The three of them continued along the sandy road toward Espana Village.
The hidden dungeon had already disappeared behind the distant dunes. From where they were now, its entrance was nothing more than a dark opening among the scattered rocks surrounding the Sandy Oasis. The vast desert stretched endlessly in every direction, its golden surface shimmering beneath the afternoon sun.
The wind carried fine grains of sand across the road, occasionally brushing against their armor and clothes.
For the first time since entering the dungeon, Ryota felt as though he could finally breathe normally.
His body was exhausted.
His muscles still throbbed from the battle against Apollonius, and every movement reminded him just how close they had come to death. His equipment had suffered considerable damage, while his health had only recovered to twelve percent after consuming his final potion.
It was far from enough to call himself healthy.
Still, compared to the two percent he had been at inside the dungeon, twelve percent felt almost comfortable.
At least he wasn't one stray attack away from dying.
Ramos walked between Ryota and Fayzan.
The NPC looked considerably worse than either of the players.
Dust covered his clothes, his hair was disheveled, and several scratches could be seen across his arms and face. His steps were slower than usual, and every now and then he glanced over his shoulder toward the distant dungeon.
It was obvious that the experience had shaken him.
Fayzan, meanwhile, had become strangely obsessed with the armor fragment he had obtained from Apollonius.
The moment they had left the dungeon, he had stored the fragment safely inside his inventory.
And apparently, that wasn't enough.
Every few minutes, he opened the item description.
Then closed it.
A few minutes later, he opened it again.
Ryota finally noticed.
"You've checked that thing at least ten times."
Fayzan looked up from his interface.
"I know."
"Then why do you keep checking it?"
"Because it's amazing."
Fayzan's eyes lit up.
"You don't understand. This isn't ordinary monster material. It's a fragment from Apollonius's armor."
"I know."
"Do you know what that means?"
"That it's probably valuable?"
"Exactly!"
Fayzan grinned.
Ryota shook his head.
"You really think you can make a weapon from it?"
"Absolutely."
Fayzan closed the item window.
"If I can find the right craftsman, there's no reason I couldn't."
His excitement was obvious.
"I could make something incredible."
Ryota laughed.
"Just don't accidentally make a sword that burns your hands off."
Fayzan shrugged.
"I'll take my chances."
Ramos gave a weak smile.
"I hope you don't accidentally burn yourself with it."
Fayzan looked toward him.
"That's part of the experience."
Ramos stared at him.
"I don't think that's how experience is supposed to work."
Ryota laughed.
For a brief moment, the three of them simply walked.
The conversation was ordinary.
Almost peaceful.
After everything they had experienced beneath the desert, that peacefulness felt strangely precious.
Ryota looked toward the horizon.
Espana Village was still some distance away.
If they maintained their current pace, they would reach it before sunset.
He could already imagine what would happen once they returned.
Rio would probably still be busy with whatever she had been doing before he left.
He could already picture the look on her face when he explained what had happened.
She would listen carefully.
She would ask about Apollonius.
She would want to know every ability they had witnessed.
She would probably become especially interested in the armor fragment.
And then, knowing Rio, she would immediately start thinking about how they could defeat Apollonius.
Ryota smiled.
The thought of seeing her again made the exhaustion feel slightly lighter.
Then—
he stopped.
His smile disappeared.
Fayzan took another step before realizing Ryota wasn't beside him.
He turned around.
"What?"
Ryota didn't answer.
His eyes slowly moved across the desert.
The wind was still blowing.
Sand drifted lazily across the ground.
The palm trees in the distance swayed gently.
There were no monsters nearby.
No players.
No travelers.
Nothing appeared to be out of place.
Yet something felt wrong.
Ryota's instincts had suddenly become razor-sharp.
He could feel it.
Someone was watching them.
His fingers slowly moved toward the hilt of his sword.
"Wait."
Fayzan's expression immediately changed.
He stopped walking.
"What is it?"
Ryota continued scanning the dunes.
"I don't know."
His eyes narrowed.
"Something feels..."
He couldn't explain it.
There was no visible enemy.
No sound of approaching footsteps.
No obvious killing intent.
But the sensation remained.
They were being watched.
Ryota's grip tightened around his weapon.
"...Wrong."
Fayzan reached for his own weapon.
Ramos looked between them, confusion spreading across his face.
"What is happening?"
Ryota opened his mouth.
Before he could answer—
A sharp whistle tore through the air.
His eyes widened.
"Move!"
A projectile streaked over the dunes.
