But Aether had no choice but to lie down on the soft tent and pillow. He immediately closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
However, because of the exhaustion weighing on his body, Aether accidentally fell into a deep sleep.
When morning came, Aether woke up and realized that he had fallen asleep without even noticing it.
He noticed that Rena was no longer beside him, so he immediately exited the tent.
As soon as Aether stepped outside, he realized how unnaturally quiet the surroundings were. This made him uneasy. He checked each tent one by one, only to discover that none of his classmates were there.
At that moment, Aether realized that he was completely alone.
A sense of fear crept into his chest.
"MIKA! RENA! SERA! EREK!"
No matter how loudly he shouted, it felt as if no one could hear him.
With no other choice, Aether began walking deeper into the forest. Soon, he noticed a massive tree—one overflowing with mana.
He sat on one of its thick roots to rest and absorb mana. After sitting down, Aether closed his eyes and began drawing mana from the tree.
As he absorbed the mana, a voice suddenly echoed in the distance.
"P-Please… don't kill me…"
BANG!
Aether's eyes snapped open at the sound of a gunshot. His heart pounded as he realized the voice sounded like Rin's.
Without hesitation, Aether increased the speed at which he absorbed mana from the tree. Soon, the mana surrounding it vanished, leaving behind what looked like an ordinary tree.
But to his shock, mana slowly began to return to the tree—
BANG!
Another gunshot echoed.
At that moment, a horrifying thought entered Aether's mind.
"I… it's impossible. Rena wouldn't do something like that."
Fueled by fear, Aether rushed toward the direction of the gunshot, reinforcing his body with mana to increase his speed.
When he finally arrived—
Aether's eyes widened in horror.
His classmates lay scattered on the ground, lifeless.
Standing among them was Rena, smiling as if she were enjoying the scene. Behind her stood her guards, guns still in hand.
Only one person was still alive.
Mika.
She trembled in fear as the guards pointed their guns directly at her.
Seeing Mika shaking, Rena smiled cruelly.
"Haha… look at you now, Mika. These are the consequences of trying to steal Aether from me."
Mika couldn't speak. Rena was already giving the order to kill her.
Aether's mind raced.
If he attacked the guards, he would lose—they were armed and highly trained. If he attacked Rena, it would be just as bad—she was skilled in martial arts.
Even with mana, Aether had no combat experience.
In the end, only one reckless thought remained.
"Whatever happens… I probably won't die from a single bullet."
The moment Rena ordered her guards to shoot, Aether burst out of hiding.
He coated his entire body in mana, forming something like armor, and sprinted toward Mika. Behind her was a cliff.
Aether smiled.
Using mana, he reached her in an instant.
When Rena saw him, her face turned pale.
"W-Wait! Don't fire!"
But one guard had already pulled the trigger.
Aether wrapped his arms around Mika, shielding her as the bullet struck his back.
Rena and her guards stared in disbelief.
Aether wasn't injured.
A faint blue glow surrounded his body, protecting him.
Without hesitation, Aether pushed Mika off the cliff.
He knew Rena intended to kill her, and the cliff was actually safer—its thick roots, leaves, and vines could break their fall. Aether transferred some of his mana to Mika to protect her.
He jumped after her.
As they fell, Aether was shocked by how deep the cliff was. The space around them seemed to stretch endlessly, and thick roots and branches tangled beneath them.
As they descended deeper, the world grew wider.
Then—Mika's voice disappeared.
Aether's head slammed into a massive root.
"Damn it… I forgot to protect my head with mana—"
Darkness consumed him.
---
Aether awoke in a strange place.
It was pitch black.
He immediately took out his phone and noticed that the screen was cracked, though it still worked. He used it as a flashlight, but the light was weak, so he turned it off to conserve battery.
As his eyes adjusted, Aether began observing his surroundings.
It felt like he was underground—an enormous underground world.
"Wait… am I in the underworld?"
There was a river flowing nearby. Trees grew in the darkness, though Aether couldn't understand how they survived there.
When he looked upward, he couldn't see the surface at all. No light reached this place.
Only then did he realize how impossibly deep he had fallen.
Aether searched the area for Mika, but she was nowhere to be found. With no other choice, he wandered through the darkness.
Suddenly, he froze.
He felt something moving beneath his feet.
His eyes had adjusted enough to see—
Three snakes lay coiled near him.
Fear gripped Aether's body.
He immediately concentrated all his mana around his legs to protect himself from their bites. Moving slowly, he tried to retreat, but the darkness made it impossible to know where to go.
Then he sensed more movement behind him.
More snakes.
Aether stood completely still, like a statue.
Minutes passed.
Finally, the snakes slithered away.
Aether exhaled in relief, but he could feel his mana rapidly draining.
Looking around, he noticed faint traces of mana in the underground trees—thin and weak, but still present.
He approached one and sat beside it, attempting to absorb its mana.
As he absorbed it, the tree weakened rapidly. When he opened his eyes, the tree had withered completely.
No mana returned.
Curious, Aether tried another tree.
It withered as well.
Suddenly, he felt something sharp press against his back.
Aether slowly turned around.
Before him stood several people dressed like tribal warriors.
One of them spoke, but Aether couldn't understand the language.
He noticed that their bodies were wrapped in dense mana.
Aether realized he stood no chance of escaping.
He raised his hands in surrender, but the tribe misunderstood his gesture and tightened their spears around him.
One member noticed that Aether had no intention of fighting and calmed the others.
Still, several of them restrained him, tying his hands while keeping their spears aimed at him.
With no choice, Aether followed them.
As they traveled, Aether realized how vast the underworld truly was.
"Calling this place the underworld makes sense…"
They walked for hours, following the river.
"It must be their territory's guide," Aether thought.
The tribe ignored his attempts to speak, but fortunately, they didn't harm him.
Aether noticed something strange—the tribe could see perfectly in the darkness without any light.
When one of them realized Aether couldn't see well, a woman approached him.
Before Aether could react, two massive men blocked his retreat. Their bodies were enormous, towering, and overflowing with mana.
The woman—clearly the tribe's leader—placed her hand on Aether's abdomen.
Aether gasped.
She was touching his mana.
Slowly, she moved her hand up to his eyes.
Suddenly, Aether's vision lit up.
He could see everything.
He realized that mana could be used to enhance vision.
Then he froze.
His eyes widened in terror.
The tribe leader followed his gaze.
Before them stood a massive Spinosaurus, staring directly at them, as if it had just emerged from an enormous underground river.
Its eyes locked onto them.
It was ready to attack.