Outside town…

  As Olk and his team dutifully followed the tracks back to the ruined vilge, they encountered an unexpected predicament. Abruptly, the tracks ceased at the edge of the town, leaving them baffled. The entire road was meticulously clean, devoid of any discernible traces. It was as if someone had meticulously scrubbed away any evidence.

  Despite the absence of footprints, Olk's tracking skills typically allowed him to detect subtle clues such as strands of hair, broken twigs, or torn threads of clothing. However, in this disconcerting scenario, there was nothing—the road was unnervingly immacute. This unsettling anomaly raised Olk's suspicions, evoking a sense of foreboding as if he were being deliberately lured into a treacherous ambush.

  At Olk's signal, the group paused to cautiously survey their surroundings, ensuring no one approached from behind. After a thorough scan, satisfied that it was safe to proceed, they continued on their way.

  They intentionally avoided the unnatural cleanliness of the main roads, but Olk realized that the cleaned stretch itself served as a makeshift path. Eventually, they arrived at the dipidated town square. Piles of rubble, remnants of colpsed buildings, encircled the open area. Surprisingly, amidst the ruins, a single feature stood out—the fountain was remarkably still functional.

  It had been over a year since the tribe's st visit, and at that time, the fountain had been inoperable. Back then, the tribe had spent several days looting the area, yielding meager findings of debris and rusted metal. If not for the intriguing tracks leading there, the group would have bypassed this forsaken pce entirely.

  Olk looked at the fountain and said, "I remember that fountain from the st time we were here. It wasn't working. Someone must have come here to fix it."

  "What happened?" asked one of the scouts.

  "I thought we were dealing with one caster and an exploratory group. But we haven't seen any signs of the main group. Why would someone fix a dam and a fountain?" The tribesman noted how clean the area seemed.

  "They might still be here," said one of the scouts.

  "Let's move on," said Olk. "We need to find where this cleaned path leads."

  Led by Olk, the team progressed steadily forward until they reached the edge of the cleared path. There, they discovered a partially rebuilt adventurer's guild as evidenced by a dipidated sign on it. To maintain stealth, the scouts dispersed and positioned themselves at strategic angles within the shadows of nearby ruined buildings, keeping a watchful eye on the location.

  Olk eyed the guild warily as a rge, pink bird gracefully emerged from within and settled atop one of the walls. Swiftly, he crouched down, ensuring he remained concealed from its sight. He pondered the bird, attempting to remember its name. Could it be a fmingo? Though he had encountered them in the past, those previous sightings were significantly farther south, in regions characterized by a warmer, wetter climate.

  Patiently, he waited for the bird to depart. Despite his efforts, the bird remained perched there for an extended period. Eventually, to his relief, it took flight and made its way back to the guild.

  As Olk and his fellow scouts continued their observation, hours passed by. Their attention was drawn to an unusual sight—a toddler-sized, blue slime. Unlike ordinary slimes, this one was distinctively dressed in a red shirt, blue overalls, and a red cap. The quality of its attire surpassed anything avaible in the area, leaving Olk curious about its origin.

  In a continent where the bastions of civilization were either isoted or compromised, the only remaining truly free realms faced various challenges. Some nobles had struck treacherous deals with the demon queen's empire to secure their survival, often involving human tributes. These humans, offered to succubi, would fall under their enthralling charm, making trade with such nobles highly perilous. If forced to provide tribute, the nobles would rather sacrifice outsiders than their own people.

  Olk maintained a silent watch for hours. The slime diligently climbed around the building's walls. It possessed a remarkable ability to dissolve debris and use it to repair and rebuild the damaged structure. Eventually, the enigmatic bird from before reappeared and engaged in a conversation with the slime using the common tongue. This revetion astonished Olk. Only sacred beasts possessed the ability to communicate in such a manner.

  Taking extra precautions to remain unnoticed, Olk risked another glimpse at the fmingo. It bore a gem on its forehead, adding to its mystique. However, listening to the conversation between the talking bird and the slime proved frustrating. While the bird spoke the common tongue, the slime's utterances consisted solely of two sylbles, "Me" and "Ru." Unable to comprehend the slime's speech, Olk could only grasp fragments of their exchange.

