Chapter 174 Shopping Spree

Just like Dreamers gained the ability to perceive and interact with Soul Cores,
Awakened were able to interact with Soul Essence. By channeling it inside
their bodies, they were able to utilize it more efficiently and achieve greater
results.

The ability to channel soul essence was also vital to unlocking the full
potential of higher rank Memories. Besides the general rarity of such
Memories, there was another reason why Legacy clans did not just equip
their scions with weapons of tremendous power and let them sail to the
Gateway without meeting any resistance.

It was becausee Sleepers simply had no way to activate powerful

enchantments. Even Gunlaug was mostly using his Transcendent armor just
for its durability, with a single passive enchantment serving as a nice, but
unimportant bonus. In the hand of an Awakened with the ability to channel
soul essence into it, the golden armor would have been far more formidable.

Which is where the paradox that rendered the onyx armor unusable came
into play.

From his experience dealing with the Stone Saint, Sunny knew that her
armor, just like the strange creature itself, had a very special spellweave. It
was, in essence, a living armament. Unlike most Memories that could
function on their own, it was simply a piece of dead stone when the main
enchantment wasn’t active.

So, after the onyx armor was damaged, it had to be awoken with soul
essence to assume its true form and repair itself. However, there was no
human on the Forgotten Shore capable of channeling soul essence, and so it
remanded broken, which in turn made it useless to all the humans here.
‘What a shame… that I’ll be able to buy it for a measly sum of soul shards
from these fools and feed it to my Shadow, ha!’

Sunny didn’t really care whether the armor was intact or not. All he cared
about was that it had six Ascended embers that his Stone Saint could devour.
Maybe she’ll even gain something extra because of her close affinity with the
armor… after all, they came from the same source!

For a moment, Sunny considered the idea that his Shadow might refuse to
destroy the Memory for the same reason… but then discarded it. She was
just a Shadow, after all. His will was her will, right?

Now all that remained was to make the purchase…

Sunny scoffed.

“So it’s, uh… just a decoration? How tacky.”

Shaking his head, he threw one last glance at the onyx armor, forced himself
to turn away, and continued to walk around the Memory Market.

Ten minutes later, he walked over to Kai and silently handed him the
rucksack. Then, he nnamed the Memories he wanted him to buy.

The charming young men blinked a couple of times, then said:

“Wait… you weren’t joking? You really want to buy t—ten Memories?”
Sunny frowned at him and hissed:

“Keep your voice down! We need people to think that you are the one buying
them, remember?”

Kai hesitated, then massaged his temples.

“Sunny, my friend… don’t take it the wrong way, but you do know how much
Memories cost, right?”

Instead of answering, Sunny gestured to the rucksack.

“Open it, you idiot.”

The archer sighed and opened the clasp of the rucksack.

Then, he almost dropped it.

Inside the crude backpack, dozens of soul shards were softly glowing in the
dark. There were around seventy of them in there, at least.

Kai’s hands trembled. Raising his head, he stared at Sunny with wide eyes
and whispered with horror:

“S—Sunny! Where did you get all these shards?!”

Seventy shards was more than most of the people in the Dark City would see
in their lifetime. The contents of the unassuming rucksack were enough to
start a chain of bloody conflicts that could culminate in a small war.

Sunny stared at him and shrugged.

“What do you mean? They were just gathering dust in my bedroom. I would
bring more, but the rest wouldn’t fit in the rucksack.”

Kai looked as though he was on the verge of fainting. Then, he blushed in

embarrassment.

‘Ah, I bet he’s remembering how he was bragging about being rich and tried
to bribe me with a promise of ten whole shards, which, in his words, was a
small fortune. Ha!’

While Sunny was silently gloating, a sudden shadow ran over the beautiful
archer’s face. In a small voice, he said:

“Wait, Sunny. Did you say “bedroom”?”

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

“Sure. Why?”

Kai shut his eyes.

“So you actually live in that cathedral?”

There was no point in denying it anymore, really.

“That’s right.”

Looking at Sunny with a pleading expression, the charming young man

asked:

“Then what about the Fallen Devil? Is there really a Fallen Devil in that
cathedral?”

Sunny looked at him with confusion.

“That bastard? Yup, he’s there. What about him?”

A shaky breath escaped from Kai’s mouth. Looking weak and defeated, he
shook his head, opened his mouth, then closed it again and simply stared at
a wall for some time.

