Kanae shook off the slight terror that had numbed her hands and legs, a new fire of determination burning in her eyes. Taking advantage of her? She was never going to let that happen!
Leaning against Miao, she straightened up and said to them, "I'll be leaving this place for a while. Do not worry, nothing will happen to you both as long as I'm here." She shot a reassuring glance at Miao, who looked little worried about her, but still gave a nervous smile in return.
Ed said nothing, but his eyes showed his concern.
Both their actions made it clear. They were still kids, desperate to reach out for someone strong, powerful. The feeling of being protected was indeed quite nice, as if one were being wrapped up in a huge, warm and soft blanket, woven in just the right colours.
But the best thing was, you knew you could always trust them, and they won't let go of you. Not until the Grim reaper himself arrives to break that bond.
And Kanae knew this. She wanted to let go of them, wanted to get rid of this burden, but her heart didn't agree. Later, she would despise herself, curse her choice, if anything ever happened to them.
There was no easy way out. She had brought on extra baggage, it was her duty to carry it safely all the way out.
She gave a tiny smile and went on her tiptoes to pat Miao's head, the soft hair brushing against her small palm. She looked up surprised, and a deep blush covered her white, pearly skin, making her look like a true maiden.
Kanae resisted the urge to laugh. Just as she was about to turn, she caught sight of Ed's puppy dog eyes.
'Pfft, these two are just too adorable.' She chuckled in her mind and quickly leapt forward. Almost eagerly, he bent his head, like a puppy begging to be patted. Hiding her amused expression, Kanae patted his head too, stroking his slight long hair. It was just as long as Miao' s.
He beamed in delight, and Kanae could swear she had just seen a tail wagging behind him.
"Alright, I'm leaving now." Kanae waved and turned towards the entrance of the tree cave. The air outside was cold, and there was still no sign of life. Only the silence prevailed, spreading across the whole area, stifling the warm air, and accompanying the blanket of snow lying on the ground.
Kanae let out a breath and stepped out of the tree cave. Her eyes darted around, trying to find a hole similar to the one from before.
After a few minutes of searching, she finally came across a hole.
----------------
Blue eyes blinked and looked up, meeting the familiar sight of a couple standing there.
"Miss? Are you alright?" Miao said worriedly, and supported Kanae.
Kanae's eyes grew wide and she pushed off Miao in shock. "You!? What are you doing outside? I told you not to follow me!"
Hurt, Miao shook her head and said with a pout, "What are you saying Miss? We're still in the cave. I've never stepped out of it when you were unconscious."
'Unconscious? Again?' Kanae wondered in confusion.
"System alert: Time provided to defeat Dungeon Master has decreased. 30 minutes 57 seconds left." A cold voice whispered in her ear and Kanae jumped in shock.
'What the hell? I remember leaving the cave... Why did I end up here again?' Kanae bit her lip, and clenched her fists.
It had happened again. Kanae couldn't remember a single thing after venturing out. The monster... Its appearance, its behaviour, its power... nothing. Just a blank. An unknown fear had settled in Kanae' s heart.
Her whole body screamed to run away from there. Her brain may not remember what had happened, but her body certainly did. Her hands and legs refused to stop trembling, sweat trailing down her neck.
Miao sent a worried look to Ed. Why was their saviour acting this way all of a sudden?
Forcing a smile on his face, Ed questioned, "Miss, should I go and check there once?"
Instantly, Kanae's face hardened and she turned back. Her fingers curled on his wrist tightly, leaving marks on it, as she said, "No. Don't you dare even go near it. You too, Miao. It's not a playground. What's inside there… can kill you."
Miao gulped.
Confusion appeared on Ed's face, but he didn't say anything, and just nodded. If Kanae was saying so, she must have her own reasons.
Kanae took a few minutes to calm herself down. As she inhaled and exhaled out the cold air, her hands and legs finally stopped shaking.
She had decided that she would return to this cave someday and defeat that monster. But that day wasn't today. She couldn't do it. As brave as Kanae was, this monster was out of her league.
In her mind, she called out, 'System, what are the consequences of not defeating the Dungeon Master?'
'Replying to Player White. Since the Dungeon Master is a Level 147 monster, and Player White is Level 0, penalty will be reduced keeping in mind the level difference.'
'Just tell me the damn penalty you shi—
I mean, system.'
She almost cursed the system. Who knew how many levels it might deduct this time.
'I give up hunting down this Dungeon Master.' She gritted her teeth.
'System rolls out penalty: Player White cannot use any of their skills for the next 5 days. In case of emergencies, skills will be activated in exchange of experience points.'
Kanae bit her lip. She couldn't use her skills for some days. Which meant living in this Blood Arena was going to be a bigger headache. With two more people's lives to handle, her problems just increased. Swallowing back her groan, she stretched her body.
At that moment, she heard an ear-splitting roar.
Her body froze. All her hair stood up.
The other two remained unshaken.
It seemed that only Kanae had heard it.
No, she didn't even 'hear' it. She had sensed it because it had let her sense. The roar, if it could be called a roar, had been a warning call to her.
It beckoned her spirit.
The Dungeon Master—
It wanted to fight with her.