"They think this has nothing to do with them, but Mia has already gone missing too. They can just stay there and wait, hmph!"

Nick let out a cold snort and stood up, only to be struck once again by a sharp cramp in his stomach that made him hunch over slightly.

Silvanus rose to his feet as well and looked at Nick. "Maybe the first thing we need to do is find something to eat."

Elya still hadn’t said anything. In truth, she didn’t feel hungry at all. Ever since receiving the protection of that mysterious entity, she felt as though she had become separated from this dungeon. She had even begun viewing the others from a higher perspective, like an observer looking down on ants endlessly struggling in pain.

She shook her head and said softly, "I’m really not hungry. I’ll head back to my room first. If you decide to wake Lord Lethos, make sure to call me, okay?"

With that, she stood up and left.

The entity’s protection shielded her from the dungeon’s influence, and even her need for food had almost disappeared, ensuring that she would never starve to death in this place.

But that was all for now. She still needed to clear this dungeon to earn even greater favors. Only a single day had passed, yet she was already imagining herself standing at the very top.

After all, those who received such blessings usually became the ones ranked at the very top of the leaderboards.

[Those idiots probably still think Elya was lying, hahaha.]

[Who would’ve thought that someone would be chosen on the very first night of a trial dungeon?]

[I’m not trying to be rude, but what’s so special about Elya that she got chosen?]

[I’m really curious about what mission she received.]

[Exactly. It’s the first time a God has appeared without leaving Their name behind. They didn’t even publicly reveal the mission to Their Heir.]

[Haha, if you ask me, something about this feels strange. If Elya keeps acting so arrogant, something bad might happen.]

[Some people really need to stop being jealous.]

The discussion in Elya’s livestream chat was incredibly lively, but most viewers were still gathered in Silvanus’s and Nick’s livestreams, eagerly waiting to see how they would go about finding breakfast.

"Neo, stay in the castle and wait for us, okay? It’s very dangerous outside," Silvanus advised.

Hearing that, Nick couldn’t help widening his eyes. He looked at Silvanus and then toward the outside. They were actually going out?

He still hadn’t forgotten the fate of that unfortunate loudmouthed man from yesterday.

But if Silvanus had made this suggestion, then there had to be a reasonable basis for it somewhere. Thinking that, Nick also looked at Neo and chimed in, "That’s right. It’s really dangerous out there. Neo should go back to his room—"

"Yes, daddy."

Neo suddenly spoke up.

This time, it was Silvanus’s and Nick’s turn to be surprised.

Nick was surprised simply because Neo’s attachment to Silvanus didn’t seem like something that could be severed so easily with a single sentence.

As for Silvanus, he was surprised because he hadn’t expected Neo to agree so readily. He had thought Neo would come up with some argument like, "I want to go with Papa to protect him," or something along those lines. The fact that this thing had suddenly let him off so easily made him more uneasy than relieved.

Hopefully, it was simply because Neo had grown bored of this father-and-son game...

Or perhaps there was an even simpler reason.

Silvanus watched Neo’s retreating figure as the boy ran back toward his room. As though sensing his gaze, Neo suddenly turned around, smiled, and waved his tiny hands at him before finally entering the room.

Silvanus’s gaze softened in return.

But the moment Neo disappeared from sight, the gentle smile on his face vanished instantly.

He thought of the simpler reason for Neo’s compliance.

What if Neo’s range of movement was restricted to within this castle?

When he stopped overanalyzing and simply examined the other’s actions at face value, this was the most straightforward conclusion Silvanus arrived at.

Naturally, Nick noticed Silvanus’s almost frighteningly rapid shift in emotions. After all, the Silvanus he usually knew would never wear such a cold, emotionless expression, especially when just a second ago he had been smiling at Neo.

That change had happened way too fast.

But Silvanus surely had his own reasons.

Nick continuously came up with excuses—not for himself, but for Silvanus.

Just then, Silvanus turned around.

The two faced each other, and for some reason, Nick felt slightly startled.

Silvanus looked at him and smiled.

"Shall we get going now?"

Nick stared blankly at Silvanus for a moment. The thread of thought in his mind was still desperately trying to figure out why Silvanus had changed expressions so suddenly, but his body’s natural reaction was even faster than that.

He was almost instantly filled with energy and nodded vigorously.

"Let’s go!"

[That goofy expression... Nick isn’t going to be the first one to get taken out, is he? Honestly, I kind of like him...]

[I think Silvanus likes Nick quite a bit too.]

[Respect to anyone who can actually read Silvanus’s real emotions. I can’t tell what he’s thinking at all.]

[But they’re really going outside? Isn’t it extremely dangerous out there?]

[Maybe only at night...]

The comments continued to scroll with endless discussion.

Meanwhile, the castle’s main gate was opened with ease, just like it had been the day before.

Only this time, what greeted their eyes wasn’t a raging blizzard carried by fierce winds, but a world of pure white.

Snow had piled up everywhere. However, the path ahead had already been cleared, and beyond it stretched a dense forest. Towering trees stood beneath heavy blankets of snow. Looking around, there seemed to be absolutely nothing in a place like this that could serve as food.

"At this rate, we’ll end up eating snow," Nick muttered.

"Nick, aren’t you curious about where Mia went?"

At that moment, Silvanus suddenly spoke.

Nick couldn’t help freezing for a second.

He realized they had already reached the edge of the forest.

The woods were so dense that the snow was almost entirely blocked by the canopy overhead. Only a few scattered snowflakes drifted onto the ground. One could even see patches of green grass and dark brown earth beneath the trees.

It was as though the sky and the ground belonged to two entirely different worlds.

For some reason, the sight filled Nick’s not-so-courageous heart with an indescribable sense of unease.

He turned around and forced a smile at Silvanus, failing to realize just how awkward and strained it looked.

"What is it, Silvanus? Do you know something?"

Silvanus nodded as he looked at Nick.

He smiled, and the frail, timid impression he usually gave seemed to have vanished without a trace. Nick felt as though the person standing before him was someone completely different.

"I thought you knew as well, Nick. Didn’t you say you heard that sound? A sound like snakes slithering through water..."

Silvanus stepped a little closer, speaking in a soft, guiding voice.

Facing Nick’s somewhat stiff expression, he slowly revealed the "truth."

"You know, I’ve made a deal with that thing."