The group had left the city at dawn, setting off toward their next destination—the Tomb of the Forsaken. According to Lucky Luke, the dungeon was filled with undead monsters, deadly curses, and treasures lost to time.
"Undead, huh?" Yami muttered, walking ahead with his hands in his pockets. "That means I'll be getting a lot stronger in there."
Rei glanced at him. "Because of your death-related powers?"
Yami smirked. "Yeah. The stronger the connection to death, the easier it is for me to control it."
Lucky Luke hummed as he walked beside them. "Oh-ho! That's interesting! Say, say, say! Ever thought about raising your own army of skeletons? Sounds fun, doesn't it?"
Lina sighed. "That sounds like something you would do, not Yami."
Lucky grinned. "You're not wrong!"
Yami chuckled but kept his focus on the road ahead. His mind was already on the dungeon.
This was an important test for him.
The fight against Lucky had shown him how much stronger he still needed to become. And this dungeon was the perfect place to push his limits.
Kira, walking beside Lina, had been quiet for most of the journey. Yami noticed.
"You good?"
She flinched slightly, then nodded. "Yeah. Just… thinking."
Yami didn't push. He knew what was on her mind.
She had been traveling with them for a while now, but her presence still stirred old wounds in him. She looked too much like his sister.
But he wasn't the only one struggling with that.
Kira was also trying to figure out what she meant to him.
Before things could get awkward, Lucky suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Oh-ho! Trouble ahead!"
Yami turned to him. "What do you mean?"
Lucky pointed forward.
A few meters ahead, the path was blocked by a group of adventurers.
One of them was a girl in a green cloak. She looked kind and had a staff with vines wrapped around it.
She was arguing with a much larger adventurer.
Yami narrowed his eyes. "Looks like a dispute."
Rei cracked her knuckles. "Want to intervene?"
Yami smirked. "Yeah. Let's see what's going on."
As they approached, the girl turned toward them. Her green eyes widened slightly.
Yami stopped in front of her.
"You need help?"
The girl hesitated. Then she nodded.
"My name is Rachel," she said. "And I was just trying to register as an adventurer… but these guys don't seem to like that."
Yami's smirk widened.
"Well, that's too bad for them."