Leon thought for a moment before finally speaking. "My name is Leon. We had five people in our group. A beast attacked us while we were crossing a bridge. Most of us could cross the bridge. But we two were unlucky and fell down."

"Did you find the bridge on your own or was someone helping you?" the girl asked calmly.

"Yes. Someone was helping us," Leon replied. "We were being chased by a horde of tyrant ice bears when that person appeared and started leading us to a safe place."

"A safe place?"

The girl chuckled instinctively. But that small gesture bloomed her beauty. Two dimples appeared in her cheeks that were hard to avoid.

Leon’s heart faltered for a moment. But then...

He composed himself.

"Did I say something funny?" Leon asked.

"Do you know that the beast which attacked you while you were fleeing actually did you a favor?"

"Hmm? A favor? What do you mean?"

"That person who helped you is..." The boy beside her suddenly tried to speak, but the girl interrupted him before he could finish.

"Sol, the food is ready. Let’s eat before it gets cold."

She said casually. The boy nodded. They turned toward the campfire.

’Where have I seen these two before? They look strangely familiar.’ Leon wondered.

Just then, the girl glanced back over her shoulder. "You can join us for the meal too."

Leon immediately bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you very much."

He couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

’I am sure of it. She didn’t forget to offer because she heard my stomach growling from hunger.’

His gaze shifted toward Noah, who was still unconscious with no signs of waking anytime soon.

’Later, I’ll go hunting and find food for him too.’

Leon walked toward the fire and sat beside them. ’It’s shameless to accept without even pretending to refuse... but with an empty stomach, I don’t really have a choice.’

The boy skillfully divided the meat into three portions with a sharp knife. He handed one portion to Leon, another to his sister, then immediately began eating his own without hesitation. The girl did the same. Leon stared at the meat for a brief moment before finally taking a bite. The moment the flavor hit his tongue, he began eating hungrily as well.

He had been fighting nonstop inside the dungeon to complete his mission. Then came this hidden realm... and all the chaos that followed with it. After enduring continuous battles and struggling for survival, both his body and mind had long reached their limits. He was starving and utterly exhausted.

It didn’t take long for the three of them to finish the meal. "Thank you very much," Leon said sincerely. "I truly appreciate your kindness. Saving us was already a huge favor, but you even shared your food in a place like this."

"It’s alright," the girl replied calmly. "I just hope I won’t regret saving the two of you."

Her meaning was obvious. She still hadn’t fully trusted Leon and Noah, but she hoped helping them hadn’t been a mistake.

"You won’t," Leon said firmly.

The girl gave a small nod. "You should rest for now. Night will fall soon. Since you’re staying here with us, you’ll also have to share the burden. Each person will take two hours of watch duty. During the day, you’ll help either with hunting monsters or guarding this place."

"Of course. It’s the least I can do."

"I’ll take the first watch. Then my sister. After that, it’ll be your turn," the boy said.

Leon nodded in agreement. Afterward, Leon walked over to Noah and sat beside him. The siblings remained near the fire.

"You still don’t fully trust him, sis?" the boy asked quietly.

"He doesn’t seem dangerous," the girl replied. "But don’t you find something strange? He doesn’t recognize us. Who in this world wouldn’t recognize us unless they’ve been completely detached from society?"

"True..." The boy frowned. "Father leads one of the top three guilds. And you’re an S-class at twenty. There’s no way someone wouldn’t recognize us. Yet he acted like he was seeing us for the first time."

"Either he’s pretending not to know us..." Her voice slowly trailed off.

"Or?" The boy narrowed his eyes.

"Or he may not even be from our world."

"You mean... like Harold?" The boy’s eyes widened in shock.

The girl silently nodded.

The color immediately drained from the boy’s face. Seeing the tension in his expression, the girl gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don’t worry, Sol. As long as I’m here, no one will harm you. Go take your position for watch duty. I’ll keep an eye on him for now."

Sol nodded and walked outside the cave. Pulling a dagger from the sheath strapped to his back, he took his position at the entrance, his sharp eyes sweeping across the darkness ahead, searching for even the slightest movement.

Meanwhile, Leon didn’t go to sleep. For a long time, he had been suppressing both his excitement and curiosity, deliberately ignoring the notifications that kept appearing before him. But now that things had finally calmed down, he could no longer hold himself back.

His gaze shifted toward the girl sitting near the fire in the distance. ’She’s far enough away. If I keep my voice low, she shouldn’t be able to hear me.’

"System."

[Yes, Host?]

"What was that notification earlier about spiritual energy?"

[Spiritual energy exists naturally in the environment where the Host is currently located. The Host can absorb this spiritual energy, refine it, and convert it into Qi.]

Leon’s eyes widened slightly. "You mean... I can increase my cultivation without relying on monster cores?"

[Affirmative, Host.]

"Seriously?" Leon couldn’t stop the smile forming on his lips. "Then isn’t this place basically a blessing in disguise?" The hardships of this hidden realm suddenly didn’t seem quite as terrible anymore.

"Alright then," he continued excitedly. "How do I cultivate?"

[To absorb and refine spiritual energy, the Host requires breathing techniques. The grade of the technique determines how much Qi can be refined per second. However, refinement speed also depends on the individual’s body. Different physiques possess different affinities and efficiencies when it comes to absorbing and refining spiritual energy, regardless of how high the technique’s grade may be.]

Leon quickly grasped the meaning behind the explanation. "So where do I get these breathing techniques?"

[The Host may purchase them from the System or search for them throughout the vast universe.]

Leon’s expression twitched slightly. "Yeah... like I have time to wander across the universe searching for a breathing technique." He let out a quiet sigh before asking directly, "Fine. Just tell me what grades of techniques you currently have available."