Day 3 of the "Redemption Operation," and a persistent drizzle fell beneath gloomy skies.

This was my first rain in this world. Those slender silver threads were so light and soft, they seemed like they’d melt away like snowflakes the moment they touched your palm.

This desolate world melted silently into the ocean along with the rain.

Last night’s mission to clear aggressive plants near the "Fall of the Stars" border had been called off because of this sudden downpour.

Today, the overcast sky showed no sign of stopping. We retreated to the big tent at Camp Two, waiting for the rain to cease and for new orders.

Li Weishe: Aah…

Li Weishe: Aaaah…

Day High: Stop groaning. It’s grating on my nerves.

Li Weishe: I got fined! Fined for wrecking the "Fire Dragon"…

Li Weishe: And after finally getting real combat action, I got carried away. Now my whole body’s screaming from the strain…

Seventh Ju: …Then shut up and lie still. Once the rain stops, you won’t get another rest.

Li Weishe: Aaaaaah…………

Ink River: …I’m tempted to hit him. What should I do?

Seventh Ju: Hit him, and you lose.

Yesterday’s "clearing" operation was probably the most dangerous planned mission the Pioneer Team had undertaken so far.

Thankfully, no casualties or losses were reported across the entire squad.

Of course, calculated risks never compare to the unknown. I’d learned that firsthand…

Half Moon Outflow: Let’s talk about something else. Drown out Li Weishe’s whining.

Half Moon Outflow: —Actually, I heard the action reports from the past two days.

Seventh Ju: Oh? Do tell.

Half Moon Outflow: During aerial reconnaissance, one team spotted a white mineral belt in an area where the ground was visible.

Half Moon Outflow: It’s likely the same substance as the white powder you picked up yesterday.

Half Moon Outflow pointed at me.

Half Moon Outflow: This proves exposed mineral resources exist within the "Fall of the Stars." That was probably one reason Pioneer Teams entered the area ten years ago.

Seventh Ju: …Confirmed exposed deposits?

Half Moon Outflow: Yes.

Something felt off. But I might be the only one here who sensed it.

Yet I couldn’t explain why.

Half Moon Outflow: Also, last night, trained animals were sent into the burned vegetation zones inside the "Fall of the Stars."

Half Moon Outflow: They came back alive, but all their Wish Points vanished.

Half Moon Outflow: Ordinary beasts only have about ten Wish Points naturally. But how did they even detect the loss on animals?

Seventh Ju: Preman’s Wish Power. He can see changes in others’ Wish Points. It probably works on animals too.

Half Moon Outflow: …I see. So that’s what "pouring our strength together with you" meant.

Ink River: So the power that steals—or erases—Wish Points isn’t tied to plants. It’s the "land" itself?

Half Moon Outflow: Likely. And those unexplained ground undulations were observed too. You saw them the day before yesterday, Seventh Ju, right?

Seventh Ju: Yeah.

Half Moon Outflow: Scouts with lifeform detection found no underground beasts. Those ground ripples remain a mystery.

Half Moon Outflow: I have a bad feeling. The "Fall of the Stars" is too dangerous.

Day High: Preman warned us about this ages ago. That’s why we haven’t rushed in yet.

Seventh Ju: True. I was scared at first too, but the survey work hasn’t spiraled out of control.

Half Moon Outflow: ……………

Half Moon Outflow: Actually… I accidentally heard a secret from a Pioneer Team veteran who’s been here since ten years ago.

Seventh Ju: …Oh?

Just then, the rhythmic *tap-tap* of animal hooves sounded outside the camp gate. A squad seemed to have arrived.

The tent flap lifted. We turned to see Officer Aiton and several soldiers stride in.

Aiton: —Half Moon Outflow. Seventh Ju.

Half Moon Outflow: …?

Seventh Ju: Here.

I wasn’t fluent in this squad’s protocols. Instinctively, I reacted like I did during military training back home.

Aiton: Both of you, come with me. A special task requires your abilities. Lord Preman has approved this assignment.

Seventh Ju: …Huh?

Stepping out of the tent, the rain still fell, *pattering* against my head and shoulders.

Half Moon Outflow and I were led onto those wolf-horse mounts. Soldiers guided each beast as we headed west from camp.

I remembered this direction… Not far ahead lay the Great Gorge.

Sure enough. After bouncing on the wolf-horse’s back for only a short while, I spotted the gorge’s edge.

*These creatures run faster and smoother than horses or wolves…*

The squad slowed, inching toward the cliff’s edge.

Only then did I notice a narrow, man-wide slope carved into the steep gorge wall—a dark groove leading downward. The only path to the bottom.

*Are we… going down there?*

No time to panic. The squad began descending the slope.

Looking toward the gorge, the rainy haze draped everything like a thin veil.

A small patch near the bottom glowed with an eerie light, different from the green treetops. If I recalled the layout correctly, that was the lake I’d visited before.

So our current position was roughly due east of the lake.

