Then slowly, the scream faded. Little by little, it could no longer be heard.
But it was certain now, the thing they were going to fight was not normal like the monsters they had faced before.
"What was that?" Serenya asked, her voice slightly unsteady as she wrapped her arms around herself.
Her body was trembling due to that scream, and her fingers tightened slightly against her sleeves.
"I am not sure myself," Soryn replied.
He exhaled slowly as he forced himself to steady his breathing after that scream. "But it feels like it was coming from the direction of the Mastry Slayer."
As he spoke, he lifted his head slightly, trying to return himself back to normal.
"Do we really have to fight it?" Isaya asked hesitantly.
His voice was small.
"The quest only says kill the Mastry Slayer," he continued, lowering his gaze slightly as his fingers trembled at his sides. "It does not say that we have to kill it. Anyone in Titan City can kill it… and everyone can survive."
He looked up at Soryn; small tears were forming in the corners of his eyes.
Soryn remained silent for a moment.
He slowly turned his head and looked toward the south, in the direction where the Mastry Slayer's area was located.
The faint red glow in the sky was still visible from afar. Then he shifted his gaze back toward his companions.
Isaya and Serenya stood close to each other, both looking uneasy.
Soryn took a slow breath and steadied himself. Then he lifted his head and looked at them firmly.
"What do you guys want to do," Soryn said calmly. "We will do that."
His expression was firm, yet touched with concern as he waited for their answer.
Both Isaya and Serenya looked at each other. Their eyes met for a brief moment, hesitation clearly visible between them.
"Soryn! We…" Serenya began to speak, slightly stepping forward.
But before she could finish-
A message suddenly popped up in front of them.
[Watcher Golden says, "Don't back off from the quest if you want to live, not just survive."]
Soryn's eyes shifted toward the message. He stared at it silently for a few seconds, his brows slowly tightening.
Then another message appeared beside it.
[Watcher Harmes says, "If you guys take part in this quest and future quests, you guys will become stronger and stronger. But if you leave quests like this, you guys will only survive in the future if you are lucky."]
The air around them fell silent once again.
Isaya lowered his head slightly. His hands clenched tightly into fists. His body was still trembling, but he forced himself to stand straight.
"We will take part in it," Isaya said first.
His voice was shaky at first, but he forced himself to speak clearly despite the fear visible on his face.
Both Soryn and Serenya turned their heads and looked at Isaya.
For a brief moment, silence lingered between them. Then both Soryn and Serenya nodded slightly to each other.
Serenya stepped forward and pulled her sword out in one swift motion, raising it slightly into the air.
"So let's move," Serenya said loudly, tightening her grip around the sword handle. "And slay that Slayer… or whatever that thing is."
Soryn smiled slightly as he watched her determination.
Then he nodded once and spoke calmly.
"Let's move," Soryn said, adjusting his posture as he looked toward the south. "We only have two hours and thirty minutes left."
Just then, messages appeared in front of them.
[Watcher Golden admires your bravery.]
[Watcher Harmes smiles as he looks at you all.]
Without wasting time, they all started to move.
Isaya moved closer to Soryn while walking and tugged slightly at his sleeve.
"Mister," Isaya said with an innocent voice, looking up at him. "You should rest for a while as we are moving toward the Slayer's area."
Soryn glanced down at him while continuing to walk.
"But if I rest, we will be late," Soryn replied calmly.
Isaya blinked once as he heard those words.
Then suddenly, he lifted his hands forward.
For a brief moment, it looked as if his hands had entered into a small portal-like space.
He withdrew something from it.
It was a cage. The cage looked just like a pet carrier, but it was small enough to fit easily into Isaya's small hands.
He held it carefully and handed it toward Soryn.
"Mister, it is a Traveler's Cage," Isaya said, holding it out with both hands. "You can go inside it, and we can carry it with us while we travel… and you can rest at the same time."
Soryn stopped walking and looked at the cage for a few seconds.
An embarrassed look slowly appeared on his face.
Then he looked back at Isaya.
"It is very nice," Soryn said, scratching the side of his head slightly. "Did Harmes give it to you?"
Isaya's face instantly brightened. He smiled widely and nodded excitedly.
"Yes!" Isaya said loudly with an excited voice. "He gives me a lot of things. He is very nice!"
Another message appeared.
[Watcher Harmes looks at his player proudly and admires his words.]
Soryn glanced at the message and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Are these Watchers really nice…? he thought silently.
He didn't say anything for a moment.
Then he looked back at Isaya.
"Okay, I will rest," Soryn said calmly. "But how can I get out of it?"
Isaya nodded quickly.
"You just have to think about leaving," Isaya replied, lifting one finger slightly. "And you will be able to get out of it."
Soryn nodded slowly.
He stepped closer and placed his hand on the cage.
In the next instant, His body disappeared. He was teleported inside the cage.
Inside, the cage looked completely different. It looked just like a five-star hotel room. Beautiful curtains hung along the sides of the walls. A large LCD screen was attached to the wall in front of a double bed.
Soryn stood still for a moment, looking around in slight surprise.
Then he stepped forward and pressed a button near the LCD.
The screen lit up.
It began to show what was happening outside the cage.
"It is really nice…" Soryn muttered quietly, folding his arms slightly as he looked around the room.
"So those Watchers can really give nice things," he added thoughtfully.
He lowered himself onto the edge of the bed.
"I should also join a Watcher…"
Just then-
A message suddenly appeared in front of him.
[Watcher Harmes invites you in a private chat.]
"What is this…?" Soryn muttered, leaning slightly forward as he stared at the message.
"He is inviting me…"
He looked at the message for a few seconds.
Then suddenly he slammed his hand onto the small table placed between the LCD and the bed.
"Whatever," Soryn said firmly. "I accept the invite."
[Invitation accepted.]
[Watcher Harmes welcomes you.]
Soryn leaned back slightly and crossed his arms.
"So what do you want from me?" Soryn asked, staring directly at the message.
Another message appeared.
[Watcher Harmes says, "I just want to tell you that not every Watcher is nice. You should be careful with them. They can also become enemies with you if they don't like you."]
Soryn frowned slightly as he read the message.
"How are you messaging me now?" Soryn asked, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the words. "I thought Watchers can only have private chats with their players."
Another reply appeared.
[You are in an item that is under me, so I can have private messages with you.]
"Hmmm…" Soryn murmured quietly, lifting his hand and rubbing his chin slightly.
This world is really confusing… I need to understand everything so we can live our lives as they were before.
Another message appeared.
[Watcher Harmes says, "Take care of my player. Bye."]
"Wait…" Soryn said quickly, leaning forward slightly.
But before he could finish—
[The private chat has ended.]
Soryn frowned slightly as the message disappeared. He exhaled slowly. Then he moved back toward the bed and laid down on it and closed his eyes.
I should rest for now.
As he was sleeping, it suddenly felt like he was floating again.
Then, It felt like he was falling. Soryn's eyes snapped open in panic.
But he found himself standing in a black room.
It was completely dark.
So dark that he could not see anything around him.
"Where am I…?" Soryn muttered, confusion filling his face as he slowly turned his head from side to side.
"Why does every weird thing need to happen with me…?" he added under his breath, clenching his fists slightly.
Just then, smoke began to form around him.
Thin strands at first. Then more and more smoke started to surround him from all directions.
Soft whispers began to echo from within the smoke.
Am I going to die because of this thing? he thought, as the smoke crept closer and closer. With every passing moment, fear gripped Soryn's heart tighter.