There Is No World For ■■
Chapter 132: There Is No Disaster For The Protagonist (2)

* * *

Yeomyeong awoke from a deep slumber.

It felt like he had just been dreaming but couldn’t remember the dream.

Like all the now-irretrievable happiness in his life, all that remained of the dream was a faint tear.

As he wiped the tear away, a familiar voice called out to him.

“You’re awake?”

Still standing at the hazy boundary between dream and reality, Yeomyeong finally looked up. Seti, sitting beside him, was silhouetted against the blazing sun, watching over him.

“How’s your body? It looked like you were having a good dream.”

As Seti spoke, she tapped his forehead playfully. Still dazed, Yeomyeong looked at her and tried to recall his last memory before falling asleep.

Unidentified mana burst out from the stabilized Dimensional Portal.

Seeing the group left vulnerable, he executed a Quake Stomp without a moment’s hesitation.

There wasn’t enough time to save himself, but the others, including the Saintess…

“…What happened to others? Are they safe?”

“Yeah, everyone’s safe thanks to you. But…”

Seti trailed off, turning her gaze away. Following her line of sight, Yeomyeong immediately fell at a loss for words.

The first thing he noticed was the endless, wide horizon.

The landscape beyond was so desolate it looked utterly bleak. Not a single tree was in sight, not even a blade of grass.

All he could see were rocks, gravel, and dry sand.

A rocky desert?

A scene he had only read about in books or seen on TV. Yeomyeong rubbed his eyes and pinched his cheek. It hurt.

So this wasn’t a dream? Then…

“…We crossed the Dimensional Portal?”

That was the answer. When Yeomyeong turned to Seti for an explanation, she could only smile bitterly.

“…This was the only way to save you.”

With that, she began to recount the reason they had crossed the Dimensional Portal.

Starting from how Soe Miri had managed to grab his hand to the two leaping through the Dimensional Portal together.

Yeomyeong’s expression didn’t soften throughout her explanation—especially when Seti reached the part when she had tried to stab herself.

Gripping her hand tightly, he spoke with a serious tone.

“…Don’t you ever do that again.”

She couldn’t promise him, but Seti nodded and said she wouldn’t. Finally, she added an explanation about their surroundings.

After crossing the portal, they found themselves in a desert but she couldn’t identify the location.

Hearing this, Yeomyeong narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Were there any signs of people or animals nearby?”

“No, I surveyed the area while you were asleep… there’s nothing out there.”

“No valleys or mountains?”

“None. No matter where you go, it’s only rocks and sand. But I found something we can use as a landmark—a large bizarre rock formation over there….”

Seti started drawing a rough map with her finger.

As Yeomyeong studied the makeshift map, something clicked in his mind. He smiled instinctively upon recognizing the place.

“…The Southern Demon Domain.”

“Huh?”

“There are only two rocky deserts beyond the Dimensional Portal—Barley Desert and the Southern Demon Domain. But you’d be able to see the Dwarven Mountain Range in the east if this were the Barley Desert.”

“…”

“Since you said you couldn’t see anything, then this place must be the Southern Demon Domain.”

After concluding with that, he stood up and offered his hand to Seti, helping her to her feet. He turned his gaze beyond the horizon and spoke again.

“Let’s get moving. If this really is the Southern Demon Domain… we need to cover as much ground as possible before nightfall.”

“…?”

“As for food and water… we’ll have to rely on mana for as long as we can. If we’re lucky, we might run into nomads or slave traders…”

Yeomyeong continued explaining, but Seti interrupted him with a look of surprise.

“W-wait, Yeomyeong. Just a moment.”

“What’s wrong?”

“…How do you know all this?”

Yeomyeong shrugged and replied casually.

“I saw it in a documentary.”

“…A documentary?”

“Yeah, it was my only hobby.”

Watching Yeomyeong smile faintly, she realized she didn’t know much about him.

His favorite food, his taste in clothes, his hobbies…

Fortunately, there was plenty of time before they could return to Earth and there wasn’t anyone to interrupt their time together either.

Maybe this is the perfect opportunity for us to grow closer through adversity.

While she entertained such thoughts, Yeomyeong started walking, using the shadows to guide their way.

