Raising her arm to partially shield herself from the pouring light, Andra managed to open her eyes after some difficulty.

The first things she noticed were the clear blue sky and the dazzlingly shining sun. Just beneath it, though hard to believe…

There was an island floating in the air.

Andra hastily rummaged through her pocket to take out the metal disk she had obtained after conquering the Aslan Dungeon. There it was, an island similar to the island in the sky depicted on the disk right in front of her.

“So then, this is…”

Andra took a deep breath as she compared the drawing on the disk with the island in front of her. As Dean had stated, she was on her way to the end of the world. It was highly likely that Anat was slumbering on that island in the sky. But since when exactly…?

Andra looked around and once again was taken aback.

The trees that had been nothing more than dead trunks before she entered were now flourishing with lush green leaves. The numerous branches and leaves reaching towards the sky, and the small creatures scurrying among them, were enough to astonish Andra.

The tree in front of her was as big as the one in the east.

Andra reached out her hand and gently touched the trunk. Strangely, the comforting sensation that enveloped her made her tense body gradually relax. It almost felt like she had returned to her hometown in the east. Her mind became at ease. Unbeknownst to herself, Andra found herself smiling as she took a deep breath.

Soon, a gentle breeze started blowing. Andra, feeling the pleasant temperature neither too cold nor too hot, tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ears and began to look around. Not just at the trees but at other surroundings as well.

She caught sight of the golden-blue city beneath the island in the sky and exclaimed in awe.

“Hezel!”

Hezel, the ancient kingdom that Andra had glimpsed through Anat’s memories, was unfolding right before her.

It was unbelievable. Wasn’t Hezel supposed to have fallen under the wrath of the primordial god?

Yet the city before her was undoubtedly Hezel. Hezel in its most brilliant time. Most astonishingly, magic was still alive in Hezel.

‘Utopia…’

The sight Andra had longed to see her entire life was now unfolding in front of her, not just in her dreams but in reality. For a moment, she forgot her own situation and simply marveled. She had no idea how the disappeared Hezel was still here. But she was simply glad it was there.

She took a step forward to enter Hezel. Her heart was pounding with excitement at the prospect of examining Hezel up close.

As she descended from the old tree, she noticed a well-maintained path below. It was evidently a man-made path. Did that mean people were living in Hezel? Andra was astonished by this fact and quickened her pace. She wanted to grab anyone at that moment and ask about Hezel.

“Are you new here?”

At that moment, a small jingling sound came from behind Andra. When she turned around, she found a cow the size of a house. Startled, she took a step back, and just then, a human voice came from above again.

“I’m over here. I won’t harm you.”

Andra raised her head a little higher to look up. Although the stark sunlight behind the shadow made it difficult to see clearly, there was definitely someone riding on the back of the cow. Andra moved away from the shadow of the cow to get a better look at the person.

The person riding the cow was a woman wearing a straw hat. The peculiar thing was that despite her elderly manner of speaking, she appeared remarkably youthful.

“Hello. I’m just a passerby.”

“H-Hello…”

“You must be new here, I see.”

The woman leaped down from the cow with ease. Despite the considerable height, there was no hesitation in her movements. Andra was worried that the woman might get hurt.

But her concerns were unfounded. The woman landed gracefully on the ground as if she had cast a spell.

“I’m Rio. What’s your name, newcomer?”

“I’m Andra Avellin.”

Andra found herself surprised at how close she was getting to the woman, having unwittingly revealed her name. The woman, seen up close, seemed even younger. Perhaps in her mid-teens? If it weren’t for her manner of speaking, she would have looked like a young girl to anyone.

However, Andra couldn’t help but think that the woman might be older than she appeared on the surface. Her gestures, expressions, and way of speaking made her seem unlike an ordinary girl.

“This is…?”

”This is the Kingdom of Hezel. What’s the situation outside?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking which kingdom is currently ruling outside. Is it still the Ishur Empire?”

“This person. It’s been a while since the Ishur Empire. The last person who came here said they were from the Ishur Empire.”

At that moment, someone else interjected into the conversation between Andra and Rio. Andra raised her head to see a woman with a shaved head walking towards them. Fortunately, this woman didn’t look as young as Rio. She appeared to be around the same age as Andra.

“Hello, newcomer. I’m Hailey. You can call me Lily if you want.”

