As they resumed walking side-by-side through the softly glowing, underground city, the heavy, suffocating silence that had lingered between them finally began to break.
Ayush kept his head lowered, staring at the cobblestone path beneath his boots. When he finally spoke, his voice carried a bitter, exhausted weight that betrayed the emotional turbulence tearing through his chest.
"Len..." Ayush started, his tone laced with frustration. "You want me to become someone I'm completely not. You know I can't be perfect. I don't want to be perfect either. We're made to be flawed and imperfect because we're human after all... and honestly? I don't even care about any of these grand expectations. I just want to live and breathe alongside my friends. I don't want to live like a cold, calculating machine. What is even the point of all this power anyway? Why on earth would I waste my time training in a place like this when my heart isn't even in it?"
Len kept walking, his stride remaining steady and unhurried. His expression stayed completely neutral, offering no immediate reaction or comfort to the boy's outburst.
"Answer me, Len!" Ayush demanded, his voice rising sharply in volume and irritation as he stopped walking.
Len finally paused, turning his head just enough to look back at the frustrated teenager. His tone was cold, pragmatic, and brutally direct, cutting through Ayush's emotional appeal like a razor.
"It doesn't matter what you want right now, because you're weak," Len stated flatly. "If I were to just let you walk out of this place right now, tell me—what are the actual chances that you and your little group of friends aren't going to get slaughtered out there? Your abilities and your potential are exceptionally rare. I am not about to let a once-in-a-generation power go to absolute waste because of petty sentimentality. And if you're so desperate for companionship, you can simply make new friends right here in here—"
"Shut up!" Ayush cut him off fiercely, his hands clenching tightly into trembling fists at his sides. "I don't want new friends! The ones I already have matter to me more than anything else in this world! I want to grow strong with them, not replace them!"
"I know!" Len suddenly shouted back, his voice echoing sharply and explosively down the stone hallway, carrying an unexpected, raw surge of passion that caught Ayush entirely off guard. "I know how you feel! But I refuse to let a one-in-a-million chance go down the drain! I don't want you to throw your life away in vain! Can't you understand that?!"
Ayush glared up at him from beneath the dark glass of his obsidian mask, his chest heaving heavily as he fought for breath. "Why would I even care about a stupid chance like that?!"
"Because you should care! It dictates whether you live or die!" Len stepped closer, closing the distance, his red eyes locking onto Ayush with fierce, unyielding intensity. "And I promise you this—if you actually let me train you properly, you will be strong enough to protect your friends when it matters. Not like last time, when they all got folded like paper, and you went down with them. You want that to happen again?."
Len paused, his voice dropping an octave lower, turning into a cryptic, low register. "Although... I'll admit, I have another, more selfish reason. I want you to eventually rival the single strongest guy I've ever known. I want you to reach his terrifying level, challenge him head-on, and defeat him. Once you accomplish that feat... maybe, if you still stubbornly want to leave, I'll let you walk out of here. But honestly? I don't think you'll even want to leave by the time you reach that point."
Ayush stared at him in stunned silence, completely caught off guard by the sheer magnitude and audacity of the proposition.
"Just hear me out," Len offered, his tone softening just a fraction. "Stay in here and train under my supervision for just one week. If, after those seven days are up, you still insist on going back... I will personally help to let you walk out of here. How about that for a deal?"
A sudden, brilliant spark of wild hope instantly ignited in Ayush's chest. Just one week? That's all it takes?
"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Ayush blurted out eagerly, a wide, triumphant grin stretching across his face beneath his hidden mask. "Just wait one week, and then I get to go straight back to my friends? Deal! I just have to survive seven days of your training, huh? I can totally do that!"
Len let out a dry, knowing smirk, adjusting his coat. "Very well. But remember—for those seven days, you listen to my every command without talking back."
"Fine! I will!" Ayush nodded rapidly, sealing the pact.
With the terms finally settled, Ayush and Len resumed walking side-by-side down the luminous pathway, the heavy, tense atmosphere noticeably lighter than before. After navigating a few more winding stone corridors, they arrived at a wide, open-air pavilion designed in the style of a traditional subterranean tavern. The space was bathed in a warm, inviting glow, filled with the rich, mouth-watering aroma of roasted meats, bubbling stews, and exotic spices.
Len stepped up to the wooden counter, placing an order for two massive, hearty portions of food. Once ready, they carried their trays over and found a quiet, secluded wooden table nestled near the corner of the tavern.
Ayush carefully reached up, pulling down the lower strap of his obsidian mask. He kept his nose and upper face firmly concealed to protect his human identity from prying eyes, while leaving his mouth entirely free so he could eat. Opposite him, Len sat back comfortably, digging into his meal with effortless, composed grace.
As Ayush took his first few bites, he couldn't help but look around the lively tavern, his eyes wide with quiet fascination.
All around them, various demons, beast-kin, and subterranean monsters were sitting together at neighboring tables, laughing loudly, sharing food, and chatting casually. What baffled Ayush the most, however, was their astonishing physical appearance. Some of the creatures possessed striking, otherworldly features, while others looked remarkably human—and shockingly, breathtakingly attractive. In fact, even the female demons sitting across the room looked vastly more stunning, graceful, and well-groomed than normal human girls back in his old world.
"Wait a minute... what is actually going on with the genetic lottery in this universe?!" Ayush thought, blinking in absolute disbelief as he chewed on a piece of tender meat. "Why is literally everyone here so ridiculously pretty? Even Len looks like an absolute main-character model with those trendy weavy hair strands and that clean aesthetic drip. How is everyone so good-looking here—even the monster girls look like literal supermodels?! This place is wild... I kinda lowkey love it, ngl."
A soft, amused snort escaped Ayush from beneath his mask as a quiet, cheerful smile crossed his face.
By the time they finished their meal, Ayush leaned back against the solid wooden bench of the booth, letting out a long, deeply satisfied sigh that melted away the last remnants of his physical tension.
"Damn... that food was genuinely incredible," he thought, a wave of cozy warmth washing over his system. "I actually feel completely refreshed and energized."
Curious about his physical recovery, Ayush casually flicked his wrist and pulled up his transparent blue system window to check his internal diagnostics. To his sheer astonishment, the status bars recovering, his stamina, his depleted mana, and his severe physical strength were coming back and regenerating.
Ayush stared directly at the floating numerical readouts, his eyes widening behind the dark glass of his mask. "Bro... That's very good food
i ppreciate it