After a brief standoff, Evan began to approach us again. Perhaps it was because of the vivid memories from just moments ago.

Almost unconsciously, I drew my sword.

"Barry Sanders, judging by your reaction, it seems you've also come back to life for sure."

Evan continued to speak calmly, his confidence unshaken, as he approached us. While I considered myself strong, Evan's aura was so overwhelming that I wondered if Luna and I could even stand a chance against him.

'Can we win?'

As Evan came closer, he extended his hand in a non-threatening manner.

"No need to be so cautious. I won't kill you as meaninglessly as before."

His gaze shifted to Luna, who had been observing him with a cold expression.

"You've grown quite a bit, Luna Pendragon. It's been several years, hasn't it?"

"Don't pretend to be friendly."

"My apologies. I let my genuine delight get ahead of me."

Evan didn't seem to be tense at all, even with both Luna and me in front of him. His confidence in his abilities was evident in his every move.

"Let's start with a few questions. It seems like this isn't an ordinary place. Do you know where you are and why you came here?"

"I don't!"

Before I could answer, Luna exclaimed.

"We came to find treasure! We had no idea it would be a place like this."

"Treasure? In a peculiar town like this… Well, it's possible. There's a reason for everything, and the treasure you came to find might be related to the cause of this phenomenon."

We had come here searching for something. Or more accurately, I had.

'Krivmaher's corpse.'

This phenomenon couldn't possibly be related to a dragon's corpse, so Evan's assumption was likely incorrect.

'But where did Krivmaher die?'

Did he die in this city?

While I had received a message stating that Krivmaher's corpse was in this dungeon when I entered, I now had doubts about it.

One thing was certain: Krivmaher might have some connection to this phenomenon, but it probably wasn't the direct cause.

"I have a proposal," Evan said.

Luna immediately bristled like an annoyed cat, her entire body showing signs of wariness.

"It appears that both of you don't know much about this place. Do you know how to leave?"

"No."

"In that case, how about we cooperate? The power in this space is so strong that it's nearly impossible for humans to create it. Moreover, fighting each other in a place where it's difficult to escape won't benefit anyone."

This time, I nodded before Luna could speak.

"Alright, then. A truce?"

"Friend!"

Luna shot me an incredulous look, but this wasn't the time to gauge her emotions. It was a time for logical and pragmatic decisions.

"Very well."

Evan nodded in approval.

However, he couldn't resist warning Luna with a hint of menace in his voice.

"Luna Pendragon, you can invoke Eve's spirit, as you know. But, as you're aware, Eve can't defeat me without proper preparation. Dying doesn't mean much in a place like this. You won't truly die. So, I can make you experience eternal suffering."

Evan concluded with a sinister remark, but he didn't seem bothered by it as he casually stated, "I hope you understand that I am being generous to the both of you."

With those words, he turned around and vanished into the alley where he had appeared earlier. In this repeating cycle of time, he could continue to torment us indefinitely.

'This is horrifying.'

Once Evan was gone, I tried to relax my tense body, but perhaps I found solace too quickly.

"Friend."

Luna's cold voice calling my name was intimidating. It was more like dealing with a stubborn child than anything else.

"Yes, Luna?"

"Why did you do that? Evan is a bad person! He said you died because of him!"

I smiled bitterly and replied, "Yes, after dying once, I now understand Evan's abilities. That's why I stepped back."

"But still! But still!"

She seemed to have something more to say, but her thoughts appeared to be jumbled. Luna mumbled a few more words before turning her head away.

"I'm only looking after you because you're my friend."

In the end, she decided to let it go. Her behavior was more amusing than frightening, but it wasn't a situation to laugh about. "Alright, then."

I nodded, and Luna's gaze shifted from anger to relief. It was apparent that she had many thoughts and emotions, but now was not the time to delve into them.

"Let's find some information before nightfall."

'Fire Dragon Expedition, Krivmaher.'

First, we needed to visit the mercenary guild.

.

.

.

.

After calming Luna and leaving, we tried to find the mercenary guild, but I made a mistake in thinking it would exist in this ancient era.

Eventually, we ended up in a bustling market district, where we hoped to gather some information.

"Wow, what kind of animal is this?"

"His name is Rulf! A yellow-tailed rock monkey!"

The market district was lively, filled with people of all ages. Luna's arrival with Rulf attracted the attention of curious children.

Luna, with a slightly smug expression, explained to the kids while puffing up her chest. It was a sight that amused me, but this wasn't a moment to enjoy.

"Big sister, where did you come from?"

"Me? I came from far away! Do you know Endeavor?"

"Endeavor? I don't know."

It seemed that there was no Endeavor in this era. While Luna interacted with the children and Rulf, a conversation emerged that we didn't expect.

"Sister Luna, can you not go to the temple?"

"The temple?"

"All the priests are praying in the temple right now! Our father is in the Fire Dragon Expedition, and he prays there every day! So only the priests can go into the temple..."

Luna's curiosity was piqued as she inquired further.

Temple.

