Desert Continent

I stepped onto the scorching sand, feeling its searing heat even through my boots. The sun hung directly overhead, blindingly white, beating down on the back of my head like someone pressing a hot iron against it.

"The desert on the Demon Continent was hot at most. I could handle that, but this hellhole is practically a steamer."

Eris walked ahead of me, her steps steady, but part of her hair was soaked with sweat and stuck to her neck. Her lips were a little pale. We had been walking through the desert for most of the day, and the waterskin was almost empty.

"Water." I held out my right hand.

Eris passed me the waterskin, and I took a sip. The water had grown warm in the sun and tasted of leather, but at least it moistened my throat.

I passed the waterskin to Paul behind me. He took a long swig and wiped his mouth. "This damn weather is even worse than summer in southern Asura."

Master Roxy walked to my right, her hat brim pulled so low that only the lower half of her face showed. Her lips were dry and cracked from the heat, but she hadn't said a word. Elinalise, on the other hand, looked completely unbothered. Her spiral curls didn't move an inch in the heat waves, as though even the sun couldn't do a thing to her. Talhand brought up the rear, his armor reflecting white light in the sun. With every step, he cursed, "This heat's killing me," but he hadn't slowed down at all.

Geese crouched in the shade of a rock, his face scrunched up. "Boss, Rapan's just ahead. Another half hour or so at most."

I looked up. A dark green patch lay on the distant horizon. Trees, lots of them. Surrounded on all sides by yellow sand, that patch of green looked especially unreal.

"Hang in there, everyone. We're almost there." Paul clapped his hands.

After another half hour or so, the sand beneath our feet gradually gave way to hard earth, then to a gravel road. There was more and more grass along the roadside, and the occasional crooked tree came into view. There was a hint of moisture in the air.

We had reached Rapan.

The city was built on an oasis, looking from a distance like an emerald set in the yellow sand. Its ocher walls were made of rammed earth and stood only three or four meters high, with a few faded flags planted along the top. The gates were two thick wooden slabs, standing open. Two guards in light armor leaned listlessly against the base of the wall, dozing.

As soon as we entered the city, the temperature dropped, and we all breathed a long sigh of relief.

The streets were crowded. People of different races in all kinds of clothes mingled together: merchants in robes, adventurers in armor, and locals with headscarves wrapped around their heads. The languages were just as varied: Human Language, Fighting God Language, and some dialects I couldn't understand, all blending into a constant buzz.

"Rapan, the labyrinth city. The largest city on the Begaritt Continent and a holy land for adventurers. Dozens of labyrinths, large and small, are scattered through the surrounding desert, attracting countless adventurers every year in search of riches, though the high rewards come with equally high risks."

We settled into an inn. There was a well in the middle of its courtyard, and the water was ice-cold. I drew up a bucket, used voiceless water magic to form a thin sheet of ice at my fingertips, and handed it to Master Roxy.

"Master, use this to cool down." I managed to force a smile, because it was just too hot.

She took the ice and pressed it to her forehead, letting out a long breath. "Thank you."

Elinalise came over. "Little Rudeus, cool me down too~"

Without changing my expression, I formed another piece of ice and handed it to her.

Paul took off his boots in the courtyard and stepped barefoot onto the cool stone paving, showing a smile I hadn't seen in a long time. Maybe he was relieved. Talhand leaned against the base of the wall, drinking, while Geese had already run off somewhere.

After resting for two hours, once the sun had begun to sink westward, Paul and I went to the Adventurers' Guild.

The Adventurers' Guild in Rapan was bigger than any I'd seen on the Demon Continent. It was a two-story stone building, with a huge wooden board by the entrance plastered with request notices. Inside, the hall was filled with a deafening clamor. Dozens of tables were packed with people drinking, boasting, and talking business, all in a noisy jumble.

Paul presented the search party's documents at the counter. The girl at the desk looked through them, then glanced up at him. "The Greyrat Search Party? Some of your people came by before."

"Yes. I brought two advance teams." Paul lowered his voice. "But neither came back."

The girl's expression changed. She took a stack of documents from under the counter and handed them over. "This is a compilation of information about the Teleportation Labyrinth from the past month, including records of your two previous teams."

I took them and flipped through them. Most were map fragments and route records, and many pages were stained with blood or mud. One report caught my attention.

Three days earlier, an A-rank party of six adventurers had attempted to push deep into the fourth floor of the Teleportation Labyrinth. On the third floor, they had encountered a large-scale poison mist trap and been forced to retreat after two of them were poisoned. The report mentioned one crucial detail: the number of teleportation traps inside the labyrinth had nearly doubled compared to three months ago.

"Master Roxy, the teleportation traps are increasing." I handed her the report.

Roxy skimmed it quickly, her brow furrowing. "That's not normal. Generally speaking, a labyrinth's traps are fixed and don't increase on their own, unless..."

"Unless the labyrinth itself is absorbing mana and strengthening itself," I continued.

Master Roxy glanced at me and nodded. "Rudeus, your assessment is correct. Labyrinths on the Begaritt Continent have this characteristic. The older a labyrinth is, the higher its mana concentration, and the more complex its traps become."

I closed the report. The labyrinth's difficulty would increase over time, which would undoubtedly make it harder to conquer.

By the time we left the guild, it was completely dark. Night and day in the desert were like two different worlds. By day, it was hot enough to roast a person, but at night it was very cold. I wore a light coat and still felt a little chilly.

Eris sat beneath a palm tree in the inn's courtyard, sharpening her sword. The scraping sound rang clearly through the night.

I walked over and sat down on the stone bench beside her.

She didn't look up, continuing to sharpen her sword. The nameless sword gleamed coldly in the moonlight, its reflection flickering across her profile.

After a while, she stopped.

"About last night..."

"Hmm?"

She sheathed her sword and turned to look at me. Her red eyes shone brightly in the moonlight.

"Your heart was beating so fast."

My face instantly grew hot.

She could actually hear my heartbeat? Is her hearing really that incredible? Or... did she do it on purpose?

"Was my heart beating that fast? My lower back's just a little sore, that's all." I smiled as I watched her reaction.

Eris's face reddened a little, and her gaze darted away for an instant. It was quick, but I saw it.

She didn't answer and started sharpening her sword again. Scrape, scrape, scrape.

I leaned back on the stone bench and looked up at the stars. The starry sky over the Begaritt Continent was much clearer than the one over the Central Continent. The Milky Way stretched across the heavens, and the countless stars looked like a handful of scattered silver fragments.

Last night, I proposed to Eris under a large tree outside camp, with a silver ring I carved myself. In my past life, I wouldn't even have dared imagine it. I have to thank Paul too; he was a huge help.

The sound of Paul and Geese talking drifted over from a distance, too faint to make out what they were saying.

I was just getting ready to go back to my room and sleep when Paul came out of the inn. Something was wrong with his expression.

"Rudeus, come here a moment."

I stood and walked over. Paul was clutching a slip of paper he had taken from the Adventurers' Guild's message board.

"Three months ago, a search party went deep into the Teleportation Labyrinth." His voice was low. "They're trapped on the fifth floor."

My stomach tightened. "The fifth floor? That's already past the poison mist zone."

"Geese just got the news from the guild. There were eight people in the party. After encountering a large-scale poison mist on the third floor, they accidentally triggered a teleportation trap and were scattered to different places in the labyrinth. A few of them regrouped in a safe zone on the fifth floor, but they can't get out on their own, and their remaining food and water will last ten days at most."

Paul's hand was trembling as he handed me the note.

I read it by moonlight. Several names were scrawled on it.

The last name made me freeze.

-Lilia.