“A talking crow instead of a demon cat?” Wyn wonders aloud as the crow circles above, its voice relentless in announcing their arrival.

  The team stands at the center of a large crimson circle, confused. The circle lies at the very back of the town square. In front of the square stands a stage, flanked by cat-shaped megaphones perched on all sides, presumably for public addresses. Behind the stage, a line of tents is pitched, all facing toward the square. Multiple rows of tents stretch into the distance, though there’s something odd about their arrangement that gives Wyn pause. He brushes it aside as the growing crowd presses closer.

  To the team’s back, the towering base of the shalmali tree looms behind a glass enclosure, the same as they had seen on the first floor, though this time its view feels less spectacular. The entire area is bathed in a strange, ambient glow, as if lit by sunlight that doesn't exist.

  “New elites! Haven’t had these in a while!” one of the souls in the crowd exclaims.

  The crow flutters down, circling above the team before guiding them toward the stage. As they ascend, the bird lands atop Wyn's head.

  "High essence. Slain the foxymoron, the new champion – Legion of the Fallen Souls, and the goosebumps. Tier S, this one!" it announces, flapping its wings as it perches on Wyn's head.

  A ripple of murmurs spreads through the crowd at the crow's words.

  “This one and this one, Tier A,” it continues, this time landing on Lisa’s then Yu’s head. “The rest, B.” With its final announcement, it takes off from Yu’s head and latches onto one of the megaphones.

  “Close to forty thousand essence already?” a soul gasps in awe.

  “Wow, the champions they’ve taken down!” another marvels.

  “What’s a foxymoron?” another wonders.

  Confused by the sudden attention, Wyn glances around.

  “Can’t be! It’s them!” a familiar voice calls out, cutting through the crowd’s whispers.

  As she pushes through the crowd to the front of the stage, Wyn immediately recognizes her – it’s Charlotte. This is the first time Wyn sees her in broad daylight and up close. Charlotte is about Wyn’s height, her long brunette hair cascading down her back and contrasting sharply with her pale skin. Her build is average and less busty than Mira. Tattoos decorate much of her body, including intricate designs that resemble black butterfly wings across her cleavage. Piercings adorn her nose and eartips. Her attire mirrors what Wyn saw at the junkyard – black lace-up corset shirt with lace details along the neckline and sleeves, black skinny jeans, and black Mary Jane shoes with chunky soles.

  “Surprised you’re still alive,” she says, her tone sharp.

  Wyn’s team is momentarily stunned, caught off guard by the bluntness of her words. But Wyn feels a surge of anger rising within him.

  “Have some respect. We went through a lot to get here.”

  “So did everyone else here,” she replies without a hint of apology. “I need to fetch David. He’s gonna want to see this.” She turns to leave, leaving Wyn simmering in frustration.

  The moment Charlotte leaves, the crowd erupts into a frenzy. What had been murmurs quickly transforms into a chaotic chorus of voices, each trying to outshout the others. It’s as if the stage has turned into the floor of a stock exchange, with souls clamoring for attention.

  “Join us!”

  “No, join us!”

  “Train with us! We wanna be the best like no one ever was!”

  Wyn signals to his team to get off the stage and head toward somewhere else; they choose the tents. As they make their way through the crowd, his growling grows louder, a clear warning to anyone who tries to get too close. Annoyed by the persistence of those around them, Wyn feels a slight relief when David, now visible with Charlotte beside him, waves them over.

  “Look at how tall he is, eh! Nice to see someone as tall as me for a change,” James whispers to his teammates.

  “I think you’re a bit taller than him, slenderman,” Wyn remarks.

  “Those muscles…those beautiful blue eyes…,” Mira says.

  “He looks way too old for you, sister. Older than Mister Wyn, even,” Lisa remarks, prompting Wyn to shoot her a squinting glance.

  “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t date anyone over twenty-five. Except for you, Oppa! You could be sixty and I’d still let you touch me,” Mira says, also earning Wyn’s squinting glance, but this time with his mouth hanging open in shock.

  As Wyn’s team makes it to David, the crowd once again follows.

  “You people need to leave them alone. Give them time to decide,” David says.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “That’s no fair! You’re gonna make them join you!” a soul shouts from the crowd.

  Wyn doesn’t hesitate to fire back, “Fair or not, I’m with him for now. The rest of you, kindly fuck off.”

  The boldness in his tone draws a mix of gasps and murmurs from the lingering souls. One of them speaks up, “That attitude! He thinks he’s too good for us!”

  Though some souls scatter at Wyn’s command, a handful remain, still desperate to grab his attention. Their persistence only fuels Wyn’s annoyance.

  “What’s going on? What’s their deal?” James asks.

  David leads Wyn’s team beyond the tent lines, where a row of connected buildings stretches endlessly into the distance. He stops at one door, glancing at the digital display to find an available room. Once inside, he approaches the terminal in the center, selecting the “Meeting Room” option. Instantly, portals open beneath the floor, pulling the terminal down while summoning an oval conference table with a hologram projector at its center and enough rolling seats to match the number of attendees.

  “What you saw out there was the Crow Of Judgment. What it does is…,” David explains.

