Akira stood there, staring at the placid surface of the lake.

If it were anywhere else, the little animals like the toads would have found their way into the lake, creating ripples left and right, but there was no such thing here.

This was both a blessing and a curse.

A blessing in the fact that if any ripples appeared on the surface of the lake, it was a sign not to jump in at any cost.

Not that it was any safer to jump in at any other time, but jumping in when one saw ripples only meant a faster death was at hand.

This was because the lake only ripples whenever the mechanism that changes the streets activates. And that meant the gear teeths would tear into whoever trespassed without even noticing they were there.

But it was also a curse in the fact that staring at such a still lake was a constant reminder of just where they were. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The Underneath.

There was no breeze here to ripple the surface of the water, no aquatic animals to swim inside the lake, and very little number of those around, willing to even stay there for any reason at all.

She heard the footsteps coming behind her, but she didn’t even bother to turn.

Not because she was trying to be cool or was confident in her ability to block an attack from the back, but because she’d already used [Kairos Fillet] to check and make sure nobody would try to stab her in the back.

She smirked at that. The [Item] was really fun to have.

"Akira." Holly’s voice came from behind her. "I brought the person you wanted."

Akira turned back slowly to see Holly walk up to her with a short man following behind her.

The man was human, which was obvious due to his normal looking ears, wheat colored skin, and the fact that there was no such race as Dwarves in existence, no matter how many people try to categorize others as such.

After all, every race had dwarves, so they couldn’t simply be categorized as an independent race.

Even the Tower itself designates them as their original races, not dwarfs.

And Akira had to admit that calling a short elf and a short human a new race was funny as hell.

The man had dark beady eyes, with a shaved head and a full beard, which flowed down to his stomach and was bound in several places by what looked like colored linens.

"Hiya!" The man said, his white teeth shining through his beard in a grin. "I’m Erik."

Akira shook the man’s hand. "I’m Akira. You must be the one Holly found for me?"

"Yeah." Holly nodded. "Erik’s the one that actually oversees the food growing around here. He’s a [Druid], and with his vines, he can help you climb up to the ceiling, and even secure anything you want up there."

Akira’s mouth widened into an excited grin. "He’s literally perfect for the job."

"Such high praise." Erik laughed, stroking his beard. "I’d rather die than disappoint."

Holly sighed, her hand coming up to cover her face. "No one asked you to die, Erik."

"I swore on my honor, woman!" Erik called out, striking a pose. "The fire already burns through my heart. It must be put to work, or I shall be burnt from the inside by the hands of my own word."

"I..." Akira blinked, "don’t know what that means but okay. Let’s get to work."

She turned, and began making her way along the edge of the pool. Erik turned to give Akira a wide grin and a thumbs up, before following after his employer.

Holly simply sighed and watched them leave. A few seconds later, a voice spoke from her left.

"That man is always way too enthusiastic."

"Fucking hell!" Holly’s head snapped to the left, her hand coming up to clutch her beating heart. "You scared me."

Bull said nothing to that, simply chuckling.

"When did you get here?" Holly asked with a frown. She hadn’t even noticed when the man had been standing beside her. In fact, she still had no idea what the man’s class was. And that was because he was the one who did the asking of questions, not the answering of them.

And with his power, no one here could force him to talk if he didn’t want to.

Even Holly was aware of the rumors that Bull was a part of the Infinity Guild, but she didn’t know if that was true or simply speculation. But she did know that the man was formidable.

"I’ve been here for a while," Bull answered, his eyes on Akira and Erik in the distance. "And I like our chances."

Holly stared at Bull for a few seconds before speaking. "Is Akira really going to succeed?"

Bull shrugged. "Who knows? Life has always favored the bold, and that woman is as bold as they come."

There was a moment of silence before he continued.

"But of all the attempts I’ve witnessed to find a way out of here, this one is the most promising. Akira intends to use brute force against the planned strategies of the Underneath."

"And against overwhelming power, all tricks are useless."

Holly slowly began to allow the seed of hope to appear in her heart. ’Is this it? Is this my time to finally get out of here?’

She held a tight grip on the feeling blossoming in her chest, keeping it in place. It was better to simply have low expectations. That way, if they fail, it won’t be so disappointing.

She glanced behind her in the direction of their settlement. "When are we telling the others?"

Bull exhaled slowly, keeping his eyes forward. "We’re not."

Holly frowned. "We’re not?"

"If Akira’s plan works, the way out would be open for just a few precious seconds. And in that time, a lot could happen."

"If everyone was here, they’d rush for the opening. And they’d do anything to get out of this place. That includes pushing you out of the way.... and killing you."

He finally turned to look her in the eyes. "I know you’re a good person, Holly. But you have to make a choice."

"Only you, I, Erik, and Akira know what will happen here. Would you speak up and give up what could possibly be your only chance of getting out of here?"

"Or would you stay silent to ensure your escape, even if it meant damning everyone else?"

Holly stayed silent, but the answer was already in her eyes.

Bull gave her a gentle smile, with a few taps on her shoulder.

"Good choice."