesitated for a moment then followed it up, "Do you not feel any resentment for me?"

Hearing his question, Soren glanced up at his companion and frowned. "What do you mean?" He asked back slowly.

Myrin took a moment to gather his thoughts then sighed. "About our disagreement… The one before I went on the expedition with mistress Sienna. I thought about it a lot since then and realized that I was being too harsh on you. In a way, when I suggested teaming up again, I was certain you would reject me. But ever since then, I hadn't even felt an ounce of resentment or doubt from you… You never even mentioned it once."

Soren was baffled. He almost missed his next step on the narrow path. With his eyes locked straight onto his elven friend's back, his lips slowly sunk into a slight frown.

"I thought the earlier conversation already cleared it up… Myrin, I trust you. That's all there is to it."

"You've put that whole thing behind you just like that? Me and Tina were in the wrong back then—we tried to weaponize the help we offered you in order to guilt you into not questioning the mistress…"

"And I was also wrong back then," Soren replied instantly. "I couldn't help but project my insecurities onto you and the others when none of you are responsible for what happened to me in the past. Although I still don't fully trust the mistress, I can at least understand that from her position, everything she is doing is for the best of us… Even though I do not fully accept her methods.

"You getting angry at me in that moment is understandable. After all, Sienna is like a mother to you. I don't hold it against you at all."

Hearing this, Myrin couldn't help but glance back. "Soren… You've really matured."

"Have I?" Soren chuckled, "I guess the Crimson Ritual incident really changed me in a lot of ways… Trust—it's something so crucial to existence that many do not even notice its presence until it is gone. For me, it is the opposite. I've lived my entire life void of trust. I became averse to its presence for so long…

"And in a way, I still am. To me, having trust is akin to a human trying to live underwater… Maybe it will work out for the first few minutes, but slowly, they will start to suffocate. As for me, I decided to simply drown myself in its presence until I either die or grow gills."

Myrin couldn't help but laugh. "So did you grow them yet? Those gills…"

"Who knows—it's not like I am counting the number of breaths I take?"

Their conversation continued for a while… The pair managed to cross through countless rooms and paths as they winded their way back to the Safe Zone. In a way, Soren was glad that Myrin had finally decided to bring up this topic. He had personally forgotten all about it—there were just too many things he needed to deal with during those few weeks…

Still, it had managed to shatter the last few remaining barriers between them… Most of their conversations before this were rather cordial, if not, more professional. Even when they insulted each other from time to time, it was obvious just how shallow these brief moments felt… As if there was a wall in between them that seemed unbreakable.

Soren, however, didn't fully mind this. He had always been a reclusive person from the start. Conversations come easy to him if the other party needed someone to talk to, but for the most part, he was content with only listening to his own thoughts.

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Now, however, Myrin felt a bit more comfortable talking regularly to him.

"By the way… That knife you picked up—are you really planning on using it?"

As they sat beside a ledge leading down into an exposed spike trap laced with human bones, Soren continued to inspect his dagger. It was obviously a Magitech device—one that seems to hold the effect of making the enemy bleed more than usual.

Though, aside from his excitement at finally obtaining a usable weapon of his own, Soren was much more worried about his prospects as a magi.

"I kinda have to," He answered Myrin with a sigh. "I still haven't discovered any offensive spells yet. Aside from running away or hiding, I am practically useless on the battlefield. All I can do is support you by casting illusions to distract from your presence."

Myrin shook his head. "You're a 1st Circle magus—that is to be expected. Most 1st Circle spells tend to be very personalized and rather tame. And besides, those illusions of yours are already more than helpful in dungeons like these… Not to mention, [Eyes of the Fairy] which makes mapping these cursed corridors a lot simpler of a task…"

Soren nodded. "Still, it is not enough for a dungeon like this. We saw just how terrifying a single group of those Soul Skinners can become. I need to become stronger—faster."

"Take your time," Myrin said while standing up. He chewed on the last bit of rations for the day and headed toward the other side of this trapped chamber. "I'll scout for a bit—finish your meal quickly and come find me."

Soren nodded then returned to inspecting the dagger.

It wasn't like he didn't have any ideas… his Fairy Barrier spellform—most of its runes could still be repurposed in countless ways. He just needed time to actually study them properly like Myrin had said.

As his thoughts spun endlessly with new ideas for spells, a childish yet shallow voice entered his mind:

"It seems you have succeeded… Are you going to say thank you to me?"

Soren rolled his eyes. He whispered back, "We almost died trying to follow your advice! Never again!"

"But you didn't die. It all worked out in the end."

Soren couldn't refute that. Eventually, he sighed:

"What do you want this time? Surely you didn't contact me just to gloat about your advice being right?"

It felt as if Tazzith had flinched in that moment—offended by Soren's assumption. He shook it off and decided to finally say what He really meant to say…

"As I promised you before—I would help you obtain something in the dungeons that would be crucial to your progress… Surely those rune pages have piqued your interest, no?"

Soren's lips twitched for a moment. He answered, "I've yet to analyze them, but yes, they are immensely helpful…"

"Then it is now time for you to fulfil your end of the bargain." He answered back. "The item I tasked you to find for me… I can sense its presence. It is coming closer and closer towards you."

Just as he was about to question Him, he heard Myrin frantically calling out his name from a distance:

"Soren! The paths have changed!"

The world rumbled violently as the Elven Songster ran up to their rest area to grab the rest of their materials. The last few supplies were swiftly stuffed back into the spatial bracelet.

"The dungeon is changing! The path ahead twisted without me noticing, and now even this hall seems to be shifting now!"

Soren stood up and quickly stuffed his dagger back into his belt. He had no time to question Tazzith any longer… Glancing around for a moment, he activated [Eyes of the Fairy] and stared directly into the distant corridor. Almost instantly, the unseen became seen as the Beyond showed him the new way forward.

However, even with this miraculous ability, Soren still remained frozen in shock. What he had witnessed was not something he had ever expected to see in a dungeon like this one…

A wide expanse stretched beyond his sight—one filled with endless buildings and towering structures. It was another metropolis but unlike the one they were in before, this was akin to a town designed for the living rather than the dead. Homes, streets, and countless other dwellings were seen… There were even a few trees here and there, though, all of them were nothing more than lifeless husks of what they once were—forever frozen in time and history.

However, none of this was that surprising—he had already heard from Myrin that the Avalon Ruin's safe zone was its own separate living quarters—one that seemed to have belonged to the Avalon Empire in the past but has now been repurposed into a place where countless lost souls could wander and rest before continuing their journey through these wretched halls…

No, what truly shocked him was how the city was positioned… It was completely inverted upside down, as if gravity itself had shifted its presence… And yet, none of the dungeon explorers he saw seemed to notice anything—to them, the world around them was completely normal… They continued roaming the streets like usual, oblivious to what was happening outside the chamber they were in.

So this is the Safe Zone… The shift in the dungeon is not being noticed by anyone besides me and Myrin… Those on the inside of that chamber have no idea what's happening outside of it…

The mystery behind such a mechanism continued to baffle him. But what was even more mysterious was the fact that no monster roaming through the dungeon ever wandered inside this section—he could see them waiting in the distance, afraid to enter inside… As if there was an unseen force warding them off completely.

And in a way, his [Eyes of the Fairy] had already detected that force… and its origins…

Deactivating his skill, Soren couldn't help but frown as he glanced over at Myrin who was firmly awaiting his answer:

"It seems we didn't need to reach the safe zone. It found us instead."

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