We find ourselves the following day at the same place during the night. DANTE did not sleep, examining all his abilities to improve his power. Once awake, REX and MALEKIN sit on a hollow log to talk.
DANTE HERALDI: Malekin, I managed to discover that my powers can level up; some increase automatically, and others I have to level up manually. I've already done it, and they are all at the maximum. Now there is a higher level, but it requires certain things like the blood of a god and other specific items to achieve the awakening of some powers.
MALEKIN: That bastard really made it seem like a game to you. Well, what can we do? We can look for materials along the way; in the meantime, we'll keep training.
REX: Yes (wagging his tail), of course! I want to keep getting stronger. And by the way, how on earth did the whole lake fix itself? (surprised)
DANTE HERALDI: To be honest, I saw it; there was just a blinding flash, and out of nowhere, everything was fixed. Apparently, that's just how things work here, haha.
MALEKIN: If all of that fixes itself at 00:00 hours here, it's actually very useful. That way, when there are intense fights like the one we had, everything returns to normal. Alright, let's get on with the training.
Our friends continue training to become stronger; day after day passes fighting powerful monsters, and just like that, 3 months have gone by in the blink of an eye. Our heroes are walking back to the city very early in the morning.
DANTE HERALDI: (stretching) It feels so good to be going back. We went very deep into the forest; thank God HUE didn't show up again during all this time, but for some reason, a malignant presence could be felt.
MALEKIN: (sweating nervously) Actually, the odds of running into him were 10%, and since we have such bad luck, we ended up finding him anyway. He has a curse that doesn't allow him to leave this forest; every time he walks a certain distance, he is teleported to another area of the forest. (whispering to himself) Thank goodness we didn't run into the other thing.
REX: Hey! You said something else, Malekin.
MALEKIN: No, nothing.
REX: So, we have really bad luck, right?
DANTE HERALDI: I can't even argue with that, haha.
MALEKIN: Well, what's done is done, so let's keep moving toward the exit.
DANTE HERALDI: But you know how to get back, right?
MALEKIN: Of course, I have a very useful ability for these situations; that's why we move with confidence through this cursed forest. My ability is called "Traced Steps"; it allows me to know my recent steps and recognize where I've been across a large area, so we'll get out with this. Just follow me; a mental image forms in my head, like a map.
REX: And how does that help you, Mr. MALEKIN?
MALEKIN: Well, when I go out looking for things, sometimes I don't take enough supplies. Since Hell is vast, this ability tells me where I was before so I can find my way back and so on.
REX: Oh, I get it now, that's pretty useful.
DANTE HERALDI: Alright, we're right behind you, MALEKIN.
Our friends walk for a long time, and as evening approaches, they sit down to rest on some fallen trees, building a campfire without fear of anyone bothering them.
DANTE HERALDI: If it weren't for the fruit around here, we'd be exhausted. I know eating isn't necessary, but my body was getting used to it.
MALEKIN: I allowed you guys to eat because sometimes it's a distraction to keep you from going mad, since the Seven Deadly Sins are present here too. Of course, some demons adopt them as their powers, but humans suffer from them here as well, so don't overdo it with certain things.
DANTE HERALDI: Yeah, I know. Umm, maybe this bothers you a bit, but you protect that city a lot, don't you? What can you tell me about all that?
MALEKIN: Umm, right, I never told you, did I? It doesn't bother me at all. To be honest, as I told you before, a long time ago I met a human who reminds me of you. Millennia ago, he saved me and we became friends. Sometime later, we found another human and we trained together to get stronger, until we found a good spot far away from this forest and started building. We met several humans, both young and old. It surprises me how humans commit sins at such a young age, but he told me that humanity is clumsy and you have to know how to understand them. At that time, I thought they were idiots wasting their precious time. Over time, I started to grow fond of all those humans; I began to accept demons to live alongside them, and everything was fine until that damn King of the Island appeared. In that incident, I lost my best friend, and my other friend went out to patrol the surroundings for a long time to protect us; I haven't seen him since. At the moment of the incident, I had to move the city; its current location wasn't there. Then, after a while, I met ACHAM, and by then I was already very powerful, so I covered the city with that barrier. Nowadays, that King never found us again. I used a lot of power to move the city to the edge of the forest, and that's how we threw the King off our trail; later, the King went to rule that island and left us in peace. And that is the story.
DANTE HERALDI: Incredible. You went through a lot too, didn't you? I'm so sorry about your friend.
REX: (crying) That really moved me, I feel so sorry for you (blows his nose). All of this makes me so sad.
MALEKIN: It's not that big of a deal; a lot of time has passed since then. Of course, I miss my friend and the one who never returned, but that's in the past now. With this new level, I could face that piece-of-trash King who ruined all the plans I made with my friend. I never thought about training, but thanks to you, I have new strength too, and you are very strong now as well.
DANTE HERALDI: Rather, thank you for training us; I'm stronger now and REX is very strong too.
REX: Yes, thank you, MALEKIN! I'm much stronger thanks to you; I don't know how to pay you back.
MALEKIN: It's nothing. If we keep moving, we'll reach the exit soon.
Our friends are about to leave the forest when they see a shadow on top of a rock, and it's our dear friend the merchant, MORS.
MORS: Hello, gentlemen! It's been a while, hehehe. Welcome to my shop.
MALEKIN: Who is this guy? And why does he look half-transparent at times?