Seti quickly grabbed her hammer and gun and hurried after him. Her heart was bursting with excitement at the thought of having personal conversations with Yeomyeong.

However, crossing the desert wasn’t as romantic as she had imagined.

Walking under the scorching sun without a drop of water made it difficult to even open her mouth, let alone start a conversation.

Although they were both Superhumans, they had already expended a lot of their stamina in the sewers.

Even with mana enhancing their bodies, exhaustion arose quickly.

And by the time the sun dipped toward afternoon, Seti had a bitter taste lingering in her mouth.

The accompanying faint dizziness and trembling legs were unwelcome bonuses.

The only reason she hadn’t collapsed yet was because Yeomyeong had taken her hammer and let her rest periodically.

“Just hang in there a little longer. You’ll have water soon.”

Every time Seti’s steps faltered, Yeomyeong encouraged her. She nodded, biting down on a small stone.

She had heard that biting a stone could help stimulate saliva, easing thirst, and surprisingly, it worked better than expected.

At least something from those documentaries had proven useful in the wild.

“…I found it.”

And shortly after, Yeomyeong really did find a place that might have water.

To be precise, a place that ‘ought to have water ’.

“I’ll find it soon. Just rest for now.”

They had arrived at a spot with a few green plants growing sporadically.

Yeomyeong explained that plants were a sign that water was close.

Yet, there was no oasis or pond in sight.

Although Seti questioned it inwardly, she didn’t doubt Yeomyeong and waited for him.

Yeomyeong began checking the sand around the plants and, as soon as he found a clump of dense soil, he started digging.

“…Should I help?”

Seti asked, but Yeomyeong shook his head.

“It’ll be tough. I can handle this on my own. You should just get some rest.”

As if proving his point, Yeomyeong dug through the dirt with his bare hands, even going as far as to use mana to make the process faster.

After he had dug about a meter into the ground, damp soil, almost like mud, began to emerge.

“Oh?”

From then on, everything progressed smoothly. As Yeomyeong dug a little deeper, the sound of water bubbling could be heard.

“For real…?”

He had actually found water in the desert based on information he saw in a documentary?

As Seti blinked in surprise, Yeomyeong chuckled and explained.

“This is probably a well made by nomads or traders long ago. It was just buried in the sand and became invisible.”

“There are wells even in the desert?”

“When it rains in the desert, water will flow underground… And if it’s a low area compared to the surroundings, there’s bound to be groundwater.”

As she looked around again, she noticed that the entire sector was composed of hills. Seti gazed at Yeomyeong with a mix of amazement and admiration.

Soon after, he drank some water and made space for her. Seti stepped into the spot Yeomyeong had dug up and drank from the water pooling there.

The underground water in the desert was sweet—the sweetest water she had tasted in her life.

However, after quenching her thirst, anxiety overtook her joy.

Was she really going to have to march for a long time after this?

Wishing she at least had a water pouch or even a pet bottle, Seti couldn’t shake the feeling of regret.

She rummaged through her pockets, wondering if there was anything that could help. Of course, there was nothing.

They were dragged into the sewers and crossed a Dimensional Portal without any time to prepare—

…Huh?

Just then, Seti detected something odd in the pocket of her outer jacket.

An item with something round protruding inside a square plastic wrapper.

As soon as she saw it, Seti flinched and froze in shock. It was undeniably the most recognizable contraceptive device from Earth.

…Why is this even in my pocket?

In her flustered state, memories of what occurred just before she was forcibly summoned to the sewers flashed through her mind.

Her sisters who had been babbling about the progress between her and Yeomyeong … They were definitely the culprits.

Neti, or Siri.

Have those bitches gone completely insane…?!

Seti gritted her teeth and tried to tear the contraceptive device apart. But the moment she gripped it tight with both hands…

“Seti, what are you doing? Are you still drinking water…?”

Yeomyeong peeked over the well, and their eyes met.

“…”

A gaze mixed with surprise and a peculiar silence.

Seti’s face flushed red, as if it were about to burst.

She tried to come up with an excuse, but Yeomyeong beat her to it.

“…Did you know? A condom can hold anywhere from 1 liter to 4 liters of water, depending on its size.”

