'... This is… just disastrous.'
Jin was leaning against a tree bark, precisely the bark of an absurdly enormous tree. The tree itself was made up of several other slender trees, all of them converging into one large trunk that grew endlessly. He was seated under the overgrown root of one such tree, the root itself serving as a shelter.
Dean and Sam were seated right next to him, both of them fast asleep. He was unsure whether it was a natural response to what they had faced, or they just couldn't care less.
Conrad was sitting across from him, the crimson flame of the makeshift bonfire dancing between them. He seemed troubled, his eyes distantly observing the fire.
Evelin and Celia were standing guard outside, their figure nowhere to be seen.
Jin lowered his gaze.
'... Pathetic.'
He had regained his senses barely an hour ago. And what he had woken up to was in no way what he had expected.
The last thing he remembered was dying right as he was about to run past Riaz. Unfortunately, he had simply been knocked out, nothing more.
During Riaz's attack, Elias had used his core ability to redirect his blade's path, pulling Jin out of immediate death. Regardless, just the motion of his arm slamming against his skull was enough to throw him unconscious.
Getting knocked out in front of such an opponent was no different than death.
Yet, he was alive.
According to Conrad's own words, Riaz had taken a deep interest in Elias's core ability, and couldn't care less whether Jin lived or died. As a matter of fact, he didn't make a single move until the rest of the group was able to drag Jin out of their way.
It had even let them run away without objecting, while it could've simply slaughtered all of them and then torn Elias apart easily.
As much as they hated it, they had to get out of there. And with no clue what their current position was, running aimlessly in this area of the forest was life-threatening.
It was Evelin who had known of this location and that it was safe enough for them to spend the night. They didn't have any food on their person, nor was there any source of food in the forest. But at least Conrad was capable of providing them with warmth for the rest of the night, which was extremely helpful.
All the while, Jin was out of his wits. He had made a wrong judgment call by hastily trying to run away. He had failed to anticipate Riaz's capabilities. His conviction, his hardship, his reasoning—all of it had led to him dying at the hands of the hollow-eyed man.
And the one who had pulled him out of such a dilemma was someone whom he didn't even know. Someone he had met no more than a few hours ago.
He was distraught with such an outcome. And there was no reversing it.
By now, there was no telling if Elias was even alive. After all, Riaz was far from any human he had met. Death was a mercy when it came to such beings, who could keep you alive just for their amusement.
What bothered him most was the fact that he couldn't do anything about it.
Looking at his own shadow, Jin couldn't help but grin.
'I boasted about being the strongest there was. Look at me now, reduced to someone who can't even save a single person. I wonder if this is what the heavens have planned for me as well. If it is, I more than deserve it.'
His thoughts, which were once as fine as a silk thread, were now all over the place. He had never once experienced self-pity. But today, he was drowning in such dark thoughts, self-deprecating himself over something that was clearly out of his reach.
He was unsure whether it was because he was in Lian's body, or perhaps it was the demonic qi. But his emotions were a complete mess.
He turned to the endless forest behind Conrad, the bonfire making the darkness seem even more daunting than it already was.
'Heh. This powerlessness… I'm uncertain whether something has managed to hurt me as much as this feeling has a tight grip over me. I can't even remember the last time I felt this way.'
"Do you think he will try to find us, too?"
Jin lifted his head. There was a hint of fear in Conrad's voice, his gaze still unfocused at the fire.
Scratching the back of his head, Jin replied with a straight face.
"We would already be dead if it wanted us dead."
Conrad exhaled deeply.
"Let's hope that is the case. That aside, you sound like you don't think Riaz is a human."
Jin gave him a long look.
"As far as I've seen, being a fifth ranker is quite a big deal. So, if someone like that truly existed, we'd have heard of him at least once. I'm unsure as to how that monster managed to disguise itself as that challenger."
Conrad widened his eyes. For the first time in the last hour, his gaze was focused.
"... A fifth-ranker? Even I was unable to gauge his level. What makes you think he is a fifth-ranker?"
Jin chuckled softly, his eyes drooping.
"Instincts."
Conrad simply looked at him for a few moments and then burst into laughter. It was so sudden that even Jin was startled. Jin narrowed his gaze as Conrad stopped laughing.
Noticing his impartial expression, Conrad spoke, his voice having regained the spark it had.
"I'm sorry. It's just that… I was expecting some grand reveal. But it seems I'm still not unlucky enough for such a turn of events. I have to say, though. Those are some good instincts you have there."
Jin replied with a straight face.
"I know."
Conrad started laughing again, his voice resonating inside the cave-like structure. The gap between their age was vast, ranging more than a century. What seemed like a normal reply to him was something Conrad found amusing.
Despite that, there was a tacit understanding between the two of them. Whether it was because he considered Jin competent or just out of sheer curiosity, Jin couldn't know even if he wanted to.
As Conrad fell silent again, Dean had woken up. Shifting subtly, he pulled himself closer to the fire. His hands were pale, the chilling cold of the night making him shiver faintly.
Sensing Conrad's gaze, he finally spoke, his voice trembling.
"I still can't understand… If it is actually not human, how did no one know about it for so long? This is like the highest grade of emergency there could be, and there's not even a word about it in any of the guilds. It's just too big to go unnoticed."
Conrad shrugged nonchalantly.
"I guess we'll just have to figure that out ourselves. And to do that, we need to first go back to the city, in one piece that is."
Dean winced, his voice grim.
"How do you plan to do that? We don't even know where we are, let alone how far we are from the nearest outpost."
Conrad lowered his gaze, uncertainty taking hold in his mind.
"We do now."
The voice had come from outside.
Bowing down, Celia and Evelin entered the cave.
Sitting beside Conrad, Celia spoke again, her voice low.
"The fifth outpost… that is the nearest outpost for us. If we ran, it would've taken just an hour or two to reach there. But…"
Jin furrowed deeply.