Without the sun, the entire level is shrouded in darkness. Outside the walls, the water in the oases begins to rise, twisting into a shimmering wave that weaves through the air. The sparkling blue water provides a soft, ethereal light, replacing the fallen sun.

  “ARGH!” Yu screams, clutching his hair with both hands as he paces back and forth. “We should’ve listened to you, Wyn! We shouldn’t have come here! We had it all good down there, and now we’re here, losing another friend! I’m sorry, James! I’m so sorry!” His voice cracks, breaking under the weight of his anguish.

  “Mister Yu…,” Lisa whispers through her sobs, grabbing his arm with her uninjured hand. Her touch stops him in his tracks, though his hands remain tangled in his hair as he begins to cry openly.

  Mira, silent and tearful, stares at James’ band in her trembling hands. Unable to find the words, she steps closer and wraps her arms tightly around Yu from behind, her tears flowing freely as she presses her face against his shoulder.

  Wyn’s tears stream silently down his face as he gazes at the shimmering river winding above, its beauty a stark contrast to the pain in his chest. His mouth hangs open, but no words escape. Yu’s self-recrimination fills the air, a raw, agonizing loop that deepens the ache within Wyn. His body trembles, each movement a reminder of the searing burns that mark him, yet the pain pales in comparison to the weight of losing another teammate.

  With unsteady steps, Wyn slowly turns toward Yu, his legs heavy as if the grief itself is anchoring him. Limping closer, he reaches out, his voice soft yet steady.

  “We’re still here, buddy. You still have us,” Wyn murmurs, his arms encircling Yu, Lisa, and Mira in a trembling embrace. The sharp sting of his injuries intensifies with every second of contact, but Wyn endures it, holding on tightly to the only solace they have left – each other.

  Yu’s voice trembles as he breaks the silence, his face pale and tear-streaked. “We weren’t there with him in his final moments,” he says, each word heavy with sorrow. “This will always be a regret I have to live with.”

  David feels the weight of his loss pressing down on him as he collects the four bands belonging to his fallen teammates. His hands tremble as he pulls out the other three from his pocket, laying them all in his palms. He stares at them in silence, his face etched with anguish.

  With a heavy breath, he drops to his knees, pressing the bands against his face. Regret surges through him as he thinks of the other two bands left behind in his tent, wishing he had them now to hold all at once.

  “David…” Yu’s gaze falls on David, the once-proud leader of his team and Skill Tree, now kneeling in quiet devastation. The sight shakes Yu to his core. In his mind, he struggles to fathom the depth of David’s pain, realizing that his own grief over a single loss pales in comparison to David’s burden – the anguish of losing his entire team.

  Wyn turns to David, offering his trembling hand. David looks up, his expression weary but resolute, and gives Wyn a faint, tearless smile. He clasps Wyn’s hand firmly, then gestures to the army, pointing to his band and the scattered essence across the battlefield. Without hesitation, the army begins collecting the essence, sharing it equally. Yet, their movements are subdued, devoid of any sense of triumph.

  Despite the heavy losses, Wyn’s team has now amassed over one million essence each. Yet the weight of their losses casts a shadow over their milestone, leaving no cause for celebration.

  Mira approaches Wyn, holding James’ band tightly in her hand. Without hesitation, she extends it toward him.

  “You keep it, Oppa,” she says softly but with conviction.

  Wyn looks at the band, then back at Mira. His expression softens, and with a weak sigh, he gently shakes his head.

  “No, Mira. You keep it. You were closest to him, and I’m sure James would’ve wanted you to have it more than anyone else.”

  Mira smiles faintly at Wyn before immediately placing James’ band on her other wrist. She stares at it for a moment, then pulls it close as her tears flow freely.

  The crowd has been gathering around the Hell army for some time now, observing in silence. Their numbers steadily grow, with the dogs standing guard, preventing anyone from getting too close.

  “Thank you for freeing us from Ra!” a soul calls out, and others quickly echo in agreement.

  Among those in the front, a white-skinned boy stands, looking around. Unable to sense his friend, the droopy-eyed boy, he knows deep down that the boy didn’t make it out of the pyramid.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “What now? What will happen to these souls?” Wyn asks the dogs, his voice weak.

  Using the translator feature, a golden retriever replies, “Aside from labor and punishment, nothing will change until the next guardian replaces Ra. Then the theme of the floor may change.”

  “It’s too cold now. We weren’t prepared for this temperature!” a soul suddenly complains.

  “Yeah! It’s their fault!” another echoes.

  “We’re not here for any of you!” a soul from the army counters.

