Afterwards, the team of Awakeners began their work.

They began to move, laying down formation nodes and anchoring them to a newly placed stele beside the exit pillar.

In seconds, a subtle hum began to build as the formation aligned, the faint glowing lines crawled like roots across the altar's platform.

Meanwhile, others scattered to the outskirts.

They paced out a rough perimeter before casting synchronized earthen spells, raising a circular wall of packed soil that enclosed the area. 

It wasn’t massive, just wide enough to serve as a gathering space or rest stop for future explorers.

When the dirt wall stood complete, a metallic layer shimmered into place over its surface, solidifying it against external attacks.

Klein noticed their progress out of the corner of his eye, but didn’t say anything.

If anything, he doubted these walls would be able to do much against huge monsters the size of a hill. 

His gaze remained fixed on the endless ocean ahead, wind tugging lightly at his collar. 

The horizon was blurred with the gentle shimmer of heat and light, a painting of blue upon blue that stretched forever.

He exhaled softly. “I wonder what lies out there…” he murmured to no one in particular, his fingers reaching out as if he could grasp that distant world. “I want to see more of it...”

Then, out of the blue from the side as he was deep within this thoughts. 

A quiet voice beside him broke the stillness.

“Sir? Are you alright?”

Klein nearly leapt out of his skin, twisting around with wide eyes and raised arms.

Behind him stood a young woman in a flowing white robe, her long hair fluttering in the breeze. 

She clutched a thin metallic staff to her chest, visibly startled by his reaction.

“I... I’m so sorry!” she stammered, bowing her head quickly. “I didn’t mean to startle you, Sir!”

Klein coughed, recovering his composure with an awkward chuckle. “No need for the ‘sir,’ I’m not that old.”

“Ah, th-then... brother?” she offered hesitantly.

He paused.

“…I can live with that,” he said with a shrug and a crooked smile. “So… what is it?”

The girl shifted slightly, her fingers tightening around her staff.

"I- I have heard a lot about you" She stammered, eyes averting, and in a way, she doesn't seem to be a very good talker. 

To this, Klein gave her a suspicious look, dragging his leather bag slouched on the side to the other side, "I see... "

"Ah" She flinched, reacting to Klein's reaction to which she would react next, "D-don't take my words in the wrong way, I-I admire you"

.... 

"Okay" Klein gave a thumbs up, and turned his head to the front, hands still holding his bag, fearing that this woman could be a thief. 

Who knows right?

But then, her next sentences changed his gaze for a moment. 

“Um, are you planning to explore the first layer later?” she asked in a voice barely louder than a whisper. 

“M-my strength is Tier 3 too, and… I’m a healer. I also study herbs… and poisons. Would it be okay if I joined you and form a group together?"

The question caught him off guard, but he didn’t need long to think. 

A healer was a rare and valuable addition to any team, especially one planning to dive deep.

“Sure, I can take you along,” Klein nodded. "However" he dragged, seizing her up, "Why me?" 

"I don't know"

"Huh?"

"Y-yes, I don't know" she shook her head and offered a wry smile in return, "I-I just think you are very reliable from your appearance, a-and I think I can help you with healing... "

"Ah..." Klein gave her another look, pinching his nose, and sighed. 

"Okay"

“Then, for the loot split-”

“Thirty percent!” she blurted out quickly, her voice trembling. “I can take thirty from each expedition, that’s fine.”

Klein blinked, then raised a hand in protest. “Fifty-fifty. You’re a healer, don’t undervalue that. I wouldn’t feel right giving you less.”

The girl looked stunned for a moment, then bowed again, her cheeks flushing red. “T-thank you.”

She reached into her pouch, fumbling a little before pulling out a small stone and placing it in his hand.

“It’s my contact card.”

Klein stared at it for a beat.

‘It’s… a stone.’

Still, he played along with a smile. “Got it. I’ll use this to reach out.”

He knew better than to question it, there were too many artifacts that looked simple but weren’t.

