Friends ?

Lying on the ground, his leg bent, Arthur slowly started to regain consciousness. He tried to open his eyes.

"Ahh..."

As Arthur opened them, he saw himself sitting on the ground. Turning his head, he looked around and saw the destruction that had just occurred after the top wall they were standing on collapsed. As he observed the devastation, memories of what had happened suddenly flooded back. He quickly leaped backward, taking his usual stance, and raised both hands.

Suddenly, he felt something odd about his arm. The memory of his arm being cut by the snake's attack hit him.

Arthur was still looking around, but when he remembered everything, he glanced at his arm. His arm was severed in the middle, but the wound had healed, leaving only his half-cut remaining arm.

"Ah..." Arthur yelled loudly, his mouth wide open, his eyes widened in fear as he stared at his half-arm.

"Stop it..." Kai's voice reached Arthur's ears, but Kai was nowhere to be seen.

"What... Kai...? Where are you?" Arthur asked, suddenly remembering Kai.

"Here... look up," Kai replied.

Hearing Kai, Arthur looked upwards and saw Kai gripping the ceiling with his hands and legs, looking down at him.

"You're alive...?" Arthur yelled, looking straight at Kai.

Hearing Arthur, Kai scanned the ground, checking for any danger. After confirming there was only destruction and no creatures or monsters nearby, Kai released his grip, falling straight to the ground. He landed silently in front of Arthur on his feet.

"You're alive...?" Arthur repeated, surprise evident on his face.

"Yes, I'm alive... and don't yell. You'll attract other creatures toward us," Kai replied in his usual tone, his expression unreadable.

"Oh... yeah. Actually, I remember seeing you use healing magic on me. Oh, yes... I was relieved when I saw that. Somehow, I knew I didn't need to worry about you after you broke free from the snake's freeze skill. But how did you escape from that? And where is that snake?"

Arthur quickly looked around, trying to find the snake, but there was no sign of it.

"You ask too many questions. Let's go. We can't stay here," Kai replied, turning toward the entrance opposite the one where he had first arrived.

"Too many questions? That snake almost killed us! It even cut off my arm," Arthur replied, seeing Kai just walk away, seemingly unfazed by how close they had come to dying.

"My arm... my arm...!" Remembering his severed arm again, Arthur yelled in frustration.

Hearing Arthur yell again, Kai quickly turned and gave him a sharp look, silently reminding him not to yell. Noticing Kai's glare, Arthur immediately covered his mouth with his left hand, understanding the warning.

"Take deep breaths... Let's go," Kai said, looking at Arthur before turning back toward the entrance of another dungeon area.

Understanding Kai, Arthur had no other choice. He quickly increased his pace to catch up and started walking alongside Kai.

As Arthur and Kai passed through the new dungeon entrance, Arthur stepped into an area he had never seen before. His heartbeat quickened. He knew he was stepping into an unknown dungeon area for the first time. Controlling his nervousness, he prepared to explore this new place.

The dungeon area Arthur entered was shocking. Unlike the previous area, which had two entrances, this one had none. It resembled the place where Arthur was born, surrounded on all sides. However, this area was much larger. Instead of walls, it was an open ground with scattered large and small rocks, some shiny materials, and a few plants spread throughout.

As Arthur and Kai entered, Kai suddenly stopped. Noticing this, Arthur halted as well.

"You know, we start from here," Kai said, looking straight ahead.

Hearing Kai's words, Arthur understood what Kai meant. From now on, they would support each other in their shared goal of evolving.

"Yes, I know," Arthur replied.

"From now on, you will kill every weak creature and monster I tell you to. As for the stronger ones, I'll take care of them. Understand?" Kai declared, turning toward Arthur.

Arthur understood Kai's plan. He knew he was weak, while Kai was significantly stronger. If he wanted to support Kai, he needed to become stronger himself and be able to help Kai. Only then would their partnership have meaning.

"Yes, I understand," Arthur replied weakly.

"Well then, let's go," Kai said and started walking. Arthur quickly followed.

"By the way, Kai, can you tell me what happened to the snake and how you broke free from its freeze skill?" Arthur asked, walking beside Kai.

"Why should I tell you that?" Kai responded.

"What? Why? Aren't we friends?" Arthur replied.

"We are not friends. Never!"

Kai yelled, his voice echoing through the dungeon, spreading in all directions. Stopping abruptly, he looked at Arthur with widened eyes. Kai's expression was a mix of terror and fear, as if he was both scared and horrified at the same time.

Hearing Kai's words, Arthur was shocked. His body stiffened. Suddenly, a dark aura began to emerge from Kai, making the air around him dense and oppressive. Arthur stood still, too afraid to move. Even without looking at Kai, he could feel his piercing gaze.

For a moment, Kai just stared at Arthur with a terrifying expression. Realizing that Arthur was paralyzed with fear, sweat dripping from his body, Kai controlled his aura, returning the surroundings to normal.

Arthur was still in shock, sweat dripping down his face. He kept looking downward, unable to muster the courage to meet Kai's gaze.

"Okay, I understand... We are…. not friends. Just…. partners," Arthur said, his heartbeat still racing.