Ingrid's entire body was numb, and a sharp pain shot through her hands and feet after those two men let her go. She lay on the ground, her body covered in sweat, her chest rising and falling as she tried to calm her frantic heartbeat.

"Hey." Viktor squatted, waving in front of her face to get the woman's attention. Ingrid tensed, ready to run as soon as Viktor made a move.

Seeing that he had her attention, he kept going. "Can you tell me why you all fear and respect Cyra so much?" Zane moved closer, curious too.

Previously, Ingrid might have thought Cyra's renowned strength was just a bluff, but the harsh beating she endured from her husband and fiancée made her believe those rumors—no woman wants to be at the mercy of such strong husbands who could beat her during a fight or disagreement.

"I wasn't on the Island when she alone fought all the clan heads and won. I heard they were beaten to the brink of death, and it took months for them to heal." Ingrid told them the rumors circulating on the island, then a thought flashed through her mind, and her expression changed to one of fear and regret.

"P-Please, can you not tell your wife that I was rude and tried to control your mind? Please, I'll never do it again; ignore my senseless action. I was only curious and had no other malicious thoughts," Ingrid begged, with her hands clasped together. Her eyes filled with remorse and fear for Cyra's reaction.

"Sigh… I feel so unsafe at the thought of a stranger controlling my mind. No, I have to tell my wife, or I won't be able to sleep well tonight." Viktor complained in an exaggerated, scared tone that made Ingrid nearly faint from disbelief and anger.

'Was it a ghost that used her as a table earlier? Which, unsafe, my powers didn't even work on either of you, and I was beaten so badly! Damn it, he's trying to rip me off.' These thoughts filled Ingrid's mind, but outwardly, she had to put on a humble expression and try to settle things peacefully without involving Cyra.

"Please forgive me. I'm willing to do anything or give up anything for you to let this go."

Viktor exchanged a glance with Zane, who shrugged with an agreeing expression; they were bored anyway. Viktor turned back to Ingrid, "Nothing much, just take us somewhere exciting on the island, we're bored."

Ingrid sighed in relief at his words, but her expression grew tense when she remembered that the only place exciting enough was that place—her face became troubled, but she could only grit her teeth and warn them first.

"That place is dangerous, and I don't think it's a good idea for you to go." Her serious tone and sincere gaze caught their interest, and they wanted to see the place she was talking about.

"You don't have to worry about the danger, just tell us the location,'' Viktor urged calmly, not feeling that any place would be more dangerous than the desolate land.

Ingrid was silent for a moment before she succumbed to their heated gaze. "Alright, I'll take you there…but you're only allowed to roam around the outer area and not venture deep, or I wouldn't be held responsible if anything happens to both of you," Ingrid warned gravelly, even going so far as to turn on a recording function on her bracelet to capture their agreement.

After Viktor and Zane agreed, she saved the audio file in relief, ready to use it later to protect herself if anything happened to them.

They went deeper into the forest, with Viktor and Zane following behind. They had expected her to lead them out, not further in. The maple trees that once surrounded them had now given way to taller, more ordinary trees, along with patches of grass and scattered bushes—signs that they were entering a different part of the forest. They had no idea how far they had walked before Ingrid suddenly signaled for them to stop.

"They're guards guarding the entrance. I'll go distract them, while you enter through the cave over there," Ingrid whispered in a hushed voice as she pointed to the cave in front.

"When you enter, stay put until I come," Ingrid said earnestly, almost pleading for them to listen.

"Don't worry, we'll wait,'' Zane responded calmly, and Ingrid felt a wave of reassurance when Viktor was the one to say that. Zane exuded a calm, wise aura, making him appear steadier and more trustworthy than the smiling Viktor.

Ingrid gave them one last glance before emerging from her hiding place, and the bored guards, who were playing around with their hologram screen, looked over with caution. However, upon seeing that it was Ingrid, their expression relaxed.

"Yo! Ingrid, why are you here again? Didn't you just come out of here a month ago?" one of the guards asked in a familiar tone, recognizing Ingrid immediately, while the other guard took a moment to recall who Ingrid was.

"I'm bored and need some inspiration on improving my game," Ingrid muttered with a helpless expression, and their eyes lit up at the mention of her game.

"Give us some spoilers on which new monsters and rewards you will be adding."

"Wait, I need to show you this level. I've been stuck on it for days and keep getting ejected from my pod before I can win."

Both of them said at once as they moved closer to Ingrid, giving Viktor and Zane a chance to slip in unnoticed.

They talked for minutes before allowing Ingrid to go in, but that was before she wrote her name on one of their hologram screens—they watched her enter reluctantly, unaware that two people had snuck in without their notice.

Ingrid quickly entered the cave—passing through a tear in space—and her surroundings instantly transformed into a primitive forest with towering trees that blocked most of the sunlight from shining through.

Her gaze darted around, searching for their figures, and her strained heart eased when she saw them standing in front of a vine-covered tree—they wore expressions of slight surprise.

"Don't you notice the trees around us have changed? Aren't you shocked at all?" Ingrid asked in a baffled tone, feeling their expressions were lackluster for their first time being here.

Viktor shrugged, "It's not our first time passing through a space tear, but here it's a bit primitive and beautiful." Viktor admitted, feeling it was much better than the colorless sky and monsters of the desolate lands.

Zane's eyes darted around in curiosity, wondering if they might come across a monster stronger than the desolate land.

Ingrid glanced at them for a moment before sighing in frustration—she had been looking forward to their expressions of surprise and awe.

"Alright. We can go inside, but we'll only explore the outer perimeter. If we encounter any monsters, I'll handle them—follow me and don't run off on your own," Ingrid cautioned one last time before taking the lead, with Zane and Viktor following behind.

....

Cyra's eyes snapped open, her forehead furrowing as she couldn't hear the sound of their heartbeat.

Her expression darkened, and ignoring the heat of the sun, she hurried back into the forest to check on them.