Sev sat against a tree, his arms wrapped around his knees protectively. They untied him, but his freedom was nothing more than an illusion. Especially under the gaze of those three men in black.

The older one, Racine, sat in front of him, completely relaxed, with his hands on his thighs. The silver dust on his chin and temples added an air of experience and wisdom. ∴ all stood aside.

"What's your name?" Racine asked, breaking the silence.

Sev hates silence. He hated those watchful eyes even more.

"Sef," he replied.

Racine tilted his head. "It's an interesting name."

Racine too. With a little tweaking, it turns into raisins. Known as the Wrinkled Grape, it would ruin the reputation of any professional Assassin. Tatsuo kept this thought in his heart. He didn't want to anger these people.

He shrugged his shoulders and plucked a piece of dry grass from his pants. His white clothes had been dyed gray with dirt.

"What are you doing in the forest?"

Sev looked up, met his gaze briefly, and then looked at his dirty clothes. He scratched at a brown stain with his fingernails.

"I was going to pick some twisted buds for the Guardians."

"Is that so? Twisted buds near the edge of the forest. They need sunlight to grow. "That's what the Guardian said,"

Seif admitted. "I'm lost."

"I guess for newbies, it can be disorienting." Racine generously agreed.

Maun was not so easy to talk to. He said gently, "You are deep in the forest, and even if you get lost, it will be difficult to go that far. “

Sev tightened his arm around his knee. He glanced at Maun warily. "I was being chased by a huge animal. It won't stop unless I fall off a cliff. “

There are hardly any predators in this part of the forest, you know. Are you frightened by your own shadow? “

Sour. He's been through this with Uncle Finn. "It was a Matitas, and it looked very angry."

"Yes, of course." Dexin didn't laugh outright, but it was clear that he was trying to restrain his pleasure. "Big scary bark-eaters. Haha"

"Whether it eats the bark or not, it makes people feel scared. Please forgive my son, he was rude. “

"So, the Madetas chased you off the cliff," Mauen muttered to himself. "And from there, you coincidentally wandered to our house."

"It's completely reasonable. That cliff is not far from our house," Racine said.

Maugne's cobalt eye fell on Seif. "Still, he shouldn't have found it."

"I didn't find it on purpose," he muttered.

"I wanted to pick the buds, not be murdered."

There were three pairs of eyes staring at him now. He tensed, wondering if he could log in before anyone else stopped him.

But then Racine chuckled softly. "We believe what you say, Severance. The last thing we want is for more outsiders to find us, so we want to know how you did it. “

"I'm not going to tell anyone," Sev assured. "I don't think I'll ever find it again."

"I'm sure you won't," Racine told him gently. "But we have to take precautions, you know. It's very important for us to stay hidden. “

"Why?"

Severance couldn't help but feel a hint of curiosity. Are these people part of a secret Assassin society? This is in line with everything he's seen so far.

"The question we have to solve now, what to do with you," Racine continued, as if he had never heard about Severance's question. "We can't ignore you, and it would be inconvenient to keep an eye on you all the time."

Severance swallowed, suddenly tense. He could hear what he hadn't said: Well, unfortunately, we can't just kill you, so now we have to find a way to keep you silent.

He would rather they ignore him. They can pretend that he doesn't exist at all. It's very good for him. That's a million times better than being stared at for 24 hours. "Hmm," Maughn said thoughtfully. Everyone looked at him. "I have an idea."

"What are you thinking?" Racine asked.

"Well, he's a priest."

Racine's face furrowed, erasing the easy-going manner he had before. "Man, that's ......"

"Let's try it." Maughan interrupted him. "We can take him to the cave. See how it goes. “

"Oh?" Dexin's eyes lit up. "It sounds like fun. Let's do it! “

Now he felt a pang of worry. He didn't know what Mauen was talking about, but he felt it wasn't a good thing. He hurriedly raised a hand. "I'll have no problem going back to the city. You don't have to worry about me. “

Racine stood up smoothly. "I'm afraid it won't work. But it could be a good opportunity for you. “

What are the opportunities? To send to death? Severance thought he didn't want this "opportunity" at all.

