The quartet entered the labyrinth, guided by Ash while Sunny used his shadow as the primary scout.
Due to the constant number of scavengers, they had to take detours to create more distance between the horde and themselves. However, they still weren't fast enough to cover sufficient distance.
Inevitably, they found themselves surrounded.
"What do we do?" asked Sunny.
Behind them was a group of scavengers, and ahead, another group blocked the only path they had to continue advancing.
"How many are there?" asked Nephis.
"About seven of them," Sunny responded.
"Ash, can you find another path?"
"No. If we go back, the group chasing us will catch up, so our only option is to face them."
Sunny's face twisted.
"Do we execute Plan C?" asked Cassie.
"Uhm." Ash made a thoughtful noise.
"I think I have an idea," he said, drawing looks from Nephis and Sunny.
"What's your idea?"
"I'll deal with them. Remember I mentioned this armor's ability?"
"The one that creates a mist field?"
"Yes. I'll use it to confuse the scavengers, giving you time to advance. Then I'll find you."
"We could fight together, you know?"
"There are too many. If there were five, we could handle them. But right now, I'm the one with the highest chance of doing this," he said while walking forward, summoning his sword.
"Well, see you later." With that, Ash activated the mist field enchantment.
Sunny and Nephis watched as, from nowhere, a dense and thick mist began to materialize, enveloping them completely to the point where they couldn't see more than a meter in front of them.
The three stayed together for several seconds until they saw the mist move away forward and then disappear around a corner.
"Let's go," said Nephis with a somewhat surprised tone.
...
Ash ran forward. His eyes could see through the mist quite clearly, as if it didn't exist. When he reached where the group of scavengers was, he watched as the mist engulfed them, rendering their sight useless.
Confused, Ash used this to attack.
Moving to the first scavenger, he launched an attack, activating his sword's Ethereal Edge enchantment. The attack opened a large gash in the first scavenger's side, who let out a loud shriek.
The scavenger attacked with its pincer where Ash had been, but instead hit its companion, sending it stumbling backward.
A second cut landed squarely on the scavenger, and with the third impact, its body collapsed to the ground.
Ash, receiving confirmation of the death, jumped onto the back of another scavenger. Feeling something on its shell, it began to shake, but it was too late.
His sword plunged completely into the gap.
[You have killed an awakened beast: Shell Scavenger]
[Your soul grows stronger]
[You have received an Echo]
Ash blinked in surprise at obtaining an Echo so quickly.
Somewhat encouraged, he continued attacking the third scavenger, then the fourth alone, and then the fifth alone, leaving just two of them.
The scavengers let out loud shrieks, trying to dispel the dense mist, but it was useless.
Ash attacked the closest one, cutting one of its legs and part of its soul. Then he did the same with the second, letting it see him intentionally. The scavenger threw its pincer where Ash was, who dodged, letting the pincer hit the other of its kind. Furious, it lunged at its companion, beginning a battle that Ash took advantage of to continue attacking.
Six cuts later, the seven scavengers lay dead on the ground.
'This enchantment is really good, and I feel much stronger. I guess it's because of the Misty Augmentation.'
Snapping out of his thoughts, he began cutting into the corpses, extracting the seven soul fragments.
Soul Fragments: [134/1000]
'Not bad at all. I'm less than twenty fragments away from reaching one hundred fifty.'
After collecting the fragments, Ash stood still, entering his sea of souls.
His sea of souls hadn't changed. The sky with dense mist, a single gray sun giving a sensation of coldness, and the calm surface with the omnipresent Mist moving slowly.
Looking toward his Soul Core, he observed the three orbs of mist orbiting around the core. Also, a bit farther away, there was a larger one—the Echo he had obtained.
With a thought, the sphere descended until it was in front of him. Looking inside, he observed the monster within, whose appearance wasn't very different from those he had killed.
Ash summoned the runes.
Echo: Shell Scavenger
Echo Type: Beast
Echo Core: Awakened
Echo Attributes: Strong, Armored
Description: A cursed soldier of a Fallen legion.
Ash placed his palm on the Echo, but nothing happened.
"I guess I don't have that ability. Too bad." Ash sighed, then simply left his sea of souls.
