Pandora's small eyes stared straight ahead at a creature she recognized as — a lizard. Yes, it was really just a desert lizard. Was this what Eden had meant by the Nine-Faced Lizard? But what was special about this animal? To Pandora it was merely an ordinary creature.
"Go away, you damn desert lizard! Even if you trapped us here, that didn't mean we would become your food!" Pandora shouted loudly. She even stepped forward a few paces toward the creature.
Meanwhile, Eden, who had not yet fully regained consciousness — having just fainted and still terrified of this lizard that gnawed at his soul — only managed to hold the scorpion with one of his pincers. "Don't, Pandora. You didn't know how dangerous he was."
"What's so dangerous?" She paused, then looked at the figure in front of her again. "He was just a desert lizard. I meant, with the abilities we had, we could exterminate him!"
"Exterminate me?" The lizard muttered. Then the cave filled with a heavy, echoing laugh. Of course that laughter came from the lizard. "HAHAHAHA!"
Hearing it, Pandora even felt the air around her grow colder, piercing through her hard shell. Meanwhile Eden, the male scorpion, had already backed away and hid behind Pandora's body.
Ah, Pandora had only just realized he was not that gentle after all.
And that clearly made Pandora tremble a little. If even Eden, an old inhabitant, was scared, how would she face him? But even so, Pandora still shouldn't show her fear.
Because if she did, the desert lizard might take advantage of the situation.
"You were just a weak little female scorpion! And you talked about exterminating me? Even someone at rank nine would not necessarily be able to kill me. What about you who were only rank one?" the lizard asked again.
That sentence clearly surprised Pandora even though she tried hard to hide it. "Then I would be the first at rank one and I could exterminate you!"
The lizard stopped laughing. His expression turned serious, then he took a few steps closer to Pandora. The girl immediately stepped back with Eden, as the figure continued to approach them.
But soon the laughter rolled again. It sounded louder and more echoing than before. Who else but the lizard?
"Only with your abilities you already wanted to kill me? Little scorpion, you would have to try for dozens of years. But I'm afraid you wouldn't live that long because I had already decided the end of your life."
Without waiting any longer, the lizard simply left Pandora. Yet his earlier words still felt like something undeniable. It even felt like a threat that could not be contested.
This time Pandora could not think of anything to buy more time. She lost the many words she had arranged in her head. Everything vanished and was replaced by fear and panic that dominated her.
"System!" Pandora called in her mind. For now she had no choice but to ask the system for help. The system should be able to help her, right?
[Yes]
"If I fought him, what percent chance did I have to win?"
[None]
"What did you mean none?"
[The chance was only about -97% so I said it didn't exist]
"Ah, damn!" Pandora cursed softly. "So how could I defeat him? I didn't want to die here. System, do something!"
Pandora had clearly lost her composure. Now panic ruled her entirely. Meanwhile, Eden behind her continued to shiver uncontrollably. Clearly, that male could not be relied upon.
[I can give you the power that will defeat Ravion. But in exchange, your mission will become harder than a level one mission should be.]
"Ravion? Who's that?" Instead of focusing on the solution given by the system, Pandora focused on that one name. Ah, it seemed she really couldn't be relied on too much.
[That Nine-Faced Lizard is named Ravion. He is currently on level twelve. If you wish to match his power, you must at least rise eleven levels. Even then, it still wouldn't be balanced compared to his famous mimicry skill. But with the poison power of your scorpion race, I believe even if it's not equal, it would still be a fairly matched fight.]
Pandora fell silent for a moment. This time she truly listened to the explanation carefully and deeply.
"But the problem is, I haven't mastered any poison skills at all. Eden and Liora haven't either."
After saying that in her heart, Pandora felt that something was wrong. She turned her head left and right, then spun her whole body to look for someone. When she couldn't find what she was looking for, she went closer to Eden and asked the male, "Where's Liora?"
Apparently, even Eden had just realized that Liora wasn't with them. Because the expression on his face said it all.
"I don't know," Eden finally replied.
And that answer immediately made Pandora's panic level rise again. The problem was that this cave was extremely vast and full of chambers. Not to mention Ravion could return and devour them at any moment.
If this were the human world, perhaps scorpions like them could still fight back against a lizard. But here, the lizard named Ravion was at least twice the size of Pandora and Eden's bodies.
"I'll go find her," Pandora decided.
Without waiting any longer, the female immediately left Eden alone where he stood. And since the atmosphere was quiet and eerie, Eden decided to follow Pandora from behind.
"I'm coming with you!" he shouted.
Throughout the journey, Pandora's mind was completely full. She was thinking about how to escape from here—how to get away from Ravion's grasp and, of course, find Liora. But even after walking for a while, the two of them didn't find a single answer to any of their problems.
"What actually happened to you guys? How could that lizard capture you like that?" Pandora asked when they decided to rest for a moment.
Eden didn't answer right away—he went silent for a while. And Pandora kept watching the changes in his expression. Until a few moments later, Eden finally opened his mouth.
