The challenge

"Unfortunately, I can't.", Gen said.

"Hmm? Why?"

"It's ... complicated."

"All right then."

"Really? You don't mind?"

"Imagine, you're not the first mysterious person to come through here. With time and a lot of suffering, everyone opens up and gets friendlier, hahaha."

"What do you mean suffering?!"

"Hahaha, don't get attached to the details, Gen. Come with me."

"Okay."

Gen then started to follow him when suddenly, he stopped and said, "Looks like my time is up."

"Ham? What do you mean?"

Gen then put his hands on his head and knelt on the ground. His eyes began to change again, and he seemed to be feeling a lot of pain until the change in his eyes ended, and then Gen got up off the ground.

Dehji then asked, "Is everything okay with you?"

"Yeah, sometimes I get this bad headache. It rarely comes up, and whenever I get one, it takes at least a month to get one again. The last time I had one was-"

"That's okay. You don't have to tell me about your health problems. I just asked if you were okay."

"But you just asked me to tell you about it."

"What? Me?"

"Yes, after I got up, you asked if everything was okay, and I said yes and that it was just a headache. You then said, 'Tell me more.', and asked me to follow you."

Hearing this, Dehji thought, 'It seems he doesn't remember certain parts of our previous conversation, and his brain is trying to fit the parts he does remember in somewhere.'

He then said, "Oh, that's right, I did say that, but I wanted to know just a little more about it. So when you started going on and on, I cut you off. Well, forget it. We're here. Let me show you around. You'll love it."

Gen then thought, 'He seems to have a memory problem, I better let it go.', and then said, "OK."

Dehji and Gen then went through a door and came out into another hall. The only thing that existed there were four doors.

Dehji then started walking towards the leftmost door, and when he reached it, he told Gen, "This is the kitchen.", and then opened the door and walked through it.

Gen couldn't see what was on the other side, even with the door open, but without a second thought, he followed him through it.

On the other side, Gen saw a vast kitchen. It looked like the kind of kitchen a king would have in his palace. Dehji then said, "This kitchen has every kind of food you can imagine. The only thing it doesn't have is a cook, so you better know how to cook, or you'll be eating fruits, hahaha.", He then went back through the same door, and Gen followed him.

Dehji started to go to the second door from left to right. He then opened it, and Gen followed him. On the other side, Gen saw a massive room with a bed that could easily fit three people and some typical bedroom furniture. Dehji then said, "Here, as should be very obvious, is your room. In the corner, there is a bathroom, and over here on the side, we have a closet for you to store your things."

Gen then looked towards the closet and saw some backpacks on the floor, and then said, "My stuff!"

"Yes, that's what I said. Put them in your closet so we can continue."

"... Okay."

Gen then quickly put his backpacks in the closet and then said, "Done."

"Okay, let's go then."

Dehji then left the room with Gen. They went back to the hall, and then Dehji went towards the next door and walked through it with Gen.

As they entered, Gen saw a huge open court. There, he could see some training dolls, a drawing on the floor that went all the way around the court, and various types of weapons resting on different wooden frames. Some of them had spears, others hammers, others swords, and so on.

Dehji then said, "This is the training room. You can exercise your body here if you need to. There are all kinds of weapons if you need them. You can use these dolls without worrying about breaking them, they are very resistant, and in case they break, in that building in the back, there are thousands of them, so don't be worried about giving your all."

"... okay, Dehji, I want to ask you something."

"Oh, about that drawing on the floor? If I'm correct, it's for you to run. Just pick a pair of lines and follow them as you run around."

"That's not it."

"What's it about then?"

"Well, everything you've shown me so far gives me the impression that you're expecting me to spend a lot of time here, but the reality is, I plan on doing the ordeal as soon as possible and leave. Don't take me wrong, but I've rented a camel, and if I don't return it in a week, I'll lose sixty silver coins."

"Gen, what are you talking about?"

"Well, maybe you don't know, and I don't blame you. I didn't know either, but when you rent a camel, depending on where you plan to go, the store charges a guarantee, so in case something happens to the camel, the store-"

"That's not what I'm talking about. What do you mean, get out of here as fast as possible? You know that you can only leave here in a year, right?"

"A year?! What do you mean?!"

"So you really didn't know? How did you get in here then?"

"What do you mean 'how'? I just came here to look for the ruins of-"

"Door of comprehension."

"Yeah, for the Door of comprehension, and that's it, here I am."

Dehji then said, "So you're going to tell me that you came here on your birthday by coincidence."

"Yes. It turned out to be the day that everything I needed was ready. And what does my birthday have to do with it? And besides, I don't remember telling you it was my birthday."

"So you really don't know about the condition?"

"What condition?"

"Outside these ruins, there is a barrier that prevents anyone from finding it. The only day anyone can enter is on their birthday, to be more exact, the moment they were born."

"Are you serious?!"

"Yes, why would I lie?"

"So, from what I understand, you are saying that I can only leave one year from now on my birthday?!"

"Yeah."

"That can't be!"

"Relax, a year goes by really fast. You won't even feel it, hahaha."

"I can't wait a year. I have to return the camel in a week. Otherwise, I lose sixty silver coins, and by the way, where is it? Is the next room where the animals are kept?"

"About the next room, the answer is no. And about the camel, if you two don't share the same birthday, it's outside."

"What?! You need to bring it in. I can't lose all that money!"

"Sorry, I can't. You better worry about these things a year from now. Come on, let's go to the next room."

Dehji then started walking towards the door and walked out the door, and Gen, after a few moments, went after him.

Back in the lobby, Dehji went towards the last door, but this time, he didn't go in, and then he asked, "Gen before you go in this door, I need to know how old you are today."

"Twenty."

"Hmmm, ok. Then it will be two times."

"Two times what?"

"Nothing, don't worry."

"Every time you say that, I get more worried."

"Come on, I'll show you the last room."

He then opened the door and walked through it with Gen right behind him.

As he reached the other side, Gen felt a heat that he was used to. He then looked around and realized that he was in the middle of the desert, and then asked, "You have a desert in one of the rooms?"

"Yes."

"What is the meaning of the desert?"

"This is where the challenge is held."

"In the middle of this desert?"

"Yes, you need to find something in the middle of this desert."

"Find what?"

"I can't tell you."

"It's not buried, right?"

"Don't worry, you don't need to waste your time digging."

"Good."

"Ok, see you tomorrow."

"What?! What do you mean?"

"When you start the challenge, you can only leave after a day in it."

"And when did the challenge start?"

"Right after you got through the last door."

"What?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Sorry, my mistake. Well, it's time for me to go."

Dehji then started to go through the door, and Gen then said, "Wait, let me at least get-", but before he could finish, Dehji had already disappeared through the door.

Gen then thought, 'Why did the challenge have to be in the desert!', and then he started walking, looking for something he had no idea what it was.