Ash stopped using the mist field enchantment. Slowly, the mist dissipated until no trace remained.
Using his Guide ability, he sensed his companions, who weren't far from his position.
Ash turned around and walked toward the direction where the trio of Sleepers was.
It only took him about thirty minutes and a turn or two until he ran into them.
Around them, there were two dead scavengers—apparently, they had also fought.
Sunny noticed his presence first.
Ash approached the three with a calm face.
"Hi. I took care of the group of scavengers," he expressed.
Nephis nodded.
"Are you hurt?" Cassia immediately asked, worried.
"No."
"Did you divert them?" asked Nephis.
"No, I killed them. Turns out they have poor vision, which drops to zero in the mist. So I simply made them attack each other, then attacked their weak points. Oh, and I got an Echo," he explained.
Sunny had a somewhat surprised face. Nephis's pupils widened slightly.
Cassie, on the other hand, was more expressive than the other two.
"An Echo? Really, you got one?"
"Yes." To demonstrate his point, Ash summoned the shell scavenger Echo behind him, which remained motionless.
"We can use it as a mount for Cassia and increase our speed."
Nephis observed the Echo with an unreadable look. Then the corner of her lips curled slightly.
"Well done."
Ash raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"Is it safe?" asked the blind girl, referring to the Echo.
"Yes." This time Sunny responded.
"I've been climbing on these creatures quite a bit in the last few days. They're actually quite spacious on top. Especially when they're not trying to kill you."
"What Sunny said," added Ash.
"Well... okay."
Ash ordered the Echo to crouch down, and then they helped Cassia climb onto the Echo's back, using the rope as reins for Cassia to hold onto.
After ensuring she wouldn't fall, they began to advance. This time their pace was much faster than before, with Ash guiding, Sunny scouting, and Nephis as vanguard against sudden attacks.
Every now and then, they made detours to avoid large groups of scavengers.
After a few hours of advancing to get closer to the next elevated point, which was less than two kilometers away, the wind suddenly changed, becoming stronger. Cassie stopped them.
The three turned at the same time, having a bad feeling.
"What's happening?" asked Sunny.
"Can you hear something?"
"No. Why?"
Cassie frowned.
"Help me down from here."
After they helped Cassie down, she placed her ear to the ground and began listening to something.
Ash looked up and saw dense clouds beginning to move. Then a drop fell on his face.
"There, no..." Ash murmured.
"A storm is approaching, and a big one."
Upon saying this, Nephis and Sunny looked at Ash with slight panic on their faces. Quickly, they placed Cassie back on the Echo.
"Sunny, how far to the cliffs?" Ash asked.
Sunny sent his shadow forward.
"About two kilometers ahead. Do you think we can make it?" he asked, looking at Nephis.
"If we take the most direct route... maybe."
"And the monsters?"
Changing Star looked ahead and clenched her teeth.
"We'll have to go through them."
"Hey, what are you waiting for? Start running while you talk," Ash said seriously.
As if snapped out of a trance, the three began running while the Echo followed behind, maintaining speed as Cassie held tightly to the reins.
Sunny ran ahead, guiding them along the shortest path to the cliffs with the help of his shadow. Ash ran a step behind Nephis, observing their surroundings as the rain and wind grew stronger.
The trio and the Echo ran at maximum speed, reducing the distance between them and their destination. Around them, the scavengers ignored them, more concerned with their own survival than paying attention to a group of humans.
Soon, the darkness of the storm enveloped them, and with it, the downpour arrived with greater force, soaking the mud.
Ash saw Sunny stumble, but before he could fall, he caught him, and they resumed running forward.
After almost a minute of running, when the water reached their ankles, they finally saw a large cliff face—perfect for sheltering from the storm.
Ash dismissed his Echo without hesitation, making Cassie let out a surprised cry before he caught her in his arms.
"Get on my back," he said, to which Cassie wrapped her arms around Ash's neck. He tied her with the golden rope, and once sure she wouldn't fall, the girl began to climb.
The three climbed as fast as they could—it was a life-or-death situation. A wave hit them, making them hold on tightly. After the wave passed, they continued climbing.
Finally, everyone reached the edge of the cliff as the water continued to rise. They had survived.