  The tension grows as an argument erupts among the Heaven souls. One side insists they are better off freed from Ra’s rule, while the other defends the way things were under his governance, unwilling to embrace the uncertainty of change.

  Wyn, exhausted and agitated by the commotion, raises his voice, cutting through the noise.

  “Those who think this is our fault, stand over here. I have a great solution for you all,” he says, pointing to an area behind the dogs.

  A sizable, though clearly the minority, gathers. Wyn carefully checks if this is all the souls before summoning multiple cyclones around them. Some spiral upward, others downward, their violent winds converging. As they close in, the trapped souls are torn apart, shredded into pieces in an instant. The action shocks everyone, including his own teammates, but the eerie silence that follows brings an unusual peace to the grief-stricken Hell army, offering them the stillness they desperately need in the wake of their loss.

  “The rest of you, leave us alone. This is war, not a rescue mission,” Wyn shouts, forcing the crowd to disperse slowly.

  With the dogs agreeing to stand guard while the army rests to recover, the souls begin setting up tents. Wyn stands watch, his gaze never wavering as his team crawls inside their respective shelters. Mira and Lisa share a tent once again, while Yu makes his way into Wyn’s. Wyn promises to follow Yu shortly, but remains outside for a moment longer, his mind heavy with the weight of the day.

  Wyn pokes his head inside his tent to find Yu already sound asleep. Instead of joining him, he leans against the tent's entrance, staring at the river flowing above, his eyes teary. Then, he notices David emerging from his own tent, and their eyes briefly meet.

  “Can’t sleep?” David asks, his voice strained from the broken jaw, though it seems to be healing.

  “I don’t want to…not after what happened. You?” Wyn replies.

  “I can’t sleep. I’m mad at myself for not being able to cry. I’m just numb with all these emotions.”

  Wyn is left in silence, unsure of what to say. After a long moment of hesitation, he finally speaks. “You still have me...and I still have Yu, Mira, and Lisa.”

  David sighs and closes his eyes for a moment, holding back his emotions. “You have to step up now. You and I are the strongest in the army. We need to lead the rest to the end, together.”

  “I don’t know if I can keep going...This is just the second level, and we’re already down to sixty...”

  “I know how you feel, but if we stop here, that would mean our friends died for nothing. One of the creators has to fall for this war to end, and at this point, I don’t care who.”

  “I want both of them to die!”

  David lets out a light chuckle at Wyn’s response, though deep down, he shares the same sentiment. Having endured a horrific life experience, and now facing an equally tormenting afterlife, David wishes he had never been born in the first place. The two continue their conversation, exchanging stories from their lives. It’s during this time that Wyn learns more about David’s team.

  Upon arriving in Hell, David made his way alone to the seventh level beyond Hell’s Gate. The thought of being punished by any of the moderators terrified him. It was on the dojo training ground where he first met the original fourteen members. At that time, they were the only souls there before David joined. Though they were close-knit, they had no issues inviting him to train with them. Charlotte was the best among them, but she volunteered to personally train him so he could catch up. Though she was rude, David saw through her facade. Over time, as he quickly caught up, she softened.

  Throughout their journey, they lost a member in the Dark Forest, followed by two more in Hell’s Ride. Charlotte, the leader at the time, couldn’t bear the pain of losing her friends. She grew emotional and aggressive toward the team, eventually volunteering to step down from her role. With the majority vote, David was chosen to lead. However, even under his leadership, they suffered another loss – two more members to a champion known as Hell’s Horse.

  “I told them I was unfit to lead, that I was no better than Charlotte. But guess what? They insisted I stay on as their leader, and so I did,” David says. “These guys were the reason I could stop thinking about my family. They became my second family, and my sole purpose was to protect them...and yet, here we are.”

  “I’m so sorry for your losses. I wouldn’t know how to move on if I were in your shoes. I’m weak, you know? Mentally weak.”

  “I’m barely holding up – not for myself, but for them,” David says, staring at the ground, his voice surprisingly calm. “I owe them so much, especially Charlotte. She saved my life more times than I can count, and even now, her essence saved me from Ra’s blow.”

  “This might sound a bit odd, but…David, would you join us? Be part of our team moving forward? You can be the leader.”

  David chuckles but smiles afterward. “Sure, but on one condition – you have to remain the leader. I’m willing to follow your commands.”

  Despite Wyn’s insistence on David taking the leadership role, David refuses, and Wyn finally gives in. The two continue their conversation for a while longer before retiring to their own tents, exhaustion weighing heavily on them.

  “I’m keeping my promise to you, Yu,” Wyn murmurs as he slides into his tent, careful not to wake Yu despite knowing how deep a sleeper Yu is.