"Who are you? Where are you?" My domain is active—there's no one nearby, only rocks and dirt. Am I going crazy? No… someone definitely spoke to me.

"What's going on?" Arisa is waking up—probably because of my shouting. The other two are also slowly opening their eyes. Is there really no one here?

"Don't be scared, don't scream. I don't want to hurt you." The voice returns to my mind. A woman? Where is she? Telepathy?

"You can't see me because I'm far away. I'm speaking directly to your mind." Her words worry me even more. How is she able to communicate mentally from so far?

"Your friends are waking up. I'll speak to them as well—let them know, I don't want to startle them." How am I supposed to explain this? Hey guys, someone's talking in my head and now she wants to talk to you too—don't freak out. It sounds stupid no matter how I say it.

"Guys, sorry for waking you… something happened." They all looked at me, waiting for me to go on. "I don't know how to explain this. It's going to sound dumb but... but... but… someone spoke directly to my mind and now she wants to talk to all of us?"

It sounded ridiculous. They looked at me like I was some kind of weirdo—the same way my grandma used to look at me.

"I'm not joking. Someone's going to talk to us." They kept staring at me the same way. Where's the damn voice? She's making me look like an idiot.

"Maki, you should get some sleep. You're starting to hallucinate." Bush's words stung a little. Seriously, where did that woman go?

A soft chuckle echoed in my head. Apparently, I wasn't the only one— The three of them jumped and began looking around, searching for the source of the voice.

"Children, stay calm." They froze. Not a single movement. They all looked at me, demanding answers. I raised my hands in surrender. I knew nothing either.

"Do not interrupt while I explain a few things." All four of us nodded silently to each other. No talking, no noise. If she can speak to our minds, she must be absurdly strong.

"You're inside a portal created by me. I don't know how you ended up here—you forcibly interrupted this dungeon. It's been about 10 days. You were unconscious for a week. If I hadn't converted mana into vitality, you could have died." Our faces went pale hearing that. We were in a dungeon. We'd been unconscious for a week—that explained the overwhelming fatigue.

"If you're wondering where you are—it's near the center of the Primaver Forest." Bush and Arisa turned even paler. If I remembered right, that forest was massive and full of monsters ranging from grade 1 to 6.

"From this point on, I will only speak to your leader. You may ask him questions afterward." Leader? Who's the leader? …Wait—is she talking about me?

"Of course I mean you. We can speak directly through thoughts—just have the intention to communicate, no need to speak out loud. I understand your situation—you may ask questions. I'm not an unreasonable monster."

I looked at the three kids in front of me. Their safety came first. "Can you get the three of them out of this dungeon?" If she wanted to talk to me alone, there had to be a reason.

"Yes, it wouldn't be difficult. But why only them? Don't you want to return home too?" Her question made me think of my family—and the Solar family. Yes… I wanted to go back with them.

"Yes, I want to return." I paused a few seconds, then continued. "But I'm not naive. Everything in life has a price—and if you want to speak only to me, then you must need something from me."

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"How old were you when you died?" Her question brought back her first words—she knew from the beginning about me. It was better not to lie.

"Twenty. I merged with this body not long ago."

"You're quite mature for having lived so little—even counting both lives. Yes, I need your help to clear this dungeon. That's the main thing. I'll explain more once I send the others back to where they came from."

???'s point of view:

It's been a long time since I've spoken to someone from another world. The founder of this marquisate… that assassin girl… Each one has been interesting in their own way.

If this dungeon hadn't been overrun by that criminal group, I wouldn't involve this child. He didn't answer right away, but I can feel his thoughts processing everything we've discussed. He's fascinating—far too mature for someone who's lived less than thirty years, even counting both lives.

"If you don't want to help me, I can send everyone back." I didn't want to force him. He's free to choose his own path. If he refused, I'd simply wait for another fortunate accident in the future.

"I'll help. Let me talk to them first." I explained the basics—the dungeon only has monsters up to grade III. I also mentioned, briefly, the group doing harmful things here. He has a strong sense of solidarity.

Now I wait while he explains the situation to his group…Oh? Why is he lying to them?

Maki's point of view:

"She can send all of us back. Do you want to return?" Their expressions changed. They all smiled at once and began celebrating. They nodded, each confirming they wanted to go.

"When can we leave?" Miroi seemed the most eager—not that I blamed him. I wanted to be with my family too.

"In about ten minutes, we'll be teleported back. The exact location will be near the main entrance to Primaver City—just a short walk away." My words brightened the mood even more. They were already packing up to leave the dungeon.

"Maki, we can finally go home! I was terrified when I heard this was a dungeon—and even more when I found out it was in the middle of Primaver Forest. But now we can go back!" Arisa bounced in joy beside me, gave me a tight hug, and went back to celebrating with the others.

"Yeah… now we can go back…" I whispered. None of them heard. If I told them the truth, they would have refused to leave. Arisa would've made a scene about me staying behind to clear a dungeon alone. I couldn't blame her—it was dangerous, considering the rank difference between me and the monsters here.

We stepped out of the cave. It was nighttime. The moon and stars looked real—if that strange voice had never spoken, I would've never known this was a dungeon.

"I'm not a strange voice. I just can't tell you my name yet. But you may call me Grandma. I'm quite old." I heard her again in my mind. Her telepathic laugh didn't sound like an old woman—more like someone in her 40s.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Alright, Grandma…" Was it okay to be this sarcastic with someone who could probably kill me with a look?

"Excuse me—when will you activate the teleportation?" I had to be cautious with her. She didn't seem evil, but still—I had to be careful.

"It'll be ready in a few seconds. But you need to step away from them when I give the signal—otherwise, you'll be teleported too." Her voice had a tinge of suspicion. She must be unsure if I'd actually stay.

"Thanks for the heads-up. I'll use my movement skill to get clear when you tell me. Will I have time to say goodbye?" They could relay my message to my family and friends. At the very least, I had to do that—even if they'd all still worry about me.

"You'll have about ten seconds while I calibrate the distance and target location." Ten seconds… Not much. I had to think carefully about what to say.

"Maki, I'm about to begin. Move away from them now." Her voice snapped me into action. I infused my feet with the maximum amount of electricity-aligned mana and dashed away. At full speed, I could clear about 25 meters quickly.

At the same time, a violet light began to envelop them. A circle formed around them, with tall walls of energy. By the time they reacted to my sudden movement, it was too late—they were trapped inside the spell.

"Guys, I'm sorry. I can't go with you. I have to finish clearing this dungeon and help with other matters. I'll return when everything is done. I don't know how long it'll take—get stronger in the meantime."

"What are you saying, Maki?! Come back now—it's time to leave!" Arisa pounded on the wall of magic, screaming.

"I'm sorry, Arisa. I'll come see you when I'm done. Can you tell my parents and friends this?" She went quiet when she realized there was no way to stop the spell.

"I miss and love you all. I'll come back soon. I won't die—no matter what happens. I hope you'll forgive me for being selfish and a troublemaker." I tried my best to smile. I couldn't lie to myself—I did want to return with them. But an opportunity like this—helping someone that strong—would bring unimaginable benefits. It was a win-win for both of us.

The spell was almost complete. They were about to leave this dungeon.

"NOOOOOOO! MAKIIIIIIII!" Arisa collapsed to her knees, tears in her eyes, and then—they were gone.

I wiped a few tears from my face and steeled my heart. From this moment on, I am alone.

"It's done. What should I do next?" I spoke out loud, waiting for a response.

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