Soon, the lead scout’s boots touched the gorge floor. Raindrops pattered onto me again.

I’d returned to this perilous place—the Great Gorge.

After dismounting and walking just dozens of meters north with Officer Aiton, the cliff wall to my right suddenly changed.

A massive, deep fissure gaped at the cliff’s base like a horrific wound, widening into a colossal cave mouth.

I peered into the darkness within. Nothing but blackness stared back.

After another dozen meters, the cave’s full scale revealed itself.

Hundreds of meters wide, dozens high—it plunged downward from where cliff met gorge floor, as if some colossal creature had burrowed into the earth.

*No… nothing that size could exist…*

Aiton: Half Moon Outflow, Seventh Ju—let me brief you.

Half Moon Outflow: Go ahead.

Seventh Ju: …Okay.

Aiton: This is my current project: surveying this cave.

Aiton: Its direction points straight toward the "Fall of the Stars." It might offer a new invasion route.

Aiton: Within explored sections, we’ve confirmed no creatures larger than a thumb. No plants except moss. No risk of rockfalls either.

Aiton: The only problem? The cave’s too vast. Progress is painfully slow.

Aiton: Torches can’t light such emptiness. Their flickering shadows make men lose their minds in open spaces like this.

Aiton: We have other light sources, but their power won’t last long enough to go far.

I glanced back at the camp tents near the cave entrance. Electric lamps—the same kind used during Bao City’s fitness test—were set up there. *That’s* what he meant by "other light sources."

Aiton: Half Moon Outflow, we know your night vision is exceptional. You’re perfect for this reconnaissance.

Half Moon Outflow: …Understood.

Aiton: Seventh Ju, you seem to have strong self-preservation and recovery abilities when facing unexpected harm.

Aiton: One of Lord Preman’s core principles is minimizing personnel loss. No one else can guard Half Moon Outflow like you can.

Seventh Ju: …I get it.

Aiton: This mission is yours alone. Extra personnel would only slow you down.

Simple enough: Half Moon Outflow surveys the cave; I protect him.

But uncharted territory holds unknown dangers.

Aiton: Then let’s review the mission details without delay.

…………

…………

After barely ten steps into the cave, darkness swallowed all sight.

Half Moon Outflow and I were tethered by a safety rope. I followed the pull on my waist, step by cautious step.

Half Moon Outflow: Stand still for a few minutes. I need to adjust to total darkness.

Seventh Ju: …Okay.

Inside, a gentle downward slope stretched about a hundred meters before leveling out—the already-mapped zone.

Our task: reach the flat ground, then push further. Ideally, we’d make it to the vertical border of the "Fall of the Stars."

*—If this underground passage even leads there.*

To avoid accidentally crossing the "Fall of the Stars" boundary underground, Half Moon Outflow carried a signal receiver tuned to ground markers.

If it beeped—or if we spotted danger—we’d retreat immediately.

I held the comms device, ready to report to Officer Aiton.

Half Moon Outflow: —Ready. Let’s move.

Seventh Ju: Got it.

We descended the slope carefully, winding through the dark.

Darkness. The echo of footsteps. The rope’s steady tug. Nothing else reached me.

The path was uneven, but as someone unused to mountain terrain, I managed fine.

Half Moon Outflow chose our route wisely—considerate of this rookie.

His night vision wasn’t bragging. I couldn’t see my own fingers held before my eyes.

Even with the rope, this blindness sparked primal fear.

Half Moon Outflow: Look right. See those glowing moss patches?

I turned. Faint green luminescence dotted the ground—similar to moss back home.

Half Moon Outflow guided me there, gathered some, and pressed it onto his boots.

Half Moon Outflow: Can you see my feet?

Seventh Ju: Yes.

Half Moon Outflow: Watch my feet and follow.

Seventh Ju: Oh… thank you, Mr. Outflow.

Half Moon Outflow: No need. The terrain’s safe—no chasms, drops, or hidden water. Just watch your step.

Seventh Ju: Understood.

Half Moon Outflow… younger than Day High or Li Weishe, yet radiating quiet reliability.

*Come to think of it, I’ve been leaning on others these past days. Haven’t contributed much myself.*

Half Moon Outflow: Earlier, when Aiton came to camp… I didn’t get to share that secret.

Half Moon Outflow: …About what I heard.

Seventh Ju: That? Is it bad news?

Half Moon Outflow: Yeah. If we’re judging by "good" or "bad," it’s bad.

Half Moon Outflow: Actually… the "Fall of the Stars" the Pioneer Team encountered ten years ago should’ve been much farther from here.

Half Moon Outflow: A veteran believes this year’s "Fall of the Stars" location is about ten kilometers closer than the disaster site from a decade ago.

Seventh Ju: Ten kilometers… in ten years? That’s a huge margin of error.

Half Moon Outflow: Yeah. There haven’t been major geological shifts or earthquakes here in recent years. So among the veterans, there’s some quiet talk… that this land is alive. That it shifts on its own.

