Rhys stood in front of the mirror. Sunlight slipped through the window, spreading across the glass and half-illuminating his tired face. He wore dark clothing—more like soft, flexible armor made of a special fabric, resistant to impact, silent, and suited for clearing the dungeon.
Riva lifted the sheathed sword with both hands and gently placed it in Rhys's hands. The familiar weight settled in his palms; Rhys silently began strapping it around his waist.
Riva's gaze lingered on Rhys's reflection in the mirror. The dark circles under his eyes were far too obvious—a sign of a night that seemed to have no end. Worried, she spoke.
"The bags under your eyes are really dark… I don't think you slept at all last night."
Rhys stared into the mirror. In the reflection, he saw Riva's red eyes—the kind of redness that only came from endless crying—and the shadows beneath them. A bitter smile touched his lips as he spoke quietly.
"That's coming from you… the circles under your eyes are even worse than mine—and your eyes are all red too…"
Riva stared into Rhys's tired eyes. A deep frown settled on her face, and her voice—mixed with anger and anxiety—broke the silence of the room.
"How could I sleep when you're going on something this dangerous? Who knows what could happen to you in there…"
She paused for a moment. Her gaze softened, anger fading into quiet desperation, and her voice dropped.
"Rhys… there's still time. Please… let's run away."
Knock… knock…
The sound at the door cut her sentence short.
Rhys turned his head, fixing Riva with a serious look, his brow furrowed.
"I told you to stop talking like that."
Then his gaze shifted to the door, and he called out firmly,
"Who is it?"
From the other side, a familiar, formal voice answered,
"It's Zubi, commander of the second division, Master Rhys."
Rhys paused for a moment—surprise flickering across his face—before replying,
"Come in."
The door opened, and Zubi stepped inside. He walked forward, bowed his head slightly in respect, and greeted him calmly.
"Good morning, Master Rhys."
Rhys looked at him, clearly surprised.
"I thought you were on leave."
Zubi raised his head, straightening his posture.
"That's right. I was. But when I heard you were heading out with Commander Wil to clear the West dungeon… I couldn't just sit back. So I came."
A faint smile appeared on Rhys's face, somewhere between humor and gratitude.
"So you came all this way just to say goodbye… Tha—"
Zubi, realizing Rhys hadn't understood what he meant, immediately and firmly cut into his sentence.
"No. I'm here because I want to join you."
A heavy silence fell over the room for a moment.
Both Rhys and Riva's eyes widened in surprise.
Still not fully believing it, Rhys asked,
"What do you mean? You want to come with me to clear the dungeon?"
"Yeah. That's right."
Zubi replied without hesitation.
Hearing this, Riva let out a quiet breath. A spark of hope lit up in her eyes—like someone finding a torch in the dark. She stepped forward involuntarily, bowed her head, and with tears gathering in her eyes, said,
"Thank you, Commander Zubi… thank you so much for going with Master Rhys on this mission."
Zubi shook his head slightly and answered in a steady voice,
"No need to thank me. To be honest… I have my own reasons for going."
He paused. His gaze drifted for a moment, as if recalling something from the past.
"A few years ago, when they tried to clear this same dungeon, some of my friends were part of that mission… none of them made it back. I want to avenge them."
Riva nodded, her expression heavy with sadness, but her voice still full of gratitude.
"Whatever the reason… just having you by Master Rhys's side means a lot to us. Thank you."
"It's my duty." Zubi replied briefly.
Rhys studied Zubi's face with a cold, calculating look for a few seconds, as if weighing his resolve.
"You know how dangerous this dungeon is—even for you. Are you sure about this?"
Zubi met his gaze without wavering.
"You don't need to worry about me, Master Rhys. I'm certain."
Rhys held his gaze for a moment, then let out a quiet sigh and shook his head. It seemed he didn't want to risk another life on this mission.
He turned and walked toward the door. Placing his hand on the handle, he said,
"Very well… then let's move."
"Yes, Master." Zubi followed immediately, without hesitation.
Riva quickly stepped after them, wanting to see them off, even if only for a moment. Her heart was still filled with worry, but now there was a faint warmth in her chest.
