"Is everything alright?"

I reflexively whipped my head toward Ino, who quickly added, "You look like you've got something bothering you."

"Oh…" I relaxed my expression, looked away, and began, "I th—"

However, before I could even say anything, a violent notification suddenly popped up in red, causing me to halt mid-step.

[WARNING: The Sages of the goat-headed ghouls have successfully activated an anti-magic barrier around their entire territory.]

'What?!'

Suddenly, Celeste, who had also halted beside me, groaned as if in utter agony and swayed. Then, her enormous form instantly got swallowed by a vortex of vicious red fire, causing us to take a few cautious steps back.

"What is happening?!" Ino shrieked in panic, seeing Celeste engulfed in the burning agony.

I couldn't answer because I wasn't even sure. Yet, as I watched the flames consume her and her massive form suddenly begin to shrink, a suspicion solidified in my mind: If Celeste's bonded ability required mana to maintain, then the Sages locking the territory with an anti-magic barrier would, of course, forcibly revert her.

The flames burned for just a few seconds and then, as abruptly as they had begun, they vanished. All that was left was Celeste, standing in her normal, small form.

She looked unconscious and was about to fall when I quickly reached out and grabbed her with my right arm. When I confirmed that she was alive, I raised my left and tried to use my exclusive skill, but it didn't work. I suddenly began to feel my heart race.

What were the Sages planning?

At that moment, Aika urgently called out, 'Gamer Privileges?'~~

[Activating Gamer Privileges…]

'Can you detect the precise location of the Sages?'~~

Instantly, one of the screens hovering in front of me, precisely the map, expanded and zoomed out, revealing the location of the ten Sages.

They were scattered around the edges of the territory. Turns out, while we were busy engaging the other ghouls, they had gone to the various edges, including the north where we were headed, and had begun the ritual for the anti-magic barrier.

But that was not even the worst part.

Looking at the screen, my panic spiked because all the edges leading out of this territory were completely flooded with red dots, especially the north where we were headed.

'Aiisshh! Aika, we're trapped!'~

They were waiting for us!

Just then, Dion spoke in a weak, panicky voice. "Uh… Something's wrong, Ino. I can't feel my mana. It's... it's like when we were in the prison."

"What?!"

"I have a bad feeling. We need to keep moving, we need to get out of here fast…"

He was still speaking when Ino slowly began to fade. She started to panic, muttering frantically, "No, no, this can't be…"

However, in less than a few seconds, she had already vanished and reverted back to being a tattoo on Dion's arm.

Without anyone to support him anymore, Dion suddenly stumbled violently and collapsed to the ground, letting out a sharp groan.

'Shit!' I quickly scanned the area, looking for what I could give to Dion for support. Spotting a bone spear lying a few meters back, I gently dropped the unconscious Celeste on the floor. Then I immediately rushed to retrieve the spear, and returned to Dion.

"Hey, get up, we need to leave," I said urgently, slung his arm over my shoulder, and hauled him back to his feet. I handed him the spear. "Here. Use this for support."

Dion grabbed onto it.

I then hurried back to Celeste and, summoning all my strength, managed to heave her unconscious body onto my back in a piggyback carry.

With Celeste secured, my eyes instantly darted to my map. I searched frantically for any clear path, and that was when I saw that the only path that wasn't flooded with red dots was a nearby waterfall face to the east. Far below, the sheer drop plunged straight into a massive body of water.

The ghouls weren't guarding this edge because they likely assumed we wouldn't dare attempt it. After all, water in this realm was as deadly, if not more so than, the land.

Fortunately, zooming out on the map, I could see a stretch of shore not too far away on the right side of the water.

If we could swim fast enough to the shore, perhaps we could make it to another territory before whatever lurked in the water found us. It was a massive risk, but it was our only option. …Certainly better than falling into the hands of the ghouls waiting for us.

I drew in a shaky breath and turned to Dion, whose eyes were still clouded with pain.

"We can't go north any longer."

"What?! Why?"

"It's a trap. The ghouls responsible for the anti-magic barrier are waiting for us there with reinforcements."

Dion's face visibly paled. He asked, his voice shaking, "What do we do now? Isn't there any other way out?"

I swallowed hard before replying. "There is a way out, but you won't like it. And yes, it's far more dangerous."

Dion's frown deepened. He looked ready to argue, but I quickly cut him off. "Unlike the north, where death is a certainty, if we go east, there is a five percent chance we might make it to another territory alive."

Dion bit his lower lip, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, he replied, "Five percent is better than zero, right?"

I forced a smile and nudged my head east. "Then let's go."

We both turned and began walking toward the waterfall. Even though we tried to move fast, Dion's injury kept slowing us down. During the tense walk, I couldn't take my eyes off the map, specifically those relentless red dots. The only saving grace was that the ghouls seemed content to wait, patient in their trap.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally reached the very edge of the cliff.

We couldn't even see the body of water below. The cliff was not only impossibly deep, but the chasm was choked with a thick, churning white fog.

"This is it?" Dion asked, his gaze shifting from the opaque vapor below to me.

I nodded. "Yeah. It's either we die the moment we jump in..." I pointed toward the right. "...or we swim and make it to the shore."

Dion swallowed, then looked back at the foggy abyss and said, his voice shaking. "Mate, this isn't a five percent chance of survival. This is more like zero point zero zero zero one."

I sighed and stared into the fog. He was right. I'd only said five percent to get him to come here.

A few minutes passed in a heavy, silent haze. Finally, I turned to Dion. "Ready?"

Dion shook his head. "No... but I'll jump anyway."

I drew in another deep breath and looked back at the swirling depths. "On my go. Three... two... one!"

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