In the darkness of the cave, veiled in deep black shadows and lurking dangers from every corner and sound…
Kalm had lost all sense of how much time had passed since he and Kalystra had entered this madness.
There was no sunlight, no sky, no stars—nothing that could mark the passage of time.
And because of that, Kalm's perception of time had been completely distorted.
He didn't know whether a single day had passed—or more—since their cleansing plan began.
What made it worse was the sheer size of the place.
It was far larger than Kalm had expected.
Larger than a city—no, perhaps not just a city, but possibly even a kingdom.
A sprawling maze of tunnels, branching like the roots of a tree… enough to make even the most seasoned warrior lose all sense of direction.
And yet, despite all this, Kalm and Kalystra pressed forward with steady resolve.
Kalystra's shadow sense, combined with her raven and demonic wolf, provided a vast array of information to guide them.
Their progress was relentless—and the grotesque creatures fell one after the other.
Since the plan began until this very moment, Kalm and Kalystra had stepped through shadows more than seventy-five times.
It was utter madness—and at the same time, a unique experience that opened Kalm's mind to entirely new possibilities.
With every shift through shadow, the graceful woman would emerge in the region where the next creature resided.
She would then study its nature, identify its type, and analyze its traits—
all so she could choose the most suitable shadow beast to eliminate the foul horror ahead.
Due to the unstable state of the self-proclaimed "Cave King," many of the creatures had gathered in unusual formations.
Some even fought side-by-side, ferociously guarding whatever lay behind them.
In most cases, there were two stage-four beasts accompanied by hordes of stage-three monsters.
They swarmed like flies—countless in number—but with destructive power like walking disasters.
But in certain cases… there were regions guarded by three or even four stage-four creatures.
Their presence together made those zones extremely dangerous—no, outright death zones.
From the creatures themselves to the very air, every inch was lethal.
And yet, Kalystra remained unmoved—calm as a mountain.
Her graceful features and dry humor never faltered, not even slightly.
The same could not be said for Kalm.
He was at times stunned, at others terrified—sometimes collapsing to his knees under the weight of dread and awe.
Even the smallest changes would affect him—and understandably so. He was, after all, still just a normal human.
And yet, every time something shook him, he calmed himself down quickly afterward.
Kalystra would usually need a few minutes to fully understand the creature they were facing.
Though the process took time—and was dangerously risky, especially for Kalm—it was absolutely necessary.
For while the shadow beasts were powerful, deadly, and terrifying, they were not immortal in the traditional sense.
If one sustained a devastating injury—beheaded, torn in half, or exploded—
it would be forced to retreat to the shadow realm to heal and rest, before Kalystra could summon it again.
That's why the queen needed all the information she could gather about each creature.
Out of the seventy-five engagements so far, they had been ambushed forty times by the grotesque monsters.
Kalystra was always ready—any beast that lunged at her lost its head instantly.
But Kalm wasn't as fortunate.
One creature nearly tore off half his face with a massive black claw.
Another tried to drag him beneath the earth into a swirling pit of sticky mud.
A third attempted to crush him beneath its massive weight.
Each was a death sentence in its own right—and if not for Kalystra being in the right place at the right time,
he might have died multiple times already.
Now, in a secluded corner of the cave—
where the shadows made the air thicker, blacker, and heavier—
a single orange flame flickered in the center, casting a dim, flickering light.
Kalm and the queen sat together, roasting two pieces of meat that Kalystra had carved from one of the slain beasts.
Their expressions were calm—Kalm showed signs of weariness, but Kalystra appeared as serene and composed as she had at the start.
Beautiful. Still. With those deep, unreadable eyes.
She turned the pieces of meat with practiced ease and sighed softly.
"Haaaah... this is taking longer than I thought. The beasts seem absolutely desperate to protect their damned king...
Still, the plan is unfolding well enough."
She fell silent for a moment. Then Kalm spoke, continuing her thought.
"At this point, roughly one hundred and eighty of the four hundred stage-four beasts have been dealt with…
But there's still a long way to go."
Kalystra sighed again, the firelight dancing in her ancient, jewel-like eyes.
"The danger hasn't passed.
If the Cave King realizes that his strongest guardians are falling like this, he might sense the threat...
And gather them all in one place—near his den—to protect himself during his ascension.
If that happens, our job will suddenly look like child's play in comparison."
Kalm frowned, his brow tightening as he leaned back against his seat.
He had never considered the possibility that these insane beasts could be *intelligent*—strategic in battle.
Fighting one powerful monster wasn't a massive issue—not for a well-coordinated group of Awakened,
or someone like Kalystra, with her level of power and insight.
