When I first met Mea, she wasn’t much of a talker, but today she was particularly quiet.

In total, she had said just five words to me:

"Here? Follow. Over here. Work. Let’s go."

I wouldn’t even call that a conversation.

It wasn’t easy to strike up a conversation with her, either. Mea’s expression, perpetually blank, was like a barrier warning people to stay away.

Her dark circles were even deeper than before, and her half-lidded eyes looked like she was perpetually tired. Looking at her exhausted face, I felt guilty even thinking about starting a conversation.

'Still, I can't just stay silent forever.'

It didn’t take long to go from the eastern outer district where the Telemachus School was located to the southern district, which was the commercial area. The school was already on the southern outskirts of the eastern district.

As we entered the southern district, the noise of the bustling crowds filled my ears.

The southern district had a river running through it, the Les Rimen, which led to a port. The area had developed into a commercial hub as the market grew around the port.

As we cut through the crowds toward the market, I tried talking to Mea again.

"Um, Mea, instructor?"

"Just call me Mea."

"Okay, Mea. So, what do we need to buy first?"

"Potions."

Of course, going to the Abyss without potions would be foolish.

Even if it’s not as effective as an elixir, a potion can speed up recovery, which, from a modern medical perspective, is almost miraculous.

A gaping wound from a sword or spear could be healed with a little potion, some bandages, and a day’s rest. I hadn’t used them myself yet, but I’d heard that the highest-grade potions could close wounds before your eyes.

"Here. This place is good."

"Oh, really?"

I looked around the shop Mea pointed out. It wasn’t a large store, but the space was efficiently utilized.

The shelves were filled with various potions, but there were no labels, making it hard to tell what was what. Based on the colors, I guessed the red ones were for health and the blue ones for mana.

'What’s that?'

Some potions had small snakes inside the bottles. It looked more like a display of medicinal alcohol than potions.

After browsing for a while, I turned to see what Mea was buying, only to find her standing behind me, silently watching.

"Aren’t you buying anything?"

"…Am I supposed to buy them?"

Mea tilted her head as if my question was strange.

"Of course."

Looking a little embarrassed, Mea averted her eyes and muttered.

"…I don’t have any money."

"Right…."

I already knew that when I saw the empty liquor bottles filled with water back at the school.

"Since you’ll be the one using them, just buy enough for yourself. Two small health and mana potions each should be enough if we’re just staying for a day."

Mea might not talk much, but she wasn’t careless. Her advice was practical, and she carefully listed the essential potions for our trip to the Abyss.

Following her suggestions, I gathered the potions and placed them on the counter. The shopkeeper, who had been silently watching from behind the counter, suddenly asked Mea a question.

"Is he your student?"

"No, just a trainee."

"A rookie, huh."

The shopkeeper, who looked to be in his 50s, spoke in a mix of informal and polite language, while Mea, who looked like she could barely be in her mid-teens, responded with casual speech. It was a strange interaction.

"Hey, rookie."

"Yes?"

"Give me 1,000 rupe. Normally, it’s 300 each, so it’d be 1,200, but I’ll give you a discount."

Considering a meal at the inn outside the city cost around 30 rupe, and if 1 rupe equals about 100 Korean won, it was a pretty hefty price. But potions are essential, so it was worth it.

I pulled out ten 100-rupe coins.

As we left the shop, I asked Mea.

"You knew that person?"

"Yeah."

"May I ask what kind of relationship you had?"

"We went to the Abyss together a few times."

That’s it—Mea cut off the conversation there.

'The shopkeeper didn’t seem to think so.'

When they spoke, I watched them carefully from the side. Mea’s expression remained indifferent, just like when she spoke to me. But the shopkeeper was different.

'He looked at her with pity.'

It was a strong feeling of sympathy, so much so that even I, a stranger, noticed it.

It was more than just a retired veteran looking at someone still in the field.

Mea was a demon sorcerer. From what I’ve experienced, demon sorcerers are looked down upon. Yet, the shopkeeper pitied her, so they must have been quite close.

'She was so detached.'

Was it just that Mea wasn’t interested in human relationships? Or was it the cost?

If it’s the latter, then the cost of being a demon sorcerer might be even more brutal than I thought. I hadn’t given much thought to Maleboge, the demon that requires a finger as payment.

"Roman."

Is it our turn already?

We had reached the checkpoint for identity verification before entering the inner city.

The line moved quickly. I suppose they used magic to speed things up.

After showing my temporary license, Mea and I passed through almost immediately. The whole process took barely three seconds.

"I plan to head straight to the Abyss. Do you need to stop anywhere in the inner city?"

"No, I’m good."

My mind was already set on the Abyss.

All that was left was for my body to follow.

Mea and I walked in silence until we reached the deepest part of the inner city.

There were no walls surrounding this area, but we arrived at what was known as the central plaza.

It was the very heart of the circular city of Les Rimen, the exact center.

And there it was.

A massive gate connecting to another world.

"So that’s the Gate."

It was my first time seeing it.

Now I understood why this city was named Les Rimen.

The largest city in the world was named after a mere threshold because this city existed solely to support that gate.

"Don’t get too mesmerized."

"Uh, what?"

"It’s just a gate. A place we enter, explore, and disturb. Don’t forget it’s not an object of worship."

"Oh…."

I see.

The overwhelming awe I felt looking at that gate—and the endless mysteries of the Abyss that lay beyond—could easily draw people in.

The Abyss worshippers.

Mea was warning me not to become one of them.

