[BONUS]

A group of pale, dead trees clawed at the sky like the fingers of a giant skeleton. The long, dry grass rustled and sighed in the breeze.

Ginger lights rested in the granite peaks before the Golden Phoenix group, accompanied by disconcerting wisps of smoke that were carried by the gust.

The wind whistled and howled around a rock formation that resembled the broken pillars of an ancient ruin.

Evie looked around their surroundings. They were at Howling Canyon, and it was eerily quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the wind that blew at the gap between the two valleys.

Together with Sumeri and Nikolai, she was assigned to help Golden Phoenix clear the dungeon.

Howling Canyon didn't even seem like a dungeon, to begin with. It was more like a tourist destination without the tourist, where you could easily get lost. All the eyes could see was a stretch of giant hills and the uncountable forks that led to an army of beasts, traps, or dead ends.

Fortunately, Golden Phoenix already mapped out the place. They had attempted Howling Canyon multiple times before, and this time, they headed straight to the Boss without taking any detours.

"I can't believe you ditched us and entered World Conqueror," Silvia joked to Sumeri with a light hearted tone.

Sumeri didn't back down and retorted back with the same tone. "And I can't believe that you chose to employ World Conqueror over your friend here."

Silvia gave an elegant half-shrug. "It's because they get things done. I don't know about you, though."

While Silvia and Sumeri were bickering, Nikola was chatting with Ruru, who now had a pet on her shoulder. It was like a hybrid of an owl and squirrel — its body was of a squirrel's with its long fluffy tail, and its ears were feathery and long paired with big eyes like an owl's.

"So, you now have a pet." Nikolai patted the little beast on Ruru's shoulder. It was very friendly and elicited a low purr when rubbed.

Ruru nodded with a big smile on her face. "His name is Perry. He's very good at finding things."

"But not much help in combat," Rosie chimed in. She sighed and folded her hands under her breasts which wiggled in return. "I told you to pick something like a lion, bear, or something from the reptilian race — even an eagle or large bird that you can mount and fly would've been good. But no . . . you just got to choose something like a squirrel."

"It's cute, though," said Lucia, chewing her gum.

"We all know that it was the only reason why she chose it in the first place," Rosie rebutted.

Ruru felt bad, and her big eyes shook.

Pamela immediately came to her defense. "Perry helped us map this dungeon. We owe it to him why we can safely traverse this Canyon safely. Besides, Ruru can have multiple beast companion in the future."

Ruru gave Pamela an appreciative stare, while Rosie only harrumphed and flipped her hair.

"Are you sure this is the right way, though?" Sumeri asked Ruru.

Silvia was the one who nodded. "We are in the right place. It's just that the path to the Boss takes about an hour to reach."

"Did you get to the final boss, though?" asked Sumeri.

Silvia shook her head. "No. The closest we got to it was before its entrance."

"And by that time, we're already too exhausted to continue," said Lucia.

Rosie added, "Even the main attacking unit was exhausted."

"Not to mention our ATPs were all nearing zero," chimed Pamela.

"This dungeon is simply too big and full of wingding paths, traps, and beasts. We're already exhausted from just mapping it out," Silvia explained. "But now, thanks to Perry's lead, we can finally engage the Boss in full health."

It was not easy going through the Canyon because the terrain was uneven, and the walls were too high. There were many places that required climbing and a few places where they had to crawl on their stomachs.

They also encountered a few monsters along the way, but none of them were strong enough to pose any real threat.

The biggest problem was the Canyon's many twists and turns, which Perry immediately solved for them as soon as Ruru acquired it.

On the other hand, Evie was worried that Silvia might have recognized her based on the latter's constant stolen glances from her.

Evie had dyed her hair neon green with streaks of pastel pink. She was dressed in all-white leather armor, and she also wore Meriyaah's mask. Her face was hidden behind a headgear of polished porcelain white, which gave her the appearance of a robot.

Though no one could see her face, her name might still somewhat give it away.

Good thing that Silvia was keeping quiet about it even if she did know.

Evie looked around. She had never been here before, but she knew that the only way out was through the main entrance or by defeating the Boss. If they wanted to go deeper into the Canyon, there would be a long journey ahead of them. There was nothing that could be used as a sign in the area, so getting lost here was the norm without someone like Perry to lead the way.

The reason why Golden Phoenix had chosen this place despite the difficult terrain and many winding paths was that they could make use of the Canyon's resources. Monsters here were weak but abundant in numbers.

"You've been quiet there."

Evie was startled when Rosie suddenly addressed her.

"I . . . I don't know what to talk about." Evie wasn't social, to begin with, and she didn't know what topic to discuss in front of a group of people who had been friends for a long time.

Rosie giggled. "You remind me of Evie from Vulcan's Cave. Doesn't she, Lucia?"

Evie's heart thudded hard at the mention of the cave from where they first met. Could they have found out that it was her all this time?

Lucia barely glanced at Evie before she shrugged. "I don't really remember."

"Come to think of it . . ." Rosie sighed as her face went melancholic. "It was the first time that we met Ren, right?"

"Yes." Ruru's mood lifted at the thought of Pii. "I miss Pii."

Rosie chuckled. "I wonder what that man is doing now? I called him many times, but it seems like he blocked me."

"It's because you're not his type," said Lucia with a laugh, canines showing.

Rosie rolled her eyes. "You don't need to love someone to have a good time with them."

Evie looked to the side and her cheeks heated. For some reason . . . irritation was bubbling in her chest.

Silvia stifled a laugh. "That guy doesn't like you because he already likes someone."

Rosie shrugged. "I know. It was obvious that he had a thing for that girl, Evie. He's always paying extra attention to her. I wonder if it's because of her height? Does he like petite women?"

Evie almost stumbled because she lost her footing from what she heard. What were they talking about?

Ren was cold to her at their first meeting. How could he like her?

( . . . continuation on NOTES)