Kane looked at the dead Carapace Scavenger, its chitinous body still and lifeless. He replayed the recent battle in his mind, analyzing how the fight had panned out, the coordinated strikes, the precise targeting of weak points. As he reflected on their success, a crucial piece of advice from Master Jet suddenly resurfaced in his memory, resonating with a newfound clarity: "No one can survive in the Dream Realm alone." Kane immediately understood the profound and invaluable truth embedded within that simple statement. His recent experience, the necessity of teamwork to overcome a superior foe, had driven the point home with undeniable force. He thought, 'Thanks, Master Jet, for that truly valuable advice. It seems I'm learning the hard way, but learning nonetheless.'
Kane then approached Nephis and Sunny, his gaze sweeping over them, assessing their condition. "Any injuries?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. Nephis appeared to have sustained only some mild injuries, superficial cuts and scrapes that would heal quickly. Sunny, however, seemed to be thoroughly covered in mud, a testament to his less-than-graceful landing after delivering the killing blow. Nephis, ever stoic, replied, "All good," and then, gesturing towards Sunny, asked, "Memory?" Her question implied whether Sunny had acquired a new Memory from the kill. Sunny shook his head, indicating that he had not. Nephis sighed, a faint sound of disappointment escaping her lips, as her clothes, like Sunny's, were completely composed of the strange, fibrous weed of the Dream Realm, a constant reminder of their current environment.
Meanwhile, Nephis, without even turning her head, addressed Sunny as she began to move towards the dead scavenger. "Bring Cassie," she commanded, her voice firm. Immediately, Sunny went to retrieve Cassie from their hiding spot. Nephis and Kane then began to scavenge the corpse, their movements efficient and practiced. Kane, ever mindful of their shared resources, spoke, "We will divide the spoils fairly after we reach the platform, where we can properly assess everything." Nephis nodded in agreement, a silent acknowledgment of his sensible suggestion, and continued to meticulously scavenge for anything useful from the creature's remains.
After Cassie and Sunny arrived, Nephis and Kane unceremoniously dumped the collected resources onto Sunny, as he was the only one among them who possessed pockets in his attire. Kane's armor, while versatile, offered no such convenient storage. After the scavenging was complete, all four Sleepers began to travel through the labyrinthine terrain once more. Kane found himself somewhere in-between being ecstatic and peeved. The thrill of victory, the satisfaction of overcoming a formidable foe, mingled with the lingering annoyance of their current predicament.
Throughout the rest of the day, they managed to kill three more scavengers, each encounter proving to be less risky than the first, with minimal danger to anyone except for Nephis and Kane, who continued to act as bait. The process was largely the same: after discovering a monster, Sunny would hide in the shadows, waiting for his moment. Then, when the time was right, Nephis and Kane would act as bait, drawing the creature's attention. Finally, when the monster was distracted and vulnerable, Sunny would stealthily approach and finish the fight with a precise, lethal strike with his Azure Blade.
After all these battles, Kane gained a clearer understanding of a crucial aspect of his own abilities. He realized that his sword skills, while effective, were still lacking. Even though he could mimic Azarax's fighting style, replicating the movements and techniques he had absorbed from the runes, he couldn't utilize its full potential. This was because he lacked a fundamental understanding of the basics of swordsmanship, the underlying principles that governed true mastery. What he was using, he realized, was merely a shallow, superficial form, a mimicry rather than a true understanding. He needed to train properly, to build a solid foundation.
All four Sleepers successfully navigated the treacherous labyrinth and finally reached the massive statue, their temporary sanctuary. As soon as they arrived, Kane approached Cassie, his voice gentle and reassuring. "Shall we climb, Cassie? Are you okay with it?" Cassie, her trust in Kane evident, nodded. Immediately, Kane carefully carried Cassie, and his [Silver Plates] armor shifted, forming strong, sharp claws that could latch onto the rough surface of the statue. He climbed with surprising speed and agility, moving like a spider scaling a wall, his movements precise and efficient.
As soon as Kane and Cassie reached the top of the statue, Kane gently lowered Cassie, ensuring she was safe and comfortable. "Wait here, Cassie," he instructed, "I'll go pick up Sunny and Nephis on the way." Cassie nodded, her expression filled with gratitude. Kane then went to the edge of the platform and saw Nephis leading the climb, her movements graceful and determined. He immediately transformed his armor into claws once more and began to climb down towards her. Nephis looked surprised by his sudden appearance. "What?" she asked, her voice tinged with confusion. Kane, a hint of amusement in his voice, replied, "Let me give you a fast ride up." Nephis stared at him for a moment, her expression unreadable, but then, surprisingly, she climbed onto Kane's back. Kane, with the aid of his transformed armor, climbed swiftly, reaching the platform in a fraction of the time it would have taken her to ascend alone. He gently dropped Nephis near Cassie.
