Kabir kept walking… and walking… and walking.
Hours passed. The heat shimmered. The ground looked the same. The village in the distance never got closer.
He squinted at the hazy horizon. "Mara… tell me something honestly. Has this village secretly grown legs and started running away from me?"
"No," Mara replied, annoyingly calm. "You're stuck."
Kabir stopped. "Stuck?"
"Yes," Mara continued. "This place is called the Blur Valley. It is famous for illusions and mirages. If your mind is even slightly weak, it traps you in a loop. You've been wandering in circles for the past hour."
Kabir slowly turned his head.
"…And you didn't think to mention that earlier?"
"I assumed you were smart enough to realize it yourself."
Kabir stared at the sky in disbelief. "Mara, you've known me for what… three days? You should know I'm definitely not smart."
"That much is clear now," Mara replied dryly.
Kabir placed a hand on his chest dramatically. "Wow. Harsh. Hurtful. Kinda accurate."
Mara ignored his sarcasm.
"To break the illusion, strengthen your mind. Increase your Intelligence stat."
Kabir opened his system window. He had 30 free stat points stocked up from the past three days of daily quests.
Current Stats:
Level: 5
Strength: 14
Speed: 10
Agility: 4
Stamina: 4
Intelligence: 3.5
Charm: 2
Free Stat Points: 30
Fatigue: N/A
Kabir rubbed his temples. "So if I increase Intelligence… I break the illusion?"
"Yes," Mara confirmed. "Hell attacks your mind as much as your body. Adapt or die."
Kabir exhaled, concentrating.
"Alright. Let's do this."
He allocated:
+10 Intelligence → 13.5
+10 Agility → 14
+10 Stamina → 14
[Stats Updated Successfully]
The moment he confirmed—something snapped inside his head.
Not painful—just… releasing.
Like heavy chains he never realized were wrapped around his thoughts suddenly shattered. His vision sharpened. The air cleared. The valley ahead shifted—and the village that always looked far suddenly jumped closer.
Kabir staggered slightly. "What the— Did someone turn on HD mode for my eyes…?"
"That is the illusion breaking," Mara said. "Your mind was being tricked into looping. Now you see the true path."
Kabir blinked twice. Colors looked more vivid. The heat haze felt thinner. Even the horizon looked straighter.
And for the first time…
He could clearly see a road.
A faint, winding black path leading toward a cluster of stone structures—Bullera Village.
Kabir grinned. "Finally. Now that's progress."
Mara hummed, a rare hint of approval.
"Good. But be cautious."
Kabir raised a brow. "Why? More illusions?"
"No," Mara replied. "Something else. Creatures who prey on those caught in illusions. If they noticed you breaking free… they might come."
Kabir felt a cold pulse crawl down his spine.
"…So basically, something might attack me because I'm not stupid anymore."
"Yes," Mara said. "Hell has a very ironic sense of humor."
Kabir slid his daggers into his palms, coat fluttering behind him in the hot wind.
"Fine. Let them come."
He stepped onto the newly visible road—
—and the ground behind him cracked.
Kabir stiffened.
A low hiss slithered through the air.
Mara's voice dropped to a warning whisper.
"…Kabir. You are no longer alone."
Kabir slowly turned.
From the cracked soil…
A long black shadow began rising.
Not a worm.
Not a devil he'd seen before.
Something thin. Humanoid.
Its spine bending backward like a broken puppet.
Empty eye sockets glowing with infernal embers.
A Shade Demon.
Mara spoke sharply.
"That creature devours minds still recovering from illusion. It wants your brain."
Kabir tightened his grip, heart racing.
"…Well, too bad. I'm finally using it."
The Shade Demon shrieked—
and leapt.
Kabir charged forward to meet it.
Kabir walked with steady steps, the shimmering mirage of the Badlands finally clearing as structures began to form in the heat.
Mud-brick walls reinforced with bone and black iron came into view — a village, guarded by two devils stationed by a gate of jagged metal spikes etched with runes.
Both guards had horns slightly larger than his, and crimson markings ran from their eyes down their necks — glowing faintly, like pulsing magma under skin.
As Kabir approached, both guards shifted, blocking the entrance with crossed spears.
One guard looked him up and down.
"Hey, you. Name and purpose?"
His voice wasn't rude — just flat, routine.
Kabir opened his mouth —
"Well, my name is Kab—"
"Stop."
Mara's voice hit him like a slap inside his mind.
"Do not use your real name here. These devils know human names… and they do not react kindly to them. Call yourself Kubaira."
Kabir blinked internally.
"Wait, Kubaira? Isn't that like… the King of Wealth in mythology?"
"Yes," Mara replied. "And it sounds enough like Kabir to respond naturally. Consider it a disguise."
Kabir nodded slightly and finished his sentence smoothly:
"My name is Kubaira. I'm traveling to the capital to meet my sister. I just need a place to rest for a while."
The guard squinted, observing Kabir's horns and physique.
"Capital? You're brave to go alone.
By the look of it, you're a lesser devil, right?"
Kabir forced a nervous chuckle.
"Yeah… something like that."
The guard continued:
"You must know the rules then.
To enter the capital, you need an Adventurer's Badge.
Do you have one?"
Kabir kept his face calm.
Inside — pure panic.
"…No. Just found out about that."
The guard nodded.
"You can register at the Guild Hall inside Bullera.
But entering the village isn't free."
He extended a hand.
"Two Soul Shards for visitor access."
Kabir played it cool and pulled two shards from his inventory — still fascinated how they manifested physically in his palm.
He placed them into the guard's open hand.
A brief glow — the runes on the gate flashed.
"Alright, Kubaira. You're good to go."
"Don't cause trouble, and Bullera won't trouble you."
The guards stepped aside.
Kabir exhaled quietly and entered the village.
Buildings made of burning stone and bone lined the streets.
Devils walked in groups — some armed, others cloaked, horns of all shapes and sizes.
Children chased each other, laughing like normal kids — except their eyes glowed like embers.
For the first time since entering Hell…
Kabir felt like he had stepped into a real world — not just a battlefield.
He whispered quietly so only Mara could hear:
"So this is… Hell's civilization…"
Mara replied,
"Remember the truth, Kabir…
Hell is not dead.
Hell lives.
And now — you live inside it."
Kabir tightened his grip on his daggers beneath his coat.
He wasn't just a survivor anymore.
He was a stranger in Devil territory…
A wolf among wolves.
And survival meant playing the role.
Kabir whispered under his breath — a grin forming:
"Let's see how good I am at pretending…"
He walked deeper into Bullera — toward the Guild Hall —
and toward the destiny that would either awaken Hell… or silence it forever.