It struck the ground several meters ahead of them.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The explosion violently tore through the sand.
A cloud of dust erupted into the air, followed by a shockwave that struck the three of them.
Ryota immediately raised an arm in front of his face.
Fayzan stumbled backward.
Ramos screamed.
"What was that?!"
Ryota's instincts screamed at him.
That wasn't a random attack.
Another projectile emerged from the dust.
Then another.
Then another.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The peaceful desert erupted into chaos.
Sand flew everywhere.
The road vanished beneath clouds of dust.
Ryota's eyes widened.
"AMBUSH!"
Figures suddenly appeared across the surrounding dunes.
Players.
Dozens of them.
They had been hiding beneath cloaks and behind the dunes, waiting patiently for the three of them to leave the dungeon.
Black armor covered their bodies.
Dark cloth concealed their faces.
Weapons were already drawn.
They had planned this.
They had waited until Ryota, Fayzan, and Ramos were exhausted.
Ryota immediately understood.
They had chosen their timing perfectly.
The three of them had just escaped a Legendary boss.
Their health was low.
Their equipment was damaged.
Their stamina was nearly depleted.
They were vulnerable.
Fayzan immediately reached for his sword.
But before he could fully draw it—
A figure burst from the smoke.
THUD!
A powerful kick slammed into Fayzan's chest.
His feet left the ground.
He was thrown backward and crashed into the sand.
"FAYZAN!"
Ryota moved without hesitation.
His sword came free in a flash.
He charged the attacker.
The enemy raised his weapon.
CLANG!
Their blades collided.
Ryota's arms shook from the impact.
He immediately followed with another strike.
The enemy blocked again.
Ryota stepped forward and attacked a third time.
The player dodged to the side.
Another attacker appeared from Ryota's blind spot.
Ryota barely noticed the movement in time.
He twisted his body.
A blade passed dangerously close to his ribs.
"Damn it!"
He jumped backward.
His breathing became heavier.
His body wasn't responding the way he wanted.
He was still exhausted.
Apollonius had taken far more out of him than he had realized.
His muscles were slow.
His stamina was nearly gone.
His health was barely above death.
And now they were surrounded.
Ryota gritted his teeth.
"We should've rested."
Another enemy charged.
Ryota raised his sword.
CLANG!
He blocked the strike.
A second blade came from the opposite side.
He ducked.
A spear stabbed toward his shoulder.
He twisted aside.
A magical projectile exploded against the ground behind him.
The pressure was relentless.
They weren't fighting like random players.
They were coordinated.
Every attacker seemed to know exactly what the others were doing.
Ryota realized they weren't trying to kill him immediately.
They were separating them.
"Fayzan!"
He looked toward his companion.
Fayzan had recovered from the initial kick and was attempting to stand.
Three players surrounded him.
Another was moving toward Ramos.
Ryota's expression changed.
"Ramos!"
The NPC stood frozen several meters away.
He looked completely overwhelmed.
His eyes moved rapidly between the attackers.
He couldn't understand what was happening.
Ryota shouted at him.
"RUN!"
The command finally broke through Ramos's fear.
He turned and sprinted.
He didn't get far.
A thin object suddenly shot through the air.
FWOOOSH!
A rope wrapped around both of Ramos's legs.
His eyes widened.
"WHAA—?!"
His feet were pulled out from underneath him.
Ramos crashed face-first into the sand.
The rope tightened immediately.
Before he could recover, another cable shot toward him.
It wrapped around his arms and pulled them tightly behind his back.
Ramos struggled desperately.
"LET ME GO!"
One of the attackers grabbed the rope and began pulling.
Ramos dug his fingers into the sand.
"NO!"
Ryota's eyes widened.
"RAMOS!"
He immediately tried to reach him.
Four players stepped into his path.
All four drew their weapons.
One raised a sword.
Another lowered a spear.
A third began gathering magical energy.
The fourth pulled an arrow from his quiver and drew his bowstring.
Ryota stopped.
His eyes moved between them.
"Move."
Nobody answered.
Ryota's voice became colder.
"Get out of my way."
Still nothing.
Then the swordsman attacked.
Ryota blocked.
CLANG!
The spear came immediately afterward.
He stepped aside.
The mage released his spell.
Ryota twisted his body.
The arrow followed.
He barely avoided it.
The attack had been coordinated perfectly.
They weren't giving him even a second to breathe.
Ryota swung his sword.
One attacker blocked.
Another attacked.
Ryota parried.
The mage cast another spell.
