It seemed Kris was on the same wavelength as Dawn, recalling life before the apocalypse.
"It seems just yesterday I was waking up, blocking out the voice of my annoying roommate, ready to go to classes. Sadly, this is our new reality. Fighting a death match to stay alive and live another day."
A reality neither of them liked, but had to adapt to if they wished to survive, which was a thought that went unsaid by both.
"Say, is there any particular reason why we're in District Y25? Just where are we heading anyway?" asked Kris.
Since they first teamed up, Kris had blindly followed Dawn's direction and was just now curious about the reason behind their current location.
"We're heading to a volcano located northeast of here," Dawn calmly stated, paying no attention to Kris's flabbergasted expression.
"Excuse me, but pray tell, what business do we have going to a volcano of all places?! I can feel it in my gut that something dangerous lurks there!"
Kris's face did not look happy. If anything, it looked downright furious.
"There's something I must check out. Besides, wasn't it you who said that in order to grow stronger, we must fight higher-level creatures?"
Dawn quoted the words that Kris had said when he stated that he wanted to team up with her. Leaving him unable to mutter a single word and forced his mouth shut and glared at the starry night skies.
A long moment of silence passed between the two before Kris opened his mouth again.
"Alright, I'm game." Kris convinced himself.
'What am I doing being so afraid? If I want to get stronger, going up against higher-level monsters is the only way, but still... I'm not ready to die! Who says we're not overestimating ourselves?' These thoughts belonged to Kris.
When Dawn saw how he was lost inside his own head, she couldn't blame the boy's fear as she too, felt the same way, constantly rethinking her decision.
'No! I must see just how much this world mimics that of World Savior. If the landscape itself had changed, does this mean characters from the book also exist? The answer to this question lies in the existence of the Flame Griffin and the ice-elf.'
'If they exist, then there's a chance Ara also exists. If this world is exactly like that of World Savior, Kris was right about the danger of being alone. A lot of crazy people exist in World Savior!'
Feeling themselves getting tired, Kris and Dawn decided who would take the first and second shifts of keeping watch on their surroundings. Dawn decided that she would take the first shift and Kris the second. With this, the night passed smoothly.
Come daybreak the next day. The two were off. As they were traveling, the scenery around them began to change; the view of the city became less apparent, the road jagged and rough, leading them off the course of the open road.
"The bike can't handle this. We best begin walking the rest of the way," Kris advised, ditching the bike, and they began walking. What once used to be a road no longer existed, along with any type of vegetation.
"We're approaching the volcano!" announced Kris. Both he and Dawn was soon trekking along the foot of the volcano mountain.
"Man, it's getting hot!" The heat in the air was intense. Dawn fanned her face with her hand, but it was in vain. Even poor Neko-chan, resting on top of her head, found the heat unbearable, and from the sweat dripping from Kris' pretty face, so did he.
"We're standing on a volcano, so it makes sen-'' Right before Kris could finish, all the hair on his body stood on end when an ear-piercing shriek swept the area. Reacting on pure instincts, he reached for Dawn's wrist; the two ducked behind a rock pillar.
Peeking from behind the pillar, Kris's heart chilled when he spotted a long feline tail and deadly talons attached to a giant body of a lion with the fierce head of an eagle. A pair of giant wings were folded at its side.
"N-no way! Is that a...?" Kris felt the blood drain from his face as he fearfully guessed the creature's identity and summoned his system, which read:
{Lvl.10 Flame Griffin}
-Abilities: Fire manipulation and mana absorption.
"So the main star finally made his appearance!" Dawn's voice drew Kris's attention, who felt as if he was about to burst a vein when he saw that stupid nervous grin on the girl's face.
"This is what you were after?! Are you out of your freaking mind!? This thing is a Lvl.10 and a Flame Griffin! It says here it gets stronger by absorbing the mana of its prey! How are we supposed to fight this thing!?"
Kris kept his voice low, yet his anger could not be hidden.
"Bob and weave, my friend!" Dawn's friendly advice made Kris want to throttle her.
"I really want to punch you right now," Kris deadpanned.
"Hey, save all the pent-up aggression for the Flame Griffin because we're gonna need it!"
Seeing that cheeky smile on Dawn's face, Kris regretted teaming up with this crazy girl, but there was no going back now. Peeking his head out again, Kris noticed that something was chained to the mountain wall behind the griffin.
"Wait! What's that?" Kris used his system to identify the object.
{Lvl.7 Ice Elf}
-Info: A race of elves who hunt in packs and prefer to live in the snow mountains. Underneath their beautiful exterior is a cold, sadistic heart.
-Ability: Ice Manipulation
Dawn peeked her head around too and peered at the two monsters.
'So both the Flame Griffin and the ice-elf exist. Meaning there is a chance that other characters from the webtoon also exist. So have parts of my world merged with that of World Savior? If that's the case, will things follow the storyline or will they be altered?'
Dawn now had another series of questions that needed answers, but no time to ponder on them. The Flame Griffin sensed intruders in its territory. The monster paused its daily intake of mana from its latest prey.
A deep growl rumbled in its throat as its eyes zoned in on the direction where it could sense the presence of the two intruders. Kris, who was staring at the griffin, sensed its strange movements and saw the monster staring at their location, fire building up in its belly.
"Shit! Duck down!" Kris pushed Dawn down to the ground as a fiery burst of flames collided against the igneous rock pillar that shielded them from the blast.