"Of course."

"Good. Let’s go."

With that, Mea marched forward, her short legs carrying her quickly ahead. I immediately followed behind.

Surprisingly, the line of people waiting to enter the Abyss was shorter than the one at the inner city gate, despite it being open 24/7.

"Senior-ranked explorer Mea, from the Telemachus School. Purpose: training. Confirmed."

After completing the final procedure, I stood before the gate leading to the Abyss.

Finally, I was going in.

At last, I crossed the threshold.

I had just learned about another world.

"This is the Abyss…?"

A blue sky.

Floating islands drifting above.

Grass covering the ground, trees sprouting everywhere, and far off in the distance, mountain ranges showing off their elegant silhouettes.

Except for the lack of a sun or moon in the sky and the floating rock islands instead of clouds, it wasn’t all that different from the outside world.

And above all else.

"It’s bright here."

For a place called the Abyss, which evokes images of darkness, this world was surprisingly full of light.

"We’re in the surface layer."

Mea’s reference to the "surface layer" referred to the first level of the Abyss, which was also known as the Garden.
And true to its name.

This place really did look like a garden created at the boundary between this world and another.

"It’s amazing. Can you reach those islands up there?"

"If you can fly. Didn’t they teach you that at the training center?"

"They did, but seeing it with my own eyes is hard to believe."

Everything was new to me.

Not just the landscape, which didn’t exist on Earth or anywhere in this world.
Even the atmosphere, which pressed down on me just enough to be noticeable.
And the concentration of mana, much thicker than outside.

Everything.

"You can admire it as we go. First, we need to move."

"I know. The first thing to do when entering the Abyss is to head to the main base. I learned that at the training center."

"We’ll get there within a day."

Unlike the relatively stable flow of mana in the outside world, the Abyss had an unpredictable current.
The gate’s transfer point changed according to those fluctuations.

But even with the irregular flow, the main base was always located within a day’s journey, no matter where the transfer point was.

As we walked, Mea started asking me about the training.

"You’ve learned the five basic spells, right?"

"The five basic spells… You mean Light, Fire, Water Collection, Alarm, and Far Sight?"

"Exactly."

"I’ve learned all of them except for Fire."

"That’s enough."

After all, demon sorcerers are far from support positions.

"Then, let’s discuss how to behave in the Abyss… hold on."

We were just about to begin the real training when I saw them.

A group of people approaching from the front.

'There are four of them.'

One at the front, carrying a sword and shield.
One with a bow.
And two holding staffs.

It was a textbook formation.
Having two mages meant it was a solid team.

It seemed they had spotted us too, as they approached us cautiously.

As soon as we were within visible range, they called out.

"Don’t think we’ve seen you before. Did you just arrive today?"

I glanced at Mea.

But Mea remained still.

She crossed her arms as if she wanted to watch how I would handle it.

"Yes, we just arrived. What about you?"

"Oh, we just left the main base. If you’re heading there, just keep going straight. You’ll see signs."

"Thank you."

"By the way… are there just the two of you?"

When I didn’t answer immediately, the person across from me looked flustered and waved his hands.

"Oh no, don’t take that the wrong way. I was just curious. Usually, teams are made up of four people, like us. If it’s just the two of you, you must be quite skilled."

"We’re here for training."

"Oh, training? That takes me back. It feels like just yesterday I was doing my own training. Do you know the Grave Diggers? We’re a pretty famous guild."

"I’ve heard of it."

One of my peers back at the training center had mentioned he’d be joining them.

"Well, since we’ve met, what do you say? Want to team up? There’s not much to do at the main base anyway, so you might as well get some more experience in the Abyss."

"I appreciate the offer, but we prefer to follow the rules. Thank you for the thought, though."

"Ah, well, that’s understandable. Good luck with your training. Maybe we’ll meet again sometime."

The other party gave me a hand signal that seemed to mean "good luck," and I returned it in kind.

After a short conversation, we passed each other and continued on our way.

Once there was enough distance between us, I released the mana I had stored in my bones for body reinforcement.

But even then, Mea remained silent.

'Not yet.'

It’s not over?

With that thought in mind, I immediately turned to look behind me.
The moment I did, instead of seeing their backs as I should have, I saw….

"What the—?"

Their faces.
Their faces, as they silently crept toward us with drawn swords.

The gleam of their blades reflecting the light.
The malice hidden beneath their expressionless faces.
And the unmistakable murderous intent in their eyes.

"Abyss survival rule number one."

Mea’s calm voice pierced my ears, completely unfazed by what was happening in front of me.

"Trust no one."

As soon as Mea finished speaking, a shadow lunged forward, overtaking the swordsman charging at us.

A massive, black wolf, cloaked in shadows, sank its teeth into the swordsman’s arm.

Grrrrr! Snarl!

In that moment, time seemed to slow.

"I’ve already."

The instant time returned to normal, I fired a bullet of demon energy straight at the swordsman’s head.

Crack!

The sound of the helmet shattering, followed by the crunch of his skull.

They must have thought I was defenseless after releasing the reinforcement mana I had been using.

Too bad for them, my demon energy now runs on two tracks.

The energy bullet I fired wasn’t Seir’s—it was Leraje’s.
While Seir’s magic was out in the open, Leraje’s magic was like a hunter lying in wait, striking at the right moment. And now, it had found its mark in the swordsman’s head.

"I’ve never trusted anyone in the first place."

Unconditional distrust of others.

It was the first thing I learned after being thrown into this world.