The discussion with Vlad had just ended.Ethan was about to leave.Then—DINGGG!!![WARNING: PENALTY FOR REFUSING THE QUEST IS OCCURING!][FORCEFULLY TRANSPORTING THE USER IN ANOTHER DIMENSION!]“What—”The office around him distorted.The walls stretched upward like melting wax. The floor blurred beneath his feet. The lights flickered violently before shattering into fragments of white.For one weightless second, he felt like he was falling without moving.Then—Cold.His shoes sank into something wet.The smell hit him instantly. Rotting water. Mud. Something dead lingering in the air.The office was gone.He stood in the middle of a swamp.Dark water spread endlessly in every direction. No land. No path. Just black, unmoving water reflecting a gray, lifeless sky. Dead trees rose from the swamp like broken bones, their branches thin and twisted.His brows pulled together.His heartbeat stopped.It genuinely stopped for a split second, like his body didn’t know how to react.Then it