CHAPTER 117: THE DOON OF THE LOST
The desert had regained its calm.
The eleven figures had disappeared from the ritual area, as if the sand had simply decided to reclaim what belonged to it.
Ki-Moon stood for a few seconds in front of the system's inscriptions.
[TRIAL OF LIFE / STATUE: SACRIFICE]
[CONDITION SATISFIED.]
[REWARD: 3 EXTRA LIVES.]
[CURRENT LIVES: 4]
Then another window appeared.
[QUEST OBJECT UPDATED.]
[TREASURE HUNTER MAP]
[FRAGMENT 2/7 UNLOCKED.]
Ki-Moon lowered his eyes.
The piece of parchment he held between his fingers had changed.
The lines that were previously broken had extended, outlining an upper part of the game
A 12th floor was mentioned.
He didn't even know about the existence of the floors and had no other details about what this area represented.
But one thing was now clear in his mind like a revelation: he was onto something—this world was a simulation.
Ki-Moon carefully folded the scroll and left it in the space of his watch.
He turned around for a moment, looked into the distance and hesitated to go back and wait for Carina.
But he didn't see the point.
He was sure that this strange girl would be able to find him.
He had enough resources to survive.
And above all...intended to try again a dilemma
He turned around and left.
The City of Gold still shone in the distance, behind the dunes.
Part of him would have preferred to know exactly what was inside.
But the card had just offered him something even more precious.
A direction outside this domain.
He began to walk.
Ki-Moon's footsteps sank steadily into the sand.
This time, he no longer needed to pretend to be exhausted.
The sun was still burning her skin.
His throat was dry.
Her legs felt heavy.
But its rhythm remained stable and the atmosphere bearable.
Three more lives.
Ki-Moon briefly touched his chest.
He walked for almost an hour.
Then the landscape changed.
The dunes became less high.
The sand began to reveal pieces of black stone.
Ki-Moon pauses.
He observed the ground.
Three flat rocks were placed one on top of the other; they were too regular and perfectly round.
This is the right place.
Ki-Moon took out the fragment and examined it in detail.
The symbol drawn on the parchment corresponded exactly to the one engraved on the stone.
He approached.
The parchment began to vibrate.
He put it away and rolled up his sleeves.
His face was still marked by the heat, but his attention was entirely focused on the movement of the rocks.
but far away in the desert.
Carina was already on his trail.
He also didn't know that they were separated by several kilometers.
In his mind, this separation was only temporary.
They would meet again.
Sooner or later.
All he had to do was continue.
And in front of him, the emergency exit tunnel loomed, further reinforcing his certainty about the game.