"Hey! Hello, vampire!" The man who opened the door was wearing a suit, but his face was pale, dark circles under his eyes were bruised, and his uncombed black hair made him look like someone on the verge of collapsing from overwork. And he didn't look like a vampire at all.
He yawned a few times. Raika, eyes still closed, whispered to him in a tone only the two of them could hear:
"Wh-What's his name?" The man chuckled softly, running a hand through his white hair.
"It's the best thing you'll ever see! It's my name! Haaa-chooo!" A strange atmosphere filled the room. Raika's eyes were full of "Are you serious?" while the man's gaze screamed "I'm serious." Achoo, however, was absolutely dead serious.
Raika looked at the man, the man looked at Hapşu, and Hapşu wasn't looking at anyone.
"My name is- Achoo!"
"Raika, every time this guy tries to say his name, he say achoo! So everyone just started calling him Achoo, got it?"
"But my name is— haaa-chooo!" Hapşu went inside to grab a tissue. Actually, I kinda enjoy saying 'Achoo', it's fun.
Raika took a deep breath and began to calm down.
"Okay, so why did we come here?" The man started laughing oddly.
"Why, you ask? To get my sword, of course!" Raika placed his hand on his chin and started thinking.
"The sword… Sangsang… Sangsang Chikin?" The man pointed at Raika with two fingers again.
"Bingo!"
"My God… what's up with this imaginary chicken?!" The man, ignoring Raika, continued waiting for the sword.
Achoo brought the sword, and it was so clean and flawless, not a single speck of dust could be seen on it. It had a minimalist, elegant design, reminiscent of a katana. Like his haori, the blade's tip faded from purple to white as it neared the tsuba. The tsuba itself was a simple blend of yellow and black, while the hilt was entirely black. Honestly, aside from its name, it was quite a good sword.
Who else would name their sword "imaginary chicken"? Your Mo- alright, this joke is out of place
The man quickly grabbed the sword in his hand.
"My sweet Sangsang Chikin." The man probably cared more for the sword than for himself.
Raika stared at him blankly, then started a conversation.
"Did you come all the way here just to get the sword?" The man nodded, still inspecting the sword.
"We're running, Achoo!" The man started walking away from the house. When Raika and Hapşu locked eyes, Raika nervously joined him.
"Achoo, tell me about it later," Raika mumbled as he entered the house.
"Hey, where are we going now?"
"Where? You said the animals mutated, so that means… Dungeons exist!"
"That's not wrong, but…"
"But?"
"Either you sneak in and die, or you prove your strength." Raika turned to the man.
"Long story short, first stop: Konyon!" The man processed the sentence, and it stuck in his brain.
"So what do you call those who prove themselves? Super dungeon cleaners?" He asked, both excited and indifferent.
"Of course not! They're called Sieo, you get it?" The man processed the word 'Sieo' in his mind.
"Okay, but what happened to you?" Raika raised his head, wiping his nose proudly.
"Me? Of course, I proved myself. I'm a level 12 Sieo warrior!"
"Level what?"
"Level 20…" The man barely held back his laughter.
"So, am I level 20?" The man stared at Raika.
"No, no! First, you have to prove yourself. You need a spirit that desires you. Since the animals ate your body, spirits came to this world!"
"Ah ta— wait, spirits?!"
"Huh? Yeah, why are you so surprised?"
They continued through the forest. Why so much forest? Because they were in a rural area. I didn't lead them into the forest just for fun.
"This way, not that way," Raika pointed toward a rocky area and they started heading down that path.
"Ah, would you believe me if I said I sensed a familiar spirit?" The man squinted his eyes, looking ahead.
"I'd believe it. After all, if you're immortal, there's a chance you can see spirits."
"How long will it take to reach Konyon?"
"Two days without eating or drinking."
"If we run?"
"Still one day without eating or drinking."
"Really? I'm fast at running though," the man laughed and took a running stance, then sprinted ahead.
"Hey, wait for me, you idiot!" Raika started running after him.
I'll speed up this part—both of them ran for a while until they reached a rocky area. There, the man carried Raika on his back, and after a short rest, they continued. Finally, they arrived in Konyon, but it took almost a day.
However, in front of them, there was only the sea.
"I think we got the Konyon route wrong," Raika, though irritated, couldn't do anything else and started waiting patiently.
Then, from below the water, a massive door made entirely of water appeared.
"Here it is, Konyon!" Raika grinned widely, with a determined look in his eyes, placing both hands on his hips, which annoyed the man.