"Nothing special. We should just rest here for the night," Daniel said casually, waving his hand.

Eva looked around with hesitation. The mist, which had turned into smoke, was now almost gone, but the air still felt strange.

"Are you sure? Nothing's gonna happen here?"

"Don't worry," Daniel replied with a crooked smile.

Elemental monsters usually drive away other species from their territory. So Daniel was somewhat confident that this place was relatively safe.

He glanced around—a flat and open area, good enough for camping.

He opened his inventory and took out the Ragh-Zar Ring, placing it on his finger. It was the same ring he had received as a reward after conquering the first floor.

He touched the ring and snapped his fingers. Small sparks flickered between his hands, and a soft flame formed on the ground. Unfortunately, his understanding of the fire element wasn't yet enough to use its power directly without a medium.

"Alright, fire's ready. Time for dinner."

He pulled out a few pieces of dried meat from his backpack—meat they had brought from the village.

Daniel skewered the meat on makeshift sticks and held them over the fire.

The pleasant smell of roasting meat filled the air. For a few moments, everything felt oddly peaceful.

After dinner, they both lay down beside the fire, and soon, sleep took over.

The next morning, Daniel woke up before sunrise. After a light stretch, he woke Eva up, and they continued on their way.

The path was surprisingly calmer than they had expected. Daniel, however, wasn't surprised at all.

Elemental monsters are antisocial. They pick places where other species don't come near. That's why these zones are less dangerous than others.

He was confident that for at least 200 kilometers around, they wouldn't encounter any kind of monsters.

"Can you tell me about your world? I'm really curious. You people can enter the Celestial Domain, but natives like us can't go to your world. So we don't know much about it. What's it like?" Eva asked, her eyes full of curiosity.

"Our world's very different. We're way ahead in terms of technology and science. We have three large continents, each with its own cultures and nations. Most of our daily life depends on machines and devices that make everything faster and easier," Daniel said with a faint smile.

"More advanced technology? Like what?" Eva asked, eyes gleaming.

"Let me put it like this… imagine a metal box with four wheels. You sit in it, and it takes you places that'd normally take days to reach on foot. We call it a car." Daniel chuckled.

"Four wheels? A box? It moves on its own? Like carriages?" Eva's eyes went wide.

"Exactly, but it doesn't need giant beasts to pull it. And then… we have this small device that lets you talk to someone on the other side of the world. You can even see their face. Like they're standing in front of you. It's called a mobile phone." Daniel smiled and shook his head.

"Seriously?! Those things exist? That's… amazing! It makes everything so much easier!" Eva stared at him in disbelief.

"Yeah, it does make life easier. But it brings its own problems too." Daniel laughed.

"Your world… sounds like a legend," Eva whispered, amazed.

As Daniel and Eva talked, the ground beneath them suddenly began to tremble. Not a normal quake. The valley twisted violently, as if it was alive and in pain.

Then—with a deafening sound, the entire valley split in two.

An explosion of dirt and stone shot into the air. Daniel, Eva, and even Vorak were thrown violently aside.

"Damn it! What the hell?!" Daniel shouted, grabbing Eva mid-air to keep her from getting hurt.

Through the dust and debris, a massive crack had formed. A brutal split cutting deep into the earth, like the valley had been sliced open by a giant blade.

Daniel was still assessing the situation when something caught his attention.

In the sky—not too far away—two figures hovered.

One of them was a woman, so beautiful she defied description. A thin veil covered her face from nose to chin, but even the small part visible was enough to overwhelm the mind.

She wore royal robes in rich, deep colors. An aura radiated from her—no, words weren't enough. She was authority and supremacy embodied.

Daniel held his breath. Even Eva was speechless.

Opposite her stood a hunched old man in tattered robes. He looked exhausted and nervous.

"Empress, what do you want?" His voice was shaky. "I gave you the key!"

"You still haven't paid the price for your actions." The woman stared coldly at him, emotionless.

Then she slowly raised her hand.

Between her fingers, thin cracks of light appeared—like shattered glass forming in the fabric of reality.

Space and time rippled around her.

Then—a strike.

Not light, not fire, not lightning.

It was a fracture in reality itself. As if her fingers had grabbed the threads of existence and torn them apart. The impact created a wave of "inconsistency"; whatever it touched began to reject its own existence. Every atom, every concept, turned against itself.

The old man tried to flee. A halo of energy formed around him, and he even attempted to tear through dimensions to escape—but it was useless.

The strike consumed him.

His body began to unravel—not burn, not explode. It was as if he had never existed. His eyes burned with rage and desperation.

"Damn you! This isn't over! I'll be back, you bastard…"

Before he could finish, he made his move. With ruthless will, he self-destructed, erasing himself in the smallest form possible.

The valley fell silent again.

The Empress remained in the air for a moment. A soft growl rumbled from her throat. She turned, ready to leave—but then she felt something. Her gaze landed on Daniel and Eva.

And in that instant, Daniel felt his entire being—from flesh and bone to the deepest corners of his soul—begin to unravel under her gaze.

Not like a blow to the body. Her eyes alone were enough to turn him into dust, a forgotten echo in the void.

"We are cooked." Daniel muttered with a dry, bitter smile.