Broken and Marlene moved away from the group, intent on having a private conversation. Broken knew he had to tell her the truth-that he had accidentally killed the Raid Boss they had been hunting. It wasn’t intentional, nor was it an attempt to steal their prize; it was simply because he hadn’t known.
How could he have guessed that the demon he encountered in the forest was the very Raid Boss his companions had been targeting in this expedition?
After all, Infernak hadn’t posed much of a threat to him when they first crossed paths, and the rewards had been too good to pass up.
Sure, he wanted the armor set and weapon from the demon, but he hadn’t yet figured out the use of the other items Infernak had dropped. Still, he was more than willing to share the loot or even sell it to them at a fair price if they weren’t willing to accept it freely.
“About Infernak,” Broken began, ready to explain, but Marlene cut him off.
“This is really pissing me off, twice our target got stolen!”
“Marlene, listen to me,” Broken pressed on. “I need to explain what happened with Infernak.”
But again, Marlene interrupted him. “I’ll kill anyone who had take Infernak from us, no matter the reason.”
Why won’t she listen? Was Marlene still convinced that the one who took down Infernak was Blade Phantom—or worse, did she believe it was Charmelyn? After all, Charmelyn hadn’t directly confirmed her involvement during the battle yesterday. If Marlene assumed Charmelyn had taken Infernak from them, her anger made sense, given Charmelyn’s past mistakes with the Shadow Wolves.
“Marlene, I need to tell you something,” Broken tried again.
But once again, Marlene cut him off. “We’ll come back here after we return to Yunatea,” she said firmly.
“Huh?” Broken blinked, surprised.
“Yes, we need to hunt Infernak several more times. We can’t go back empty-handed, so we’ll continue the expedition here in Hell,” Marlene explained.
“But what items do you need from Infernak? Don’t you still need a water element user to take him down?”
Marlene gave a thin smile. “That’s not your concern anymore. Don’t worry, we have plenty of players in the Shadow Wolves, and each one of them is just as strong as the members of the Ass Guild.”
Broken could tell she wasn’t going to let him help, and whatever misunderstanding she had seemed to be clouding her judgment. But at this point, pushing the issue further wouldn’t do any good.
Marlene turned and walked back to the rest of the group, who were trying hard to mask their disappointment. They had been so sure they were finally leaving Hell, but after failing to take down their main target, the realization that they had to continue the expedition weighed heavily on them. Their attempts at optimism felt strained, more like a forced effort than genuine hope.
Since Marlene hadn’t given Broken any chance to explain about Infernak, he decided to consider the matter closed. If she found out the truth later, it wouldn’t be his fault-he had tried to tell her.
For now, he let it go, leaving the situation in her hands.
“Damn, we have to do this expedition again? Ugh… Can I forfeit?” one of the group members groaned.
“Don’t worry, everyone,” Subaru replied. “We’ll get more rewards and level up even more next time.”
“We’ll bring more people with us next time, so stop complaining,” Marlene added firmly as she activated the portal near them.
She explained that they would be going on the expedition again, though not immediately-it seemed they’d have a short break before heading back into Hell.
One by one, the group entered the portal, clearly relieved at the thought of returning to Yunatea, even if only for a while.
“Oh yeah… finally going back to Yunatea.”
“I’m so happy,” someone murmured as they stepped through.
Subaru turned back to Broken and Marlene, a wide grin on his face. “I had a lot of fun doing this expedition with you, Broken… hahaha. Next time, I’ll visit you in Slumdon.”
“Sure, come by and bring the whole Shadow Wolves guild to Slumdon,” Broken joked.
“Then we’d probably end up starting a war, huh? Hahaha,” Subaru laughed, waving as he stepped into the portal.
Marlene turned toward Broken as the last of the group disappeared into the portal. It was just the two of them now-well, almost. Ivana emerged from behind the trees, her footsteps soft as she approached with a smile.
“Hi, Marlene… I didn’t get the chance to thank you earlier,” Ivana said.
“No, I should be the one thanking you. You were incredible,” Marlene replied. “If Broken ever treats you poorly, just know the Shadow Wolves will have a better place for you.” She winked.
Ivana giggled. “Don’t worry, I’ll let you know.”
Marlene glanced back at Broken, her expression softening. “Bye…” she said, flashing a smile that took Broken by surprise. It wasn’t just any smile-it was Olivia’s smile. Before he could respond, she stepped into the portal and vanished.
Ivana came closer, gently taking his hand. “Let’s head back too,” she said softly.
Broken nodded. “Let’s wait a few minutes until they’re completely gone.”
She agreed, and they stood there together, watching the swirling portal hum with its
otherworldly sounds.
“I wonder how Elowen, Mira, and the others are doing…” Ivana mused, looking up at Broken with a giggle. “Have they already arrived in Slumdon?”
Broken smiled and nodded. “I’ll be employing them in Slumdon, yes. I think Elowen and Mira could join the Knights-they’re definitely qualified. As for the others, we’ll assess their talents. I’m sure there’s a place for each of them.”
“There will be elves and more beast-kins in Slumdon… it’s going to be exciting.”
Broken nodded again, feeling that they had waited long enough. He took a firm hold of
Ivana’s hand and walked toward the portal. “Let’s go,” he said.
Together, they stepped into the portal, both placing a foot inside before jumping in fully. The world shifted around them, and soon they were greeted by the sound of birds chirping and the refreshing scent of the familiar air. The light was brighter, more welcoming, and when Broken glanced to his side, he saw Ivana smiling warmly at him.
The portal behind them began to fade, its swirling energy shrinking until it vanished
completely. The members of the Shadow Wolves were already gone.
And with that, Broken and Ivana had successfully returned from Hell.
Even though he knew that the one who infiltrated the Hell expedition had been Charmelyn,
the experience still left a lingering fear inside him-especially the thought of what could have happened if Ivana had been left behind in Hell.
Without a word, Broken pulled Ivana close, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.
“Broken?” she murmured softly, surprised by the sudden gesture.
“No,” he whispered. “I’m just glad I managed to bring you back safely.”
He had been more worried about her than he ever let on. They held each other for a few quiet moments, the tension slowly fading, until the sound of approaching footsteps broke the
silence.
“Sorry…” a voice interrupted.
Broken and Ivana quickly pulled apart, turning to see who had intruded.