Six went in. Three came out.
Raka and Laras trudged forward, dragging the bloodied body of the fallen jawak pedang through the empty, echoing corridor of Candramaya.
At the mouth of the cave, raindrops greeted them. A heavy, gray sky loomed low overhead. Mud swallowed their footprints, and the metallic scent of blood clung to their clothes.
Their breaths were ragged. Their eyes wild, desperately searching for hope—like survivors returning from the jaws of death.
Only two remained conscious.
Laras was battered and bruised—her skin marked with burns and welts. The third body, crushed and barely breathing, was slung over Raka's back.
This was no victory.
They had simply survived the cave of horrors.
The rain wept softly as they took their first steps outside, as if trying to wash away the traces of what had transpired within.
Without a word, Raka passed through the checkpoint gate. The guards turned, startled. Other adventurers—lelanas—gathered quickly, murmuring in shock.
"Wait… aren't they from the Sagara Bhuana Party? Weren't they sent in for a Level Two extermination mission? Why are there only two of them left?"
A thickly dressed adventurer gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"That cave is cursed… Even the last expedition never came back," another guard muttered grimly.
In the middle of the gathering, Raka gently laid the wounded jawak pedang on a makeshift stretcher and silently took a seat in the corner.
That night was filled with noise—the downpour of rain and the uproar inside the Main Pangrengan Hall in Dwara Kendaga City.
The place where adventurers reported their missions.
Laras stood before the mission desk, her eyes bloodshot, hands trembling as she held the written report.
"I told you—this wasn't our fault! We were ambushed by an anomalous Jakulangkung! It was immune to ajian and shrugged off every standard hunting tactic!"
She shouted, voice shaking with emotion.
Across the desk, an officer in a silver uniform from the Mission Record Guild raised a brow.
"Laras… you're still a trainee mantrawan. And your report sounds ridiculous. You're saying the monster was immune to spells?"
His eyes narrowed, barely concealing his amusement.
"There was something strange about it—its body was massive, unnaturally shaped, with heightened hearing… There was even a talisman artifact embedded in its head and—"
"—and you survived because that kid killed it? Please," the officer scoffed, cutting her off. "He doesn't even have enough Èra to cast a basic incantation."
"You mean the one who failed the entrance trial at Dwiwana Academy?"
Laras went silent. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
"If it wasn't for him… we'd all be dead," she whispered. So soft, it was almost lost beneath the murmurs.
The officer merely sighed and signed the report.
"Let's chalk it up to trauma. It happens. Rookies often hallucinate after losing teammates."
He turned toward the corner of the room.
"And you, Raka? Anything to add?"
All eyes shifted.
Raka leaned against the wall, expression unreadable.
"…No."
His answer was curt.
A brief silence fell—then a low chuckle echoed from the back of the hall.
"Hahaha… This brat doesn't even know how to file a proper report, let alone earn a guild badge. Blank-faced and trying to act like a genius. Now he's claiming he took down a Jakulangkung by himself?"
A veteran adventurer scoffed, arms crossed, lounging on a bench.
"What a joke. A clueless rookie playing hero. Maybe the monster just slipped and hit its head on a rock," sneered another, laughter following.
Laras clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms.
But Raka only bowed his head slightly. Then, without a word, he turned and walked out of the hall.
The rain outside poured harder now. Oil lanterns flickered dimly along the cobbled streets of Dwara Kendaga.
"Funny… Even after saving them, I'm treated like a ghost.
Maybe that's just my fate—back in the Origin World… and now, in Maheswara."
He walked slowly, his footsteps rippling through the puddles.
But none of that mattered. He didn't need praise.
He only needed one thing—truth.
And the answer to a single question:
Why was I brought to this world?