But facing a *coordinated force* of powerful beasts serving a mighty overlord—
one they knew nothing about—was a terrifying threat.
Simple plans and sequential purging tactics would not work in such a scenario.
That meant only one clear, direct solution remained:
**Isolate the king from his followers.**
Quickly.
Before he noticed anything was wrong.
That's exactly what Kalm and Kalystra were trying to do.
And it was costing them dearly—especially her.
Shadow travel was exhausting. It drained her essence with every use.
For someone like Kalystra, it might appear effortless—but the truth was far from it.
**Drop by drop, the river becomes a roaring tide…**
And it seemed... that's exactly what was happening to the beautiful woman.
Kalm looked at her and tried to keep his tone steady, even playful, hoping to ease her burden just a little.
"Kalystra… do you think we should change our approach moving forward? We don't know how much longer the King will remain unaware… and it seems like you're close to exhaustion."
The queen lifted her gaze to him briefly, her expression unreadable, then looked back at the meat… and smiled.
After a moment of silence, she spoke softly.
"I am exhausted...?, really...?..No no, don't mind, Changing the plan won't help. We don't have enough time to try anything else. The best thing we can do is eliminate a little more than half of the monsters… then head for the king. There's no time left to kill them all."
Kalystra flipped the pieces of meat again and held one up near her face, inspecting it before placing it back over the flame.
Kalm watched her closely, sensing a subtle shift in her presence… there was something different in her eyes. Something deep and buried… sorrow.
Yes—there was sorrow beneath that calm, radiant expression.
He had never seen Kalystra like this. The cheerful, wise, confident queen always carried herself with such poise, almost ethereal in his mind.
She had always seemed perfect, so much so that he had become blind to something important…
His eyes narrowed slightly as a painful realization struck him.
His heartbeat stuttered for a moment as he covered his face with a trembling hand.
He had forgotten—utterly forgotten.
He had been so focused on survival… on finishing the trial… that he had ignored everything else.
He had ignored the fact that Kalystra could sense what was happening near the shadows. She must have been watching the city all this time while they fought down here in the depths.
She must have felt the lives of her soldiers… her people… flicker and fade like dying candles, while she wasn't there to stand beside them.
That must have been agonizing… cruel, even.
Even knowing that this was just an illusion—a test for Kalm—it wouldn't have changed what it felt like to her.
The lives of her people, of the soldiers who believed in her, who followed her cause, were real to her.
And from her perspective, she had abandoned them. Abandoned her duty.
Instead of standing with them in their final moments… she vanished to help a stranger—someone who meant nothing to them.
There must have been a bitter storm within her… a tempest of guilt and conflict crashing like thunder within her soul.
And yet she remained composed. She still wore that gentle smile.
The queen let out a long sigh, her eyes reflecting a profound sadness.
"…It's fallen. The last city… has fallen."
Kalm raised his eyes, meeting hers with a heavy, sorrowful gaze.
He spoke hesitantly, voice low.
"I… I'm sorry, Kalystra."
But the queen didn't lift her eyes from the fire. Her shoulders had slumped slightly, as if a great weight now rested upon her.
"It's not your fault, Kalm. This is just a test… a chance for both of us. My real world is already lost.
And now, with the fall of humanity's final forces… the monsters will begin carving out their territories, marking their nests, and forming their packs. The kings will begin to rise… one by one."
Her expression darkened as she looked up toward the ceiling of the cave.
"This moment… it's made me wonder if stopping the invention of the Lost was truly the right decision…"
Kalm didn't respond immediately. He sat in silence, thinking.
Eventually, he replied:
"Who could have known? Nothing is certain… nothing is absolute."
Kalystra gave a bitter smile, sadness still clinging to her voice.
"Who could have known… Heh… but you're wrong.
There *is* someone who knew. Someone who knows everything."
After that, neither of them spoke for a while.
The silence between them was heavy… Kalystra needed time to collect herself, to recover mentally from the weight of such a devastating loss.
Despite everything, she still looked beautiful, still looked strong.
As for Kalm… he needed time to think about the future—to finally give it the attention it deserved.
Because things were not as he once believed.
They were far more dangerous… and far more complicated.
Kalystra finally finished cooking the meat and handed half to Kalm.
"Clear your thoughts as best you can.
We won't stop again… not until this is over.
With the city fallen, some of the surface monsters will begin seeking refuge down here to build their nests…
It will be war from every direction."
Kalm nodded, fire burning in his eyes, and reached out to take the meat.
Perhaps this… would be his last meal.