"Hmmp, I'm still alive?" She groaned sweetly.

  Hazie's eyes fluttered open, her expression groggy as she stared at the fabric ceiling of the tent. Took a deep breath, catching the distinct scent of roasted meat. Turning her head, she blinked in surprise at the sight before her: Kaiser sitting by the fire, his glass-like sword acting as a spit for a slowly rotating slab of meat.

  "Huh? You're still here? And is that... actual food?" she asked, her voice a mix of disbelief and mild suspicion.

  Kaiser glanced at her, his expression unreadable. He let her words hang in the air for a moment before sighing.

  "Yeah. Why? Did you think I'd just leave?"

  Hazie's lips curved into a faint, teasing smile. "Honestly? Yes. You strike me as the type."

  Kaiser admitted.

  "Well, you're not entirely wrong." If he were still mortal, he likely would’ve run off with the fire and whatever supplies he could carry... Probably.

  "Then why?"

  He paused, considering his response. Should he go for something honest but cheesy? *“Because I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving a damsel like you alone in this wasteland.”* Or maybe casual? *“You cared for me, so I care for you.”* Perhaps something poetic? *“You’re too beautiful of a flower to wither away here.”*

  The thought alone made him shudder. He muttered instead

  "...Don’t ask me, I don’t know why, either."

  Hazie chuckled, as though reading his thoughts. "You're a coward, aren’t you?"

  "Who’re you calling a coward?" Kaiser shot back, gesturing at the sizzling meat. "I hunted this just for you!"

  "Really?" she asked, arching a skeptical brow.

  He hesitated, then shrugged. "Of course not. I had to find food for myself; this is just the extra."

  Hazie didn't respond immediately, as if realizing something wrong. And indeed, her supposed weak patient wasn't resting beside her and instead, had already gathered food and boiled water. She studied him intently for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly before saying flatly.

  "You weren’t really sick earlier, were you?"

  Kaiser didn’t even flinch, his face the picture of innocence devoid of shame. "What are you talking about? Can’t you see I was dying in my bed back then?"

  Her shoulders sagged, a sigh escaping her lips. There was a hint of frustration there, as if she just realized she had been thoroughly scammed by this bastard, acting all weak and vulnerable, while in truth he had the damned strength to carry himself. What a waste of her genuine care.

  "Yeah, sure. I totally believable..."

  There was a brief pause before she spoke again, her tone light but deliberate. "Hey, Kai... I’m hungry."

  "Then eat," he replied nonchalantly.

  She eyed him with a pitiful look, her voice suddenly dripping with faux adorable helplessness. "But I’m too sick... Feed me."

  "No way. Get it yourself."

  "Aw, I think I’m dying here," she lamented dramatically. "Oh, how I wish a caring gentleman would feed this poor, helpless damsel in her bed."

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Use your damn hand," Kaiser snapped, determined to not give a refund.

  Hazie wasn’t done, though. She batted her lashes exaggeratedly. "Kai... I’m also thirsty."

  He would have fulfilled her request if not for the fact she's obviously acting. But even then, his heart was not meant for this kind of romantic thingy.

  Scratching the back of his head, Kaiser let out a long, exaggerated sigh. Put his meal aside and raise to his feet, he walked over to her bedside and began reaching for his zipper.

  "W-what are you doing?!" Hazie stammered, her eyes wide with alarm.

  "What else?" Kaiser replied with a perfectly straight face. "Peeing. Did you know urine is warm when freshly released? It’d be a waste to dump it outside. Might as well give it to a sick person in need of warm water."

  His sinister gaze fell down on her as he said. "Say... Ah."

  Hazie scrambled upright, waving her hands in a panic. "W-wait, wait! Okay! I’ll eat on my own, just stop! No! Please, I’m begging you—stop!"

  Moments later, Hazie sat cross-legged with her bowl of grilled meat, eating obediently. The shell bowl had been clean, and a small trickle of water accompanied her meal. She chewed with an expression that was equal parts relief and indignation.

  "You monster. No wonder you’ve never had a girlfriend," Hazie muttered, shaking her head as she nibbled at her food.

  "Yeah, yeah, whatever," Kaiser replied, waving off the comment. He watched her for a moment before asking, "By the way, you haven’t told me where you’re leading the group yet."

  Taking an elegant yet ravenous bite of the meat, Hazie raised a brow. "Didn’t I tell you? I’m leading them to a safer place."

  "And where exactly is that?" he asked, his tone skeptical.

  She smiled faintly, gesturing upward with her finger. "Above. According to Julia’s divination, out of all directions—south, north, west, east, or even down—our safest and only hope is to cross the sea above. Ironic, isn’t it? Poetic, even. The only way out is to reach the heavens, but instead of clouds and blue, it’s a sea in the sky... which is supposed to be below."

