"I do!"
Ren nodded firmly. Compared to leaving his fate in the hands of others, he preferred taking charge of his own life.
Part of the reason was simple—if they thought waiting for rescue wasn't promising, then something must have gone very wrong.
"That's good!"
Asylia smiled.
She then explained why she had such a plan.
On her way here, she'd witnessed chaos and met some people on the upper floors. They told her there was a breach in the structure—seawater had gushed into one of the floors. Fortunately, the emergency response system was still working and had shut off the passage in time.
As an established underwater restaurant, structural breaches were already expected, so it wouldn't go down just because one or two floors flooded.
But the real problem was the monsters—or maybe a virus, she couldn't quite identify—lurking inside. That added a whole new level of danger.
To confirm her suspicions, she'd called her father through a secure channel.
There were very few moments when she'd heard her father's tone so serious. He advised her to get out as fast as possible.
He said something was wrong with the sea area around Aresvale City—which included this restaurant.
The city of Aresvale had descended into chaos, far worse than what was happening here.
Meanwhile, he'd be sending someone to pick her up.
"Asylia! Remember—wear something that can protect you, like a suit, and don't you dare eat any food from that place, you hear me?!"
Hearing her father roar in her ear, she understood just how serious the situation was.
"I understand."
The voice on the other end went silent for a while, as if busy with something.
"...Good. I've already sent someone to your location. Keep yourself safe in the meantime."
---
"I see."
Ren's expression turned solemn hearing the news.
Seeing his tense face, Serein lowered her eyes and took out an unopened bottle from beside her, offering it to him.
"Here's a drink. You need to stay hydrated."
Ren's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly took it, realizing how thirsty he was.
"Thanks."
"Rest for now. You'll need your strength later."
Serein stood up gracefully, and along with Asylia, left him alone for the moment.
---
"So I really am in another world."
Looking at the deep waters and schools of fish outside the glass, he was in a daze.
Ren still couldn't believe it. This place exuded wealth and high-quality design at every turn—something he most likely wouldn't have experienced in his lifetime.
Yet here he was, having gotten in without paying a penny. Though in return, his life was in danger.
Thinking about it, he didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
Behind him, Asylia and Serein were packing tools and supplies they'd need into bags.
"Here."
"Put these snacks right here."
After a while, both of them stood up, a slight tiredness in their eyes but satisfaction on their faces.
"Alright, this should be enough to last us for days."
Serein looked at the three bags leaning against the sofa and nodded thoughtfully.
"Now then, let's plan our way out."
Asylia took out a whiteboard and placed it on the ground. She clicked something, and the board changed—growing larger and projecting an adjustable 3D structure in midair.
Asylia pointed toward the glowing 3D structure, manipulating its shape at will.
"This underwater restaurant has seven known floors."
She explained.