"Alright... that should be all for the treatment."

Regia carefully bandaged the old man's injured arm. Thanks to her work, he seemed more at ease, a faint, grateful smile touching his lips. His aged mouth spoke words of gratitude.

"Thank you, young ones. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay this kindness…”

“Kindness? It’s nothing, really.”

"You're better than any local physician. You've got remarkable skill."

“Th-thank you.”

She averted her eyes, a bit flustered. Standing nearby, I couldn't help but add my own comments.

“You did wonderfully, Lady Regia.”

“Pardon?”

“Handling the injury so well, and having such a wide array of supplies on hand—it was very professional, if I may say so.”

“It’s really… too much praise…”

“Just the truth.”

In fact, her treatment had been flawless. Her experiences from traveling the continent alone seemed to have made her proficient in handling minor injuries.

I shrugged, watching her humble response.

“Seems Lady Regia isn’t very resilient to compliments.”

“Ugh…”

A rosy blush had spread across her pale cheeks. Regia, especially sensitive to praise, often flushed at even the smallest bit of flattery.

From her reaction, it seemed she genuinely felt uncomfortable with it.

“...It’s really nothing to be proud of.”

Maybe it was her low self-esteem. After a brief pause, she turned away with a faint, somewhat bittersweet smile.

“They’re… not really useful skills.”

Her green eyes flickered faintly, a shadow passing through them. It seemed she was recalling an unpleasant memory.

Before I could respond, she changed the topic.

“But, um… sir?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you happen to know where we are?”

“It did seem strange… so, you two don’t know where this is?”

“Well, actually…”

Regia briefly explained our situation.

The old man, realizing our predicament, looked mildly surprised, then muttered under his breath with a sigh.

“A teleport accident… you two truly have no luck.”

“When I came to my senses, this is where we were.”

“Well, I never…”

I silently listened to their exchange, careful not to interrupt the flow of conversation.

The old man looked at us with pity before offering to share any useful information he knew, in thanks for our help.

Of course, it was mostly irrelevant.

*This isn’t the world we knew, after all.*

This was another dimension altogether.

It was the setting within the book *How to Cross the Desert*, which had swallowed us whole.

Whether we’d truly been drawn into the book or transported to a dimension that inspired it was uncertain, but one thing was clear: this was not our world.

As a result, any information the old man provided was mostly useless.

---

“This… this country name, I’ve never heard it before…”

---

Regia’s bewilderment was evident.

She couldn’t possibly know the names of cities, countries, or continents from an unread novel.

Thrown off by the unfamiliar place names, she soon concluded that we were on the far outskirts of the Empire.

It was a reasonable deduction, far more plausible than assuming we’d been sucked into a book.

I nodded in agreement, speaking as if I were considering our next steps.

“For now, getting out of the desert is our priority.”

“If we can reach a nearby city… maybe we can contact others or ask for help.”

“Exactly.”

As we discussed our options, the old man, who had been sitting nearby, suddenly interjected, offering his assistance.

“Well, I happen to be traveling across this desert myself.”

“Y-you’re heading to the city…?”

“If we keep going straight, there’s a city not too far off. I’m headed that way myself. How about joining me, if you don’t mind?”

“Well now… that’s welcome news.”

“If you’d be willing to help us, I’d be grateful…!”

We quickly accepted his offer, and a smile crept onto my face.

The old man was the key figure and the essential guide of this field.

To complete the episode successfully, we had to cross this monster-infested desert safely.

Just as we were about to start moving, Regia spoke up with a quiet question.

“By the way… sir, why are you crossing the desert?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the old man answered with a warm smile.

“There’s someone waiting for me.”

His blue eyes gleamed with pure transparency.

---

In the original game, there were about sixty hidden episodes.

Most of them functioned as easter eggs, giving players small rewards if they managed to find them.

However, some episodes were different.

They featured high-difficulty fields, requiring players to meticulously analyze the stage and plan their strategies.

Each episode offered just one chance to clear it.

Unless players restarted the game, they couldn’t attempt the episodes a second time.

Naturally, failing meant no rewards.

It was content meant for veteran players.

Among these hidden episodes, one stood out prominently...

---

**[EP???. How to Cross the Desert]**

\- *A Gate in the Sky, a Boy Watching the Stars* -

---

The task in this episode was simple. Escort the designated NPC safely to the destination to fulfill the condition.

However, that didn’t make the difficulty any less notorious.

---

**[Forum: General Discussion]**
**[Title: Desert Crossing is Brutal]**

“Is it this hard every time? I’ve restarted the quest so many times because of this…”

---

**[Yeah, the patterns are nasty]**
\- “Ugh, how many scorpions can even spawn here?”
\- “Even if you gathered every scorpion in the Sahara, it’d still be less than this.”
  
**[You have to memorize all the patterns]**
\- “Clearing it is much easier if you follow a guide.”
\- “Damn, another guide… guess I have to start worshipping them.”

**[The last wave is just impossible]**
\- “I keep failing at that part…”

---

Waves of monsters repeatedly attacked.

While enduring each wave, the player had to keep moving toward the destination.

It was a march through hell.

And unfortunately, the same held true even now that the game had become reality.