'a stone though'

“Then, please let me know when the expedition is scheduled. I’ll be ready,” she said, then seemed to remember something.

“Ah, my name’s Angela. Nice to meet you.”

“Klein,” he said, standing and extending a hand. “My name’s Klein.”

“Klein,” she echoed with a small smile. “That’s a nice name.”

“Yours too.”

After a short pause, he asked, “How about next Monday?”

Angela nodded eagerly. “Yes! I can make that work. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Don’t worry,” Klein said with a relaxed grin.

 “If you’re with me, your safety comes under my watch.”

The two lingered there a while longer, chatting about themselves, laying the foundation of trust and familiarity that any good expedition team needed. 

Klein found her pleasant, shy, reserved, soft-spoken, but sincere. 

And, practically speaking, having a healer in his group meant fewer potions and fewer risks.

‘She could save me a small fortune on elixirs alone,’ he thought dryly.

She lacked offensive power, sure, but she made up for it with solid auxiliary skills. 

A fair trade, all things considered.

Before long, the formation snapped into place with a ripple of energy, and the teleportation channel finally connected. 

It linked directly to the stele back at the sky platform.

Esmeralda, watching from nearby, gave a nod of satisfaction. 

She assigned several Awakeners to remain stationed here through the night, while others were sent back to the platform to report and handle logistics.

Far above, Mize floated silently, observing with an amused smile.

Her gaze flicked to Klein and Angela, their earlier exchange replaying in her mind.

“I hope… he doesn’t cry later,” she whispered, her tone light, though the meaning behind her words remained ambiguous.

Her attention drifted.

A sudden fluctuation in the space above the platform caught her notice, not from the newly established stele, but from something else. 

Something… unfamiliar.

Her senses sharpened instantly, locating the source. 

An old man had arrived, walking across the void. 

Mize narrowed her eyes, intrigued.

“A Tier 7 true lord, showing up personally... how interesting,” she murmured.

The excitement in her chest simmered. 

This place was starting to attract stronger players. The game was progressing.

And for reasons she didn’t quite understand, she liked it.

She wasn’t sure why… but watching this place grow, seeing people adapt, challenge themselves, it stirred her excitement. 

Like watching a world she designed finally come alive.

Her gaze followed the old man closely.

“Judging by that robe… someone from the Adventurer Guild? A high-ranking one too, I suppose,” she muttered, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

In a blink, she disappeared from the air.

Several Thousand kilometers away, she appeared beside the old man. 

He didn’t sense her presence, he was too absorbed in watching the platform and the vastness beneath.

He wasn’t tall, nor particularly large, but his aura pulsed with age and power.

His hair was short and white, a trimmed beard matching it, and his eyes were nearly closed, lost in thought.

“Not bad, not bad at all…” he mumbled, stroking his beard. “Esmeralda’s done a fine job.”

His eyes swept over the surrounding forests and mountains.

“Incredible… this place is a treasure trove. But it’s too much for us to claim alone.”

Then his expression darkened.

“The lord of this territory… not simple. Dangerous, even. And there’s a true lord hiding in this dungeon too. That girl mentioned it…”

He stood still, deep in thought, until he suddenly looked to the side.

The air folded inwards like paper, and a woman emerged from the bending space. 

Her presence was cold and commanding, her attire a sleek robe of oceanic blue. 

Long hair like carved ice flowed behind her.

“Oh?” The old man chuckled. “Well, isn’t fate generous today? To meet the very person I was just thinking of.”

‘Peak Tier 7,’ he noted. ‘She’s here to find an opportunity to break through, huh?'

Mize tilted her head slightly. “I sensed an unfamiliar aura scanning the land. Thought I’d give a warning.”

“A warning?” he echoed, puzzled.

She gestured toward the forest below. “This land belongs to dozens of true lords monsters. They're highly sensitive to divine sense, especially from humans. Scan too much, and you’ll start a war.”

