There Is No World For ■■

Yeomyeong awoke from a deep sleep.

It felt like he’d been dreaming, but he couldn’t remember what the dream was about.

Like all happiness that could never be reclaimed, the only thing it left behind was a faint trace of tears.

As he wiped them away, a familiar voice called out to him.

“You’re awake?”

Standing on the hazy boundary between dream and reality, Yeomyeong finally raised his head.

Seti, her back to the blazing sun, was sitting beside him, looking down with a gentle smile.

“How are you feeling? You looked like you were having a nice dream.”

Seti said, playfully brushing his forehead with her fingers.

Yeomyeong stared blankly at her, and then the last thing he remembered before falling asleep came rushing back—

The surge of unknown mana that had burst out of the stabilized dimensional gate.

Without hesitation, the group had pressed forward, even though they didn’t have enough time to save him.

But the Saint and the others...

“...What happened to everyone? Are they okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks to you, we’re all safe. It’s just...”

Seti trailed off, turning her head.

Yeomyeong followed her gaze—and was at a loss for words.

The first thing that struck him was the endless horizon stretching before them.

The landscape was so barren it was desolate.

No trees, no grass—not even a single blade of green.

All he could see were rocks, pebbles, and dry sand.

“A rocky desert?”

It looked like something straight out of a book or a TV documentary.

Yeomyeong rubbed his eyes and pinched his cheek. It hurt.

So it wasn’t a dream? Then...

“...We crossed the gate.”

It was the only explanation.

When Yeomyeong turned to her for answers, Seti gave him a bitter smile.

“...It was the only way to save you.”

And with that, she began to explain.

From the moment Soemiri grabbed his hand to the split-second decision to leap into the gate.

Yeomyeong’s expression remained stiff throughout the explanation.

Especially when Seti mentioned that she’d been ready to stab herself in the throat.

Grabbing her hand tightly, he urged her—

“...Don’t ever do that again.”

Seti couldn’t promise, but she nodded anyway.

And then she added a final detail about their surroundings—

That after crossing the gate, they’d ended up in this desert, and she had no idea where they were.

Yeomyeong’s eyes narrowed slightly at her words.

“Did you see any signs of people or animals nearby?”

“No. I looked around while you were sleeping, but there’s nothing out there.”

“What about valleys or mountains?”

“Nothing. No matter which direction I went—east, west, north, or south—it was all just rock and sand. Oh, but there is one landmark. That huge rock formation over there....”

Seti knelt down and began drawing a rough map in the sand.

Yeomyeong studied it closely, and then suddenly, something clicked.

A faint smile appeared on his face—because he thought he knew where they were.

“...The Southern Demon Realm.”

“Huh?”

“The rocky desert beyond the dimensional gate—there are only two places it could be: the Bori Desert or the Southern Demon Realm. But in the Bori Desert, you’d be able to see the Dwarf Mountains to the east.”

“....”

“And you said there’s nothing visible here. So it has to be the Southern Demon Realm.”

With that, Yeomyeong stood up.

He reached out a hand to help Seti to her feet and looked out past the horizon.

“We need to move. If this really is the Southern Demon Realm... we need to cover as much ground as we can before nightfall.”

“...?”

“Food and water—we’ll have to manage with mana for now. If we’re lucky, we might run into nomads or slavers—”

Before he could finish, Seti cut him off, her face filled with surprise.

“W-Wait, Yeomyeong. Hold on.”

“What?”

“...How do you know all this?”

Yeomyeong shrugged.

“I saw it in a documentary.”

“...A documentary?”

“It was my only hobby.”

Seti stared at him, suddenly realizing how little she actually knew about him.

What foods he liked, what kind of clothes he preferred, what his hobbies were—

Fortunately, there was plenty of time to figure it all out before they made it back to Earth.

And no one else was around to interrupt them.

‘Could this be... a chance to grow closer through hardship?’

As Seti entertained her hopeful thoughts, Yeomyeong began walking, using the shadows to guide his direction.

Seti hurried to grab her hammer and pistol before following after him.

She was looking forward to chatting with him, but—

Crossing a desert was nothing like she’d imagined.

Under the scorching sun, with no water to drink, even opening her mouth to talk felt exhausting.

Superhuman or not, both of them had already pushed their limits fighting through the sewers.

Even with mana strengthening their bodies, it didn’t take long for fatigue to set in.

By the time the sun began to dip toward the horizon, Seti was panting heavily.

Her legs were trembling, and a faint dizziness blurred her vision.

The only reason she hadn’t collapsed was because Yeomyeong had carried her hammer and made sure they took short breaks.

“Hang in there. We’ll find water soon.”

Every time her steps faltered, Yeomyeong encouraged her.

Seti nodded, sucking on a small stone to stimulate her saliva.

Apparently, it was a trick to combat thirst, and it actually worked better than she’d expected.

At least Yeomyeong’s documentary knowledge wasn’t useless.

“...Found it.”

A little while later, Yeomyeong’s voice rang out.

To be precise, he’d found a place where water might be.

“Rest here. I’ll find it quickly.”

The spot they’d reached had patches of green vegetation scattered around.

Yeomyeong explained that plants were a sign of water nearby.

But there was no oasis or pond in sight.

Seti silently questioned it but didn’t voice her doubts.

She simply waited as Yeomyeong searched through the plants and started digging where the soil was clumped together.

“...Need any help?”

Seti offered, but Yeomyeong shook his head.

“Take a break. I can handle this by myself.”

As if to prove his point, Yeomyeong began digging through the dirt with his bare hands, even infusing mana into his movements.

