---
After packing up, we continued our journey toward Trowulan. We passed through various places in Yogyakarta before finally arriving in East Java.
"Hey, guys. Should we camp first or keep going without stopping?" Loka asked all of us.
"What do you think, Bima? Can these horses last all night?"
"It looks like they can. These horses are able to go all day without sleep or food. You saw for yourself, Jay, they still look fresh and strong. They don't look tired at all."
"You're right. In that case, let's just continue the journey. We won't stop until we reach Trowulan."
"Alright then."
"If we push these horses, Bima, how long until we arrive?" Jay asked Bima whether they'd arrive quickly.
"If we keep going without stopping, even through the night, we should arrive at Trowulan by tomorrow morning."
"Alright then, let's keep going. I didn't expect we'd arrive this fast."
"You're right, Jay. I didn't expect it either. It's all thanks to these mystical horses. Be thankful to them. If not for them, we wouldn't make it this fast. Hahaha..."
"Hahaha." Everyone laughed.
Bima kept pushing the horse carriage to move at high speed. According to him, these horses could go without food, water, or sleep for an entire day. Their strength was far beyond that of regular horses. Since the horses kept running, we decided to sleep in the carriage, taking turns with Bima as the driver so he could rest too.
Some time later, as the horses continued to run, night began to fall. We were still on the carriage while the horses galloped steadily. Even though it was getting dark and visibility was low, they ran boldly and quickly. They paid no attention to their surroundings, making our journey far smoother than when we traveled by car.
I asked Bima to switch places. I wanted him to rest. The others were already asleep under the beautiful night sky, filled with stars. Bima, who had been driving the carriage for a long time, must have been tired. I wanted him to rest and let me take over the reins.
"Hey Bima, you're not sleeping? Come, let me take over."
"No need, Jay. I'm not sleepy yet. What time is it anyway?"
"Around 9 PM, I think."
"Still not too late, I can keep driving."
"Alright, I'll stay here and keep you company. If you want to sleep, just let me know."
"Alright. Aren't you sleeping, Jay?"
"I slept enough during the day. It'll be hard for me to fall asleep now."
"Haha, I guess you're not the type who takes naps."
"Exactly."
"You must've been really busy back when you were still working," Bima said, asking about Jay's past job.
"Haha, it was pretty normal. Work started at 8 AM, ended at 5 PM, weekends off. That was my life back when the world was still normal," I replied, enjoying talking to Bima.
"Do you still read fantasy novels? Back in high school, you always brought those to class and read them during breaks or free periods."
"The last time I saw them, they were on my office desk and in my boarding house. Now, those books must be destroyed."
"Hahaha, what a shame. Maybe you won't find fantasy novels anymore. In fact, it feels like we're inside a fantasy novel now. Hahaha," Bima joked.
"Hahaha, you're right." I laughed along.
Bima and I talked through the night while the others slept in the carriage. I had offered to take over driving the carriage, but he declined. Since I was wide awake and didn't want to sleep, I kept him company with conversation so he wouldn't get bored.
"Bima! Do you see people ahead on the road?" I saw some figures blocking our path. They were holding weapons and trying to stop our carriage.
"You see them too, Jay? I think they're trying to rob us. Should we fight them?" Bima asked me.
"No need to stop the carriage. Just run through them. I doubt they'll have the guts to stand still in front of six fast-running horses."
"That sounds like a good idea. Alright, I'll do it. Hold on, Jay, I'm going to speed up. Haaa..."
In the middle of the quiet night, ahead on the road we were taking, Bima and I saw people blocking our path, swinging weapons in their hands. I told Bima to keep going. He made the carriage run even faster to scare them away.
"Haaa... Haaa... Haaa..." Bima urged the horses to go faster.
"Hey, stop!" the people yelled at us.
"Stop if you want to live!"
"Hahaha, stupid robbers. You think I'll stop this carriage? Hah!? Get out of my way if you don't want to get hurt!" Bima shouted angrily at them.
"Boss, what do we do? That carriage isn't stopping."
"Tch, we have to stop it. This is our chance to take their stuff!"
"Alright, Boss. We won't move!"
"Heh, so stubborn. Fine, if that's your choice—take this!"
CRASH! (Our carriage rammed into them)
"Aaahh..." They were thrown aside after being hit by our carriage.
"Hahaha, they've got guts."
"Yeah, Bima. It would've been better if they had just moved aside."
Bima, now speeding up the carriage, kept going forward. The robbers, bold as they were, still refused to move out of the way. Because of their stubbornness, they ended up getting hit by our carriage.
"People these days… even in times like this, they still do evil."
"I wonder if they'll be alright."
"Hahaha, don't worry Jay. Even though they were hit, they didn't get run over fatally. I think they'll just end up with a few scrapes and bruises."
"Well, let's hope so."
"With this, maybe no more robbers will appear along this road again."
Two Hours Later…
"Bima, you look sleepy. Want to switch?"
"Ahh. Sorry Jay, you noticed, huh? Alright, I'll take your offer. But, are you sure you can handle it?"
"I think I can."
"Alright, then hold this tight."
"Okay. What else?"
"This carriage won't stop unless you pull the reins really hard. Only do that in emergencies. There's no need to go any faster. Our current speed is more than enough."
"Alright, that's all? I'm sure I can handle this."
"Yes, just hold the reins. If anything goes wrong, yell loudly. I'll wake up and help."
"Got it, Bima. You rest now and recover your energy."
"Okay, I'm going to sleep. Good night."
"Yeah, good night."
I kept Bima company all night until he got sleepy so we wouldn't get into any accidents. Around midnight, I asked to switch with him as I saw he was dozing off. He handed me the reins and explained how to handle the carriage. Once I understood, I told him to rest so he wouldn't be exhausted when we arrived.
"Alright, my friends are all asleep now. I need to drive this carriage well so we can arrive early and meet him in front of the Dungeon."
---
Malang, East Java
Morning...
"Hey kid, why do you want to go to that Dungeon? Is there something special there?" Grandpa Tama asked Arya.
"I promised my friends I'd meet them there. Grandpa, do you know anything about that Dungeon?" Arya replied.
"Hmm, I don't really care much about that Dungeon. But people say it's a graveyard for humans. Once you enter the Dungeon gate, you'll never return. Many Players have gone in, even when it first appeared. But none of them have ever come back. That's what I've heard from folks who order weapons from me. I don't know if it's true."
"I see. You're okay with coming along with me?"
"Hah? Wasn't it you who asked me to come along?"
"Yeah, I mean… if you don't want to, I won't force you. But I asked you to come because I really need your skills."
"Hahaha, didn't expect that behind your cold face, you still worry about an old man like me. Well, well. Listen, kid. As long as you keep the promise we made, I don't care what danger comes. That promise is the last one I made to my grandson—one I haven't fulfilled yet."
"Alright. Sooner or later, I'll keep that promise."
"Haha, good to hear."
"Are you ready? We're leaving now."
"Yes, I've got everything prepared. But before we go, can I ask you one thing, Arya?"
"Of course."
"Back then, why didn't you just head straight to Trowulan? It's pretty close from here. Instead, you spent the night in this small village. Isn't that slowing down your journey? You know, compared to Malang or Surabaya, Singosari is just a small place. You'd have found better access and Dungeon info in the big cities."
"Actually, the reason I came here was because there was something I wanted to see before reaching the Dungeon. Besides, if I hadn't come here, I might never have met you, Grandpa Tama."
"Hahaha, you've got a point there. Alright, let's go."
---
To be continued