Though Kemal had spoken somewhat rudely, Mingyu was too drunk to understand.
After exchanging a few confused glances, Kemal passed out again.
...
What felt like a blink for Kemal was actually a full day in real time.
When he came to, he found himself in a hot spring.
Strangely, he wasn't the only one there; Onet, Mingyu, and a green-leafed, three-eyed giant seagull were also present.
The worst part...
Both he and Mingyu were completely naked.
Even though they were positioned far apart in the hot spring, this was a dangerously awkward situation.
What could have possibly happened in the span of that one day to bring them to this?
What explanation could possibly make this scenario feel normal?
Mingyu, still drunk, didn't even react when he saw Kemal had awakened.
Onet lay in the center of the hot spring, looking incredibly relaxed. There was something brown in his mouth—he seemed to be chewing on something.
The green, giant bird was perched in a corner of the spring. Behind it were dozens of different fruits, and it seemed like the bird was responsible for carrying them here. Kemal had no idea how Mingyu had convinced a titan to perform such a task.
Mingyu sat in another corner of the hot spring, arms stretched wide apart. Thanks to the steam rising from the spring, neither of them could see each other's private parts, despite their lack of clothing.
Without that steam, Kemal might've had a traumatic experience.
"Hey, Mingyu? I-I mean... why are we here? Wasn't I supposed to be sleeping at home?"
Mingyu slightly lifted his head and looked at Kemal.
"U-uh... I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about this, but it was urgent, so I hope you can understand. Also, I wasn't the one who undressed you—it was Onet—and I didn't see anything, I swear, so please don't be mad at me."
Even though Mingyu was still drunk today, he seemed a bit more lucid than usual. Why was this man always drunk anyway?
"Mingyu, I'm curious why we're in a hot spring, sure. But more importantly—why are you always drunk?"
Mingyu tilted his head upward, changed the position of his arms, and thought for a moment... then suddenly snapped his fingers and began to speak.
"Ah, yes, I remember. Not fond memories, but they're vivid...
I was at stage 5, and my Bloodscripts were Revel and Reliant. One day, I had to fight a titan..."
"And... what happened then? How did you survive?"
"I was incredibly drunk that day, because when I used my Revel Bloodscript while drunk, I became stronger. I wanted to turn that into an ability. So I used all of my percentages against that titan. But... even all my percentages weren't enough fuel to cast the spell."
"What kind of spell are we talking about?"
"A spell that makes me stronger the drunker I get. That's why I'm so powerful now—because I'm always drunk. Though, today's special... I'm slightly less intoxicated than usual."
"But wait, you said your percentages weren't enough to cast it... What did you do then?"
"Obviously, I made a pact. Otherwise, there's no way I would've survived by casting that spell."
"What did you give up in the pact?! That's what I'm asking!"
Kemal's tone was harsh. He was a little mad that Mingyu had taken so long to explain something he could've said in a single sentence.
But Mingyu, strangely calm, stared into the distance. Tears welled up in his eyes. This wasn't like him. As if he refused to speak, he said nothing, prompting Kemal to ask again.
"What did you give up in that pact? Pacts involve sacrificing part of your body, a thought, a memory... something that belongs to you, offered to the Bloodscript as fuel. But I don't see anything missing from you. What did you give up? Please talk to me, because the more silent you are, the more I worry."
After a long silence, Mingyu finally spoke. He decided to share the truth.
"I... I gave up... my manhood in that pact..."
Kemal was stunned. He bolted through the spring toward Mingyu, shouting, "No! You didn't!"
As he ran, Mingyu nodded slowly and sniffled. "Unfortunately... I did!"
Kemal reached him, gently grabbed his shoulders, and asked:
"Was it worth it?"
Mingyu slowly turned his head, still gazing into the distance, and a single tear fell from his eye.
"Absolutely."
Then the two collapsed to the ground and began crying.
While crying, Mingyu snapped his left hand twice. It was a coded signal. The green, three-eyed bird received the message and picked out a type of wine—a deep red—from among the many fruits and drinks around it.
It quickly flew over and delivered the wine to Mingyu.
Mingyu drank it as he cried.
He drank it to the last drop, making sure he was fully drunk.
Kemal punched him.
"You idiot! Bring me one too! I need to forget this..."
Then the two of them shared several bottles of wine together. Before long, Kemal passed out again...
And after what felt like another blink, he woke up in bed.
Fully clothed.
Even though he'd been crying just moments ago, his mind now felt strangely empty. He found himself thinking:
'What the hell did we just go through?'
He got out of bed.
There was only one question on his mind.
Should he ask why they'd ended up in the hot spring?
...
Probably not. That drunkard would definitely give him a response that was both ridiculously satisfying and ridiculously absurd.
He was also beginning to remember the moments when he'd been unconscious.
He couldn't recall last week's memories, but he was starting to piece together fragments from last night and this morning. Onet had dressed him in the same green, kimono-like outfit that Mingyu had worn—made of tree leaves and Dhune feathers. He was still wearing it now. His blond hair and eyes matched perfectly with the green.
Strangely, Onet had mumbled something as he dressed him. It was as if he was grumbling. But Kemal couldn't recall what he said... and probably misremembered anyway. It wasn't possible for Onet to speak.
He stood up, opened the door, and stepped outside. Mingyu was nowhere in sight.
And honestly, Kemal didn't really feel like searching for that drunkard.
At first, he'd thought Mingyu was a decent guy. But after yesterday, he felt like he needed to protect himself around him.
As always, he had one minute.
A minute that felt like a day in reality—during which anything could happen to Onur. He had to act quickly and head to the Frozen Hollows.
If he wanted to ensure his own safety, it was best to bring that drunk along, too. Even though the duration of this "minute" might extend over time, anything could happen to his brother within it.
During his battle with the stage 7 titan, he had rejected and rewritten the "Today I will die" fate/rule. But doing that every time was impossible. Fate and death were massive concepts. They required an insane amount of fuel. He'd only pulled it off by spending his percentages. Now, they were all gone. His only option now would be to make another pact. And even then, he would lose something again—his arm, his personality—whatever he had left to sacrifice. Something major. A finger or an eye wouldn't cut it.
In short, he couldn't pull off the same strategy again in an instant. He might be at stage 2, but everything had its limits.
As for Mingyu... He was incredibly handsome and muscular.
He didn't deserve such a fate.
Mingyu had probably forgotten that he gave up his manhood—and Kemal felt guilty for reminding him of it.
But regardless of anything...
Kemal had to somehow convince Mingyu to help him and move forward with him.
If he couldn't do that, then by the time he reached Onur... as much as he hated to think it, Onur might already be dead.
He pulled a simple tracking device from his inventory.
Since inventory only worked in Undergarden, it wasn't a technological item—it was magical. It resembled an old gaming console, had only one button, and instead of a screen, there was a crystal.
Kemal visualized Onur in his mind... Then channeled his mana into the device, and once the crystal lit up, he pressed the button.
A circular map of Undergarden appeared on the crystal. The five distinct regions were clearly outlined.
It wasn't very detailed—just a circle with five sections marked out.
In the northwest of the Frozen Hollows region, located at the northernmost point, a glowing star appeared.
That had to be Onur.
The device worked by locating whatever matched the person Kemal had visualized in his mind.
As Kemal stored the device back into his inventory, he failed to notice a dimmer star glowing even further north...