  After the two creatures returned to the building, Olk signaled to one of his teammates to come closer. He instructed the team member to convey a

  message to the chief, informing him that they had spotted the other group in the area. He specuted that the building could be a nest for a new type of slime and asked the shaman to assess whether the bird they saw could be a sacred beast. The implication was that if it was indeed a sacred beast, they would need to proceed with extreme caution.

  As Olk waited patiently for his scouting partner's return, the Fmingo took flight from the dipidated building, soaring gracefully toward the river. Fortunately, the group had been proactive, anticipating the possibility of aerial detection, and had secured suitable hiding pces. After a while, the bird returned, carrying a small bounty of fish and berries in its talons.

  The sun dipped below the horizon, Olk's ears caught a third voice emanating from the opposite side of the building's wall. It belonged to a male individual engaged in conversation with a bird. While much of their dialogue was either indistinct or inconsequential, Olk couldn't help but notice the repeated use of the terms "Rift" and "Dungeon."

  As Olk's mind delved into the recesses of his memory, a glint of recognition fshed across his eyes. Though some details eluded him, the purpose of their encampment in this dipidated structure became clear: the dormant rift dungeon beneath their feet had awakened once more. In the past, maintaining these dungeons had been the duty of court mages, but the decline of the local kingdom had left this task unattended. Stumbling upon an active dungeon was a rare stroke of fortune, a stark contrast to the disheartening encounters with dormant ones, which served as poignant reminders of humanity's diminished state.

  Olk looked at the darkening sky, noticing the teness of the hour. The tribesmen were surprised to see that the group they were observing didn't post a night watch, an exploit they could take advantage of ter. With most scouts returning to camp, Olk pnned to keep watch until midnight before switching with someone who hadn't been up all day.

  While they were still unsure if there was one or several slimes, Olk suspected that the group's male was a monster tamer. This individual likely wasn't very strong if his only tamed creatures were a slime and a bird. Monster tamer was a css that some of Olk's tribemates occasionally had, and he recalled from conversations that slimes were one of the more straightforward monsters to tame.

  After completing his shift, Olk returned to his tent, preoccupied with the mysterious qualities of the slime. He diligently crafted a detailed report to present to the chief, who was currently asleep. Realizing that he would have to wait until morning to speak with him, Olk braced himself for the chief's anticipated response. He foresaw the chief issuing an order to secure the rift dungeon and envisioned the tribe's prolonged presence there, as long as they could maintain its protection.

  ***

  Upon awakening the next morning, Alex was filled with an unfamiliar sense of unease. The routine of rising early and retiring te, which had always defined his existence as a lumberjack, had become a distant memory. The vibrant energy that once coursed through his veins seemed to have dissipated, leaving him feeling drained and disoriented. He was no longer the man he once was, and something was amiss.

  In a state of urgency, Alex cast aside the bnkets, grabbed the mirror, and hastily ascended the stairs, stumbling several times in his haste. He sought the illumination necessary to scrutinize his reflection. The previous day, his cuteness statistic had risen unexpectedly by two points. Although initially concerned, he had dismissed the matter, presuming he was safe from any consequences.

  Taking a deep breath, Alex held it before exhaling slowly. A suffocating sensation gripped him, making it hard to breathe. Panic set in, and he felt himself losing control. The reflection staring back from the mirror was undoubtedly Alex, but it wasn't his current self. It was the teenage boy version from years ago—a cute, innocent, and naive young man.

  Alex opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. His throat was closed. He was choking on his own fear.

  "Alex! Alex!" Fufi rushed up after him. She hugged him and rubbed her head against his.

  "I'm okay," said Alex, trying to convince himself more than anyone,"I'm fine."

  "You're not fine," said Fufi. "You're not acting normal. Set down the mirror and take a deep breath."

  Alex did as he was told. He sat down and breathed deeply. He tried to rex. He stared into the mirror. He saw the same face.

  "I can see the problem," said Fufi. "This might be a side effect of leveling up your magical girl css. Your cuteness went up, it just took a good night's sleep for the changes to take effect."

  "I don't understand," said Alex. "Why would it do that?" His voice cracked a bit while he talked. Was his voice going to change as well? This worried him.

