"Kai… Kai…"
The voice calling his name sounded distant, as if echoing from the far end of a long tunnel. Kai frowned slightly. His eyelids felt unbearably heavy. His head was empty, his body drained, like something had siphoned all the strength out of him.
"Kai! Wake up, idiot!"
His eyes snapped open.
The rocky ceiling of the cave came into view, dim and uneven. Firelight flickered across damp stone, casting shifting shadows that danced along the walls. The air was thick — smoke, burnt meat, and the lingering metallic scent of blood.
Duke was crouched in front of him, irritation barely masking concern. Mike leaned against the cave wall with his arms crossed, studying Kai carefully.
Mike:
"Yeah… you look like a corpse we just dragged back."
Kai pushed himself upright slowly. His head buzzed, but his vision steadied. He glanced around.
The same cramped cave.
The same pile of goblin corpses burned into blackened heaps in the corner. Thin gray smoke drifted lazily upward toward the ceiling.
Kai:
"…How long was I out?"
Duke:
"About thirty minutes. We've been trying to wake you. You were out cold."
Kai rubbed his temple and let out a long yawn that made his jaw ache.
Kai:
"Really? Feels like I slept for hours."
Mike:
"You dropped and instantly passed out. Guess your body finally hit its limit."
Kai inhaled deeply. His chest stung faintly, but his thoughts were clearer now. He glanced toward the cave entrance.
The rain had stopped. The faint orange glow of sunset filtered through the trees, staining the forest outside in a somber, uneasy light.
Kai:
"Why'd you wake me?"
Mike shrugged.
"Rain stopped. And if I remember right, today's the last day of this damn test."
Duke nodded.
"Yeah. If the witch wasn't lying, we just have to survive today. Then we're out of this hellhole."
Kai let out a dry laugh.
"'Out of here'… sounds like something from a past life."
He looked down at his hands.
Dirty. Crusted with dried blood and ash.
Survival meant something very different now.
Kai:
"So… what's next?"
Duke's voice lowered.
"We stay here. We don't know how she'll come retrieve whoever's alive. Going out now is asking to die."
Mike added:
"While you were asleep, I grabbed some food."
Kai raised a brow.
"Food?"
Mike pointed toward a flat stone in the corner.
Several skinned field rats and a small squirrel lay there, roughly cleaned.
"Rats and a squirrel. Not much, but enough."
Kai stared at the makeshift supply for a few seconds, then nodded.
"Alright. Give it to me. I'll cook it."
Duke blinked.
"You can cook?"
Kai didn't answer. He simply drew his sword. The blade was chipped from battle, but still sharp enough.
His movements were steady — efficient. He cleaned the meat properly, trimmed what needed trimming, then gathered dry sticks and skewered the pieces carefully over the fire.
Soon, the scent of roasting meat began to fill the cave, gradually overpowering the smell of blood.
Duke sniffed.
"…Smells good."
Kai smirked faintly.
"Let's see what squirrel tastes like in this world."
Mike stared at the golden-browning squirrel and suddenly frowned.
"Wait. Why do you get the squirrel?"
Kai shot him a look.
"Because I'm the one who cook it?."
Mike protested:
"I'm the one who caught it."
Duke sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Calm down, you idiots. Rock-paper-scissors. Winner gets squirrel. Loser gets rat."
Kai and Mike locked eyes.
Simultaneously:
"Rock, paper, scissors!"
Kai threw paper.
Mike threw scissors.
Kai:
"…Damn it."
Mike burst out laughing.
"Hell yeah! Enjoy your rat, loser!"
Kai muttered under his breath and picked up a skewer with roasted rat. Mike didn't hesitate — he bit into the squirrel meat, fat sizzling slightly.
Mike:
"Damn… that's good. You two are missing out."
Kai stared at the rat for a moment, hesitating.
Then he clenched his jaw.
"Whatever."
He took a bite.
…
He blinked.
"…It's not bad?"
Another bite.
Then another.
Not gourmet. Not delicious.
But rich enough. Salty enough. Enough to quiet the hollow ache in his stomach.
Kai:
"Better than I expected."
Duke nodded while chewing.
"Yeah. Kind of like chicken."
Mike scoffed.
"No way it's better than squirrel."
Kai smirked.
"Whatever. I'm satisfied with rat."
The three of them sat around the fire, quietly finishing their portions. Outside, darkness slowly swallowed the forest. Insects chirped steadily. The world beyond the cave remained dangerous, unpredictable.
But for now…
They were alive.
And as long as they could sit together, argue over food, and laugh over something as stupid as roasted rat—
They hadn't lost yet.
A fragile, fleeting moment of warmth in the middle of a brutal reality.