"A long journey?"
Joshen's voice carried a sharp edge of disbelief. "Weren't those cyborgs supposed to teleport us?"
Jake crossed his arms beside him, nodding in agreement. "Yeah. I thought the whole point of bringing walking metal refrigerators was to avoid walking."
Han Seok let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head slowly.
"Ahh… my little fools," he said with a faint smile. "This is the Black Paper Factory we are talking about. Did you really think it would be located somewhere ordinary people could casually visit?"
Jake raised an eyebrow.
Han Seok continued, "The cyborgs will only teleport us to a specific hidden location. From there, we must walk. I have memorized the directions."
Jake tilted his head slightly.
"Ohhh," he said slowly. "Then why didn't you just say that directly?"
Han Seok looked confused.
Jake smiled lazily.
"That you people simply aren't capable of fixing the bugs."
For a brief moment, silence fell.
Then Han Seok smiled.
Not warmly.
Sarcastically.
"Shall we?" he said.
Without waiting for another comment, he began walking toward the silent cyborgs standing nearby.
Joshen followed.
Technically speaking, it was Joshen inside Jake's body, which made things slightly more confusing than necessary. But after everything they had experienced, body confusion had become just another item on the list of problems.
The cyborgs stood motionless.
Perfectly still.
No blinking lights.
No breathing.
No expressions.
Just tall metal bodies waiting like statues.
Han Seok stopped in front of one of them.
"Close your eyes," he instructed calmly.
Jake frowned.
"That already sounds like the start of a terrible idea."
Han Seok ignored him.
"You both have enough Shifter's Ability to activate the teleportation," he continued. "Just remember to maintain contact with the cyborg."
Joshen hesitated for a second but eventually sighed.
"Fine."
He placed a hand on the cold metallic surface and closed his eyes.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then the world collapsed.
It wasn't like moving.
It was more like reality itself had been cut and pasted somewhere else.
The next moment—
Joshen opened his eyes.
He was standing in the middle of a barren land.
No trees.
No grass.
No mountains.
Nothing.
Just endless dry earth stretching in every direction like a forgotten world.
The sky above looked pale and distant.
There was no sign of life anywhere.
Except one.
Han Seok.
He stood a few steps away, brushing invisible dust from his coat as if teleporting across dimensions was just another boring morning activity.
Jake's voice echoed inside Joshen's mind.
"Wow. Amazing destination."
Joshen sighed.
"Please don't start."
Jake continued anyway.
"So this is the secret entrance? Let me guess— next we walk through a haunted cave, fight three skeletons, and find a magical treasure chest?"
Han Seok turned toward them.
"Follow me."
He began walking without another word.
The land remained eerily silent as they moved.
No wind.
No sound.
Just footsteps against dry ground.
After several minutes, Joshen finally spoke.
"Alright," he said. "I have questions."
Jake snorted. "You just realized that?"
Joshen ignored him and looked at Han Seok.
"Who exactly is Sun Morbious?"
Han Seok didn't stop walking.
"Tell us properly."
Han Seok sighed.
"Well… it's not like I have many options left."
He glanced briefly over his shoulder.
"I'll tell you what I know."
There was a short pause.
"He wasn't a regular human to begin with."
Jake immediately reacted.
"That sentence alone already sounds suspicious."
Han Seok continued.
"He was special from birth. And he came from the common world… just like you, Jake."
Jake blinked.
"Wait… hold on."
Han Seok kept speaking.
"What I also know is this— Sun Morbious was the first person to alter realities."
Jake stopped thinking for a second
Han Seok's voice remained calm.
"Before him, there was no known way to travel between worlds, dimensions, or realms."
Jake let out a quiet whistle.
"Well that's convenient."
He frowned slightly.
"Wait… I've heard that name before."
Han Seok slowed down.
"You have?"
"Yes… Catia mentioned him once."
Han Seok immediately turned around.
"Wait. Wait."
His eyes narrowed.
"By Catia… do you mean the youngest daughter of Mr. Henry?"
Jake answered casually.
"Yeah."
Han Seok swallowed.
Hard.
For the first time since they met him, he looked genuinely unsettled.
"…Then we are closer than we imagined."
Jake noticed the reaction immediately.
He wanted to ask more.
But he stopped himself.
Catia was important to him.
If there was something about her or her family—
He wanted to hear it from her, not someone else.
So instead, he shrugged and changed the topic.
"What about you, Joshen?"
Joshen looked confused.
"What about me?"
Jake smirked.
"How did you know about the Black Paper?"
Joshen rolled his eyes.
"Huhhhh. Obviously Kame told me before coming to this world."
Jake paused.
Then laughed.
"Wait… so you didn't actually know anything?"
Joshen frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Jake continued.
"So basically you came here with second-hand information from Kame, zero research, and unlimited confidence?"
Joshen's expression darkened.
"Are you calling me a fool?"
Jake immediately answered.
"Yes."
Han Seok suddenly stopped walking.
"We've arrived."
Both of them froze.
They looked ahead.
And then—
They were stunned.
The factory stood in the distance.
But it was nothing like they had imagined.
No rusty abandoned building.
No broken machines.
Instead—
Yet there was no smoke.
No movement.
No sound.
It felt less like a factory—
And more like a sleeping entity.
Before either of them could fully process the sight—
A sharp noise exploded inside their minds.
EMERGENCY.
EMERGENCY.
The sound echoed directly through their consciousness.
Jake's voice immediately appeared.
"Ah. Fantastic."
The next moment—
Jake opened his eyes.
He blinked slowly.
Something felt… different
Very different .
He looked forward.
And froze.
Joshen was standing directly in front of him.
In front of him.
Jake stared at him.
Joshen stared back.
A long silence followed.
Then Jake slowly raised his hands and looked down at his body.
"…Why do I have different arms?"
Joshen blinked.
"…Why do you look like me?"
Jake sighed.
"Great."
He rubbed his face.
"So the emergency system decided the best solution was…"
He gestured at both of them.
"…body swapping again."
Joshen groaned.
"I hate this world."
Jake nodded calmly.
"Same."
Then he looked toward the massive dark factory ahead.
it wasn't there neither Han Seok