Azren's brows furrowed, his voice unsteady.
"What… what are you talking about…?"
Meki's gaze slid briefly toward Mister Rizz, her tone flat and certain.
"Mister Rizz, I already told you—I've seen his memories. He's just some kid from the slum city. He doesn't know anything."
Azren's eyes widened at her words.
'From my memories? What does she mean…?'
The thought hit him like ice.
'Do they… have powers? Magic? And..if that's true then i think she knows that I'm a Transmigrator that's a bad news, who knows what they'll do to me'
Meki continued without hesitation.
"People from the slums… they're already filthy, weak. They don't survive the infection. But somehow, this kid… he's lucky enough to still be breathing."
Mister Rizz's deep, steady voice cut through the air.
"Hey, Meki. Tell me."
She blinked at him, curiosity flickering in her eyes.
"Yes, Mister Rizz?"
"What do you see us—the Peacekeepers—as, in his memories?" Mister Rizz asked.
For the first time, Meki's composure cracked. Her eyes widened just slightly, and silence settled heavy between them.
"I…" she began, but the words stalled.
Azren suddenly felt it.
A creeping chill coiled around his spine, followed by a crushing, invisible weight that pressed down on his chest. His breath caught, his muscles locked in place. Sweat trickled down his temples as his body trembled.
'What… what is this feeling?'
Meki stiffened, too. She recognized the source instantly—it was coming from Mister Rizz. His cold, emotionless stare fixed on her like a blade's edge.
"If you keep acting like that," he said in a voice that carried no warmth, "then we won't be Peacekeepers anymore. We'll become the example… of violence."
Her head lowered, trembling overtaking her body. Her fists clenched tightly against her thighs, but her knuckles shook as if barely holding together.
"I… I'm sorry…" she whispered, the words breaking under fear.
Slowly, the suffocating aura faded, the weight lifting from the air. Mister Rizz's gaze shifted toward Azren.
"Sorry about that. You must be scared."
Azren, still frozen in place, could only stare at him with wide eyes. His voice trembled as he forced a reply.
"I-It's… okay…"
But it wasn't okay.
'What the hell was that? This guy… he's dangerous. I think I'm gonna throw up… I want to go home so bad…'
Mister Rizz's gaze sharpened, his voice steady but heavy with intent.
"Now… try to remember the last thing you know about The Mother of All."
Azren blinked, caught off guard.
'The Mother of All?' he echoed in his mind.
'What do I even know about her…? Does this version of me even have the basic knowledge of this world?'
He dug deep into his thoughts, forcing his mind to search through the haze. Then—like a candle flickering to life in a pitch-dark room—a memory surfaced.
A book.
Thick, heavy, and bound in dark, worn leather. Strange symbols and words carved into its cover, written in a language completely unfamiliar to him. He had never been taught such writing.
And then… his mother's voice.
She was lying beside him on their creaky bed, the dim glow of a lone candle lighting the cramped, dark room. Her tone was soft yet filled with weight as she read from that book, her fingers tracing over those strange letters.
Almost without realizing it, words slipped from his lips.
"The Mother of All… the one who gave birth to existence."
The moment those words left him, Mister Rizz closed his eyes as if confirming something. Meki, on the other hand, snapped upright, her expression shifting into shock.
"Huh—what?! How?! I know I went through your memories clearly, and there was nothing about the goddess! You don't even have the most basic knowledge!" Her voice rose with disbelief.
Mister Rizz calmly lifted a hand, and Meki fell silent mid-protest. She sat back, still visibly fuming.
"You're just a newly +1 ranked Welder," Mister Rizz said with quiet authority. "I doubt your skill. That's why I'm confirming things myself."
Meki pressed her lips together, frustration in her eyes, but said nothing more.
Mister Rizz's attention returned to Azren, his gaze now even heavier, sharper. Azren's breath stalled for a moment—those eyes felt like they could strip away every layer of his mind.
"There's something else Meki would like to ask you," he said evenly.
Azren tilted his head slightly, still confused. Meki looked at Rizz, then gave a small nod before fixing her eyes on Azren.
"Answer this honestly. Your memories… they stop the moment you hanged yourself. And I'm certain that should've killed you. But when the landlord reported it, we found you just unconscious. So… tell me—how did you survive from something like that?"
Azren stared back at her, his mind racing.
'So she only saw my memories up until that point…? She doesn't know I'm a transmigrator… Looks like I'm still safe.'
Both of them waited silently, their attention fixed on him.
Finally, Azren leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable.
"Must be luck…" he said.
Both Meki and Mister Rizz blinked at the unexpected answer.
"Huh?" Meki muttered, baffled, her brows furrowing.
Azren's lips twitched into a small, almost fake smile, the kind people make when they have no idea what else to say.
"Must be my luck," he muttered.
'What the hell am I even saying…?' he thought.
The room fell into a heavy silence. The three of them just stared at each other.
Finally, Meki broke the silence.
"So… you're telling me you survived the final stage of the Five Symptoms of Death just by luck?"
'Final stage of what?' Azren's mind echoed in confusion. Still, he forced an uncertain nod.
"Umm… yeah… I think."
Meki let out a long, tired sigh.
"That's… unbelievably ridiculous."
Mister Rizz, however, didn't sigh or scoff. He simply closed his eyes and said with a calm but deep voice,
"That's a god-level of luck you have."
Azren's throat tightened. He swallowed hard before asking, "Can you tell me… where we're going?"
Meki leaned back in her seat, her posture casual but her voice straightforward.
"We're taking you to the capital."
His eyes widened instantly.
"Ca—Capital? Why…?"
Before she could answer, Mister Rizz's voice cut through.
"You'll get your answers there—about us, and about who you are now."
Azren's brow furrowed.
"Huh? Who I am now…?"
Meki and Mister Rizz exchanged a brief glance before Meki spoke again, her tone serious.
"You're no longer just a normal Heyuman. You're now walking on the path of the Goddess's will."
Her words hit him like cold water. Azren froze, his eyes widening in a mix of shock and confusion.
"You'll be a Welder, like us," Mister Rizz added.
"Welder?" Azren repeated blankly.
Meki nodded once.
"Heyumans who gain supernatural powers through the Trial of the Mother of All are called Welders."
Azren sat there, feeling the weight of every word. Everything was new—alien even. His chest felt tight, and his heart sank.
'What is all this crap…? Welders… goddess… I didn't sign up for this. I… I just want to go home…'
But then, like a spark in the dark, another thought struck him. His eyes widened slightly.
'Wait… maybe this could help me get back. If they have supernatural powers, then there must be a way to send me to my original world. I… I just need to endure this for now…'
'And then… I can go home.'