DANTE HERALDI: Hello, Mr. MORS. What have you brought us this time? Well, MALEKIN, this guy is an envoy from BELL. He sells things to Rex and me every now and then. It's a bit annoying, I know, but he's very useful. I hope you have more helpful items this time.
MALEKIN: Did you say BELL? (slightly annoyed) Umm.
MORS: (agitated) Wait, wait a minute! I'm not that guy's ally. I owe him a favor, and that's why I accepted this little game of BELL's. For now, I'm helping him, but I only come when I have time, because... (serious) I am Death itself.
DANTE HERALDI: (to himself) I still can't see his stats. His window looks glitched out. This guy is, without a doubt, a monster in every sense of the word.
MALEKIN: Fine, it's not like I could do anything against you anyway. Just looking at you tells me you're a powerful enemy, even though I'm level 2300—that's what you told me, right, DANTE? To be honest, I don't think I could beat you.
DANTE HERALDI: Yeah, you can't see your own level, but if that's true, it's incredibly high.
MORS: Come on, don't be modest! I can't tell you my level until you can see it for yourselves, so I'd better show you my wares. Behold my magnificent merchandise, hehe. This time, I have three items for you.
REX: What? Only three? As little as always. Let me guess, the first one is the High-Speed Potion, right? So you only have two new things. What a joke.
MORS: (smiling awkwardly) Hey, dog! Don't get it twisted; I am a very important being. On this side of the existential plane, I have a lot of ground to cover. I don't have much time to choose items for you, so please don't pressure me...(puffs out his cheeks). If you understand, pick your items. Look, I have a potion that saves you from death—as long as you're still technically alive, of course; it fully restores your health. If you are at death's door, it revives you. The High-Speed Potion that lasts 30 minutes has been upgraded, hehe. And this last one makes you immune to fire for 10 minutes. Each one costs 1 gold coin, except for the life-saving one; that one costs 5 gold coins. By the way, want me to upgrade your sword, my friend?
DANTE HERALDI: Umm, I could really use that. Here (hands him his sword).
MORS: Very well, today I will upgrade your sword and add something special, so enjoy.
MALEKIN: What an interesting creature... what he's doing is unprecedented. What do you gain from all of this?
MORS: Umm, what else? Gold, of course! Hahaha. When I have free time—though it's very rare for me to rest (ironically)—I go to places where I can spend that gold and live the high life, hehe.
MALEKIN: Such banal purposes... and yet, you are a being I don't fully understand.
DANTE HERALDI: (sighs) Alright, give me two of those life-saving potions and three of the others. Thanks to some monsters, we managed to get some coins; I didn't know some monsters dropped gold coins.
MORS: Great, here you go. Take your items, and now wait until I'm finished with your sword.
REX: This guy is so weird, but he's pretty helpful. I hope he brings more stuff next time.
DANTE HERALDI: Yeah, he's strange. He gives me the creeps, but he's very useful in his own way.
Our friends stand still as they watch MORS work on the sword; the blade levitates between his hands, glowing and spinning around them. MALEKIN watches him work, amazed by this creature. After a while, he finishes and hands over the sword. This time, the sword had a very striking glow and a small green jewel embedded in the hilt.
MORS: Alright, the sword is done. Now, with this blade, you can consume less mana and deal more damage; your "Shadow Slash" will be more powerful, and the small jewel grants you the power to fully recover your mana. You can only use it once a week—don't forget that—and of course, its cutting damage has increased.
DANTE HERALDI: Now this is a huge step forward. Thanks for this, MORS. How much do I owe you?
MORS: (rubbing his hands together) Well, that will be 20 gold coins.
DANTE HERALDI: You what?! Why so much? Don't you think you went a bit overboard with the price?
MORS: Hey! If you don't like it, find another shopkeeper to do your work. Oh, that's right... there isn't one! Hahahaha.
MALEKIN: This guy is a total opportunist. Pay him and let's get out of here.
REX: Hey, don't you think you're pushing it, MORS?
DANTE HERALDI: Fine, take it and stop bothering us (hands him the coins). Thanks to you, I don't have much gold left now.
MORS: Well, that's all from me. See you later, mortals and demon! (gives a military salute and vanishes).
MALEKIN: What an annoying creature. At least he's not our enemy. Alright, let's finish this; there are only a few meters left to get out of here.
DANTE HERALDI: Yeah, let's go. That guy left me short on cash.
REX: Alright! Now that everything is done here, let's go! (wagging his tail).
MALEKIN: Well, reviewing everything, this is incredible. Your levels now... you, DANTE, are level 1500, and you, REX, are level 1800, and I am level 2300. Am I correct, DANTE? We are very strong now, hahaha! We are ready.
DANTE HERALDI: Yes, MALEKIN, we are very strong now. We'll keep moving forward; once we arrive, we'll relax for a bit and then continue our journey to leave this place and... You'll join us, right, MALEKIN?
MALEKIN: Let me think about it. Once I return to the palace and talk properly with ACHAM, I'll take it into consideration.
DANTE HERALDI: Thanks. You would be a huge help in defeating Mictlantekuti.
REX: Yes, Mr. MALEKIN, it would be a huge help! (MALEKIN smiles).
Our protagonists begin to move through the final stretch remaining to exit the forest. As they step out, a grim scene unfolds before their eyes: the city is engulfed in flames. All three are sweating at the sight of what lies before them. Our friend MALEKIN is furious and at the same time shocked, as memories flood his mind while everything unfolds. What interesting things lie ahead for our friends? A great battle is approaching. What will happen? We will find out very soon.