The street disappeared.
In the next instant, I was upside down, midair.
Falling.
"FUCK—"
My stomach lurched into my throat as wind rushed past my ears.
I tried to shout for the System, but all that came out was a mangled noise.
As I fell, I caught a glimpse of floating islands linked by curved bridges, stretching across the endless sky. Their shapes blurred past me as I fell.
Down below, Llewellyn stood alone in a grassy field, focused on something near his shoes.
As I plummeted, his head lifted sharply, likely sensing the movement. His eyes locked onto mine.
I was still falling.
Straight toward him.
Llewellyn's expression flattened, visibly processing the exact amount of bullshit happening.
Then, he sighed.
When he moved, he moved so fast I could barely keep track.
A gust of air whipped around him as he shot upward, closing the distance. Before I could react, he caught me. A wheeze clawed its way out of my throat, somewhere between panic and relief.
Llewellyn's grip tightened as his feet touched the ground. Then, with a sharp motion, he hurled me onto the grass.
I hit the ground with a groan.
For a second, I just lay there, coughing, blinking up at the clear sky.
Llewellyn looked down at me.
The sense of déjà vu was uncanny.
"You again," he said. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Still trying to catch my breath, I managed, "Surprise aerial reinforcement?"
Llewellyn's eye twitched. Behind him, the grass rustled, undisturbed.
"I should've let you hit the ground."
I closed my eyes, heart still pounding. I couldn't bring myself to sit up yet.
What was the System up to? Surely it wasn't that stupid to believe I wanted to be literally dropped here?!
Perhaps it wanted me to be indebted to Llewellyn. Hard to back out of a contract whose aim was keeping someone who'd just saved your life safe.
Llewellyn exhaled through his nose.
Right, I was supposed to say something.
"In my defense, I was not given a say in any of that," I added after a moment, opening my eyes.
Llewellyn stared at me for a long second. Then, with the air of a man deeply regretting his life choices, he turned back to what he had been doing.
I watched him kneel, brushing a hand over the grass. A few objects were scattered there—potions, a couple of swords, some low-grade equipment pieces.
"Dungeon drop?" I asked, pushing myself up properly this time—then snorted.
Well. I'd just dropped into a dungeon myself. The joke was on me.
Llewellyn glanced over, one eyebrow slightly raised—not quite amusement, but… not not-it either.
He hummed and lifted one of the swords, turning it slightly in the light before setting it aside. "Standard drops. Some minor gear."
He collected everything, vanishing it into his inventory, then rose to his feet, gaze scanning the landscape.
I dusted off my clothes and took a better look around.
The grass shifted around us, moving in a slow ripple, the breeze cool against my skin. It looked almost peaceful.
Llewellyn turned to me again. "So, what's going on? Is this going to keep happening?"
Damn. Should I tell him?
I guess I could postpone the reveal, but what good would that do?
I tried to appear nonchalant, and said, "I signed a contract."
Llewellyn raised an eyebrow. "A contract?"
"Yeah," I said. "With the System."
Llewellyn stared at me, clearly expecting more.
What should I tell him? I'm your new partner? I'm here to keep you alive? It all sounded ridiculous to me too.
"We might be partnered for a while," I settled on after a pause. "I was asked to provide… uh… tactical support. Sub-DPS, too."
After a moment, Llewellyn sighed. "Great. So, what's your name?"
Wait, really?
"We tackled a Distorted Realm together, you saved my life, threw me to the ground, and only now you're asking?"
He just waited.
"Fine. I'm Ryo."
Llewellyn nodded. He met my gaze briefly, as if assessing something, then turned toward the nearest bridge.
Well!
I followed him, grumbling.
I don't know what I expected, but his reaction—or rather, lack thereof—left me baffled. What was that about? Did he trust the System that much?
I trailed after him as he headed toward the next island.
"What's the plan?" I asked.
"We finish what I started," Llewellyn said. "We need to get to the Knot."
I'd figured as much. That still didn't answer the part I actually wanted to know, though. How were we going to do that?
We crossed onto the bridge.
The stone was smooth and pale and mist clung to it, curling and retreating from our footsteps like it had been disturbed from sleep. The bridge didn't sway, but the islands beyond it seemed to shift slightly in the mist.
Llewellyn spoke without looking at me. "That thing you did in the last Distorted Realm—what was it?"
I blinked. "What? Flagging the Threads?"
"Threads," he muttered.
"Why do you not see them? That doesn't seem practical."
Llewellyn considered that for a moment. "It's probably tied to one of your Attributes."
"…What do you mean?"
"If it was just a Skill or an Ability that could be granted to anyone, the System would have probably granted it to me too, since I'm always fighting Knots. The fact that it hasn't, but has found you instead, makes me assume it's an ability that needs prerequisites. Likely, a specific Attribute."
That made sense. Attributes are non-grantable. They tend to be innate, either based on the character's personal traits or life experiences.
Suddenly, Llewellyn stopped.
"Monsters?" I asked, looking around.
"Monsters," he confirmed.
A second later, the first creature emerged from the grass without a sound—an Earth snake, its body coiling midair before snapping toward us.
Llewellyn's sword moved before I could react, cutting through it and scattering its burning form.
Another rustling—then three more burst from the undergrowth. Llewellyn cut them down just as swiftly.
Damn.
The mist curled tighter around the base of the trees, but nothing else moved.
"Let's move," Llewellyn said.
I let out a breath and fell back into step behind him.
Stone paths wound through patches of moss and wild grass.
As the ground leveled out, the mist lifted and the atmosphere opened up, revealing a walled town ahead—bright and festive.