Following Racine, he also stood up. With this single action, he could suddenly feel the eyes of three groups of people staring at him. As if he wanted to escape.

He looked at the surrounding forest. If he tried, it seemed like he could go far. He doesn't know where he is, and one of them might just take less than three seconds to catch him.

"What do you mean?" He asked faintly.

"You're going to get some valuable experience." Racine reached out and patted him on the back. It would have been a friendly gesture, perhaps even a reassuring one, but Seif instinctively sideways to avoid it.

Rahim's eyebrows raised, and he lowered his hand. "We're thinking about taking you to the dungeon. Will you--""A what? Severance burst out. He quickly took a few steps back, panicking. Are they going to lock him up? Forget it, he's getting out of here. “Sys--！“

"Hold on, hold on!" Racine raised his hands. "Listen to me."

Severance shuddered and stopped, a moment before he could write off. He didn't want to hear it, he really didn't want to, but there was something in his heart that made him stop. Maybe it's the way Racine asks, not the request. Or maybe it has something to do with Racine's honesty and kindness, or even understanding.

"Let's go together, the three of us fight. We will keep you safe," Racine promised. "You just need to heal us. All right? “

This...... It doesn't make much sense. "What kind of dungeon is that?"

"It was a special place with a lot of dangerous creatures in it," Racine said calmly. "They can't escape from there, but if we go in and kill them, we can sometimes get treasures. If you help us clean up the place, Severance and we'll get you back to Ascend. How is it? “

Scales fall from one's eyes. This dungeon is not his dungeon, but a dungeon of dangerous creatures. This brought him great comfort, although the uncertainty still tugged at him.

"Why do you want me to go there?"

"None of us can be cured," Racine told him bluntly. "If we get hurt, then we're in trouble. If you were there, all of us would be safer. “

Severance could not argue with this. This makes perfect sense. Although he couldn't help but wonder why they all had to go to this dungeon all of a sudden.

His eyes flickered once more as he looked around. Then he looked at the three murderers dressed in black. But they were all looking at him.

It was a test, and Severance finally realized. But for what purpose, he did not know.

If he tries to escape, they will catch him without difficulty. They are much stronger than him. There's a small chance that he might log out, but that will only last until he logs back in. Maudne had proven capable of tracking him down again.

And then what? They will never let him go unless he somehow satisfies them.

Another option is to quit the game and stop playing. However, he imagined his uncle's disappointment, and just thinking about it made him feel devastated.

In the eyes of his uncle, he was not just a disappointer, but a complete loser.

Severance frowned and ran his hair through with an agitated hand. The feeling of his nails brushing his scalp, the subtle tugging of his hair, helped him gain a foothold in a world that felt like it was flying away from him.

"Will you let me go back to the city after that?" He finally asked.

"Yes," Racine said firmly. "I promise you. Help us with this and we'll take you back to town personally. “

Severance met Racine's calm gaze, and he found himself exhaling softly. He felt that the man was real. Honest.

"Okay," Severance said. It went against every better judgment he made, but he would have done it. He didn't see any other options, and other than that, he didn't want to disappoint Finn.

And just like that, it wasn't long before he found himself crossing the forest again. Mawne led them with brisk steps. Well, it was really a brisk pace for Sifrans, and he was struggling to keep up.

Who the hell are these people? They live in a small, secret, wall-separated castle in the middle of the forest, and they value their privacy! Kill the person who found them. Either way, it's all bad guys.

They didn't threaten him, though.

He watched Mauen wander on uneven ground with perfect balance. It's like he's walking on a fixed, flat road. It's clear that they know where to go.

Severance set his eyes on his feet, his careful steps. He hoped he could do the same. What he's good at is stumbling!