Days later, Sunless sat atop the corpse of a scavenger, wiping the bluish blood from his face with his sleeve. His expression was serene, almost indifferent, while the sword—still embedded between the plates of the creature's chitinous armor—trembled slightly.
The massive body gave its last spasms before falling completely still.
[Your shadow grows stronger.]
Behind him, the sound of cracking carapace already echoed through the narrow corridor.
Ariandel and Nephis were busy extracting the soul fragments from the mutilated bodies of the creatures they had slain. After dozens of battles like this, the three had become a well-tuned machine—precise, efficient, and relentless.
Sunless cast a glance at the scene of carnage around him. The path between the crimson walls was littered with grotesque corpses.
Originally, the plan was simple: lure the Carapace Centurion that had been hunting them for days into this tight corridor, where its size would become a liability. But chaos ensued when other creatures—drawn by the sound of battle—arrived: the scavengers and the centipedes, natural enemies.
In the ensuing turmoil, Sunless, Ariandel, and Nephis manipulated the animosity between the monster tribes to their advantage, emerging as the sole victors.
Two weeks had passed since they had left the cliffs. In that time, much had changed—though some things remained constant.
Traveling from one high point to another, the quartet moved steadily westward, carefully scouting each new route before committing to longer treks. This minimized the risk of being caught in another storm, ensuring they could retreat to a safe landmark if needed.
Their approach to traversing the labyrinth had also evolved. Before, they avoided confrontations whenever possible, facing scavengers only when unavoidable.
But the battle with the Centurion had altered their perspective. They needed to grow stronger—and fast.
Now, they actively hunted the carapace creatures, targeting those that were isolated or in small packs. It was a mad undertaking: three Sleepers deliberately facing Awakened Rank Nightmare Creatures. Yet somehow, they managed.
As Ariandel had said, they were abnormal.
Speaking of him, with his "new" Aspect, the Illustrious Artisan of Fantasy had not only changed but become mortally efficient. His "soul frost" was a monstrous power: each arrow loosed from his bow not only pierced the beasts's chitinous armor but also imbued them with a freezing curse that left them at the mercy of his allies.
And there was no doubt: somehow, the Illustrious Artisan of Fantasy kept growing stronger, even without soul fragments or direct kills…
Meanwhile, Nephis continued to grow in power steadily. Each soul fragment she consumed propelled her beyond human limits. The transformation was subtle, almost imperceptible at first, but with accumulation, it became impossible to ignore.
Sunless, too, progressed at a comparable pace, even though for him the accumulation of fragments was only part of the equation—his body, forged by the hardships of the Dream Realm, grew stronger each day, albeit gradually.
The true catalyst, however, was the merciless training. Under Nephis's guidance, Sunless learned to wield his sword with lethal efficiency. Ariandel, for his part, with his mental and emotional precision, challenged him to reach new heights of relentless focus.
But the key to their survival—and victory—lay not only in individual power. It lay in teamwork.
After countless battles fought side by side, the three developed an instinctive synchronicity. Their movements were coordinated, their actions complementary. With no need for words, they struck as one, turning the battlefield into a display of lethal precision.
Progress was tangible. The group was no longer a band of desperate survivors. Now they were hardened warriors, a force to be reckoned with.
Even Cassia, in her own way, was growing. Though her blindness remained a challenge, she was learning to live with it. Each soul fragment she absorbed strengthened her, and the girl who had once seemed a burden was now finding her place in the group.
Surprisingly, Sunless began to find comfort in caring for her. There was something soothing in the simplicity of their interactions, something that helped him maintain his sanity amid the infernal surroundings.
The castle, once a distant dream, now seemed within reach. And, for the first time in a long while, Sunless felt they stood a chance.
Leaping down from the scavenger's corpse, Sunless retrieved his sword and whistled, signaling to Cassia that it was safe to emerge.
She emerged from a small opening in the coral wall, placing her feet on the ground carefully. Using her staff for support, the young blind woman stood, tilting her head slightly as she listened to the soft sound of his approaching footsteps.