  “Why crow? Why not cats?” Wyn asks.

  “Errr, I think someone requested it so it’d become a meme.”

  “Noice!”

  As they settle into their seats, David observes the new members of Wyn's team.

  “I see you’ve added some new faces yet your team remains at five. It’s impressive that you defeated the champions with just the five of you.”

  “We weren’t always five,” Wyn replies, prompting his teammates to stare silently at the table.

  “Oh...I understand. My deepest condolences,” David responds, his tone soft. “Before facing the champions, my team started with fifteen. We eventually dwindled down to ten.”

  David then stares at Mira, then Lisa, as if trying to piece together his past encounter with Wyn’s team. An awkward pause follows.

  “Have you found your sister, young lady? You asked me about her before, didn’t you?” he asks, turning to Mira.

  “Did I?” Mira tilts her head, thinking. “Well, I’ve found her now! This is Lisa!”

  “Oh? Her? You two don’t look all that alike…”

  “Mister David!” Lisa huffs, while Mira pats her gently on the head.

  David continues to explain that on the deepest level of Hell, the elites are divided into factions, each vying to increase their numbers and become the dominant force. Currently, there are three main factions alongside what David refers to as “neutral” factions. The tents are arranged based on the factions the souls belong to, which is why the lines appear uneven and scattered. The left side stretches all the way to a wall and consists of multiple lines of tents in hues of red, belonging to one of the main factions. The opposite side features tents in hues of blue for the other main faction, while in the middle are David’s own faction and the neutral factions. Before he can elaborate further, Wyn interrupts.

  “Politics here in Hell? That sounds stupid. Give us more details on the floor.”

  The third floor of the seventh level is just as expansive as the first, but most of its space is reserved for the elites. However, on one side of the shalmali tree stands the nerds’ headquarters, adjacent to the Dark Force’s chambers.

  “I thought the nerds had their own special space,” Wyn remarks.

  “Hmmm…long story. Let’s just say they did, but the demons Big D sent to observe them reported that they weren’t really working. Instead, they partied and had orgies all the time. So, now their office is here – though they can portal back to their private void space for those activities when they’re off duty,” David explains.

  “Weird…And that Big D guy, Dark Force, isn’t it? He has his own chambers?” Wyn asks.

  “Yes, but no one except Pete has ever entered them,” David replies.

  “Are they…?” Mira wonders.

  “No one knows. No one dares to ask,” David says.

  On the other side of the shalmali tree lies the cat production factory, which has now shifted its purpose from creating cats to training them. Finally, behind the tree is the infamous Nightmare Chamber, formerly known as the Torture Chamber, where elites can pay in catnips to gain the ability to manipulate the nightmares of high-profile criminals.

  “We need to visit the Nightmare Chamber!” Mira exclaims.

  “Oh, fo’ sho’!” Wyn replies.

  “Let’s find a spot for your tents first, and I’ll take you on a tour!” David suggests.

  “What about the second floor? I heard a cat mention something about training there,” Wyn asks.

  “That’s for another time. Basically, it’s where us elites train.”

  “And what about your duty surveying for abnormalities on the first floor?” Wyn probes.

  “Right! That’s how we met you guys! Well, we take turns. It’s mostly split between the other two main factions, and we cover for them occasionally.”

  David leads Wyn’s team to the tent area near his own team’s. He recommends they settle here for now and assures them they can relocate later when they decide which faction to join. After pitching his tent, Wyn notices a new option to connect his to the nearby tents, which are Yu’s and Mira’s, but decides to keep this information to himself.

  At this point, Charlotte leaves without revealing her reason. David then leads Wyn’s team back to the connected buildings where they just held their meeting.

  “These are multi-purpose rooms,” David explains. “To choose a room's function, simply select one from the terminal – all free of charge!”

  There’s an overwhelming number of options available, and everyone eagerly splits up to pick their own room. Wyn decides on a massage, and the selection summons a chair with a soft, thin backrest aligned in the middle that comfortably supports his spine. Two mantis shrimp-like creatures appear alongside the chair. Instead of appearing hostile, the creatures point Wyn to the seat. Once settled, the shrimp at the back starts punching his back, while the other, hollow in the middle, squeezes his legs and thighs. He’s never felt this relaxed in Hell before – so much so that he uncharacteristically falls asleep during the massage.

  Yu chooses a studio room, eager to properly hear himself as he strums the guitar. The atmosphere brings back memories of his time as a trainee in an idol group. As he begins to sing, his voice cracks, and tears start streaming down his face.

  Meanwhile, Mira and Lisa opt for the ultimate manicure experience, provided by the Dark Forest fairies, who begin nibbling professionally at their nails. After selecting their desired nail colors, butterfly dragons of corresponding hues flutter in, using their flames to paint the girls' nails with precision, all while shrimps tap gently on their shoulders.

  As for James, he chooses the toilet, yearning for the sensation of relieving himself from both ends. This option allows him to select the type of release he desires from a touchscreen on the toilet – options for color, density, and the difficulty of the release. Afterward, he hits the shower, singing as the steam clouds the whole room.