He had the look of a man who suddenly realized that nothing in the world
made sense anymore.

When Kai finally regained his ability to speak, his enchanting voice sounded
strangely listless.

“I’ll… I’ll go buy the Memories, I guess.”

Sunny offered him a bright smile.

“That’d be great! Thanks!”

Shaking his head, the archer called Stev over and slowly listed the Memories
that Sunny told him to buy — including the damaged onyx armor.

With each next one he named, Stev’s expression grew weirder and weirder.
By the end, he was almost green.

“…Uh. Night, buddy. I really don’t want to offend our friend Sunny and your
choice of advisers… but you literally chose the ten worst Memories I have in
the inventory, by far! If it was anyone else, I would have been ecstatic to get
rid of them. But… but… I simply can’t do this to you! Please, reconsider!”

Kai glanced at Sunny, asking what to do. It seemed that he didn’t want to
see his new friend make a terrible mistake.

Sunny smiled.

“Worst, you say? You said it yourself, right? Everyone heard that? I guess
you’ll give us a big discount then!”

Stev stared at him with a bizarre expression on his face. Then, he said:

“I don’t think you understand. When I say worst, what I mean is that
they’re… trash! Complete trash! You do understand what trash means,
right?”

Sunny shrugged.
“Well, you know what they say. One man’s trash… is another man’s
breakfast. Wait, no. Another man’s… uh… treasure? Yeah, treasure. That’s
right…”

Some time later, in an empty corridor of the Bright Castle, Kai took Sunny by
the hand. A moment later, several sparks of energy traveled between them.

Sunny tilted his head and listened to the silence. Soon, he heard the faintly
familiar voice of the Spell whisper:

[You have received a Memory…]

[You have received a Memory…]

[You have received a Memory…]

After the tenth announcement, everything grew quiet again.

Sunny grinned. Just like that, he had gained ten Memories to feed to his
Shadow. He even managed to purchase a tier-six Ascended armor for the
laughable sum of seven soul shards.

What a bargain.

‘Ah, it’s good to be rich!’

However, soon the grin disappeared from his face. Instead, something dark
glistened in his eyes.
It was time to have a talk with Nephis.

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Chapter 174 Shopping Spree

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Chapter 175 Reunion

On the way out of the castle, Kai was strangely silent. Sunny didn’t mind,
because he had a lot to think about.

Going back to that lodge… there were a lot of things there that he had hoped
to never see, feel, or experience again. For a moment, he even thought
about rushing straight back to his cathedral without making good on his
promise.

But why should he? It’s not like he asked to be invited back. Nephis was the
one who wanted his help with something.
‘Just pretend like you don’t care. Also, demand to be compensated for
whatever it is they want you to do. You’re an outsider now, and your services
won't be cheap.’

Yeah, that was the best option. He wasn’t going to agree to anything that
didn’t serve his own selfish interests. And there were a lot of things that
Changing Star, with her thriving hunting party and following, could provide
him with.

There was this one thing in particular, something he really wanted to do, but
couldn’t on his own. Maybe they would be able to help him with that…

As they were approaching the lodge, Kai suddenly asked in a serious tone:

“Sunny… why did you want me to come with you, really?”

Sunny sighed. Glancing at the charming archer, he hesitated, then said:

“I want you to tell me if I’m being lied to.”

Kai frowned.

“I thought that Lady Nephis was your friend. Why are you so wary of her?”

Sunny chuckled.

Was she a friend? Even he didn’t know what exactly the two of them were to
each other. Worse yet, he wasn’t sure what they would become.
“She’s the kind of friend you don’t really want to lower your guard around.”

He lingered for a moment, then added:

“There’s also a guy called Caster. He’s the one I especially don’t trust.”

The archer raised his eyebrows.

“I’ve heard only good things about Caster. Why him specifically?”

Sunny cast a sideways glance at him and scowled. To be honest, Caster

hadn’t really done anything to deserve his hostility. But there just was
something about the proud Legacy that gave Sunny a familiar feeling.

He was too perfect. In Sunny’s experience, only people with bad intentions
were capable of appearing so flawless. Perhaps he was wrong, but the policy
of always assuming the worst had too clean of a track record to be
abandoned now.

“He just gives me the creeps.”

Seemingly satisfied with this answer, Kai shrugged and followed Sunny into
the lodge.