Shifting earth? Tectonic plate movement?

In this world’s 400-day year, that’d mean moving two to three meters every single day.

But if a plate had shifted ten kilometers, mountains should’ve gradually risen. Yet the terrain near the "Fall of the Stars" boundary looked mostly flat.

How utterly bizarre…

Half Moon Outflow: We’ve reached the slope’s base. Flat ground ahead, just as expected.

Half Moon Outflow: Though… this cave’s getting wider.

Seventh Ju: Any danger?

Half Moon Outflow: Not sure. No changes except the space opening up.

Half Moon Outflow: A domain this vast… could easily hold an entire city.

Pitch darkness surrounded me, but I could almost picture it—buildings springing up overnight in this colossal underground space.

…Just imagination, though. According to Half Moon Outflow, this cave was utterly empty.

Seventh Ju: I’ll report first.

—Command, this is Seventh Ju. Reached the slope base. No anomalies detected. Proceeding forward.

Aiton: Copy. Does the cave still extend toward "Fall of the Stars"?

Seventh Ju: Affirmative. We’re heading west.

Aiton: Good. Your signal tracker shows you’re still roughly 200 meters horizontally from the "Fall of the Stars" boundary marker. Stay alert as you approach. Out.

Seventh Ju: —Copy. Out.

My boots crunched softly over gently undulating rock, moving soundlessly through the dark.

No dampness. No mold. Breathing remained easy—even this deep underground, oxygen wasn’t an issue.

Everything felt unchanged, as if the slope had simply flattened out.

Minutes passed. The safety rope tugging at my waist suddenly went slack. The glow of moss on Half Moon Outflow’s boots stopped moving.

Half Moon Outflow: …I see the end.

Seventh Ju: The end?

Half Moon Outflow: Yeah. Dead end ahead. A… bulging rock face.

Twenty steps later, Half Moon Outflow halted again. A rustling sound came from his gear.

Half Moon Outflow: Signal receiver’s silent. We haven’t crossed the "Fall of the Stars" boundary yet.

Half Moon Outflow: Seventh Ju—I’ll strike a match. Check the rock face. I’ll turn away; when the flame dies, I’ll be blind.

Seventh Ju: Understood.

*Scratch—*

A flame flared in the darkness, painfully bright for an instant.

I saw Half Moon Outflow twist his head aside, eyes shut tight. One hand held the match aloft; the other braced against the rock.

In that flickering light, the rock face did bulge outward. The glow couldn’t reach its top or edges—I couldn’t tell how vast this wall truly was.

Quickly, the match sputtered. Darkness swallowed everything once more, thick and impenetrable.

Seventh Ju: It really is… Hey, should we head back to the surface?

Half Moon Outflow: Wait. This signal receiver can pinpoint our vertical and horizontal distance from the nearest surface marker.

Half Moon Outflow: The manual said… it only alarms within three meters horizontally. This wall’s still over three meters from the "Fall of the Stars" boundary.

Seventh Ju: We’ve come far. Must be close to the edge by now.

Half Moon Outflow: Two minutes to take measurements. Then we retrace our steps.

Seventh Ju: Roger.

Watching the faint moss-glow at his feet, I saw him crouch to work his device. I stepped closer to the rock face.

In that brief matchlight, I’d glimpsed clear textures on the bulging stone—like natural fissures.

What kind of rock was this?

Recalling the image, I reached out, curious to trace those grooves.

—*Thud.*

Seventh Ju: ——!?

A knock echoed in my chest. I yanked my hand back instantly.

Seventh Ju: …………

That danger-warning ability of mine.

But this time… it felt utterly different.

Before, it was like a gentle tap on the door—a presence waiting patiently outside.

Now? Like someone sprinting past my door, barely grabbing the handle before vanishing.

As if… something had completely slipped away from me.

What was this? A life-threatening danger? Unlike anything before…

What *was* it???

In the dark, all I knew was this: Half Moon Outflow and I stood alone beside a rock wall in a cavernous void. Nothing else.

Seventh Ju: What in the…?

Half Moon Outflow: …?

He’d finished his task. My heightened senses caught the faint breeze as he stood.

Then—a voice shattered my world.

That voice shook me to my core.

The same way I’d felt waking up in this world for the first time…

Half Moon Outflow: diqiju, pulonlihakuda?

Seventh Ju: …

Seventh Ju: …………

No. Not "almost."

It *was* identical to that moment.

—I couldn’t understand Half Moon Outflow’s words.

The pronunciation clawed its way up from my memory.

When I first woke in this world, the people around me—Miss Poppy—had spoken the same phrase… *"pulonlihakuda."*

I never knew its meaning. Maybe *"Are you alright?"* or *"What’s wrong?"*

None of that mattered now.

What mattered was this: I could no longer understand this language.

My Wish Power—the ability to communicate with humans in this world through speech—10 points…

…had vanished from me.