He rolled beneath it.
Then the archer fired.
Ryota raised his sword.
CLANG!
The arrow struck the blade.
His arms went numb.
His breathing became increasingly ragged.
His vision began to blur around the edges.
He was reaching his limit.
Then three attacks arrived almost simultaneously.
BOOM!
A magical explosion struck his side.
CRASH!
A sword slammed into his armor.
THUD!
A kick struck his back.
Ryota was thrown across the sand.
He rolled several times before finally stopping.
Pain exploded through his body.
His health bar immediately dropped.
12%.
The number flashed.
9%.
Ryota's eyes widened.
Then—
6%.
He tried to push himself up.
His arms trembled.
His vision swayed.
Another point disappeared.
3%.
Ryota stared at the number.
Three percent.
That was all he had left.
He could hear his own breathing.
Fast.
Heavy.
Uneven.
He tried to stand.
His knee buckled.
"Ryota!"
Fayzan shouted.
Ryota looked toward him.
Fayzan was still surrounded.
He attempted to force his way through the attackers, but another player struck him and sent him stumbling backward.
Then Ryota heard something that made his blood run cold.
"RYOTA!"
Ramos.
He looked toward the NPC.
Two attackers were dragging Ramos away.
His arms remained bound behind his back.
His legs were still tangled in the rope.
He struggled desperately.
"RYOTA!"
Ryota's eyes widened.
"LET HIM GO!"
He forced himself upright.
His legs shook beneath him.
The apparent leader of the group stood several meters away.
A black mask covered most of his face, revealing only a pair of cold eyes.
He looked toward Ryota.
There was no anger in his expression.
No excitement.
No hesitation.
Only calculation.
He raised one hand.
A simple gesture.
"Retreat."
The attackers immediately moved.
Ryota's eyes widened.
"No!"
He forced himself forward.
"WAIT!"
Fayzan tried to follow.
But an attacker stepped in front of him and kicked him backward.
Then several objects were thrown onto the ground.
Small black spheres.
Ryota recognized them immediately.
"Smoke bombs!"
The spheres cracked open.
A massive cloud of gray smoke exploded across the desert.
BOOOOOOOOM!
Visibility disappeared.
Ryota immediately began coughing.
"Ramos!"
He swung his sword through the smoke.
Nothing.
"RAMOS!"
He couldn't see.
He could barely hear.
Footsteps echoed through the cloud.
Several sets of footsteps.
Moving away.
Ryota rushed forward.
His weakened body nearly collapsed.
"WAIT!"
He heard Ramos's voice.
"RYOTA!"
Then the sound became quieter.
"RYOTA!"
The footsteps faded.
Ryota kept moving.
He couldn't see where he was going.
He stretched one hand forward.
Nothing.
Only smoke.
Then silence.
The smoke slowly began to dissipate.
Ryota stood in the middle of the desert.
His sword remained clenched in his hand.
Fayzan emerged from the smoke nearby.
He was breathing heavily.
His clothes were covered in sand.
He looked around.
His expression slowly changed.
There was no one around them.
No attackers.
No ropes.
No Ramos.
Only scattered footprints stretching across the sand.
Fayzan's eyes narrowed.
"They're gone."
Ryota stared at the footprints.
His breathing stopped for a moment.
"...They're gone."
Fayzan looked at him.
"They took him."
Ryota's fingers tightened around his sword.
His voice came out quietly.
"They took Ramos."
Fayzan nodded.
"I know."
For several seconds, Ryota simply stood there.
The wind began blowing harder.
Sand slowly drifted over the footprints left by the kidnappers.
Every passing second erased more of their trail.
Ryota's expression hardened.
"They took him."
His voice grew louder.
"THEY TOOK RAMOS!"
His anger suddenly erupted.
He turned toward the nearest rock and drove his fist into it.
CRAAAAACK!
The stone shattered.
Fragments scattered across the sand.
Fayzan immediately stepped toward him.
"Ryota."
"They took him."
"I know."
"THEY TOOK HIM!"
Ryota's voice shook.
He wanted to chase them.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run after the kidnappers immediately.
He wanted to find Ramos.
He wanted to tear through every person standing between him and the NPC.
But then reality forced itself into his mind.
His health was three percent.
His body was exhausted.
His equipment was damaged.
They had no idea how many enemies had been involved.
And most importantly—
they had no idea where the kidnappers had taken Ramos.
Ryota looked toward the fading footprints.
His anger slowly gave way to something else.
Fear.