  "It's a css thing," said Fufi. "Some csses change the people that have them. I heard once that the css of Bun could give rabbit ears after it leveled up enough."

  "That is not comforting. Having rabbit ears pop out of my head one day would be even more terrifying than waking up half a decade younger." Alex said slowly so his voice wouldn't crack.

  "I know. I feel bad too. I've never seen you this scared before. You were always the brave one. The leader. Now you're afraid of everything. I'll try to help you get over this. Just know that Merumeru and I are here for you." Fufi said with concern in her voice.

  "I know. Thank you. I think I can get past this. I have to. I was never the type to give up if something unexpected happened." Alex stood back up.

  Fufi nodded. Seeking something familiar, Alex went about preparing breakfast for everyone like he usually did. He was still a little nervous but he was able to get the food ready without incident.

  After breakfast, Fufi asked, "So what were your pns for today before you got that little surprise Alex?"

  "I was going to see if Merumeru could use her powers to make a pipe from where we were going to put the restroom to the water line near the fountain. I also wanted to see if we could modify the carriage. One of the first things I noticed is that it has no suspension. Do you know what a suspension is?" Alex asked.

  "No. What is it?" Fufi replied.

  "Let me expin a component that pys a crucial role in vehicles' suspension systems," Alex said as he took out a card and pced it in front of his companions. He indicated the point where the wheel and axle converged on the cart. "Notice this connection? The cart is directly attached to the axle. If the wheel moves, the cart moves too."

  To further illustrate his expnation, Alex retrieved a spare sheet of paper and used an ink quill to draw a series of banded strips of varying sizes. "This represents a leaf spring," he said. "It may not resemble a traditional spring, but that's what it's called. When the wheel encounters a bump, this curved section allows it to move up and down independently, preventing the entire cart from jolting."

  Alex continued to sketch the curved metal strips, adjusting their shapes to convey his message more effectively.

  "Okay. That makes sense. So how does that help us?" asked Fufi. She looked a little overwhelmed.

  "I was thinking that we could attach them to the axel. Though first we should test if we modify the cart when it is in cart form if it will stay that way after it goes from card form and then back to cart form." Alex put his hand on his smooth chin.

  "So how are we going to do that?" asked Fufi.

  "I was thinking that we could start by putting the stuffed animals and dolls into the cart and see if they stay there when it goes back into a card. That should be an easy test lets start with just one of the plushies in the basement. I think there is enough space if we summon it in the middle of the room." Alex stated. He couldn't help but think it was nice to have something to focus on to get his mind off of recent events.

  Descending the stairs, the trio halted in the center of the basement. Alex dramatically tossed the card onto the floor, striking a pose reminiscent of a certain edgy anime character. He silently uttered the words "Blue Eyes White Dragon, awaken" as the cart emerged. Feeling a pang of disappointment, he retrieved one of the cuddle bear plushies from the cart, returning it to its card form.

  Examining the card, Alex's eyes nded on the illustrated stuffed bear. "Neat!" he excimed, showing the card to his friends. Discarding his previous impression of Kaiba-kun, he threw the card down once more. Mentally chastising himself for his childish behavior, Alex watched as the bear materialized on the cart, occupying its previous position.

  "So it works. Merumeru, do you want to get started on the bathroom plumbing and I'll get some stuff over to the stable? It is too dark in this basement to work on the cart." Alex addressed the slime girl.

  Acknowledging, she hopped towards the restroom. Meanwhile, Alex loaded the cart with a chest full of plushies from the first dungeon, followed by another chest containing his three clockwork dolls and their repair kit. He then filled the remaining space with bolts of fabric and a mending kit. Since Rose, Lily, and Edelweiss were his key defenders, Alex prioritized their care and maintenance.

  Gathering his tools and several metal ptes, Alex and Fufi made their way to the stables. As he began to set things down, a net suddenly flew out, capturing Fufi. From various hiding spots, a dozen men dressed as barbarians emerged, brandishing crude bows, bone swords, and stone axes. The leader of the group, a rge man with a stone-tipped spear, pointed it at Alex and commanded, "Don't move!"

  melchi