In the era Luna and I live in, it's a building that doesn't exist.

In the end, deities were just names, and there was no separate temple in this conformist society.

'Come to think of it, the high priest of the temple requested the Dragon Expedition.'

Could we discover the secrets of this repeating city by going to the temple?

I immediately said to Luna,

"Shall we go to the temple?"

"What's a temple?"

"It's probably a place where people pray to gods. Priests gather there too. I heard that the high priest of Lethe, the guardian deity of this city, requested the Dragon Expedition."

"The Dragon Expedition? The performance earlier?"

Come to think of it, I hadn't explained it to Luna.

I immediately told her about what I had originally been looking for and the information I got from Thomson, the former fruit shop owner.

"Dragons! Wow!"

Luna's eyes sparkled as she heard the story.

Then, she asked the children around her,

"Where is the temple?"

"If you go straight that way, you'll find it! But can't this man go in? They said only priests can go."

This man?

No, that wasn't important.

The fact that I couldn't enter the temple wasn't a big issue. After all, I would forget everything once I returned, so sneaking in without permission wouldn't be difficult.

'The time now is disappointing.'

The sunset had sneaked up on us.

I didn't know how far the temple was, but if we set out now, it seemed difficult to gather much information. There was no plan for dealing with the residents who turned into black smoke at night, and even if we endured the night, I had no idea what awaited us the next day.

'Still, I should do what I can.'

We didn't have much time, so we needed to hurry.

"Kid, what's your name?"

"I'm Henderson." "I'm Luna! Just Luna. See you again next time!"

I thanked the kids and headed toward the temple with Luna.

Luna was petting Rulf and humming a tune, looking quite content. It seemed she had already forgotten about Evan and the encounter with him, thanks to the conversation with the children.

"My friend."

Then, Luna suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around, looking in the direction where the children had been.

"Yes?"

"Do you think those kids will turn into black smoke when the sun sets?"

"...I think so."

Luna's expression noticeably turned gloomy.

While her demeanor was somewhat pitiful, this place wasn't real from the beginning, just a dungeon. It was the remnants of a long-lost era.

"Is that the temple?"

Finally arriving at the temple after asking for directions, it was a solid and imposing structure, unlike what I had imagined.

"Where are you from?"

A man in a black robe guarding the entrance asked us.

Luna was amazed when she saw his appearance. "Wow."

His pale skin, white hair and eyebrows, and radiant purple eyes were enchanting. His unique appearance was as dreamlike as Luna's.

"Are you a priest of Nyx?"

I nodded in response to the question, similar to the one asked by Thomson, the fruit shop owner.

"Yes."

"And you?"

"I'm her escort. I was assigned to protect the priest when we heard about the Dragon Expedition."

The confidence to say whatever I wanted stemmed from the impending regression. Since he would forget everything anyway, it didn't matter if I blurted out details.

The guard at the entrance glanced at us for a moment and then gestured to Luna.

Then, he spoke to me, "Right now, we can only allow the priest to enter. I apologize, but could you wait for a moment?"

Luna and I exchanged glances briefly, and then Luna smiled reassuringly, heading toward the temple.

"No need to worry," she seemed to convey with her smile.

She was stronger than me. In Endeavor Fortress, due to the unique battlefield environment, I might have appeared stronger, but ultimately, in a one-on-one fight, I would find it difficult to match her. The barrier of a transcendent being was that thick.

'The problem is...'

I gazed at the sky as the sunset slowly disappeared.

It might be difficult to gather meaningful information today. The guards who turned into black smoke at night posed a problem, and even if we endured the night, I had no idea what awaited us the next day.

As I drew my sword to indicate that I should prepare quickly, the priest at the entrance spoke..

"What are you doing right now?"

I didn't feel it was worth answering. I just stood there silently with my sword drawn, waiting.

'At least there aren't many people around the temple,' I thought.

Soon, the sun had completely set, and as expected, the priest guarding the entrance transformed into a black figure.

Whoosh.

I tried to send a gust of sword wind like last time, but it was futile. It seemed as if physical force wouldn't work, and the surprising part was that magic didn't work either.

'How did Evan retreat?'

In any case, before the black smoke enveloped me, it penetrated into the temple like a dart.

Crash!

Inside, I saw Luna surrounded by the black smoke.

"Luna!"

Had she been affected? Since I couldn't see the sun setting from inside, there was a high chance we were caught off guard. Without knowing how to deal with it in the first place...

'A person?'

Suddenly, I saw a human-like figure from inside. If it wasn't someone turned into black smoke, could it be Evan? But his attire wasn't like Evan's pure white armor.

-Gooo.

The smoke that had enveloped Luna now swarmed towards me.

Luna seemed as if she had fallen asleep, her eyes closed. I tried to step back for now.

-Gooo.

"You were there too?"

The exit was already blocked. I didn't know what to do. I swung my sword and cast a spell haphazardly.

However, the black smoke simply moved straight toward me without any impact.

"Damn it."

And that's how the black smoke engulfed me.