Sunless came to her, took her hand, and gently guided it to his shoulder. Carefully avoiding the puddles of blood on the ground, he led her toward the Echo.
"Did the centipedes show up?"
During their journey through the labyrinth, they discovered that scavengers were not the only creatures that inhabited that place. Diverse types of monsters lived in the crimson forest, hidden in the reefs at night and emerging to hunt at dawn.
Sentient colonies of carnivorous worms attacked from beneath the black mud. Predatory flowers strangled their victims with blood-sucking vines. Translucent tentacles rose up to drag carcasses—or still-living prey—into cavernous fissures.
And those were only some of the horrors they encountered. All the monsters in the labyrinth were at least Awakened Rank, living off the remains left by the predators of the dark sea. Whenever possible, they devoured one another—and, of course, would not hesitate to attack the four humans on their trail.
Fortunately, the carapace legion dominated that region of the crimson reef. Their massive bodies, sturdy armor, and physical strength made them formidable adversaries. Dealing with a predictable enemy was preferable to facing unknown dangers at every turn.
The centipedes, however, were a new challenge. Over three meters long, they bore a gleaming red carapace and hundreds of legs that moved with absurd speed.
These agile monsters climbed walls, ran across the mud, and ambushed their prey by dropping down from high points. Worse still, they secreted a corrosive black oil that melted even robust armor in seconds. Their only weakness was their relatively brittle carapace, vulnerable to well-placed strikes.
Sunless answered without looking back, "Seven of them. And some scavengers too. We let them fight among themselves while Arian harried them from a distance. In the end, we finished off the survivors."
Cassia swallowed hard.
"Did anyone get hurt?"
"Nothing our armor couldn't withstand."
"And the Centurion?"
He looked at the monster's body, half covered in icy crystals, and smiled.
"It won't bother us again."
That was the second awakened monster they had defeated since entering the Dream Realm. Compared to the first encounter, this battle was much smoother. No one nearly died, and no one suffered serious injuries.
"How many soul fragments did we get?" Cassia asked.
"Fourteen," Sunless replied, after counting mentally.
"Our biggest hunt yet!" she said, smiling.
"Yes," he agreed.
However, frustration lingered. None of them had received a Memory in the past two weeks, despite so many victories. It was as if the Spell had chosen to deprive them of further rewards.
'It's never enough!'
Sunless sighed. He and Cassia had a game: they dreamed about what they'd buy when they returned to the real world, rich and victorious. But for that, they'd need Memories to auction.
Upon reaching the Echo, Sunless chided the scavenger:
"Hey, you! Stop chewing!"
The Echo obeyed immediately, a piece of meat still hanging from its mouth.
"Spit that out!"
After helping Cassia mount the Echo, he shook his head.
"Why, of all the Echos, did I have to end up with this defective one?"
Cassia laughed. "Don't say that! He's a great Echo."
'Ah, now it's "he"?' Sunless thought, amused.
After stowing the centurion's meat in the seaweed pouches he had fashioned, he began collecting the centipedes's oil sacs. It was a disgusting task, but a necessary one... Although they had yet to find a use for the oil, Ariandel insisted on keeping it.
With everything ready, Ariandel settled onto the Echo's shoulder, Nephis and Cassia consumed the fragments, and Sunless checked the time. The sun was still high in the gray sky.
"Shall we head for the Bone Ridge?" he suggested.
The Illustrious Artisan of Fantasy returned him a courteous smile and nodded.
With the centurion dead, advancing seemed safe. However, as they neared their destination, Sunless felt uneasy. A strange sensation arose at dusk, a growing discomfort that vanished only with the sunset.
After discussing with the group, they realized he was the only one experiencing it. Under Cassia's guidance, Sunless finally understood. In the hours before sunset, a colossal shadow crossed the labyrinth, disturbing his perception.
"It's the shadow of the Crimson Spire," Cassia explained, as if it were the most natural thing in the world...