It was noon.
Under a dried, lifeless tree in the middle of a barren land, Yuki lay unconscious on the ground. In front of him stood two archers—the same ones who had saved him earlier. One of them had removed his shirt, revealing the wound on his back where the snake had bitten him.
The first archer glanced at Yuki and spoke,
"So… how long is he going to sleep?"
The second archer shrugged slightly.
"I don't know. I gave him a healing potion, but there's no telling when he'll wake up."
"I see…" the first one muttered, observing Yuki carefully. "He doesn't look like he's from around here."
"Yeah… maybe he's from some foreign land," the second archer said thoughtfully. "But his endurance is impressive. Even after getting bitten, he kept fighting for quite a while. I respect that."
The first archer nodded.
"That's true. Snake poison isn't something just anyone can endure… but he did. I'm sure he's strong."
At that moment—
Yuki's eyelids twitched.
Both archers immediately focused on him.
Slowly, Yuki blinked once… then again…
As his vision cleared, he saw two unfamiliar figures standing in front of him.
"AAAH—!!"
Startled, he shouted and jerked back.
The two archers instinctively stepped back as well.
"Hey, hey! Calm down!" the second archer said quickly. "We're not enemies—we're your friends!"
Yuki quickly sat up, breathing heavily, his eyes filled with tension as he stared at them.
Where am I…?
He paused for a moment, trying to recall.
Then—
Oh right… the portal world created by Precious…
And these people… they saved me from the snakes.
Yeah… now I remember…
While he was still processing everything, the first archer spoke again.
"What's your name? And where did you come from?"
Yuki froze for a second, his eyes widening in confusion.
…How can I understand their language?
Or… are they speaking the same language as my world?
I don't know…
The first archer repeated, slightly firmer this time,
"Can you understand me? Who are you—"
Yuki interrupted him, his voice low but tense.
"How long was I unconscious?"
The two archers exchanged a glance.
Then the second one answered,
"Uh… maybe around five to six hours."
"WHAT?! Five to six hours?!" Yuki exclaimed. "Damn it—I wasted too much time!"
The archers looked confused by his reaction.
As time passed, the sun slowly began to descend, and the atmosphere shifted toward evening.
The first archer asked again,
"Who are you? What's your name? And what are you doing here?"
Yuki slowly stood up, dusting off his clothes.
"My name is Yuki Mourya," he said calmly. "I'm here because…"
He paused, then looked at them with a serious expression.
"I have some missions to complete."
The two archers stared at him, clearly confused.
But suddenly—
Grrrr…
A loud sound came from Yuki's stomach.
His face instantly turned red.
"…For now," he said awkwardly, scratching his head, "I'm really hungry… do you have any food?"
The second archer burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! No problem—you're our guest."
He turned to the first archer.
"Hey, Sika. Let's take him to our village. What do you think?"
Sika nodded.
"No problem. But Yuki… I should warn you. Our village can be dangerous. Werewolves sometimes attack us at any time."
Yuki's eyes widened.
What? Werewolves?
Isn't one of my missions to kill 20 werewolves?
And another one is to find a village…
Wait… if I go to their village and kill werewolves—
A two-in-one mission…!
His face lit up with excitement.
"Yes! Yes! I'll go with you!"
Sika smiled slightly.
"Then let's go. Our village is just a few minutes from here."
The three of them began walking together.
Meanwhile… outside this world
On the planet Elaria, inside the Shin Kingdom—
At Doramai School, during the same lunch break—
Precious and Pretty sat on a bench, their empty lunchboxes placed between them.
In front of them, a floating screen displayed Yuki's movements in real time.
On the screen, Yuki could be seen walking with the two archers toward their village.
Pretty watched with visible concern.
"Oh God… Yuki barely survived…"
Then her expression softened into a confident, affectionate smile as she looked at Precious.
"Well… I know if something happens to him, you'll save him, right…?"
Precious remained silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on the screen.
Then, in a calm but serious tone, he said—
"No. I won't help him."
Pretty's smile froze.
Slowly, it faded, replaced by confusion and concern.
Precious turned his gaze toward her and continued,
"This isn't my journey. It's not my fight—it's Yuki's."
"If he truly wants to become stronger… if he truly wants to protect his family and loved ones… then he has to clear all 100 trials of that world on his own."
"I won't interfere."
Pretty's expression grew darker.
"…And what if Yuki dies?"
There was a brief pause.
Then Precious answered calmly,
"I won't revive him. I won't turn back time."
"If he dies, then that's his fate."
"If I save him now, he'll start depending on me in the future. Every time he's in danger, he'll believe someone will come to rescue him."
"That's why… don't misunderstand me, Ice."
Pretty took a breath, then gently shook her head.
"No… I've never misunderstood you. You always think things through before acting."
A faint smile appeared on Precious's face.
He turned his attention back to the screen.
"Besides… this is the path Yuki chose himself."
"I'll just observe… like an observer."
Pretty stayed silent, watching him… then slowly shifted her gaze back to the screen.
But suddenly—
"!!"
For a split second, Precious's eyes narrowed.
Something hit his senses.
…Welcome back, Kail.