Haruki jumped in with a question to cut off the conflict before it escalated.

  "So, Noroi, what have you been able to learn about this world during your time here?"

  It was Haruki's attempt to quickly change the subject and diffuse the argument, as he always did with Fuji and Hiroshi when disputes arose.

  It worked, as it made Noroi focus on him. He answered.

  "I've been here for six days, and I can't claim to know everything. This world is vast and mysterious, composed of seven different regions…"

  Noroi pulled his bag from the side and untied the brown straps to open it.

  He then reached inside and took out a light brown map, making it look slightly old, like the ones people used to navigate from one region to another in ancient times.

  He spread it on the ground and secured it with some nearby rocks so that it remained stable and clear for the other two.

  He pointed with his finger to a green area, marked with trees, mountains, and even the locations of markets.

  Each region had a distinct name.

  Then he began speaking, his eyes fixed on the spot he was indicating on the map.

  "We are here, in the Gaia region, which symbolizes the land. Each region is completely independent from the others and contains monsters and secrets unique to it."

  Noroi moved his finger across the map to point to a region different from the previous one, shaded in red with hints of orange at the edges and black in some areas, marked with difficult names and symbols of volcanoes and caves.

  Haruki's and Yamika's eyes followed with curiosity and keen interest as Noroi spoke.

  "And this one, Ygurober, is closely associated with fire."

  Yamka's heart raced as her eyes fell on Ygurober, and a strange sensation ignited within her, unnoticed by anyone.

  Noroi continued, guiding his finger to another area, colored black and purple, marked with skulls in some parts as if warning everyone to stay away.

  "This is Skotadi, representing the Dark Region. It is said to be home to the second strongest monsters."

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  Yamka snapped out of her daze as Noroi moved his finger again, pointing to a white region with bright yellow highlights, as if it were shimmering and elevated above sea level. Other islands were connected around it.

  "Then we have Fós, representing light."

  Noroi moved again to a few scattered islands, each dotted with bodies of water.

  "And here is Hedronym, which represents water."

  Haruki raised an eyebrow in confusion, glancing at Hedronym once, then twice, frowning as he looked back at Noroi.

  "But it's not a region, it's just a group of scattered islands."

  Noroi nodded in agreement with Haruki's observation before saying.

  "Yes, it's just those islands."

  He continued his explanation, pointing to the next area, where clouds covered some regions, with wind indicators, colored in shades of light gray and darker gray patches.

  "Air, representing the sky."

  Haruki felt a strange pull, almost like a hypnotic attraction toward Air, as if it were calling him specifically.

  Every part of him felt compelled to go there ,until he heard Yamka's faint voice in the background, calling out to him, before she gave him a push, making him fall on his back, snapping him out of his trance.Yamika asked.

  "Hey, what are you daydreaming about?"

  Haruki pushed himself up from the ground and sat back down, raising his right hand to rub his head slightly, feeling a bit of a headache from his earlier daze.

  Then he looked at Yamika and smiled, speaking in a calm voice to reassure her.

  "No, nothing important… I was just thinking."

  His eyes drifted back to the map, avoiding Yamika's scrutinizing gaze.

  They fell upon a remote area in the center, shrouded in thick clouds, which only deepened his curiosity, especially since Noroi hadn't mentioned it.

  He decided to ask.

  "And what about this one, Noroi? You didn't talk about it."

  Noroi's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he looked at both Yamka and Haruki with a cautious glare, his voice carrying a clear threat.

  "Don't think about it like that… This is called Alabassandra. They say it's a region, but whoever went there never returned… a mysterious place where no one knows what lies within or who its people are."

  Without another word, Yamka pushed herself up to her feet, stretching her arms as she did a light warm-up before picking up her axe from the ground and looking straight at Haruki.

  "Let's go."

  Haruki's face lit up completely, and in an instant, he jumped to stand beside her. The two of them then started moving away through the forest.

  Noroi tilted his head slightly to the side, puzzled by their actions, and called out before they could get too far from the circle of light.

  "Where are you two going?"

  Yamka glanced back at him over her shoulder, her expression practically saying: Isn't it obvious?

  Yet she replied with a single word.

  "Alabolsa , or whatever its name is."

  Noroi's mouth opened slightly in surprise at the confidence of those two, believing they could reach Alabasandria and defeat its monsters.

  He shook his head to snap out of it, then picked up a round pebble from beside him and hurled it at them.

  The small stone shot through the air, striking Yamka's forehead first before bouncing off to hit the back of Haruki's head, as if it knew exactly where it should go.

  Haruki let out a cry of pain and surprise, raising both hands to cover the spot as he squirmed in place, while Yamika grimaced from the sting and rubbed the red mark forming in the center of her forehead.

  Before either of them could protest, Noroi spoke first in a firm tone that left no room for argument.

  "No."