"What? That's impossible!" Rey blurted out.
"You are lying!" Madan shook his head. "I agree with them." Lan Deming nodded. "We are definitely in a pocket world. Also, it is not possible for any space to be completely locked. Given enough time we can find a way out of here."
Hearing the three, the head started laughing loudly. "Ba ha ha ha! Ba ha ha ha! If this is what you think, then there is no point for us to meet right now. We can meet again in ten years when you are still unable to come to terms with your fate."
Madan was about to say something to the damned head but Liam raised his hand. "What is this beast? Why are we here? Can you tell us more about this place?"
The head snorted in disdain. "Do I look like a damn tour guide to you?"
An uncomfortable silence ensued as the head turned towards the other side but after a few seconds, the head once again turned to face them. "There isn't much to say. Besides, what is the point? You cannot escape from here."
"Even so… we would like to know." Liam politely bowed. "It will be very difficult to live without knowing what happened and why we ended up here."
The head gazed at him impassively for a couple of minutes making everyone uncomfortable before it let out a bored sigh. "Alright. I got the time anyway. What happened to you is really not a mystery. You were sort of kidnapped and brought here. As for why…"
The head suddenly smirked giving a knowing look. "Which world did you boys visit? Nymphoholic? Nymphs-for-live? Nympho Palooza?"
"Nymphomania." Liam answered with a straight face.
Looking at the lack of embarrassment or regret on his face, the head gave another nod. "Oh. So you must be from the second category."
"Are you from a newly integrated world?"
"Fools. You have been scammed." The head laughed heartily. "Think about it. A nice sweet little world without any danger or blood, tokens so easy to obtain, beautiful women waiting to serve you day and night, auctions you can attend to and buy valuable treasures, a high-tier system shop, all served in one big platter."
"Come on. Didn't any of it raise any red flags? Did you think life was just that nice? These myriad worlds are full of conniving snakes and boys, you just got bit by a huge one. This whole thing is a scam."
"Do you still not get it? There are multiple predators lurking in these pleasure worlds and you have fallen into the trap of a particularly nasty one."
"Geliza Salamander is a leech. A leech that loves to slowly consume its prisoners by keeping them inside its body for thousands of years or whatever your pitiful life span is. It has been doing this for countless years and it will continue to do this even after you die."
Everyone stood frozen, utterly shocked by what they were hearing.
"We should have never come here."
"That fucking elf. He is the reason we are in this mess!"
"I knew that bastard would land us in something big. He was a cunning motherfucker. After trapping us, he somehow escaped. He is not even here with us. How the hell did he alone not get caught?"
The head seemed amused at their outrage. "He must have been intelligent enough to not get tagged. Not stupid like you."
Everyone stared at the head with hatred. Wasn't he in the same boat? No one said anything. Clearly, the person was deriving pleasure from their misfortune but the information he was giving out was invaluable.
The head continued. "Or maybe he wasn't a nobody like you. They only take people without any backing you know."
Liam clenched his fist but tried to remain calm. "May I ask how do you know all of this?"
"Well, I am not really a youngblood like you guys. I am actually quite powerful. I once tried fighting with that damned thing and almost won." The head grated his teeth as he recollected. "Almost but not quite."
"The end result is me reduced to this state but that bastard still did not kill me. He gave me the punishment of continuing to be his battery source until the day I die."
"On that note, if any of you are intending to fight the damn beast then make sure you do it with 100% certainty. Otherwise, you will end up just like me."
The group exchanged uneasy glances, absorbing the gravity of the head's warning. The reality of their situation was far worse than any of them could have imagined, trapped not just in a prison but within the very being of a monstrous entity that viewed them as nothing more than a source of sustenance.
Liam, regaining his composure, asked, "Is there really no way to escape? Has no one ever managed to break free from this world?"
The head let out a dry, humorless laugh. "Escape? Many have tried, and all have failed. This creature, this prison, is not just a physical space—it's a manifestation of the Salamander's power, constantly adapting and countering any attempts to breach its defenses."
But," the head paused, a flicker of something that might have been hope in its dead eyes, "there might be a way."
Everyone leaned in, despite the despair, clinging to any thread of possibility.
"You see, the Salamander's strength lies in its ability to consume and assimilate. But every predator has its weaknesses, and its strength is also its greatest vulnerability. It's a part of a cycle, a balance that must be maintained."
"Are any of you seeking the dao of poison or perhaps the dao of space?"
Everyone remained silent for a moment before shaking their heads. "Are you sure?" The head asked again, seemingly unwilling to accept it. "Are you really sure?"
Once again everyone shook their heads.
"Bah! Then what good are you all? Get lost." Without any warning, the head suddenly got hostile and a strong pressure enveloped everyone, almost choking them. "Get the hell out of here!"