West dungeon was still that merciless monster in her mind…
but this time, Rhys was not walking toward it alone.
.
.
.
At the mansion gate, Commander Wil stood beside Vice-Captain Anab. A little further off, three young soldiers—barely eighteen—Bilo, Gitch, and Tal, huddled together like three drenched chicks.
Fear practically poured off them; not just from their faces, but from their hunched backs, raised shoulders, and the way they clung to each other. Honestly, if they didn't look terrified, that would've been surprising—they were the weakest soldiers in all of Jinf's forces, both in strength and in courage.
Bilo glanced at Gitch and subtly gestured toward Wil with his eyes. Then, in a voice low enough that Wil and Anab couldn't hear, he whispered,
"Go talk to that bastard… tell him we're not going on a mission like this."
From a distance, Wil noticed the three of them huddled together, whispering. His brow furrowed as he turned to Anab.
"What are those idiots up to?"
Anab gave them a quick look, sighed, and replied flatly,
"Those three aren't just the weakest here—they're the dumbest too. This is normal for them. Just ignore it."
Gitch worked up the courage to glance at Wil, but the moment their eyes met, the color drained from his face. He quickly lowered his head and muttered under his breath,
"Damn… he looks like a pig that turned human… I'm scared of him. No way I'm talking to him."
Hearing that, Bilo clenched his teeth and turned to Tal, jerking his head toward Wil again.
"This idiot's scared of him… you go talk to that bastard."
Tal shot a quick glance at Wil—but the second their eyes met, his face went pale. He dropped his head immediately and said in a shaky voice,
"Damn, I almost pissed myself… I'm scared of him too! Why don't you go talk to that pig bastard who keeps ordering us around?"
Bilo's face flushed red with anger. He clenched his teeth and said in a voice full of suppressed rage and fear,
"You bastard! If I wasn't scared of him, I'd have gone and talked to him already…"
Gitch glanced back and forth between Bilo and Tal, worry clear on his face.
"So what are we supposed to do? If we don't do something, we're all gonna die here without ever even touching a girl…"
Hearing that, something lit up in Bilo's eyes. He clenched his jaw and said with determination,
"You're right. I'm not leaving this world a virgin. Let's all go together and talk to that asshole commander."
Tal and Gitch, trying to look serious, nodded in agreement.
"Yeah… I at least want to spend one night with my girlfriend before I die. So yeah, let's go together…"
"You're right… we'll all go together."
Before letting go of each other's shoulders, the three of them nodded with solemn expressions—an unspoken pact between fear and stupidity. Then they started walking toward Wil.
But after just a few steps, Gitch and Tal suddenly slowed down. From behind, they glanced at Bilo—who was still staring at Wil with a serious face—then grinned mischievously and shouted in unison,
"Commander Wil! Bilo wants to talk to you!"
Wil and Anab turned their heads at the same time. Wil's cold gaze locked onto Bilo.
Cold sweat formed on Bilo's forehead. The serious look on his face shattered instantly, replaced by pure terror. He half-turned to glance at Gitch and Tal; both were grinning at him, completely carefree.
Gitch let out a quiet chuckle.
"Sorry… we only said we'd come with you. We never said how far."
Tal let out a low laugh, one that carried a hint of revenge, and murmured to himself,
"Looks like you're the one taking the orders now…"
Bilo, seething inside, muttered bitterly,
"You backstabbing bastards… just wait till I get my hands on you…"
At that moment, Wil's sharp voice cut through the air.
"What do you want, idiot? Spit it out."
Bilo snapped his head back toward him in panic. A stiff, shaky smile spread across his face as his thoughts spiraled.
'Damn it… why do I have to talk to this terrifying brute? What am I even supposed to say? If I mess up, is he going to kill me…?'
Still frozen in place, Wil's voice rose again, harsher this time.
"I said speak. What do you want? Why are you just standing there grinning like an idiot? You mocking me?"
Bilo flinched and threw his hands up, waving them frantically.
"N-no! Sorry—sorry, Commander! You've got it all wrong! I was just—"
Suddenly, his expression shifted. His gaze softened, and an exaggerated smile spread across his face.
"I just wanted to ask… has anyone ever told you how handsome you are?"