The sun was slowly sinking toward the west. Its orange light struck the top of the mountain and spread in every direction. The pale blue water falling from the waterfall looked like a shimmering curtain under that glow.
Raijin stood in front of the waterfall.
His eyes carefully watched every single drop of water.
After a while, he muttered softly,
> "If this were a story… there would definitely be a secret passage behind the waterfall."
He remembered many stories from his previous world. They often had hidden caves, secret passages, and ancient treasures concealed behind waterfalls, just like Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
"Maybe I'm overthinking this..."
"No," he immediately corrected himself. "Thinking too much is what makes humans human. That's why humanity has survived until now. Otherwise, what difference would there be between us and wild animals?"
With that thought...
He stepped forward.
He walked directly into the waterfall. The cold stream crashed against his body as he carefully examined every inch of the area.
Rock...
Nothing but rock.
No cracks.
No doors.
He even placed his hands on several spots and pushed.
Once...
Twice...
Three times...
But nothing happened.
After a while, he came back out.
"So my imagination was wrong."
He carefully searched around the waterfall, trying to move several rocks. He brushed away grass, dirt, and stones nearby.
But nothing seemed unusual.
Finally, his eyes landed on the water gathered beneath the waterfall.
A thought suddenly appeared in his mind.
> "If there's nothing above… then maybe it's below."
He looked around.
No one was there.
He let out a sigh of relief. Taking off your clothes in front of someone was incredibly embarrassing.
A short while later, he removed his clothes and katana, placing them aside.
And then—
Splash!
He jumped straight into the pond.
The cold water instantly enveloped his body.
Raijin slowly descended.
Five meters...
Ten meters...
Fifteen meters...
He kept going down, but he still couldn't see the bottom.
Even with water stinging his eyes, the surprise in them was obvious.
How could this pond be so deep?
He continued descending, but still couldn't find the end. It was as if the water stretched endlessly into the depths of darkness.
After a while, his body started feeling heavy. An overwhelming urge to breathe rose within him.
He looked downward one last time before swimming back toward the surface.
Splash!
He burst out of the water and began taking deep breaths, as if he would never get another chance to breathe again.
A serious expression appeared on his face.
This pond was abnormal.
He looked around. There wasn't much time left before darkness fell, but he had no reason to stay here any longer.
He put his clothes back on, tied the katana to his waist, and headed back toward the hotel.
The sun had almost completely set.
After passing through several narrow alleys, Raijin finally arrived at his hotel.
It was much quieter inside than before.
Fins was sitting behind the counter.
Raijin walked straight up to him.
> "I need information on the people who disappeared this month."
Fins looked up at him.
"Why?"
"Just… interested," Raijin answered plainly.
Fins stared at him for a few moments.
"Do you want to get involved in this matter?"
Raijin didn't reply.
His silence was answer enough.
Fins looked at him for a while longer and let out a long sigh.
He bent down behind the counter and handed Raijin a thick stack of papers.
Raijin accepted them.
"Thank you."
---
A short while later...
Room 203.
The dim light of an oil lamp spread throughout the room.
Raijin sat on a chair.
Several papers were spread out in front of him.
He began reading them one by one.
---
1. Name: Mira
Age: 9
House Number: 100
Last Seen: A short time before sunset, ten steps away from her home.
Identification: Deer race, wearing brown clothes with yellow stripes.
2. Name: Theo
Age: 14
House Number: 117
Last Seen: Near House No. 128 before the morning bell rang.
Identification: Dog race, wearing white clothes.
3. Name: Lina
Age: 12
House Number: 311
Last Seen: Returning from the market at noon.
Identification: Cat race, black clothes with fine white embroidery.
4. Name: Louie
Age: 10
House Number: 670
Last Seen: With his friends behind the mountain at the back of Vanguard.
Identification: Rabbit race, wearing yellow clothes and a round hat.
5. Name: Rufus
Age: 10
House Number: 603
Last Seen: At home.
Identification: Panther race, wearing a brown jacket.
---
Raijin read every single paper one by one.
But there were still several papers left on the table.
They didn't belong to children.
He tried to find some connection between all of them.
But he found nothing.
Different ages...
Different races...
Different homes...
Different families...
There wasn't a single obvious similarity.
After a while, he placed all the papers in one corner of the table.
He felt as if he understood something...
But he couldn't figure out exactly what it was.
Raijin slowly leaned back in his chair.
After spending some time lost in thought—
Suddenly—
A gleam appeared in his eyes.
> "Maybe... I found a clue."
He gently tapped his fingers on the table.