The wind shifted as Ark and Vishal Bora continued walking.
The tall grass slowly gave way to sand.
The air turned cooler.
Waves.
They could hear waves.
"…A shore?" Ark muttered.
A few more steps—
And the open sea revealed itself, stretching endlessly under the dim sky.
But something else caught their attention.
A figure.
No—
Two.
Someone was getting beaten.
"Hey—what the—" Ark squinted.
As they got closer, the scene became clearer.
A girl stood over a man, casually kicking him while he groaned on the ground.
"…Wait."
Ark's eyes widened.
"…Vinni?!"
Vinni paused mid-kick.
She slowly turned her head.
"…Oh."
Recognition flickered in her eyes.
"Buffer guy."
Ark let out a small breath. "Yeah, it's me—"
Before he could finish—
A blur passed him.
Vishal.
He walked straight toward her, eyes narrowed.
"So," he said flatly, stopping a few steps away, "you're the one who stole my last tail."
Ark blinked. "…Wait—"
"My fame too," Vishal added, voice calm—but sharp.
Vinni stared at him for a second.
Then—
She shoved him aside.
Casually.
Like he wasn't even worth her time.
"Move."
Vishal stumbled half a step, clearly not expecting that.
Ark froze.
"…Did she just—"
Vinni looked at Ark again.
"He's with you?"
Ark nodded quickly. "Yeah, he's with—"
"I still have a problem with you," Vishal cut in, stepping back in.
His tone was colder now.
"You took that last tail."
Ark immediately grabbed his arm.
"Hey—hey—relax."
Vishal clicked his tongue but didn't push further.
For now.
—
They moved a bit away, settling under a nearby tree for shade.
The man Vinni had been beating was left unconscious near the shore.
Ark sat down, still trying to process everything.
"…So… you've been busy."
Vinni shrugged.
"People keep trying to rob me."
Vishal muttered from the side—
"Understandable."
Ark ignored him and continued.
"…We got separated after the teleport. Been trying to regroup."
Vinni nodded slightly.
Then she looked at him more closely.
"…You're the buffer, right?"
Ark blinked.
"…Yeah."
He scratched his cheek.
"I can boost stats over time. It scales depending on mana consumption…"
He trailed off a bit awkwardly, but continued explaining the mechanics.
How it starts small.
How it grows.
How it becomes stronger the longer it stays active.
Vinni listened.
Quietly.
Then—
"…You want mana runes?"
Ark blinked.
"…What?"
Before he could react—
Vinni opened her inventory.
A pile dropped.
No—
A mountain.
Runes spilled onto the sand—glowing, stacked, overwhelming.
Ark's jaw dropped.
"…What the—"
For a second, he genuinely thought he was dreaming.
"…Is this my lucky day?"
But then—
He hesitated.
"…I can't take that."
Vinni raised an eyebrow.
"Why not?"
Ark rubbed the back of his head.
"…We're not exactly… close."
"And?" she replied flatly.
"I need buffs."
She crossed her arms.
"You need mana."
"…This is efficient."
Ark opened his mouth—
Then closed it.
Vinni continued.
"Besides, I got something better."
That caught both their attention.
"…What do you mean?" Ark asked.
She looked at them both.
"The reward I chose."
Her tone shifted slightly.
"…It's a skill rune."
"A really good one."
Vishal scoffed lightly. "Of course it is."
Vinni ignored him.
"It lets me create a clone."
Ark blinked.
"…A clone?"
"With all my stats. All my skills."
Silence.
Ark's eyes widened.
"…That's broken."
Vinni nodded slightly.
"But there's a condition."
She looked down at her hand.
"I need something called… fragments."
"…Which I don't have yet."
Vishal eyes widened suddenly, then he instantly restored his calm composure before anyone could notice.
Ark leaned back slightly, still stunned.
"…That's still insane."
He looked at her, genuinely impressed.
"You basically double your power."
Vinni shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.
From the side—
Vishal suddenly spoke.
"…That's a cheat."
Both of them looked at him.
He crossed his arms, clearly annoyed.
"Why do you get that kind of skill…"
"…and I get this?"
Ark stared at him.
"…You literally teleport five times and kill people instantly."
Vishal frowned.
"…That's different."
Ark deadpanned.
"…How?"
There was a pause.
Then—
"…It just is."
Vinni smirked slightly.
"…Sounds like you're jealous."
Vishal clicked his tongue and looked away, Ark sighed, shaking his head.
These two…
But despite everything—
For the first time since arriving on this new planet, it felt like things were slowly coming together again.