After using the percentages of Block, the damage Kemal had taken made it hard not only to think—but even to remember.
Even if he came to his senses for just one minute each day, he couldn't recall anything else that had happened during that day. If things continued like this, he could very well die.
For the past three days, he had been sheltering in a small cave with Onet and planned to keep doing so. After all, how could he save his brother while suffering from a curse that prevented him from touching water, as well as permanent damage?
Sure, overcoming the water-avoidance curse wasn't too difficult. But the permanent damage? That was another story. Everything was being blocked. He couldn't do anything.
Except...
Over the past three days, he had noticed something peculiar. The usual one-minute window in which he could stay conscious was slowly getting longer. Yesterday, it had stretched to three minutes, and today, it would likely be even longer.
So… if he survived a full year in this cave, maybe—just maybe—he could return to his old self.
That was his initial thought, and so he spent a full week in that silent, desolate cave made of cold gray stones.
Each day, Onet would go hunting, and Kemal would prepare the food. When he needed to drink water, he would open his mouth carefully and try to drink without letting the liquid touch his lips or skin. When done like that, he didn't feel the same binding, invasive sensation he had felt on the first day.
During what felt like thirteen minutes to him, he kept finding himself in different positions, in different moments, every few minutes.
He was even starting to forget how he had gotten to this state. The only thing he remembered clearly was the blood-soaked waterfall and part of his battle with the Stage 7 Titan. After he had decided to use Block, his memories cut off.
After a time that felt like thirteen minutes to him—but was actually seven full days—he suddenly found himself far away from the cave.
Where was this? He had specifically told Onet not to leave the cave...
He had three minutes to figure things out and secure himself again. What had happened while he was unconscious? Damn it—he regretted using those percentages in the first place. He was truly frustrated now.
Just as he was about to stand up, he realized something—he was lying on top of a giant leaf... and the place he was in—it was artificial?
It was definitely someone's home. But… whose?
It seemed he had been taken.
Kemal looked around more carefully...
His noble garments had already been ruined long ago, and their destruction had been foreshadowed by his battle with the Stage 7 Titan. In that fight, they had become utterly unusable. So, throughout that sickly, delirious week, he had been wearing his orange, majestic armor. But now… it wasn't on him anymore.
Instead of armor, he was dressed in primitive clothing—seemingly crafted from leaves or the corpses of dhunes. Attire unfit for a prince. Then again, Kemal had never wanted to be a prince. One could even say he was born into the wrong body. So he didn't care about tarnishing the royal image. And after all, no one was around to see him in this state.
Around him, he noticed a furnace, a chair, two pieces of glassware, the leaf bed he lay on, a chest, and a door. From beyond the door came strange clattering sounds—metal clashing with other objects.
Though Kemal was curious about what was inside the chest, time was short, and what lay beyond the door was more important.
He stood up and opened the door.
What he saw in front of him could only be described like this—
Towering trees stretched from the depths of a chasm all the way to the skies above. The house he was in—it was a treehouse built atop one of those colossal trees. There were even bridges connecting to other trees.
The view was breathtaking. Across the horizon lay the Fogbound Grave, an enormous desert blanketed by a massive cloud of fog. And in the center of that fog cloud… a shining point of light.
That light was what illuminated even this place. Some even called it "The Sun of Undergarden."
But at this moment, that beautiful view was being ruined—by a man. A man with such a perfect physique that even Kemal, a prince, couldn't help but feel envious.
They were standing on what appeared to be a kind of balcony. The muscular man was at the edge, rummaging through a chest and tossing out a variety of items.
Shells of various dhunes, a hoe, meat, a mysterious bag, multicolored flowers with many petals—and more.
Kemal thought the man would turn around after hearing the door open. But he didn't. He just kept digging through the chest.
Finally, pressed for time, Kemal tried poking him.
Still no reaction.
There was one last option.
Kemal shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Can you help me?!!!??!!?!"
The sudden cry startled a few birds in the distance, breaking the peaceful stillness.
Only then did the man turn around—and as he did, Kemal realized something.
He was crying.
What the hell was going on here?
"H-How can I help?"
"Well... I've been unconscious for quite some time, and I'll pass out again in a few minutes. Before that happens, can you explain what's going on and—more importantly—who you are? Also, there was a dhune protecting me while I was out—Onet! What happened to Onet?! Where is he!?"
"U-uhh... o-okay. hic I'll tell you…"
As the man began to speak, Kemal realized he was absolutely drunk. But there wasn't time to ask about it now—he needed answers. So he stayed quiet and listened.
"E-everything started last night. I was playing tag with a titan—as usual. It was going fine at first, but then this titan who looked like he'd chugged ten cups of coffee tried to join us—he was half-awake. I couldn't say no. I'm a kind man, and who could turn down a half-conscious, coffee-hyper titan? So of course, I said yes. We played tag and had a picnic together. During the picnic, we all dozed off. When we woke up, we learned the coffee-addicted, sleep-deprived titan had a mission—to protect you."
"When we got to you, a Stage 2 dhune was trying to kill you. Your whole body was covered in slime. I killed the dhune on the spot and made it my breakfast, then brought you here to my home..."
"Your armor was soaked in slime, so I had to take it off—something inside told me to. Besides, I don't think you'd want to walk around in slime-covered armor, right? I buried it in the soil so it could return to its former state. Now that it's morning and you still hadn't woken up, I was looking for some medicine to treat you... but then you woke up on your own. Yes. That's what happened."
At first, Kemal seemed to understand. But the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Wait a minute—what?
This man played tag with titans daily?
He had picnics with titans?
What titan had a coffee addiction?
To clean slime-covered armor, you bury it instead of washing it?
If someone doesn't wake up early in the morning, they need treatment?
All these questions pointed to one truth: this man was drunk yesterday too—maybe even long before that.
At first, Kemal rejected the idea that the coffee-loving titan could be Onet. But considering it was that titan who brought him here... maybe it was Onet after all.
Still...
"Should I believe any of this?" It all seemed too ridiculous—too absurd. Maybe it was all a lie. You couldn't trust a drunk.
The man lifted his head and spoke:
"I-If you don't trust me... then maybe you'll trust that titan—Onet, right? He's downstairs... Go ask him—"
As he said this, the man collapsed to the ground. Normally, Kemal wouldn't have cared about a stranger. But no—Kemal was a good person. Even if he didn't know someone, he didn't wish harm upon them. Besides, this man had taken him into his home. Even if Kemal didn't fully believe the story, he did believe one thing:
This man had saved him.
He couldn't be rude while under someone's roof.
Gently, he helped the drunken man to his feet and asked for his name.
"I'm still not sure you saved me, but at least you didn't kill me. What's your name?"
The man raised his head and replied:
"M-My name? It's Mingyu. My name is Mingyu."
Kemal still wasn't sure how this drunken man had managed to survive in one of the most dangerous parts of Undergarden. But despite everything, he found himself starting to like him.
"My name is Kemal. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Mingyu. I'm going to pass out again soon, and... please, make sure I don't die. Also, instead of burying my armor, please wash it under a waterfall. I don't want to say this to my own savior, but I'm afraid you'll forget where you buried it if we wait any longer."