The road to our destination was incredibly rough.

Scorpions poured out in droves.

We steadily cleared the area as we progressed.

Since it was still early, we hadn’t yet hit any major obstacles.

---

“Haaah…!”

---

With a sharp breath, I swung my sword, tracing a thin black line through the air.

The blade cut through in a flash.

Moments later…

---

*Screeetch!*

The head of a scorpion charging toward me split in two.

It collapsed, losing balance, and I took a deep breath, blood spraying around my feet.

---

“Hoo…”

---

That was already the fifth battle.

My stamina was starting to hit its limit.

Without using my *Lies* ability, my efficiency was noticeably lower.

Fortunately…

---

*Since it’s the early wave… everyone’s keeping up well enough.*

---

It seemed we were still at a manageable stage.

Though Regia was visibly exhausted, she did her best to fend off the scorpions, determined not to fall helplessly.

Though, inevitably, I ended up finishing off most of the scorpions she only managed to stall.

---

“You can step back now, Lady Regia.”

“...Thank you.”

---

Each time, Regia’s expression would turn complicated.

There was a hint of frustration, as if she felt deprived of something.

Her lips pressed together in a thin line, almost as though she resented her lack of contribution.

---

“…”

---

Without a word, I turned my gaze.

There stood the old man, perched atop the scorpion corpses.

In his hand was a crossbow.

---

“Hm, looks like we’re all cleared up now.”

His aged mouth murmured.

Surprisingly, the old man was a skilled shot.

From a distance, he could snipe, and at close range, he was quick to create openings for us to attack.

He was proving to be a reliable ranged fighter.

---

“You’re in good health for your age, sir.”

“Of course. How else would I have come this far into the desert?”

“That’s true.”

---

The sky was turning red.

The day was ending.

On the first day of this episode, we would face up to five monster waves.

Counting the previous battles, it meant there would be no more incidents for today.

We began to prepare for camp.

---

"We’ll need to eat… but there’s nothing around here but scorpions."

---

The old man sighed, slicing off the tail of a scorpion and offering us a piece.

It was raw, dripping with blood.

---

“The tail’s the most edible part. Tastes a bit like rotten chicken, but you’ll get used to it.”

---

He opened his mouth, as if to demonstrate.

But his attempt was quickly interrupted, thanks to Regia’s frantic intervention.

---

“Wh-why are you trying to eat it raw…?!”

“Well, we don’t have much choice.”

“I’ll cook it for you! I-I know a way to start a fire even without magic!”

“Hmm? Well, in that case…”

---

In the end, Regia successfully convinced him.

She pulled out some crude tools from her bag and skillfully started a fire.

Soon, she was roasting the scorpion tail until it was thoroughly cooked.

Thanks to her, we avoided a meal of raw meat.

---

“Cooked, it’s actually… somewhat edible.”

“Not as awful as I thought. The warmth softens that odd texture.”

“Thank goodness…”

---

Regia let out a sigh of relief.

She busied herself with the fire, her movements practiced and calm.

I watched her for a moment.

When our eyes met, she offered a shy smile.

---

“Hehe… I learned this while traveling the continent alone.”

“Thanks to you, we avoided a terrible meal.”

“I’m glad to be useful, even if it’s in this way.”

---

Her expression darkened slightly.

There was a certain sadness to her look, perhaps frustration at her own perceived weakness or timidity.

She mumbled, barely loud enough to hear.

---

“…I couldn’t be of any real help today, either.”

---

Though faint, I was sure I heard it.

Her voice was fragile, as if it might shatter any moment.

---

“It’s about time to rest.”

“…”

“We need to set the watch order. Should we ask the elder first?”

---

Regia stood up, brushing herself off.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she flashed a bright smile.

A smile like a mask, pressed firmly into place.

I found myself watching her for a while.

---

The crimson sunset eventually slipped below the horizon.

Darkness filled the space left by the vanished sun, and the stars gently illuminated the sky.

The desert was bathed in quiet stillness.

Night had come to the desert.

Time to close our eyes, even if only for a moment, to prepare for another day of hardship.

---

“…”

---

We agreed to take turns keeping watch.

The order was decided by rock-paper-scissors.

I took the first watch, followed by Regia, and then the old man for the last shift.

As the other two settled down to sleep, I quietly took my place.

---

“It’s chilly.”

---

I rubbed my cold hands together, the faint glow of a magic lamp casting soft light nearby.

Compared to the vast darkness of the desert, it was a pitiful glow, but with the stars shining above, it wasn’t completely dark.

I let myself feel the coolness of the night air.

As I stood there in quiet reverie, I heard a sound beside me.

---

*Crunch, crunch.*

The sound of footsteps on sand.

I turned slightly, and there stood a girl with pink hair.

Regia, looking somewhat withdrawn.

---

“Lady Regia.”

“My lord…?”

“It’s quite late… unable to sleep, are we?”

“...Yes.”

---

I offered her a gentle smile.

Patting the ground beside me, I motioned for her to sit.

*Tap, tap.*

---

“Why don’t you sit here for a while?”

“…”

---

Her green eyes blinked weakly, and I extended my hand to the hesitant girl, smiling softly.