“Ah… I’m Andra. Andra Avellin.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

Hailey, dressed in loose pants and a baggy top, was holding what looked like a crossbow. Well, it could hardly be called a crossbow, at least in Andra’s view. Hailey’s weapon was truly unique. She had never seen a crossbow with such a design before. Well, it made sense, considering this was Hezel.

Andra shook the hand that Hailey reached out to her.

“Let’s see, who is the current ruler of the Empire? Is it Feyla?”

“N-No. Feyla is the name of the Twelfth Emperor. The current Emperor is Yona the First, the Sixteenth Emperor.”

“Well, time has passed a lot outside. It feels like we just came in here yesterday, doesn’t it, Rio?”

“Hehe, that was during the war. There was no place unaffected by the war.”

Rio responded as Hailey spoke. Andra was left dumbfounded.

War? In the entire history of the world, there had been only two occasions when all nations were engulfed in war. One was the First Continental War that took place eight hundred years ago, and two, the Second Continental War that occurred two hundred years ago.

So Andra hesitantly asked Hailey with a puzzled face.

“Where are you from?”

“Me? I’m from Vihola. This one here is Jedam.”

Andra was astonished inside. Vihola and Jedam. They were the names of long-forgotten ancient kingdoms. There were hardly any countries that survived after the outbreak of the First Continental War. Unfortunately, Vihola and Jedam were among them.

Andra asked them once again, her voice trembling slightly.

“Then… the two of you have been alive… for at least eight centuries?”

She couldn’t believe it even as she said it herself. Could an ordinary person live for over eight hundred years? That wasn’t human, unless it was a god.

But the two people in front of her simply shrugged it off as if it were nothing extraordinary. What startled Andra even more was their next words.

“There are people who have lived for over a millennium.”

“That’s right. That person has truly lived for a long time.”

“To be honest, I counted up to three centuries, but I haven’t counted after that, so I don’t know. So it seems it’s been over eight hundred years since we came here.”

Hailey chuckled, and Rio joined her in laughing, saying how swiftly time passed. Andra couldn’t find it in her to laugh. Could she even laugh at this point, facing what seemed like a living fossil that has been alive for eight centuries in front of her?

Andra composed her trembling voice and spoke up.

“Does that mean everyone living here has… lived as long as you two have?”

“Time flows and yet doesn’t flow in this place. Everyone continues to live as they were when they came in. Look at Rio. She looks young, but she’s an old soul on the inside.”

“I’m still young at heart. Don’t say that.”

“Even your way of speaking is funny. They say you should speak more refined as you age, but what does it matter here?”

Hailey spoke as if Rio was some peculiar being. Rio simply chuckled. Then noticing Andra’s frozen expression, she appeared to look like she knew what Andra was thinking. She must be full of questions.

Hailey pulled Andra up onto the back of the cow with her. Rio effortlessly mounted the cow as well, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Andra found herself suddenly atop the cow, feeling bewildered.

“How did you do that?”

“Magic.”

“Magic?”

“Even newcomers can do magic. There’s no one here who can’t use magic.”

Hailey responded as if it were a matter of course. It was difficult for Andra to understand, given her lack of knowledge. However, considering her general knowledge about Hezel, Andra could make some educated guesses.

Hezel was a place where everyone could use magic. So, it seemed that what Hailey wanted to convey was that in Hezel, magic was as natural as breathing.

“Where are we going?”

Andra asked, her breath catching as the cow suddenly began to move. The height from atop the cow was quite high, perhaps because of its large frame. The fields nearby and Hezel in the far distance could be seen at a glance.

Rio replied as she guided the cow.

“To Hezel. We have to let the people know that a newcomer has arrived.”

“We’re in for a festival until next week!”

Hailey was excited, already mimicking drinking. She sat on the rear end of the cow. Despite the precarious position, she seemed to be snugly attached to the cow’s backside. Making Andra concerned that she might fall off.

“But…”

“I know you have a lot of questions. We were the same way when we first arrived.”

“Yes, I do have a lot of questions…”

“Still, the fact that you’re here means that God has chosen you, so just relax.”

“Yes, what?”

Chosen by God? Andra looked at Rio with a puzzled face, but the answer came from an unexpected source. Hailey looked up at the dazzling sun and spoke in a somewhat calm tone.

“You’ll understand when you get there. This place is where God last resides.”

Andra nodded her head. It was a place that she seemed to know and not know at the same time. This place.

Suddenly she wanted to see Dustin, that simple-minded guy.

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