The headquarters of Changing Star’s hunting party had changed a lot since
his last visit. It had already looked pretty presentable back when he was a
member, but now, the lodge was much more impressive.
The first thing that caught the eye was that it had grown much bigger.
During the months of his absence, additional structures were built to expand
it both horizontally and vertically. Now, it was by far the largest building in
the outer settlement, almost starting to resemble a small town hall.

It was heavily fortified, too, especially from the side that faced the white
road. A couple of lookouts were visible on the roof, observing the ruins below.
They were wearing armor-type Memories and holding bows in their hands.

It was a far cry from how things were before.

Inside, a lot of people were busy with various tasks. Sunny froze for a
moment, disoriented by all the activity. He almost felt as though he had
somehow mistakenly returned to the castle.

The reason for it was not the neat and tastefully decorated interior, with
warm carpets covering the stone floor and various tapestries hanging on the
sturdy stone walls. No, the main difference was in how the people here
comported themselves.

The rot of hopelessness was almost gone from their eyes, replaced with
energy and vigor. Sunny frowned.

‘Why hasn’t Gunlaug put an end to all this yet?’

From everything that he saw, Nephis was almost asking to be destroyed.

How was all of this possible?

His grim thoughts were disrupted by a young woman who greeted them with
a smile.
“Welcome! Can I help you with something?”

Sunny stared at the smiling girl, trying to remember if he knew her. No one
came to mind. Trying to remove the scowl from his face, he answered in a
flat tone:

“Neph is expecting me.”

The young woman blinked.

“Uh… sorry. Who is Neph?”

Sunny rolled his eyes.

“Sorry. Lady Nephis is expecting me. You know… Changing Star of the
Immortal Flame Clan?”

The young woman’s eyes widened.

“Oh! I see. Let me show you the way…”

Sunny wanted to retorn that he knew the way, but truth be told, he wasn’t
sure that he did. With all the changes that happened to the lodge, he had no
idea where things were.
On their way, they passed the tiny room that used to belong to him. Just as
they were walking by, Sunny glanced inside and saw that it was now home to
someone else.

In fact, he recognized a couple of things that the new owner left on the
narrow cot. They were Caster’s. A corner of his mouth curled upward.

‘Figures.’

It seemed as though he was thoroughly replaced by the scion of the Han Li

clan. Well, whatever. The cot was not very comfortable anyway, unlike his
luxurious wide bed in the hidden chamber of the cathedral.

Finally, the young woman led them to the area that used to be the central
hall of the old lodge. Now, it was separated from the rest of it by a thick wall,
with a sturdy wooden door barring the way inside.

Sunny took a deep breath, then walked in.

He had imagined that moment a lot of times in the past.

…Granted, he never thought that his reunion with the cohort would happen
in the presence of an unreasonably attractive, washed-out pop star. But still.

Inside the room, a wide window opened onto an eerily breathtaking view of
the Dark City. On the wall beside it, a map of the ruins was littered with
various markings that contained valuable information. They seemed to be
much denser than before.

There was a large wooden table beside the window, around which stood
seven makeshift chairs. Currently, only two were occupied.
Effie was sitting on one, her feet unceremoniously resting on the table. As
always, she looked extremely comfortable and relaxed. On the chair next to
her, a beautiful blind girl was cradling a cup in her delicate hands. It was
Cassie.

Nephis and Caster stood near the map, discussing something with each
other.

The four of them were the core of the Immortal Flame hunting party.

Once Sunny and Kai entered, everyone turned to them.

Sunny put on a brave face and forced out a grin.

“Oh, so many familiar faces. Hi, everyone. No need to say how much you
missed me. Anyway, this is Kai. Kai, say hi to everyone — these are Cassie,
Caster, and Effie. You already know Nephis.”

Giving him a strange look, the charming archer smiled dazzlingly and said in
his stupidly beautiful voice:

“Uh… hello. Lady Nephis, Cassie, Caster, huntress Athena… it’s very nice to
meet you.”

Cassie giggled.

“Huh, you won’t believe it guys, I thought I just heard Night from Nightingale
say my name. Crazy, right?”
Kai blinked.

“Oh, sorry. I am Night from Nightingale, actually.”

Effie leaned forward and extended one arm.

Cassie’s face, meanwhile, grew deathly pale. An expression of utter terror

appeared on it. Her hands trembled, and the cup she was holding fell from
them.

Catching the cup just a moment before it hit the floor, Effie sighed and shook
her head.