"Let me go pick up Sunny now," Kane said, and without waiting for a reply, he immediately rushed down the statue. He reached Sunny, who was still climbing, and asked, "Shall we?" Sunny, a wry smile on his face, replied, "You remember me, huh? I thought you'd have forgotten about me by now." Kane, with a genuine smile, replied, "Of course! You're my pal, aren't you?" Sunny, his usual stoicism momentarily softened, climbed onto Kane's back, and Kane swiftly climbed the rest of the way up the statue. As soon as he reached the top, he gently dropped Sunless and then, utterly exhausted, he himself collapsed onto the platform, lying down to rest.
Nephis looked at him, her expression a mixture of surprise and grudging admiration. "That is quite a useful Memory, Kane," she commented, referring to his [Silver Plates] armor. Kane, catching his breath, simply replied, "Thanks." They had reached the statue before the dark waters returned, securing their safety for the night.
As the night began to descend, casting long shadows across the desolate landscape, the four Sleepers sat in the center of the circular stone platform and rested. They had not brought any materials to make a fire, and it was already too late to gather any, so there was no way to cook food. They ended up chewing on strips of dried meat, tough and unappetizing, passing a bottle of limitless water, courtesy of Cassie's Endless Spring Memory, around the group.
After some time, Nephis gave Sunny a subtle sign to take out the spoils of their day's journey. He produced four shimmering soul shards, extracted from the defeated Carapace Scavengers, and placed them on the ground. Without any discussion, Changing Star, Nephis, moved two of the crystals towards Kane and Sunny, indicating that they were to take them. She then took two for herself. Then, in a gesture of generosity, she gave one of her own soul shards to Cassie. Kane watched this distribution in silence, a thought nagging at him: 'These soul shards are useless to me. My Rebirth Cores don't increase by absorbing them. What should I do with them?' Kane pondered this for a moment, and then a conclusion began to form in his mind, a plan that he believed would be mutually beneficial. He decided that he would offer to trade his soul shards to Nephis in exchange for her teaching him the basics of swordsmanship.
Kane watched in silence as Nephis and Cassie absorbed their respective soul shards, their bodies glowing faintly as the energy integrated into their beings. By the time they had finished, he still hadn't made a move to take his own. After a while, he took another crystal out of his rucksack, a spare one he had acquired, and moved all three of his soul shards towards Nephis. Sunny, observing Kane's actions, did the same, moving his own two soul shards towards Nephis. Both Nephis and Cassie looked at each other, a silent question passing between them, an unspoken understanding of the implications of this unexpected gesture.
The silver-haired girl, Nephis, looked at Kane and Sunny with surprise. "Don't you guys want... to grow stronger?" she asked, her voice tinged with confusion.
Sunny, taking the initiative to explain their reasoning, said, "Of course, I do. But these won't do me much good right now. It's no secret that you are the main fighting force of our group, the ones who will be doing most of the heavy lifting in combat." He sighed, a hint of resignation in his voice. "The stronger both you and Kane become, the better our chances of survival will get. Plus, it's not a gift. It's a trade."
Nephis raised an eyebrow, her expression intrigued. "A... trade? What do you want in return for these valuable soul shards?"
Sunny deliberated for a few seconds before answering, his gaze steady. "It's rather simple. I will give you these soul shards, and all other soul shards I earn on the way to that castle..." Then, he looked her directly in the eyes and said, his voice firm, "In return, you will teach me how to fight."
Nephis gave him a long, assessing look, her gaze piercing. After a moment, she replied, "Sure," her voice calm and decisive. She then looked at Kane, her eyes questioning. "Why don't you need the soul shards, Kane?"
Kane, seizing the opportunity, spoke, "I have the same offer as Sunny. I will lend you my soul shards, all of them, until we reach the castle, in return for you teaching me how to fight." Sunny and Kane were now both shocked, Sunny asking, "You fought well in the battle, then why do you need to learn?" Kane replied, "What I fought with was self-learned swings, with no real understanding of the basics. I need to learn from scratch for the long run, to truly fight with efficiency." Nephis was baffled now, her eyes wide with surprise. "You fought with self-learned techniques?" Kane spoke, "Yeah, not much to it." Nephis looked at Kane and Sunny, a newfound respect in her eyes, and said, "Sure, I accept."
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The female lead for our MC,Here some contenders.Kindly Vote
1.Cassie
2.Effie
3.An Original Character
4.Crossover character from other fiction(Like LOTM)
5.Seishan
6.Morgan
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