After digging about a meter deep, damp soil, almost like mud, began to surface.

“Huh?”

Everything happened quickly after that.

Yeomyeong dug a bit more, and the soft trickle of water echoed up from below.

“Seriously...?”

Did he really find water in the desert just from something he saw in a documentary?

Seti blinked in disbelief, but Yeomyeong only smirked and explained.

“This is probably an old well built by nomads or merchants. It was just buried under the sand.”

“...There are wells in the desert?”

“Even deserts get rain, and water flows downward. If the area’s lower than the surroundings, there’s bound to be groundwater.”

Now that she looked around, the area was surrounded by hills.

Seti’s face shifted between amazement and admiration as she stared at him.

Yeomyeong took a drink first, then stepped aside to let her have her turn.

Seti crouched by the hole and scooped up the water.

The groundwater in the desert tasted sweet—sweeter than any water she had ever drunk.

But once her thirst was quenched, relief was replaced by worry.

Would they have to march endlessly again after finishing this water?

If only they had a canteen—or even a plastic bottle.

Feeling uneasy, Seti fumbled through her pockets in search of something useful.

Of course, she found nothing.

After all, they’d been dragged into the sewers, and then thrown through the dimensional gate without any time to prepare—

‘...Huh?’

Suddenly, Seti’s fingers brushed against something unusual in her coat pocket.

It was a small, square plastic wrapper with a round bulge in the middle.

The moment she saw it, her body froze.

It was unmistakably Earth’s most famous contraceptive.

‘...Why the hell is this in my pocket?’

Her mind flashed back to the sisters who had been teasing her about Yeomyeong—talking about getting closer, about future nieces and nephews...

It had to be them.

Neti or Siri.

‘Those damn brats...!’

Grinding her teeth, Seti was about to rip the condom apart when—

“Seti, what are you doing? Still drinking...?”

Yeomyeong leaned over the well—and their eyes met.

“....”

An awkward silence.

Seti’s face turned so red it looked like it might explode.

She scrambled to come up with an explanation, but Yeomyeong spoke first.

“...You know, condoms can hold anywhere from 1 to 4 liters of water, depending on the size.”

“....”

“We were just talking about needing a canteen, so this is actually perfect, isn’t it?”

His voice was calm, almost considerate, as if trying to spare her embarrassment.

But Seti couldn’t handle it anymore.

She lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes, certain that her brain would burst if she did.

****

Fortunately, they didn’t end up needing to use the creative canteen.

Just as the sun began to set, Yeomyeong spotted smoke rising in the distance and led them toward it.

It turned out to be a group of nomads camped in the desert.

Of course, the nomads initially drew their weapons and tried to drive them away—

After all, a pair of teenagers wearing school uniforms in the middle of the desert?

They looked more like creatures of the Demon Realm than normal travelers.

But as soon as Yeomyeong handed over the makeshift water container, the nomads changed their attitude and welcomed them as guests.

—Anyone who brings water is a guest.

According to Yeomyeong, it was a long-standing tradition among desert nomads.

Seti, not fully understanding, just nodded along.

In most ways, the nomads lived like Earth’s tribes—

Wearing loose, layered clothing for insulation, living in tents made of fabric and leather stretched over wooden frames, and raising livestock.

The only difference?

They weren’t human.

...They were orcs.

****

“...This is my first time seeing an orc in real life.”

Inside the guest tent provided by the orcs, Seti blurted out the thought that had been nagging her.

Yeomyeong, who was sitting on the floor massaging his calves, tilted his head.

“Really? That’s surprising.”

“...Wait, does that mean you’ve seen them before?”

“Yeah. Once, in Incheon.”

“Incheon? How? Crossing gates is illegal for orcs.”

It was a logical question, but Yeomyeong’s answer was simple.

“The black market.”

“Ah....”

That made sense.

Seti nodded and started massaging her legs, following Yeomyeong’s example.

Their overworked muscles throbbed, aching with exhaustion.

If not for their enhanced bodies, the pain would’ve required days of rest to recover from.

“...How long do you think it’ll take to get out of this Demon Realm?”

After a while, Seti broke the silence.

“At this pace? Maybe four or five days. A week, if we’re unlucky.”

“A whole week?”

“Just an estimate. Don’t worry too much.”

Yeomyeong smiled reassuringly, but given everything he’d shown so far, his estimate was probably spot on.

A week in the desert.

Seti pressed her temples, already feeling a headache coming on.

“It’s going to be brutal.”

At least Yeomyeong was with her...

As that thought crossed her mind, Yeomyeong spoke up in a casual tone.

“We’ll have to see how things go, but... I might’ve found a way to shorten the journey.”

“...How? What’s the plan?”

“Well, actually, these orcs...”

Before he could finish, a booming voice interrupted from outside the tent.

“Guests!! The chieftain!! Invites you!! To dinner!!”

The tent shook from the sheer volume.

Seti frowned at the interruption, but Yeomyeong stood up calmly.

“...You’re going?”

“We don’t have a choice. Refusing a host’s invitation is bad manners. Just play along.”

Another tradition?

Seti sighed, realizing she didn’t have any options, and followed him out of the tent.

“They’re not going to serve anything weird, are they?”

“Nah, orcs’ diets aren’t that different from ours.”

“Really? What do they eat? Bread? Porridge? Dairy?”

She imagined something like cheese, but Yeomyeong’s answer was completely unexpected.

“Spam.”

“...What? Are you joking?”

“Nope. The same Spam we know. That’s their staple food.”