"He's an NPC."
Fayzan remained silent.
Ryota's hands trembled.
"He isn't like us."
"I know."
"If we die..."
Ryota swallowed.
"We respawn."
Fayzan nodded.
"But Ramos doesn't."
The words hung heavily between them.
Ramos wasn't a player.
He couldn't simply return after death.
There was no respawn timer waiting for him.
No resurrection at a shrine.
No second attempt.
No system message telling him that he had another chance.
If his health reached zero—
that was it.
Ramos would be gone.
Ryota stared into the desert.
The thought made his stomach tighten.
"They could kill him."
Fayzan stepped closer.
"They could."
Ryota's jaw tightened.
"And if they do..."
He couldn't finish.
Fayzan placed a hand firmly on his shoulder.
"That's why we're getting him back."
Ryota looked at him.
Fayzan's expression had completely changed.
The playful adventurer who had been joking about forging an enormous flaming sword was gone.
What remained was the veteran player Ryota knew from Eternity Lions.
Calm.
Focused.
Determined.
"We're getting him back."
Ryota stared at Fayzan.
Then slowly nodded.
"Yeah."
Fayzan released his shoulder.
"I know someone who can help."
Ryota blinked.
"Who?"
Fayzan immediately opened his communication interface.
The translucent window appeared before him.
His fingers moved quickly across the screen.
Ryota watched as Fayzan searched through his contacts.
Then he stopped.
One name appeared at the top.
Ayame.
Ryota immediately recognized it.
Ayame.
The quiet girl with long purple hair.
A talented crystal healer.
A powerful magic user.
Someone closely associated with Eternity Lions.
Ryota had encountered her before.
She wasn't a frontline fighter like Fayzan.
She didn't need to be.
Her strength came from support magic.
Healing.
Protection.
Crystal barriers.
But there was another reason Fayzan had contacted her.
Ayame was exceptionally good at tracking.
If anyone could help them determine where Ramos had been taken, it was her.
Fayzan opened the private message window.
His fingers moved.
Fayzan: Ayame, I need your help.
He paused.
His expression became more serious.
Then he typed again.
Fayzan: Something happened near Espana Village.
Another message followed.
Fayzan: Ramos was kidnapped.
Ryota stared at the screen.
Fayzan continued typing.
Fayzan: We need to find him before it's too late.
He pressed send.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
The message remained unanswered.
Ryota looked toward the horizon.
The wind continued blowing.
The footprints were disappearing rapidly beneath the shifting sand.
Ramos was somewhere out there.
Alive.
Hopefully.
Ryota clenched his fist.
They had failed against Apollonius.
That failure was something he could accept.
The dungeon would still be there.
Apollonius would still be there.
They could return someday.
They could become stronger.
They could prepare.
But this was different.
This wasn't a dungeon.
It wasn't a boss battle.
It wasn't about treasure or experience.
Ramos had trusted them.
He had walked into that dungeon with them.
He had followed them out.
And now he had been taken because they weren't strong enough to protect him.
Ryota lowered his gaze.
"I won't let them kill him."
Fayzan nodded.
"Neither will I."
Then the communication window changed.
Ayame is typing...
Ryota looked up.
Fayzan smiled faintly.
"She'll answer."
Ryota nodded.
He turned toward the desert.
The kidnappers had already disappeared beyond the dunes.
Ramos was somewhere ahead.
They didn't know who had taken him.
They didn't know why.
They didn't know where they were going.
But they knew one thing.
They couldn't waste time.
Ryota looked toward Fayzan.
"We're bringing him back."
Fayzan closed his communication window.
"Yeah."
Ryota tightened his grip around his sword.
His health was still dangerously low.
His body was still exhausted.
His armor was still damaged.
None of that mattered anymore.
Somewhere beyond the dunes, Ramos was being taken farther away with every passing second.
And unlike them—
he couldn't respawn.
If they failed to find him in time, there would be no second attempt.
No reset.
No revival.
No chance to correct their mistake.
Ryota took his first step forward.
Fayzan followed.
Together, they began moving through the desert.
The footprints ahead were already fading beneath the wind.
But they were still there.
For now.
And as long as even a single trace remained, Ryota refused to stop searching.
They had survived Apollonius.
They had escaped a dungeon they weren't ready to conquer.
They had accepted their defeat.
But they would not accept this.
Because sometimes, surviving wasn't enough.
Sometimes, the people who survived had a responsibility to return for the one who couldn't.
And this time—
Ryota intended to bring Ramos home.