[The Moment of Crossing]
The instant they passed through the gate…
A massive white flash swallowed them whole.
The three immediately shut their eyes, yet the light was so overwhelming that it felt as though it pierced straight through their skulls.
Their sense of physical existence vanished.
No ground.
No sound.
Only endless light.
Then—
They crashed violently onto the ground.
— “Ughhh!”
Jenica raised her head while clutching her eyes.
— “I’m blind… I swear I’ve gone blind…”
Dastan struggled to his feet before replying:
— “Unfortunately, you’re still talking, so you seem fine.”
— “You’re a terrible human being.”
As for Lucian…
He was the first to realize they were not alone.
An old man stood directly before them.
A thin elder dressed in simple clothing, carrying a basket of vegetables in his hand.
Yet the shock on his face was unmistakable.
He stared at them as though he had just witnessed ghosts emerging from thin air.
— “W-Where did you come from…?!”
The three exchanged quick glances.
Then Lucian forced an awkward smile.
— “We’re… lost.”
Jenica narrowed her eyes at him.
That’s the worst lie I’ve ever heard.
But the old man looked more confused than suspicious.
Eventually, he let out a sigh.
— “You truly are strangers…”
Then he pointed toward the distant city behind him.
— “Go there before night falls.”
[The First City]
The three entered the city cautiously.
But the first thing they noticed…
Was that the world was not primitive as they had expected.
People wore ordinary clothes.
Shops lined the streets.
Children ran through the roads laughing.
Even the currency…
Was almost identical to the money from their old world.
Jenica stared at the coins in disbelief.
— “Are we really in another world?”
Dastan answered calmly:
— “Either that… or our old world was strange from the very beginning.”
Thanks to the money they carried…
They managed to rent a small room and secure enough food for an entire month.
That night…
The three sat silently inside the cramped room.
Everything was far too quiet.
But all of them felt the same thing.
This world…
Was not normal.
[Two Days Later — The First Truth]
The three slowly began gathering information.
And the more they learned…
The more terrifying this world became.
The entire world was ruled by three brothers.
Individuals known as:
“The Demons of the Round Table.”
The title alone was enough to make people lower their voices in fear.
The first…
Lucifer, whose real name was Arkham.
The eldest brother.
A man who rarely showed himself.
The second…
Beelzebub, also known as Julius.
The true ruler of the world.
And the master of the organization known as the “Numbers.”
The third…
Asmodeus, or Jad.
The youngest among the brothers.
Yet almost no information about him existed.
[The Continental System]
The world was divided into seven massive continents.
And each continent…
Had its own ruler.
An individual bearing the title:
“Special Number.”
Only seven people in the entire world possessed that title.
Individuals granted special powers and absolute authority by Beelzebub himself.
And beneath each one…
Were two ordinary members of the Numbers, except for one.
Bringing the total number of members to:
Twenty.
But the information that shocked the three the most…
Was the single condition required to meet Beelzebub himself.
One had to gather authorization permits from all twenty members of the Numbers.
Lucian stared at the paper they had collected from a tavern.
— “So… we need to meet twenty insane monsters before we can reach the man we’re looking for.”
Dastan replied calmly:
— “Wonderful. Another terrible plan.”
Meanwhile, Jenica held her head in despair.
— “I just want to find Noor and go home… how did this turn into a suicide mission?”
[The Fourth Continent]
The continent they had arrived in was known as the Fourth Continent.
A vast land covered in mist, mountains, and savage forests.
And its ruler…
Was one of the most dangerous Special Numbers.
Cloud.
Special Number Four.
The King of Monsters.
And the Lord of Dragons.
Even hearing his name made people visibly tense.
The tavern owner lowered his voice.
— “If you ever see a blindfolded man… run.”
Jenica swallowed nervously.
— “Fantastic… the ruler of the continent is mentally unstable.”
But the information did not stop there.
Under Cloud’s rule existed:
Leviathan,
Number Seventeen.
The controller of sea legends.
And Alito,
Number Twenty.
The owner of the Infinite Fists.
[Three Days Later]
After gathering enough information…
The three finally decided on their targets.
Alito was in the southwest.
Leviathan near the eastern ocean.
And Cloud’s palace…
Lay deep within the mist-covered mountain region.
Dastan studied the map carefully.
— “Alito is the closest.”
But Jenica immediately raised her hand.
— “I object.”
— “To what?”
— “Someone called ‘The Owner of Infinite Fists’ does not sound reassuring at all.”
Lucian sighed.
— “As if ‘Lord of Dragons’ sounds friendly.”
[The Three Elders]
While traveling through the forest…
They encountered three old men sitting around a small fire.
And for some reason…
The sight of them reminded the trio of Grandpa.
But these three were different.
Their mere presence made the air feel heavy.
And they argued constantly.
— “Spears are the strongest weapons!”
— “The sword is the foundation of all arts, you fool!”
— “Both of you lack taste. The bow is the true art!”
The three youths stared at them silently.
Then Jenica whispered:
— “I feel like we just witnessed our future.”
Dastan glanced at her.
— “An extremely annoying future.”
But the elders suddenly stopped arguing the moment they noticed the young travelers.
Silence fell briefly.
Then one of them smiled nostalgically.
— “Hah… this reminds me of our younger days.”
The swordsman approached Lucian and handed him an old book.
— “Take this. Sword Arts.”
The archer handed another book to Jenica.
— “Learn proper aim before you accidentally kill your companions.”
— “I would’ve thanked you if that wasn’t an insult.”
And finally…
The spearman stepped toward Dastan.
— “You… have the eyes of a warrior.”
Then he handed him the Spear Arts book.