"Why didn’t we think of challenging the dungeon test while we waited for Adrian? Sigh... Just when I thought we were about to leave this place, you had to remind me," Daniel grumbled, running a hand through his hair with a frustrated expression.

"Acho..." He sneezed, pulling his sweater closer as he and the others stared at the entrance to the dungeon.

"Stop complaining like you don’t want a beast like Zoey’s. I’ve caught you drooling over her beast several times. Tsk, what are you pretending for?" Marvin scoffed, exposing Daniel’s tsundere behavior to everyone.

Zoey quickly looked around, pretending to be busy searching for something, while her shoulders trembled as she held back laughter at Daniel’s contorted expression in response to Marvin’s words.

Adrian and the others were already used to their banter and strolled ahead without caring whether they were following.

"Wait for us to return. Don’t stray too far from the camp," Alex instructed before vanishing into the dungeon.

Zoey wished inwardly that they would successfully get their beasts, even though she was confident they would succeed.

These past few weeks with them have been relaxing and entertaining. Watching them banter and argue with each other has been both eye-opening and enjoyable.

At one point, she thought they wanted to kill each other for real during one of their fights, only to see them healed by the frustrated but dazed Cole.

Then, within a few minutes of fighting, they are back together, even joking around as if they weren’t the ones trying to strangle each other.

It always amazed her, and at one point, she felt envious, wondering if she had a sibling, they would be close like this.

’Selina, thank you very much for not pulling me up. I wouldn’t have met such interesting people, and I wouldn’t have felt so relaxed during battles with beasts.’ Those sincere words flickered through her mind. She no longer felt that intense hatred for Selina, but she would never forgive her.

Zoey shrugged off her thoughts and turned toward her tent to wait for her return when she noticed her beast trying to go down the mountain.

"Come back! There are no fish that way!’’ she yelled to attract its attention as she carefully moved toward it, murmuring in anger. "Dammit, haven’t I warned this girl not to go to that stream? It’s far from the mountain.’’

Meanwhile, in the dungeon, Alex and the others stood before a space tear. The small warp gates had remained open ever since the underground cities suffered blackouts.

"I heard people are separated as soon as they touch the towers. We might not meet during the test; everyone should be careful. Daniel, especially you—don’t go rushing headfirst into danger," Adrian advised, his gaze resting on Daniel, who frowned at his words.

"I’m not a fool, or else why haven’t I died during solo dungeon hunts? Stop the long talk and let’s go in." Daniel retorted, pushing everyone through the space tear before anyone could say any more annoying words.

They arrived at the space belt, and a suction force pulled them down as rocks of various shapes floated by.

The feeling of weightlessness made Cole frown; he preferred solid ground to being pulled by a strange force while not fully in control of his limbs.

Adrian moved closer to a rock in a swimming-like motion, his gaze filled with curiosity as he touched it before drifting past. "Amazing," he murmured.

Daniel lay facedown, the novelty of his surroundings already fading as he wondered when they would reach the exit.

"Aunty should have relocated everyone to the surface by now. But how are we going to find them on this vast surface?!’’ Alex finally broke the silence, asking the question that had troubled him all this time.

It finally dawned on them that they had no way to find Grace and the others. They remained silent, and no one could think of a response.

Finally, Daniel muttered with a slight shrug. "If we are always on the move, we might cross them one day. There’s no use stressing about it."

Marvin turned to him with an exaggerated look of surprise. "Oh my, blink if you have been possessed... how could you speak so calmly and reassuringly?" "Whoa, my little cousin is all grown up," he cooed, his tone brimming with a father’s pride at seeing one of his children mature.

A vein in Daniel’s temple popped as his mouth twitched at Marvin’s words. He finally snapped when he caught the smug smile on Marvin’s lips.

"You f*cker! If I don’t roast that mouth of yours today!" Daniel barked, trying to lunge at Marvin, but the suction force made his movement look clumsy and comical.

This caused the others to burst out laughing, the earlier seriousness vanishing due to their antics.

Daniel punched the air in anger, furious when he realized he hadn’t moved an inch closer to Marvin despite all his efforts. He reluctantly gave up, knowing he couldn’t fully exert his strength in an unfamiliar place—danger could appear at any moment.

Sulking, he closed his eyes, unwilling to see Marvin’s annoying face. Time passed slowly, and finally, they saw a blinding light ahead. Everyone became alert as their figures vanished into it.

When they opened their eyes, they saw black floating towers embedded with golden runes scattered across the area.

"Whoa... just whoa. No one described this place in detail. It’s magnificent," Adrian said, completely mesmerized. He reached out to touch one of the towers when Alex pulled him back by the collar.

"And he was the one who warned me to be careful, even though he was the one charging ahead recklessly." Daniel clicked his tongue, shaking his head as his gaze fell on Adrian, who lowered his head in shame.

"I was trying to get the test over with," Adrian murmured, trying to defend himself, but everyone shot him a pointed look, showing they didn’t buy his excuse.

"Are we going in pairs? Since we are five, one group has to be three, or do you all want to go alone?" Alex suggested, leaving the choice to them, and began stretching his limbs for the test ahead.

"I’m cool with anyone," Cole shrugged casually.

"Let’s enter in groups," Adrian muttered in agreement. They subconsciously allowed Alex to take charge and follow his lead without complaints.

"I don’t want to be in the same group as Daniel; he’s a handful," Marvin said.

At his words, Daniel scoffed and shot back with a sneer. "Don’t group me with that idiot. His superiority and know-it-all attitude might get him killed."

Alex said nothing and pulled Daniel toward a nearby tower, a few steps away from the others. "On the count of three, we all place our hands on it," Alex instructed, waiting for everyone to gather before counting out loud.

"Three... two... one." At the final number, they all placed their hands on the pillar, and they vanished.

On the island occupied by the oasis people, Eva and the others were already close to reaching the edge of the island.

"Finally! I see the rocky bridge leading to the next island!" Eva called out in an elated voice, her bottom already numb from trailing on her beast’s back.

Julian felt a wave of relief. He was tempted to teleport them to the edge, but he held back. The location was far away and would drain a significant amount of his energy, leaving him defenseless against any monster or beast that might appear.

It was different from teleporting to the wine trees filled with monkeys; he had already been there and knew it was safe enough to rest, even though the long distance had drained most of his power.

But trying to teleport them to an unfamiliar place would weaken him, making him a burden to Eva and Ethan—not that they would complain—but it was better for him to remain at full strength in a new territory.

A wave of sharp pain gripped his heart, causing him to gasp as a blurry image of an enormous monster flickered through his mind. A cold wind brushed against his back, and he realized it was already drenched in sweat.

Julian rubbed his temples, a sharp ache forming in his head, and wondered what disturbing memory he had forgotten this time.

He had always known the drawbacks of using the power to turn back time, but he was curious about what they had encountered that forced him to use it again. For some reason, he dreaded even thinking about it.

"Why do you look so pale? Are you okay?" Eva’s question snapped him out of his thoughts, and he shook his head.

"I’m fine. Don’t worry." He added with a sincere smile when he noticed Eva was about to guide her beast closer to his.

"You’re sure?" Eva asked one last time, scrutinizing him from head to toe with concern.

"I’m fine," Julian said. He led his snake closer to her, then jumped onto her beast without hesitation. Seeing him brimming with energy, she was convinced he was all right.

"My wife cares so much about me~" Julian nuzzled her neck and pulled her closer to his chest. Eva was tickled by his action and patted his hand to get him to sit properly.

"Behave, or I’ll kick you off my beast," Eva warned as Ethan rode up to them.