Volow didn't hesitate.
The moment the man turned and walked away, Volow followed.
Yuki fell in beside him. Marga walked a step behind, eyes sharp. Suki padded quietly at Volow's feet, tail low but steady.
The deeper streets of the Mantle were darker.
Heat rose from cracks in the ground. People watched from doorways, from bridges carved into stone, from shadows that felt alive.
Volow tried speaking to the man.
"Who are you?"
No answer.
"Why did you stop us back there?"
Silence.
"Do you know Pine?"
Nothing.
The man didn't even turn his head.
After a while, the buildings thinned out. Stone walls opened into a wide stretch of land—flat, scorched, cracked by heat veins glowing faintly beneath the surface.
An open training ground.
The man finally stopped.
"This is far enough," he said.
He turned around slowly and faced them.
"Attack me," he continued calmly. "All at once."
Volow blinked. "What?"
"You heard me."
Yuki stepped forward, confused. "You're serious?"
The man nodded. "If you want training, show me what you can do."
Marga's Veil shifted slightly. "You're confident."
The man smiled faintly. "No. I'm honest."
Volow exchanged a look with Yuki.
Then nodded.
They moved together.
Yuki attacked first, fast and aggressive. Volow followed immediately, Veil spreading across his arms as he aimed for the man's center. Marga came in from the side, blade flashing.
It didn't matter.
The man moved once.
That was enough.
Yuki was knocked aside before his strike landed. Volow felt his own attack stop mid-air—blocked with a single hand. A sharp twist sent him crashing to the ground.
Marga struck.
The man caught her blade between two fingers.
And smiled.
Then he moved again.
Yuki hit the ground hard. Volow slid across stone, breath ripped out of him. Marga was thrown back, landing on one knee, barely stopping herself.
It wasn't a fight.
It was a lesson.
The man stood untouched.
"You hesitate," he said to Volow.
"You overcommit," he said to Yuki.
"And you rely too much on control," he said to Marga.
He looked down at them.
"Again."
They tried.
It was worse.
By the time he was done, Volow couldn't stand. Yuki lay flat on his back, chest rising unevenly. Marga leaned on her blade, breathing hard.
The man looked at Suki.
Who was standing calmly beside Volow.
"…Where did you get this cat?" he asked.
Volow pushed himself up slightly. "He's not just a cat."
The man raised an eyebrow.
Volow reached out and pulled Suki close, one arm wrapping around him.
"I found him injured near my house," Volow said. "He was barely breathing. I treated him. Fed him. Stayed up all night with him."
Suki pressed his head into Volow's chest.
"He stayed," Volow continued. "Followed me everywhere. Protected me more times than I can count."
He looked down at Suki, voice softer now.
"He's family."
The man watched quietly.
"If he means that much to you," the man said, "why bring him somewhere this dangerous?"
Volow didn't hesitate.
"I'll protect him," he said. "Even if it costs my life."
Suki licked Volow's face, tail flicking.
"I already lost my family once," Volow added. "I'm not losing another."
Silence stretched.
Then the man spoke again.
"You know why he survives here so easily?"
Volow frowned. "Because he's strong?"
The man shook his head.
"Because he doesn't belong to the surface."
Volow froze.
"What?"
Marga's eyes narrowed. "…You didn't know?"
Volow turned to her. "Know what?"
Marga stared at him like he had just said something impossible.
"You seriously didn't figure it out?" she asked. "Everything in Cardbill burned. Everything turned to ash."
She glanced at Suki.
"But he didn't."
Volow's breath caught.
"And when we entered the Mantle," Marga continued, "you and Yuki nearly collapsed. He didn't even react."
Volow whispered, "You knew?"
"I thought you knew," Marga replied flatly. "Even an idiot would've connected that."
Volow looked down at Suki.
"…What are you?" he asked softly.
The man stepped forward.
"He's not a cat," he said. "He's a Netherbeast."
Volow's head snapped up.
"Animals from the Inner World," the man explained. "We call them Netherbeasts. They live in the Mantle and below."
Yuki slowly sat up. "So he's… not from the surface?"
"No," the man said. "And the fact that you found him injured means one thing."
He looked at Suki carefully.
"He tried to escape."
Volow's chest tightened. "Escape… from here?"
"Yes."
The man's eyes sharpened.
"Netherbeasts don't attach themselves to people. They don't trust. They don't stay."
He looked back at Volow.
"So tell me—why does he love you this much?"
Volow didn't answer.
He couldn't.
The man smiled slightly.
"Luck's on your side," he said. "Netherbeasts can grow stronger than most warriors in the Mantle. Some even surpass warriors from Netherheart."
Volow's eyes widened. "He can get that strong?"
"It depends on the type," the man said. "A cat won't become a monster like others."
He shrugged.
"But something is better than nothing."
Suki flicked his tail proudly.