“Every time… this happens every time…”

Sunny furrowed his brow and glanced at the beautiful archer with disdain.

‘Oh come on! Was that reaction really necessary?!’

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Chapter 176 Coming Clean

The four people in the room reacted to his arrival differently.

Nephis seemed to be indifferent, as always. However, Sunny knew her well

enough to notice a strange tension hiding in the depths of her calm grey
eyes.

Caster greeted him with an amiable smile, but there was coldness hiding
behind it. It seemed as though the handsome scion was not happy about this
turn of events. Did he see him as a rival for Neph’s attention, or was there
more to it?

In any case, it was not Sunny’s problem. He did not plan on returning to the
cohort on a permanent basis. Caster could have all the attention to himself.

Effie looked at him with a genuine surprise.

“Doofus? You are actually alive?”

Sunny blinked and stared at her for a few moments, then said in an acrid
tone:

“Sorry to disappoint.”

She shook her head.

“No, no. Just… how the hell did you manage to survive three whole months in
the ruins?”

He grinned.

“What can I say? I had a good teacher.”

Since Effie was the one who taught him how to navigate the Dark City, that
compliment was directed at her. However, the huntress simply shook her
head.
“No student of mine would be stupid enough to actually live in the ruins. Not
to mention returning looking so… feral.”

‘Do I look feral?’

Sunny took a mental picture of himself. Ragged clothes, dirty hair, a crooked
grin, a hint of madness burning in his eyes… no, he couldn’t see anything
wrong with how he looked. In fact, the thought he looked great.

With an offended frown, he glanced at Effie and said:

“Yeah? Well… you look like you’ve gained a little weight.”

…In all the right places.

‘Focus, fool!’

The huntress glared at him for a few moments, then laughed.

“A girl got to eat. But also… wanna die?”

And finally, there was Cassie.

Cassie seemed to have changed the most out of all of them. The changes
were not instantly apparent, but to Sunny, who knew her so well, they were
unmistakable.
The blind girl seemed more… mature? She looked older, somehow. It was as
if there was an invisible weight pressing down on her, the kind that people
usually accumulated with the flow of years. Her demeanor was calmer, more
restrained. Almost… cold.

“Welcome back, Sunny. I’m so happy that you are alright.”

Giving him a polite smile, she grew silent and turned away. This… wasn’t
exactly the kind of welcome he had expected from her. He had been sure
that the blind girl would give him a hug, at least. That was how it always
happened in his head.

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‘Maybe she is shy because of Kai.’

However, Sunny had a feeling that he already knew the true reason for her
subdued attitude. He just didn’t want to admit it.

It was the vision. That damn vision…

Chasing away the feeling of dread, he sat down on one of the chairs and
offered another one to Kai.

“So… what did you guys want to discuss?”

Nephis and Caster exchanged glances. Before saying anything, Caster

walked over to the door and closed it. After that, he summoned a Memory
that looked like a bone flute and placed it on the table. Immediately,
something in the room imperceptibly changed.
Sunny raised an eyebrow.

“What is that thing?”

The handsome young man sat on a chair next to Changing Star and said:

“This Memory has an enchantment that creates a cone of silence. No one

outside this room will be able to hear what we’re talking about now.”

Ah. This fact alone was already enough to tell Sunny that they were going to
discuss something that had to do with the Bright Lord, Gunlaug himself.
Suddenly, he felt an irrational desire to be anywhere else but in this brightly
lit room. The wide window began to look very alluring.

He sighed.

“So, the Bright Lord is finally ready to obliterate you all? Can’t say that I’m
surprised. If anything, it’s strange that he didn’t make a move much earlier.”

Effie giggled.

“Oh, did he ever…”

Nephis glanced at her, making the huntress fall silent, and turned to Sunny:

“You are right. The Bright Lord is indeed about to make a move. We have
withstood his previous attacks, but they were just a rehearsal. A few
provocations to test out strength. Now, he is ready to act in earnest. And
that’s why I need your help.”

Sunny raised his eyebrow:

“How can a cockroach like me help the great and mighty Changing Star of
the Immortal Flame clan?”

Effie gave him and Nephis a strange look, then cleared her throat.

“Don’t take it to heart, princess, but I sort of agree with Sunny. What can this
little imp… uh, no offense, Sunny… do that we can’t? I mean, he is a decent
scout, but…”

“Hey! Offense taken!”

