The smell was the first thing he noticed.
Damp soil. Dry straw. Something warm.
Max opened his eyes slowly and stared at the uneven ceiling of a cave. Small stalactites hung like stone fangs, and a faint yellowish light seeped through the cracks—different from the glowing rocks he had grown used to. He blinked.
"…Great," he muttered.
He pushed himself up slightly and felt a sharp pain in his forehead. Instinctively, he grabbed it and let out a low, tired laugh.
"This is the second time," he said to himself. "Second time I pass out and wake up somewhere safe… in less than a week."
He closed his eyes for a moment.
This is starting to feel like a pattern.
The bed beneath him was improvised: a pile of straw arranged with surprising care, covered by a blanket made of thick hide. It wasn't comfortable, but it was far better than the cold dungeon floor.
"I definitely didn't do this myself…"
Then he heard her.
"Well, looks like you're awake."
The voice was deep, yet gentle. It carried a strange resonance, as if it had traveled through stone before reaching his ears.
Max's body tensed instantly.
He turned his head toward the source of the voice.
A few meters away, near the cave entrance, stood a massive silhouette. Broad. Imposing. The same one he had seen before losing consciousness.
"…The mole," he whispered.
The figure began to approach. Each step made the ground vibrate slightly. Max swallowed, but didn't try to get up. He had no strength left… and strangely enough, he didn't feel panic either.
As the creature advanced, something bizarre happened.
Its body began to shrink—not abruptly, but gradually, as if its mass were folding in on itself. The enormous claws reduced in size. The hunched back straightened. The monstrous silhouette became slimmer… more human.
Max watched in silence, eyes wide.
When the figure stopped in front of him, it was no longer a giant mole.
It was a girl.
Of average height, with messy dark hair falling to her shoulders. Her clothes were made of rough fabrics and leather—practical rather than elegant. But what caught Max's attention the most was her face.
Her features were clearly human… except for small details. Her nose was slightly wider than normal. Her cheeks had a strange softness to them. And her eyes…
Her eyes were closed.
Even so, she was smiling directly at him.
"Don't worry," she said. "I'm not going to eat you."
It took Max a few seconds to react.
"That's… good," he finally replied.
The girl let out a small laugh.
"You say that like you're not completely sure."
"In this place, nothing is certain," he replied.
She nodded, as if that answer pleased her.
"You're right."
She sat down on a nearby rock with complete ease.
"You can call me Mira," she said. "I'm a deep delver."
Max frowned.
"A delver…?"
"A subterranean race," she explained. "Some call us mole-folk. Others call us beasts. Others, monsters. It depends on who survives the encounter."
"I see…" he murmured.
His system didn't appear.
That alone felt… unsettling.
"So," Max continued, "you brought me here?"
"I found you collapsed," Mira replied. "If I'd left you there, the damp soil would've swallowed you before any beast did."
"That sounds… reasonable."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Your body is in terrible condition."
"I've been hearing that a lot lately."
Mira smiled a little more.
"I don't mean it as criticism. It's an observation. Your bones are weak, your energy is chaotic… and yet you're still alive."
Max let out a dry laugh.
"That's my system's fault."
"Ah, yes…" she said. "That."
Max fell silent.
"…Can you sense it?" he asked.
"Not see it," Mira replied. "But I can hear it."
"Hear it…?"
She placed her palm against the ground.
"The earth speaks," she said. "And when you're near… it lies."
Max felt a chill run down his spine.
"So I'm not crazy."
"No," she said firmly. "Your system isn't broken. It's… inverted."
Max exhaled slowly.
"That explains everything," he murmured. "Every time it promises me strength, I grow weaker. Every time it says I'll die… I survive."
"Because it feeds on negation," Mira continued. "On contradiction. On impossibilities."
"Liar System…" Max whispered.
The girl tilted her head.
"Nice name."
"I didn't choose it," Max said, staring at the cave ceiling.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Mira stood up.
"Rest a little longer," she said. "Your body isn't ready to move yet."
"And what if my system tells me I should stay here?"
She smiled, amused.
"Then you definitely shouldn't."
Max laughed.
"I guess I've learned that lesson already."
Mira turned and began walking deeper into the cave.
"When you're fully awake," she added, "we'll talk about how to survive down here."
"Why help me?" Max asked.
She stopped.
"Because the earth told me this isn't your end yet."
Max closed his eyes, smiling.
"I hope that… for once… it's not lying."
And for the first time since he fell into the abyss, he slept without nightmares.