  "Yeah," Kaiser said, nodding blankly, despite not entirely grasping the concept of the term *irony* but pretending he did. "So... how are we going to join them?"

  She froze mid-chew, her expression faltering. After a moment, she sighed. "We?" she echoed softly. "Sorry, Kai, but I was tasked to lure a pursuing monster away. Sooner or later, that thing will figure out the blood trail I left behind is leading it in circles. Once it does, it’ll find my real tracks eventually. I appreciate your concern, but I’m destined to die anyway."

  Her voice grew quieter, almost regretful. "Honestly, I was hoping you’d just leave me to make it easier. But here you are... sticking around, not even taking advantage of my weakness. Has anyone ever told you that you fail as a man?"

  Kaiser smirked. "Maybe you just fail as a woman."

  Hazie groaned, clearly stung by his words. "Unbelievable. You’re as unbelievable as the number of times I’ve said that today. I thought I was rescuing some cute little puppy shivering in the cold, but instead, I get a psychopathic monster who’s too cowardly to say something sweet to a lady—or even feed her properly like I would have done to you, no questions asked!"

  "Don’t change the damned subject. Where are they now, and how are we catching up to the group?" He said flatly.

  Hazie paused, then sighed again and gave him a sharp look, as though measuring his intent. "You’re smarter than you look," she admitted, her focus drifting back to the meat in her hands. "Braver and stronger, too." She took another bite, chewing thoughtfully. "I recognize the taste of these big barnacles—they’re the camp’s main food source, after all. But this..." she gestured to the rest of the meat, "...this isn’t something I’ve tasted before. Let me guess—it's a flying creature that fell from the cliff? Or... Did you hunt it?"

  "Found it,"

  She tilted her head, studying him intently. "Hmph. Of course you did," she murmured, a faint smile tugging at her lips. After a moment of silence, she continued, her tone carrying a note of reluctant admiration. "But, then again, you’ve survived this long on your own without relying on anyone. That’s no small feat. You’re tougher than you look."

  She straightened slightly, her expression growing more serious as her voice softened. "Kai, let me be honest with you. Given the situation we’re in, there are two paths we can take. The first option is that we part after I tell you where the expedition is heading and the route they have taken. But let’s face it, the details would be hard to remember, and there’s also the risk of leading that monster straight to them if it follows you after my death. That would undo everything I’ve done to protect them." She paused, letting her words sink in before adding, "Even if that doesn’t happen, navigating these mountains alone without a guide is no easy task. The terrain is complicated—confusing, dangerous. Chances are high that you’d get lost or hunted down by that creature that's pursuing us, if not, you'll be giving the group trouble. That's why I'm still reluctant to tell you where they really are. Then again, I extremely doubt you'll find them due to the complexity of the terrain. Survival alone It’s bleak at best, to say the least. However, reuniting with the group isn’t impossible, but it’s a gamble."

  She leaned forward slightly, her expression conflicted. "The second option is we stay together. For reasons I can’t explain, I have a connection to my other personas that let me sense where they are. We wouldn’t have to worry about losing our way, in fact, we'll reach them faster with my help. But traveling together comes with its own risks. My pursuer is relentless, and I can’t avoid it. My job is to keep that thing far away from the others, not lead it back to them. If you stay, we’ll have to face it eventually, and I can’t promise we’ll make it out alive."

  Hazie exhaled heavily, her fingers tracing idle patterns on the shell bowl she held. "So... what’s it going to be?"

  Kaiser didn’t even hesitate. "Let’s kill it."

  Her head snapped up, failing to comprehend the young man before her. "At least *think* about it before deciding!" she exclaimed, exasperated.

  "I already have."

  Cats are already out of the bag thanks to the obvious fact that he had been going solo all this time while they're surviving as a group. And Kai did not want to act as a coward, to hide he's true self in front of his potential comrade in arms in their journey, especially because she's no simple girl he could easily fool.

  Hazie groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead. "You do realize we’re probably going to die, right? It's nothing like the barnacles here, it's a real monster, a hybrid between ground and airborne one at that."

  In summary, one option offers bleak possibility of success while the other is nothing short of a death sentence.

  And his answer is...

  "Yup." Kaiser shrugged, chewing uninterrupted.

  It's quite a relief, really, on how easy it is to talk to Hazie about serious matters without needing to argue. However, it's noticeable how

  she's not doing well.

  Her lips twitched, look at him for a while with conflicted expression. Then, a spark of curiosity ignited in her eyes.

  "You’re so confident for someone so reckless." Her eyes narrowed as she studied him closely, slightly amused by his absurd lack of fear in regards to danger. "Tell me something, Kai... What’s your level?"

  The flames crackled between them, the silence stretching as she awaited his answer. While Kai...

  Kaiser tried hard to hide his bewilderment, but failed to shroud the shift in his expression.

  Indeed, what's his *Level*, exactly?