Changing Star smiled, then looked at Sunny.

“Don’t be misled by his act, Effie. Sunny might behave like a cowardly
weakling, but in fact, he’s the last person in the Dark City I would want to
face in combat. He is far more dangerous than anyone thinks he is. Isn’t it
right, Sunny?”

The smile froze on his face. A few moments passed in silence, with everyone
staring at him. Finally, Sunny sighed.

“Oh well. I guess the secret is out of the box. Surprise, everybody! I am
actually not a weakling. Who could have thought?”

Then, he glared at Effie and added in a mocking tone:

“Oh. My mistake. Actually, everyone except for you already knew. It seems
that you are…”

However, Neph interrupted him:

“That’s why he was able to survive three months in the ruins, just like he had
survived two in the Labyrinth. Sunny is an extremely formidable fighter.”

‘Wow. Is she trying to flatter me?’

“…He’s just a bit of a devious asshole. But that’s exactly what makes him so
dangerous.”

‘…I guess not.’

Looking at Effie, Sunny shrugged and smirked.

“If you don’t believe her, just ask Night.”

Suddenly dragged into the conversation, Kai coughed, hesitated for a

moment, and then said:

“Uh… yes, I can confirm. He is indeed a bit of an asshole.”

Sunny’s face twitched.

“Not that! Tell them how I saved you!”

The charming archer fluttered his eyelashes with an innocent look, then
added:

“Oh, right. Indeed, Sunny saved me in the ruins last night. He is a very
exceptional and resourceful individual.”

Sunny glanced at Effie with triumph. He didn’t really want to provoke the tall
huntress any further… but she did call him a little imp…

“See, Night has known me for just one night, but even he was able to see
how fearsome I am. You and I, on the other hand, had hunted together for an
entire month. How come you’re so dense?”

Whatever. It’s not like he would be spending a lot of time with Effie. Let her
boil with anger…

With a teasing smile on his lips, Sunny turned to Nephis and asked:

“Anyway, what exactly do you want me to do?”

Changing Star hesitated, then said:

“I want you to take Effie to your hideout in the ruins and keep her safe there
for about a week.”

Sunny blinked.

Oh, no.
‘…I’m dChapter 177 Cloak And Dagger

Sunny grew silent and tried very hard not to look at the huntress, who was
glaring at him with murder in her eyes. Did he hear it right?

“Uh… excuse me? Keep her safe?”

Nephis gave him a nod, then hesitated for a few moments and sighed.

“I guess I owe you an explanation.”

With a frown, she glanced at the map of the Dark City. Her gaze was fixed on
the symbol of a tower drawn in its center with white paint.

The Bright Castle.

After a few moments, she said:

“You asked why Gunlaug hasn’t killed us all yet. This is a good question.
However, the answer is… complicated.”

Changing Star turned her head and looked at Sunny.

“Partially, it is because I have not challenged him openly yet. I also haven’t
done anything to justify an intervention. Everything we have accomplished
for the benefit of the outer settlement not only fell outside the purview of his
reign over the castle, but also strengthened the human position on the
Forgotten Shore overall. Officially, he has no grounds to accuse me.”
Sunny scoffed.

“It’s not like Gunlaug really needs justification. He only needs the pretense of
one, and even then just barely.”

Nephis slightly frowned.

“You are right. If he really wanted to escalate the situation and bring about
an open conflict, he could have easily created a reason. Alternatively, he
could have sent Harus under the cover of night to make me disappear
without a trace. But he didn’t. And… we are not entirely sure why.”

Sunny blinked.

“You don’t know?”

Glancing at Caster, Neph shook her head.

“There are several possible reasons. Perhaps he is uncertain if Harus will be

able to dispose of me. Perhaps he is using the growing status of the outer
settlement as a deterrent against his lieutenants’ ambitions. Perhaps he is
just confident and patient. Whatever the case, Gunlaug more or less
tolerated our existence for these past four months.”

Caster sighed and added:

“Of course, there were still challenges we had to overcome. If we weren’t

cautious in how we dealt with these provocations, things would have been
very different.”
Changing Star nodded.

“Indeed. There were several attempts to taunt us into confrontation already.

Nothing too bloody, though. However… things seem to have changed. We
received word from the castle that Gunlaug is going to act against us soon.
This time, he is aiming at one of my companions. The attack will be a serious
one, and the target is Effie.”