"I really don't remember what happened. The last thing I remember is that Liora and I were on our way to the academy. We were already waiting for you by the riverbank, but you didn't come. We thought you weren't going. After that, I don't remember anything that happened during the journey."
Even though the explanation was complete, it still didn't help much. What had happened? Why didn't Eden remember anything? Did Ravion have some kind of magic that could erase someone's memory?
Just when the two of them were resting on a medium-sized rock, they suddenly heard a voice that was all too familiar to their ears.
"Help!"
It was the voice of the very person they were looking for. Liora's voice sounded crystal clear in their ears, making Eden instantly rise and take a few steps forward. "Liora."
He almost went further before Pandora stopped him with her claw. "Wait. It could be a trap."
"What do you mean? That was clearly Liora's voice. You heard it too, didn't you?"
"Before I got here, I remember hearing your voice too. But after that, I don't remember anything except waking up here. That lizard—Ravion—might have some kind of illusion magic that can mimic other people."
Pandora cast her gaze around cautiously. Danger could come from anywhere in this place. This time, Eden didn't ask much. Perhaps the effect of his fear had already faded, allowing him to think clearly again.
Well, that was one of Eden's traits. When he felt anxious, panicked, or afraid, his brain function would drop by a few percent, making him unable to think properly—sometimes even looking like a fool.
But the good news was, once that fear slowly disappeared, his ability to think would immediately return.
And fortunately, Pandora already knew this, so she clearly didn't question or blame the male's ability. Although, of course, she always felt annoyed every time Eden acted foolish like that.
Not long after, the wind around them grew strong. It swirled like a miniature tornado, yet strong enough to almost lift Pandora and Eden off their footing.
"Aw! Eden! Help me!"
And yes, Pandora's body was actually lifted into the air by the gust, spinning around as she was carried away by it.
"Pandora," Eden muttered. The male was still trying his best to anchor his eight legs into the ground for grip. He then extended his two claws upward toward Pandora, who was still spinning midair. "Grab my claw! Don't ever let go no matter what happens!"
Thankfully, Eden's senses had returned at just the right time. Otherwise, Pandora couldn't even imagine what would have happened to them next.
As the two creatures struggled to hold on, the wind suddenly vanished. Not gradually—but instantly, as if it had never existed at all. And automatically, that made Pandora fall straight from the air.
"Ow! My stomach!" Pandora screamed. She could hear several cracks in her shell. She wasn't sure if it was broken or crushed, but she still tried to stand upright with Eden's help.
"Are you alright?" Eden asked.
Honestly, it would've been hypocritical for Pandora to say she was fine. But before she could say anything about her condition, her eyes fell upon a scorpion carried on Ravion's back.
Judging by the position, Pandora could tell that the scorpion—none other than Liora—was still unconscious. Otherwise, there was no way she would willingly ride on the back of a monster that could devour her at any moment.
"Liora," Eden whispered.
When Pandora was about to step forward, Eden had already moved ahead. He radiated a strong aura of hostility toward Ravion. "Let her go. I will never forgive you if anything happens to her."
It was the first time Pandora had ever seen Eden this furious. Normally, he was always calm and mysterious, but now Pandora could feel the scorching aura that could explode anytime to burn down the entire place coming from Eden's body.
Besides, Pandora had never actually known what level Eden was.
"Who said I would let her go?" Ravion finally lowered Liora from his back.
Pandora felt a bit relieved, though she didn't know what would happen next. But that relief didn't last long when Ravion cruelly threw Liora's body into the blazing lava beside them.
Oh gods. Lava.
How had Pandora not realized there was lava this large and this hot nearby? And what was she seeing? Liora had already been thrown in there?
"Liora!" Pandora screamed. Reflexively, she ran toward the edge of the lava, intending to help.
But of course, she was too late. Liora's body couldn't even be seen from above with the naked eye. No matter how strong someone was, their body would never withstand that much fire.
Even if it were a god, if they were thrown in there without power or preparation, Pandora was certain they would die.
"How dare you hurt her! I told you not to hurt her, but you killed her instead!" Eden didn't stay still—he immediately leapt forward and attacked Ravion. But clearly, such a small attack meant nothing to Ravion.
The lizard monster actually laughed—mocking Eden's foolishness, of course.
"You would fight me for that female scorpion? Your death will be just as meaningless, little scorpion."
Eden didn't give up. He gathered all his strength, focusing it in his tail, and attacked again. That strike managed to make Ravion move from his spot—a few millimeters. And that was all.
But right then, a loud explosion accompanied by a red light suddenly filled the cave. This time, not only Eden, but even Ravion was thrown against the cave wall by the blast.
The lizard used his two limbs—which also functioned as hands—to shield his face from the blinding light. "What is this light? Why is it so bright that I can't even open my eyes?"
It took a few moments before the light gradually faded. And when his vision cleared, Ravion froze upon seeing the source of the explosion. "Little scorpion?"