Artemis woke up in a daze, his body feeling heavy, his eyelids resisting as he forced them open.
His vision was blurred at first, swimming with shadows and faint light. The first thing he saw was the vague silhouette of a girl.
For a moment, he thought it was nothing more than a hallucination caused by the pounding he had taken when he fell, striking his head against stone again and again.
But as he blinked once… twice… three times, the haze cleared, and he realized with certainty, there really was a young girl staring directly at him.
Startled, Artemis instinctively sat up, retreating backward until his spine struck against the cold, unforgiving rock wall.
"Wh–who… who are you?"
Artemis stammered, his voice unsteady.
"Me?"
The girl tilted her head slightly, her lips curling into a mischievous smile that revealed a row of startlingly white teeth.
"I'm the one who saved your life,"
She said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, her words carrying both sarcasm and playfulness.
Artemis studied her more carefully now. She looked no older than fifteen. She was beautiful in a youthful way, her short dark hair framing her face.
The curve of her smile made her look like an innocent little girl, but one glance into her eyes was enough to reveal her nature, mischief lingered there, sharp and undeniable.
"It looks like God heard my prayers after all,"
She said suddenly, clasping her hands together in mock gratitude.
"I was dreadfully bored down here all alone. And guess what? God decided to send me someone from the heavens to keep me company."
Her words were laced with jest, but her tone was half-serious, half-sarcastic.
Artemis frowned inwardly. Bored?
A cultivator should not know such a thing. Cultivators may experience many emotions, but boredom is rarely one of them.
They could remain in seclusion for months, even years, without contact, and it would not disturb them.
The truly ancient ones, those living legends known as old fogeys, could cultivate for decades in complete solitude, and to them the years would pass as if mere moments.
After all, beings who could live for millennia would find decades no more than the blink of an eye.
The girl clapped her hands lightly, pulling him back from his thoughts.
"Alright," she said, "I know you've just come back from the dead and you're probably confused by now. So let me explain briefly."
She paused dramatically, then continued in a rush.
"I was alone here cultivating peacefully, without a single disturbance from the outside world, when you suddenly out of nowhere fell into this cave. When I came to check on you and saw you lying there.... well, you weren't bad-looking. My heart ached a little, so I decided to save you. I used up a great deal of my cosmic energy and even some of my precious pills to tend your injuries. And since you were unconscious for so long, I had to check on you again and again. Do you know how long you slept? Five days, five full days! Can you imagine? Was it because you died and went to greet your ancestors in the netherworld? Or was it—"
"Wait… wait… wait…"
Artemis quickly raised his hand, cutting her off. His head spun from the flood of her words.
The girl had promised to explain briefly, yet her explanation was anything but brief, leaving him even more confused.
"Did you just say I was unconscious for five days? And… why do you keep saying I died?" he asked cautiously.
"Oh, that's correct."
She leaned forward slightly, her eyes sparkling as though amused by his bewilderment.
"You slept for five full days, so peacefully, like an infant. And yes… you literally died."
She said it with a gentle smile, as if death were no heavier than sleep.
Artemis stared at her blankly, unable to form words.
"Oh! No… I know that look," she said at once, her grin widening. "You don't believe me, do you? You don't believe that you really died. Then listen carefully: when you first fell here, I checked your body. You had no pulse at all, not even the faintest flutter. Your heart had stopped completely, and for more than a few minutes you were nothing but a lifeless body. It was only when I gave you my Breath of Life that things began to change. Even then, it took great effort before your breathing stabilized and your heart began to beat again. Without me, you would never have opened your eyes again."
(Breath of Life is an ancient method akin to the modern art of resuscitation, forcing life back into the still body, CPR.)
She went on and on, detailing every step of how she had dragged him back from the dead.
"Alright, alright—I believe you,"
Artemis finally interrupted, raising his hand again, unable to bear another wave of endless explanation.
"Good boy. I knew you would believe me."
Her smile widened further, and in that instant she looked even more mischievous, almost devilish in her playfulness.
Artemis shivered at the thought.
Did I really die…?
The very idea of it sent goosebumps crawling across his skin. He didn't want to die, at least not now.
He was only sixteen. To die before fulfilling his dream of becoming the greatest champion of the Arthdel Kingdom would be the cruelest fate. His soul would never find peace.
He forced himself to focus on his surroundings instead.
The cavern walls loomed high above, jagged and unyielding, so tall he could not see what lay beyond.
The soft, rhythmic sound of water droplets echoed through the darkness, hinting at an underground river or perhaps even a hidden sea.
Moss clung thickly to the stone, glowing faintly green in the dampness, proof of the constant moisture.
Climbing back up was out of the question, the surface was far too slick.
"Oh, that's right," the girl said suddenly, noticing the way he studied the cave.
"I didn't come here by choice either. I fell into this place just like you. And believe me, I've tried every possible way to climb out, but it's useless. The rocks are too slippery. And for days I prayed someone would come to rescue me, but instead… you came tumbling down to keep me company."
She finished her words with a sarcastic little mock-bow.
Artemis turned toward her, his eyes wide with shock.
"And how long… have you been here?"
The girl tapped her chin with one finger, pretending to think hard before answering casually.
"Hmm… maybe twenty-one days. Or twenty-two. I lost count."
Then, just as suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"But now that you're awake, that's perfect! You must have some food with you, right? I ran out on the very day you fell in here, and I'm starving."
For a fleeting moment her expression turned pitiful, but it quickly shifted back into its usual playful mischief.
"Oh, please, don't glare at me like that. While you were unconscious, I did try to open your dimensional bracelet. But no matter what I tried, I couldn't gain access. It must be some kind of superior-grade artifact or secret treasure, only its owner can open it."
Artemis could only stare at her in disbelief. This little thief openly admitted to trying to break into his possessions.
Without another word, he sent his consciousness into his dimensional bracelet and retrieved what he had stored there: bread, dried meat, and grape juice.
The girl's eyes lit up the moment she saw the food. She hurried forward, snatching it up eagerly as though afraid Artemis might change his mind at any moment.
Without ceremony, she settled herself on a nearby rock and began savoring each bite.
At last, Artemis had a moment of silence. Since waking, she had spoken without pause, giving him no chance to think.
Now, with her busy eating, he could finally turn his full attention to the cave.
The cosmic energy here was unlike anything outside. It was dense, so dense it almost shimmered before the eyes. A perfect place for cultivation.
Though it's unfortunate I fell into this pit, Artemis thought, at least it provides what I need most right now.
He clenched his fists.
There's no point worrying about getting out of here yet. First, I must break through the stubborn barrier blocking my core. If I fail to awaken my Cosmo, then death awaits me anyway, whether inside this cave or outside. Better to risk dying here in cultivation than waste the chance.
By his calculation, according to the girl he had already been unconscious for five days.
That left him only twenty-five more before his death duel. He could not afford to lose a single day.
Before the talkative girl finished her meal, he resolved, he would already be at work.
After some searching, Artemis found a dry, shadowed corner of the cavern, quiet, dark, and suitable for cultivation.
There, he seated himself cross-legged, shutting out the world around him, ready to plunge into cultivation once more.