“…”

“Just when we needed a water pouch, how fortunate. Right?”

His tone was filled with consideration, as if trying to avoid making her feel embarrassed.

Feeling as if her head might explode at any moment if she met Yeomyeong’s gaze, Seti lowered her head, unable to hold her ground any longer.

* * *

Fortunately, the two didn’t get the opportunity to use their ‘creative’ water pouch (?).

While estimating the direction using the setting sun, Yeomyeong spotted smoke rising in the distance, which led them to find the desert nomads.

Upon noticing their approach, the nomads brandished weapons and tried to drive them away. It was only natural.

A pair of men and women in school uniforms wandering in the middle of the desert?

To people not familiar with it, they definitely looked like monsters from the Demon Domain.

However, as soon as Yeomyeong handed them the creative water pouch, their attitude made an about turn and the nomads welcomed them as guests.

- Those who brought water were guests, no matter who they were.

This was a tradition among desert nomads according to Yeomyeong, but Seti, who didn’t understand much, could only nod along.

In any case, the lifestyle of the nomads in the Demon Domain wasn’t that different from nomads on Earth.

They wore loose, layered clothing that covered their entire bodies for insulation and lived in tent-like homes made of cloth and leather over sturdy wooden supports and beams. They also raised livestock in these tents.

The only difference was that they were orcs, not humans.

…Right, orcs.

The nomads were all muscular with green skin, flat noses, and protruding tusks.

* * *

“…It’s my first time seeing an orc in person.”

Seti said as they entered the guest tent the orc had guided them to.

Yeomyeong, who was sitting on the floor and massaging his calves, tilted his head in surprise.

“Really? That’s unexpected.”

“Huh? This isn’t your first time, Yeomyeong?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen one in Incheon before.”

“Incheon? How? It’s illegal for orcs to cross the Dimensional Portal.”

It was a reasonable question, but Yeomyeong’s answer was simple.

“Black market.”

“Ah….”

If it were the Incheon black market, it would make sense. Seti nodded and then began to massage her legs just like Yeomyeong.

Having been overworked all day, her calf muscles were now twitching. Exhaustion and pain washed over her.

If they weren’t Superhumans with Regeneration ability, their muscle soreness would have required days of recovery for an average person.

“How long do you think it will take us to get out of this Demon Domain?”

After a while of massaging her legs, Seti suddenly asked out of curiosity.

“At this pace? Perhaps a week? Honestly, this is already fast, but I’d estimate around a week.”

“A whole week?”

“Not exactly, It’s just my estimate.”

Yeomyeong smiled as if telling her not to worry too much, but considering how he had navigated through the desert today, he was probably right—it would probably take about a week.

A week in a desert like this? Seti massaged her throbbing temples and asked.

“That sounds tough.”

She was glad that she at least had Yeomyeong by her side… While Seti was having such thoughts, Yeomyeong spoke in a low voice.

“We’ll have to observe the situation, but… I think there might be a way to shorten the time needed.”

“A way? What do you mean?”

“Well, the orcs here are actually….”

Just as he was about to continue his explanation…

A deep orc voice boomed from outside the tent.

“Guests!! The chieftain has invited you to dinner!!!”

The booming voice was loud enough to shake the tent.

Seti’s delicate brows furrowed as her conversation with Yeomyeong was suddenly cut off, but Yeomyeong rose from his seat with a calm expression.

“…Are you going to accept the invitation?”

“We have no choice. It would be rude for a guest to refuse their host’s invitation. We have to go along with it, don’t we?”

Was this also one of their traditions? Realizing she had no choice, Seti followed suit and stood up.

“I hope they don’t serve us anything weird.”

“I doubt it. Orcs’ tastes aren’t that different from humans’.”

“Really? Then what do they primarily eat? Bread? Porridge? Dairy products?”

Since they were nomads, it was probably dairy products. Seti thought of cheese. However, Yeomyeong’s answer shattered her expectations.

“Spam.¹”

“…Are you joking? Or is it just a name coincidence?”

“No, it’s the Spam we know. That’s really their staple food.”

Footnotes

1. 1. Spam is a very popular canned food in Korea. It is a processed canned pork and ham made by Hormel Foods Corporation, an American multinational food processing company.