"Ahh, my apologies. I had no idea where I was and so, panicked upon seeing you."

Enzo spoke in a polite tone. Now that he knew her status and the way their kinds were held in high honour both by the common citizens and the nobles, he shifted his tone.

He was playing it safe.

"...We are in the Underworld." She spoke after a short delay. Enzo nodded to her words as he let out, "I see."

The lady under the cloak sighed as she asked him out of curiosity.

"How did you even end up here? Leave that...most probably, you were in a desperate situation and your mind was sucked in by this world. That happens rarely but nonetheless, it happens."

Enzo remained silent, not wanting to say the exact reason.

He had always been complaining about the obvious flaws and shortcomes of the only skill in his inventory. But now, he was slowly realising it was a dangerous skill.

Not an overpowered skill and definitely useless in combat. But as a support skill, it was pretty solid.

He could practically peek into any anomalies or unravel secrets related to mana. Such a skill was unheard of. Atleast Enzo hadn’t read about anything like that...

But then again, neither did he know much about the Bewitchers nor was this strange, filthy world ever mentioned in the novel.

"So how do we go out of here?" Enzo inquired of her.

The Bewicther chuckled in response.

"We? There is no ’we’ in here, only you. Believe me or not, this is my second home. I and my sisters come here everyday. So the only one stuck is you."

Enzo looked behind at the shadows as if trying to penetrate the dark shadows with his eyes. Ultimately he gave up and shook his head in disappointment.

"So this is the talent of a Bewitcher. Access to the Underworld anytime they want."

"That and more." She confirmed his words. Her voice turned serious the next moment. "However, I must warn you of something. No matter what, don’t use the mana of this world. It’s a trap."

Seeing his curious face, she added. "I bet you even felt a thought enter your mind. Like the World itself promising you power through its mana?"

"How did you-" Even he was surprised but then her previous words registered inside his head.

A trap.

"The world wants me to use its mana... huh?"

The Bewitcher sighed audibly as she explained to him, "Yes, it lures people to use its mana. In fact, the trick to get out of this place safely is associated with that very thing."

Enzo turned his full attention on her. After a brief pause, she spoke.

"Access to the Underworld is our forté. You however have two options: either get blasted away by my Undercurrent or you get devoured by those creatures heading towards you."

"...What?"

"You heard me right. Both paths lead to your escape. As long as you don’t use the mana here, you are all fine. Even if you die here, it won’t be reflected on your physical body in the real world. But if you die here while using mana, death is certain in the real world as well."

Enzo fell silent, his knuckes clenching further as he heard the hungry growl of one of those twisted creatures. It was too close.

"Then...use the skill you called Undercurrent?" He suggested finally.

The Bewitcher under the shadowy cloak sighed tiredly.

"I am a student myself, slave. My first year. So using my skill is not possible. Or rather, I haven’t learnt it yet."

Enzo grimaced. "So from the beginning I had only one option. You should have just said that."

Saying that, he turned towards the unyielding fog that covered everything. If he had to die here anyways, he would rather he learnt some aggressive combos from these haunted creatures.

"Oh right." He remembered something crucial as he craned his head towards the looming shadow. "Have I already lost in the real world? I remember my opponent had been charging towards me. Should be over by now."

She laughed. It was a low sound, drowned by the crackling sounds of the shattering lightnings overhead them.

"Ah sorry. I just couldn’t hold it in." She rasped as if wiping away tears of laughter. "And no, you haven’t lost yet. Time flows differently here than the real world. Fifty seconds here equals one second on Exodus. So in all estimations, your opponent has probably taken a single step towards you."

Enzo turned away in silence, his expression smoothed out. But inwardly he was thankful. For the knowledge this Bewitcher yapped out, as if the Citadel didn’t maintain a strict ordeal of not letting their knowledge fall into the hands of commoners. Much less a slave.

More importantly, he was glad he still stood a chance in the entrance test. He just needed to escape -

A creature stepped out of the fogs. Seeing his transparent body, it let out a blood curling scream and lunged at him.

Enzo found himself unable to move. His eyes had widened drastically and his feet weighed like iron. Fear had gripped his heart as his brain short circuited.

W-what is this thing...?

Was the only thought in his mind.

Charred skin that looked like it had been burned in the deepest pits of hell. Bloodied flesh covered its entire body, the multiple limbs sticking out at odd angles.

The creature ran on all limbs but the moment it entered Enzo’s reach, it stood on its two hind limbs. And then, its human like face that spilt open along the lips and stretched abnormally. Rows of razor sharp teeth ran along the gums of its inner mouth as the gaping mouth descended towards Enzo’s neck, whose body refused to budge from his spot.

Just then, a wave of energy swept over them.

Enzo found his body relax as if some invisible pressure holding him down had been removed. He quickly dodged aside, repositioning sideways.

The monster on the other hand, was blasted away into the fogs. As if it’s terrifying appearance meant nothing.

Enzo turned towards the Bewitcher, from whose direction the attack had originated.

"Uhh I kind of forgot to tell you that these creatures have a passive ability that can petrify anyone with fear."

Enzo filed that information with a nod and asked the question that demanded immediate attention. "How did you use your mana in here?"

"Oh me? Simple. The darkness you see around me, that’s the reason I was able to use this. It’s a talent you are born with during your birth that determines if you can be a Bewitcher. And as is common knowledge, only females can ever manifest these. This cloak helps us to hide our entire presence in here and use the mana without risk of being exposed. Only humans like you can hear my voice. The creatures hear nothing nor do they see me."

Enzo stared at the shadow in shock. Seeing his agape mouth, the Bewitcher chuckled nervously.

"Amazing right? I know."

He shook his head as more creatures stopped out of the fog. But unlike the first time, he wasn’t petrified. He figured it was the Bewitcher’s doing.

"For you sake, my lady...I hope you don’t just blabber out everything you know. You shall get into serious trouble one day."

And here, he had been slightly anxious about her presence, unsure if she was even trust worthy. Now though, his opinion of her had taken a magnificent backflip.

How can someone at her position be so ignorant and careless with their words?