"Train him," the man said. "He'll protect you when you can't."
Volow nodded slowly.
Then the man turned away.
"My name is Asori," he said. "That's all you need to know."
He looked back once.
"Based on your current strength," Asori continued, "it'll take years for your training."
"Years?" Volow snapped. "I don't have years."
Asori met his eyes.
"If you want to die, leave," he said calmly. "Or watch the people you care about die first."
Silence.
Yuki stood up, wiping blood from his mouth.
"I don't care how long it takes," he said with a confident smile. "If it makes me stronger—I'm in."
Volow clenched his fists.
"…I don't have a choice," he said.
Asori nodded.
"Good," he said. "Then we start now."
The ground beneath them radiated heat.
The Mantle watched.
And the training began.
"Follow me." Asori said.
Asori didn't lead them back toward the town.
He turned in the opposite direction.
The land slowly changed as they followed him. Stone paths gave way to uneven ground. Heat still rose from below, but the air grew heavier, damp in a way that felt wrong. Soon, dark shapes appeared ahead.
Trees.
But not like the ones on the surface.
Their trunks were thick and twisted, dark red and black, like cooled lava stretched into wood. Some pulsed faintly with heat veins running through them. The leaves were wide and heavy, glowing dimly from underneath, casting a dull orange light instead of shadow.
The forest was alive.
Too alive.
Yuki looked around, uneasy. "So… I've been wondering," he said, trying to sound casual. "There's no sun down here. No sky. Where's the light coming from? Lava? I mean how did these trees grow without sunlight"
Marga answered before Asori could.
"These trees don't need sunlight," she said. "They were created."
Yuki blinked. "Created?"
"By Inner World mages," Marga continued. "Centuries ago. When the Mantle was first settled, this place was unlivable. No water. No growth. No balance."
Volow listened closely.
"The mages changed that," Marga said. "They reshaped the land. Made plants that feed on heat, pressure, and Veil energy. They created rain systems. Water channels. Light sources."
She looked around the forest.
"Even now, their descendants hold some of the highest authority here. Without their ancestors, this world wouldn't exist."
Yuki whistled. "So basically… wizards."
They walked deeper.
The forest grew denser. Sounds echoed strangely—slow movements, distant scraping, things shifting where they couldn't see.
Then Asori stopped.
"This is it," he said.
Volow frowned. "This is what?"
"Your training ground."
Asori turned to face them.
"I'll return in five days. Try to survive till then"
Volow blinked. "Five?"
Yuki grinned. "Come on, old man. Five is too safe. Make it seven."
Asori didn't smile.
Marga's face went pale.
"…Are you insane?" she said sharply. "You're leaving us here?"
Volow laughed. "Relax, Marga. It's just a forest."
"Yeah," Yuki added. "We've survived worse. We'll protect you."
Marga stared at them like they had lost their minds.
"This forest belongs to high-grade Netherbeasts," she said, voice tight. "No one enters this place unless they want to die."
Volow's smile slowly faded.
"…High-grade?" he repeated.
"Surviving one hour here is a miracle," Marga continued. "And he's talking about five days."
Yuki turned slowly toward Asori.
"…You're trying to kill us, aren't you?"
Volow rubbed his face. "We couldn't even beat a civilian. And you dropped us in a place where beasts stronger than warriors live?"
He looked at Yuki. "I think I preferred the King killing us."
Yuki raised his hands. "Let's skip this. We'll cook, clean, do chores. That training will help us adapt this environment"
Asori raised one hand.
Silence fell instantly.
"What if you never met me?" he asked calmly.
They froze.
"You were going to challenge the King anyways." Asori continued. "With this strength. Right?"
No one answered.
"If you survive five days here," Asori said, "you'll gain what five years of surface training couldn't give you."
He turned away.
"Survive."
And then he was gone.
Just like that.
They stood there for a long moment.
No one spoke.
Volow looked at Marga. "On the surface, I fought Inner World men before. They weren't like this. I handled them."
Marga shook her head. "The environment changes everything. Here, you're fighting gravity, heat, pressure—while controlling your Veil. Defending yourself and attacking at the same time."
She looked straight at Volow.
"They dominate here. If they learn you're here in the Mantle, they'll come. Happily."
Yuki groaned. "Great. I'm hungry."
They started moving.
Carefully.
The forest felt wrong. Every step echoed too loudly. The ground was soft in places, hard in others, like it shifted when they weren't looking.
Then—
Something moved.
A shape burst from the ground.
An octopus-like Netherbeast exploded upward, its body made of dark flesh and glowing veins. Thick tentacles whipped through the air.
All three were hit at once.
Volow slammed into a tree.
Yuki crashed into the ground.
Marga was thrown back hard.
Suki hissed.
The beast hovered, its many eyes locking onto them.
Marga froze in fear, unable to move a limb.
And the real test had just begun.