While Daniel was trying to figure out a solution for his map issue, somewhere far away, deep inside a cave, eight people were trapped inside a large cage.

All of their faces were filled with fear, terror, regret, and a kind of suffering that couldn't be put into words.

But none of them dared to speak. Three of them had already been killed by the Lizardmen just for talking, after angering that monster.

In one corner of the cage, a beautiful girl with white hair was leaning against the bars. Unlike the others, there was no fear in her expression. Instead, she was trying to calm down the girl next to her, who was shaking with fear.

"Tianna, there's no need to be scared. I'm sure the Academy will rescue us," Alice whispered softly into her friend's ear.

Her friend was a beautiful girl with long brown hair and hazel eyes. Her skin was tan, and she was relatively short.

Alice was doing her best to comfort her friend. Like Alice, the girl had great potential, but unfortunately, she was naturally timid and never wanted to become an Awakened.

However, she was forced into the academy by her family, and because she lacked interest, she struggled a lot. Now, being in a situation like this had only made her fear worse.

"Hic… Alice, didn't you see? Three of our friends were killed right in front of us! The Academy won't come for us," the girl named Tianna said, her voice trembling and full of fear.

Maybe Alice's words would have worked before, but after seeing her classmates die like that, they meant nothing.

Tianna was certain they were all going to die. It was just a matter of when.

Alice let out a quiet sigh. Even she no longer believed her own words. Was this really going to be the end for her?

Sorry I couldn't say goodbye… Her mother and brother's faces appeared in her mind. How she longed to see them again.

Meanwhile, her friend buried her face in her knees and continued crying. Alice looked around at the others.

Their eyes were empty, drained of hope and life. It was clear they didn't expect to make it out of here alive.

She looked outside the cage through the bars. The cave was dimly lit by torches. Lizardmen were stationed all around, keeping watch.

In the middle of the cave, a group of Lizardmen were digging horizontally into the ground. The work might've looked normal—until you realized they were digging a pit to throw the captives in and light it on fire to roast them alive.

Just imagining such a thing sent chills through Alice's bones. It was horrifying beyond belief.

Her gaze drifted to the far end of the cave, where a massive throne stood. Sitting on it was a giant Lizardman, easily three meters tall.

Beside him, a white-scaled female Lizardman sat in his lap, and the two were kissing in a grotesque, obscene way. Just the sight of it made Alice feel like throwing up.

Ugh, my eyes! I'll never be able to forget this, even when I'm dead! She wished she could scrub her eyes with acid.

Like the others, she buried her face between her knees so she wouldn't have to see that disgusting scene again.

At that moment, one of the Lizardmen who had been digging walked up to the king and kneeled respectfully.

"Great King Zargort, the pit is almost ready."

Zargort stopped kissing the female and turned his eyes to his subordinate.

"Light the fire and throw one of the humans in. Once you're sure it works properly, toss the rest in all at once."

"Understood, Great King Zargort." The Lizardman nodded and went to relay the order to the others.

"Dear, have you ever eaten a human before?" the female Lizardman asked, licking Zargort's face.

"Hahaha, of course! I'm the great Zargort. Many humans have even offered themselves to be eaten by me—it's a great honor for them," Zargort boasted proudly.

Meanwhile, one of the Lizardmen walked to the cage and opened it. Alice and the others looked at him with fear but didn't dare make a move.

Their heads were all lowered in silent terror.

"You. Come here," the Lizardman said, pointing at Tianna.

"Me? Why me? I didn't do anything! Please let me go!" Tianna looked at herself, shocked, then at the Lizardman, and started to scream.

When the Lizardman saw she wasn't obeying, he entered the cage, grabbed her by the hair, and started dragging her out.

"No, no, please! Help me! I don't want to die!" Tianna screamed and begged, but the others just turned their heads away.

"Let her go!" Only Alice got up and tried to push the Lizardman back, but he slammed her into the bars with a headbutt.

"You'll get your turn soon, filthy creature," he growled before dragging Tianna away toward the pit.

"No, no, no, please… I don't want to die!" Her cries echoed throughout the cave.

Alice touched her head—blood was dripping from it—but she ignored it and ran to the bars, screaming for them to let Tianna go.

But the Lizardmen didn't pay the slightest attention to her or Tianna's desperate cries.

"Think the fire's hot enough?" one of them asked his companion.

"Let it burn a little more. We shouldn't waste such good food," the other replied.

The first one nodded and then punched Tianna in the face to shut her up—she was making too much noise.

A few minutes passed quietly. Once they were sure the fire was ready, they prepared to throw Tianna into it.

But suddenly—

BOOM! BOOM!

Two of the Lizardmen guards were violently thrown into the cave, their bodies mangled and their bones shattered.

"What's going on?!" Zargort shouted angrily, stopping his foreplay with the female. His roar shook the entire cave.

"Oh? Did I ruin your little feast? Sorry about that," a man's voice echoed through the cave.

"That voice…?" Alice's eyes widened. She knew that voice.

How is this possible?