Joy and delight lit up Ryan's face as he waved his hand: "Ha! Ha!"
A person was approaching them from afar, slowly coming closer. It was their companion Carlos, accompanied by their friend Tala.
Ryan: "Hello! I really missed you. A week has passed like hell while we've been fighting these monsters in this area."
Hehehe, a nervous laugh and smile appeared on Carlos's face: "Oh, really? You mean you've been fighting monsters for a whole week?"
Carlos had truly realized the length of time they had spent inside that maze. By this world's time, it had been a full week, but still, he was very relieved they hadn't been trapped longer in the maze.
"Well, well, Ryan, it seems you both have suffered a lot this week. You need to eat something and... change."
As soon as Carlos mentioned food, both of them pounced on the bags and supplies.
They ate voraciously, tears welling up from the intense longing for food like this.
"Haah… Carlos!"
Ryan stammered as he addressed Carlos: "It seems you haven't eaten any of this food; even the supplies are in perfect condition as we brought them in."
Hehe, a look of embarrassment spread across Carlos's face again; he couldn't respond to this question.
"I wonder what their reaction would be if they knew we got lost in a maze in another dimension, and all the time that passed for them was only a few hours while they experienced a whole week!"
Tala's glasses glimmered, and she moved her hand slightly before speaking:
"Ryan, you said you stayed in these mountains for a week, right?"
While Ryan was eating voraciously, Tala questioned him a little, and he responded, his voice stammering because of the food in his mouth.
"Yup, yup, that's correct. We spent a whole week hunting monsters, didn't we, Til?"
"Yes, yes. Those cursed monsters were extremely annoying; their shapes were strange, and they were truly strong."
Tala rubbed her head slightly, then turned toward the corpse of the monster Carlos had killed.
It was something strange—it was undoubtedly a Chimera.
While Til and Ryan were eating, Carlos and Tala were examining these strange phenomena.
It seemed these creatures, the Chimera monsters, were not ordinary; they were the result of someone's actions.
Usually, Chimeras were legends; they didn't exist, but many people believed in them, and some even claimed to have seen them.
They were bizarre creatures, something illogical, which is why most people assumed they were monsters stuck in the human continent a thousand years ago, during the previous race wars.
It was believed they were a genetic mutation that came from outside the continent and got trapped there at the war's end. Nevertheless, their existence seemed almost fantastical.
Finding dragons in the human continent was easier than finding them, but their prevalence in this region was unnatural; it was clearly the work of someone.
This was the conclusion Tala had reached, and Carlos agreed.
These mountains hid something within their folds.
Suddenly, as Carlos and Tala were investigating, Ryan stood right beside them!
They hadn't noticed him until they saw him.
Tala seemed slightly terrified by his sudden appearance while he held a piece of meat and spoke:
"What are you whispering about, friends?"
"Heeey," Tala replied, "we're looking for a logical reason for what's happening and trying to uncover some mysteries."
Joy spread across Ryan's face when he realized Tala and Carlos hadn't discovered or known anything. In a very proud tone, he said:
"Hahaha! It seems you need some help, friends."
"Heeey! Why would we need help from you?" Tala responded.
"I assure you, we don't need your help."
Carlos intervened:
"Ryan, during this week you stayed here, did you find anything strange besides these monsters? Anything at all, no matter how small?"
Ryan replied: "Yes, we encountered something unusual."
Tala immediately turned to Ryan: "What is it?" she asked.
Ryan answered her question: "It was a small, strange lake."
Carlos and Tala's expressions widened upon hearing this.
"Continue, continue! What about this lake?"
"It was extremely deep—so deep that there seemed to be no bottom.
We were chasing a strangely shaped fish in it, but it sank too far into the depths, so we decided to return, but we couldn't.
It started as if the lake's surface disappeared, then a strange force pressed on us and pulled us further into the depths, until we saw a flash of bright light covering our eyes.
When our vision returned, we found ourselves falling from a great height, landing on the floor of a massive small chamber."
When they stood up again, they saw that the huge chamber looked like a hollow inside a mountain.
All it contained was a massive door. At first, they couldn't open it, but they managed to unlock it by pumping Aether into it.
Carlos exclaimed: "Pumping Aether?! Do you know what you're saying? You have to be in the Glow stage of Aether control to do that!"
Hehe, Ryan proudly stated that they had indeed reached that stage and were nearing the third transformation stage.
"Well, that's not the main point. That door… what was behind it?"
At this point, annoyance was visible on Ryan's face. He stood up and said:
"Come, I'll show you the place; perhaps this is better."
Ryan, followed by Carlos and Tala, went forward.
Then Ryan turned slightly toward Til and said:
"We'll return shortly; stay close to the supplies."
Til waved in agreement. He was eating greedily and didn't care about what Ryan and Tala were discussing.
Now Ryan moved forward, with Carlos and Tala behind him.
They proceeded toward the place Ryan had indicated.
After a short walk, they arrived at the site, resembling a massive abandoned building.
Ryan entered through the door he had previously destroyed, followed by Carlos and Tala.
Once inside, everything became clear at last. The puzzle pieces fell into place.
This scene wasn't unfamiliar—it was something each of them had experienced before, a horrific sight that seemed to gnaw at their bones.
Tala broke the silence:
"Alright, my turn ends here. Carlos, Til, and Ryan too—you know what you have to do."
"Oh yes, we know for certain. All that remains is to search for the Black Mage responsible for this lab, interrogate him, and then kill him most ruthlessly," Carlos said through gritted teeth, seemingly eager to spill someone's blood.
The two began searching the lab.
Before starting, Carlos asked Ryan:
"Did you find anything else useful in this lab?"
Ryan replied: "We searched a little, but I didn't find anything. I'm sure I haven't searched thoroughly yet."
"Hah! It's not like I was counting on you for something like this!"
Carlos changed the topic:
"Ryan, have you really mastered Aether? That means you've truly reached the Glow stage, not just claiming it?"
"Heeey, it's not just me; Til can do it too."
"Wait, I'll catch up with you soon."
"Heeey, I still need to improve more to prevent this from happening."
"Alright, alright," Tala interrupted their conversation, "I found something interesting."
"Oh? And what is that?"
Tala brushed dust off a book in her hands.
"This book seems really useful; it contains information that might help us in the future."
After removing the dust, she put it in her bag.
At that moment, a massive explosion shook the area, its vibrations reaching them!
The three of them ran out in panic. Thick smoke rose from where they had left Til, and a huge blast could be seen from their position!
Fear and worry showed on their faces as they all rushed toward Til without thinking.
End of Chapter