The old man paled slightly. “I didn’t realize it was that dangerous…”

“Most don’t,” she replied, her tone neutral. “But the real issue is something else. As far as I know, there are no Tier 8 awakeners among the human race in your region, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“Then tell your people: don’t wander too deep into the third layer.”

She turned away.

“Wait, could it be…?”

But she vanished before he could finish the question, leaving him frozen in place.

His face darkened.

His eyes snapped toward the forest’s center, and in that instant, he felt it.

His heart skipped.

A pressure, overwhelming.

He retracted his divine sense immediately.

“A Tier 8… there’s actually a true king-level beast down there?” he muttered, stunned. “What a nightmare…”

He exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples. “Thank the heavens that woman warned me…”

With a grim look, he turned and flew into the distance.

“I need to set up warning formations above. If those old monsters ever emerge… someone has to be ready.”

For the next few hours, Mize drifted around the dungeon, lingering without much urgency. 

There wasn’t anything specific she needed to do, just a kind of content restlessness that kept her near. 

That was, at least, until evening rolled in and she finally decided to check the border.

As expected, Liam was still out there, knee-deep in battle.

Just like always.

He stood atop the cliffs near the edge of the barrier, calmly directing the war effort like some ageless general. 

Below, waves upon waves of monsters surged forward, grotesque, twisted things, endless in number. 

Their tide had grown immensely compared to a few days ago. 

It was as if the world itself had turned against him. 

At a glance, the horde easily numbered over a million.

Mize stood still for a moment, her gaze locked on the writhing flood of unnatural bodies. 

The sheer volume of them made her skin crawl. 

She instinctively swallowed hard.

'How many nuclear bombs would it even take to wipe them all out…?' she wondered grimly.

Without another thought, she warped straight to Liam’s side, materializing beside him like a breeze.

One second he was alone, the next, she was there.

Liam’s eyes lifted from the chaotic bloodbath down below.

 The clashing of his shadow army against the monstrous swarm hadn’t ceased for even a second.

“Ohh, Mimi.”

“Liam,” she greeted brightly.

Without hesitation, she hopped into his lap and reached for his hand, dragging it over to her head like a pampered cat demanding affection.

“My dungeon’s running perfectly now!” she beamed, closing her eyes as his hand found her scalp.

“Yeah, I saw Elias’s report,” Liam replied, ruffling her hair gently.

His lips brushed the side of her neck in a fleeting kiss. “The income from your dungeon almost matched the entire marketplace revenue this week. That’s incredible”

A proud grin lit up her face, her cheeks subtly warming. “Mhm!” she nodded eagerly. 

Then, tilting her chin toward the battlefield, she added, “Now let’s win this event too. Want me to help out?”

Liam paused for a moment, analyzing the battlefield with a furrowed brow.

“…Honestly? Probably yes. Especially soon. Today alone, there’ve already been several waves with over a million monsters. If this is how it’s going now, the final day’s going to be hell.”

“No biggie.” She gave a self-assured shrug and lightly patted her chest, causing a noticeable bounce that immediately pulled Liam’s eyes down.

“With me here, we’re definitely taking first place.”

“Yeah…” Liam nodded slowly, not even trying to pretend he wasn’t distracted. “No biggie at all.”

Mize caught the look but didn’t call it out. 

In fact, she seemed pretty pleased with it. 

Her lips curved in a subtle smirk and she adjusted her posture just slightly, enough to really lean into the effect.

'Once a man, always a man, she mused to herself, amused. Even I can’t resist checking them out sometimes'

It was the little things.

Then, with a final glance over the battlefield, she vanished in a soft blink of light, but not before tossing one last playful line over her shoulder.

“I’m gonna go set up my own army now. Just wait.”

Liam rested his cheek on his knuckles, eyes still fixed on the battlefield, lips twitching in quiet amusement.

“…Guess she’s a summoner now, too,” he muttered.

A lazy smile crept across his face.

“Together, we’re unstoppable. Nothing can beat us.”