Sunny glanced at the unruly huntress and raised his eyebrows. He had a lot
of questions.

“Why her?”

Caster clenched his fists.

“It could have been any of us, really, but Effie… despite all my warnings…
got into a rather vulgar argument with a bunch of Guards who came into the
outer settlement for some entertainment. Coincidentally, some of these
Guards went missing last night. No one knows what happened to them.”

‘…Oops.’

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Sunny was pretty sure that he knew exactly what had happened to them,
though. After all, he was the one who killed them.

…But Caster didn’t need to know any of this.

“Actually, I might know something about that!” Kai suddenly said, smiling like
an idiot.

‘Who asked that fool to open his mouth?!’

He tried to make the archer shut up with a murderous stare, but it was
already too late. Kai enthusiastically went on to describe how he was
kidnapped, put in the well, and then rescued by a mysterious stranger —
who turned out to be Sunny.

Luckily, he was under the impression that the kidnappers were all
slaughtered by the Black Knight, not realizing that Sunny was the one who
had lured them into the cathedral in the first place — after personally killing
their leader.

If Kai knew the full truth, things might have turned rather awkward.

After he was done talking, Caster sighed.

“Thank you, this is a very valuable piece of information. Sadly, it doesn’t

change anything. Effie is still in danger. The Bright Lord is going to use her as
a hostage and force Lady Nephis to challenge him. If she does, he will kill
her. If she doesn’t, Effie will die, and our reputation will be ruined. Either way,
he wins.”

Sunny cast a sideways glance at Effie, who was still relaxed and seemingly
undisturbed by the prospect of dying horribly in the dungeons of the Bright
Castle. In fact, she was currently more interested in fishing out a piece of
meat that was stuck between her pearly teeth and not paying Caster any
attention.
‘What a lunatic.’ Sunny thought with scorn, making his shadow shake its
head at the irony of that statement.

Turning to Nephis and Caster, he asked:

“How do you know all this?”

In fact, this question was moot. He already had the idea. To receive
information about Gunlaug’s plans, they had to have a spy in the castle.
More than that, given the nature of that information, it had to be someone of
considerable rank. Perhaps even someone in the inner circle of the Bright
Lord.

Was Neph… working with one of the lieutenants?

Sunny counted the number of chairs in the room. There were seven chairs,
but only six people.

‘Interesting…’

Caster hesitated, then reluctantly said:

“We have an… ally.”

Sunny decided not to press the issue any further. Frankly, he didn’t really
want to know. There was just one last question he wanted to ask.
“I see. Well, there is this one thing that I don’t really understand. You said to
keep Effie safe for a week. What is going to change in a week? I doubt that
Gunlaug will magically forget everything after a few days.”

A heavy silence descended on the room. No one seemed to want to speak

first.

After a few moments passed, Nephis finally broke the silence. Looking in the
window, she leaned back and said in her usual even, indifferent tone:

“In a week, we will be ready to leave the city.”

Sunny almost fell from his chair.

…That was not what he had expected to hear

Chapter 178 Lost Expedition

Soon, another map was spread on the table. This one was drawn on a piece
of crude parchment made out of monster hide, and much less detailed than
the one hanging on the wall.

Well, that was understandable. Because the second map did not depict the
Dark City, but the Forgotten Shore itself. Sunny stared at it in stunned
silence.

…Yeah. Nephis had not wasted any time during these three months.

He had no idea how she had gathered all this information, but there was a lot
more on the map than he could have ever imagined.
At the center of it, a straight black like depicted the Crimson Spire. The
Labyrinth flowed from it, devouring the parchment like an ocean of blood. To
the east, a small circle of black ink with a symbol of a white tower inside of it
marked the Dark City.

The city was perched on the edge of another, much larger circle. It didn’t
take too much effort to recognize the cyclopean crater — after all, Sunny had
traversed it on a rickety boat once, a lifetime ago. However, only now,
looking at it in scale, did he finally realize just how giant the crater was, and
how vast the Forgotten Shore itself appeared.

Back on Earth, it would have been as large as a continent.

The Dream Realm was indeed much bigger than their own planet,
considering that just one of its numerous regions was this enormous.

There were other symbols on the map that he didn’t recognize. However,
several of them attracted his attention especially.

On the other side of the crater, almost exactly opposite the Dark City, a
symbol of a tree depicted the Ashen Barrow. Some distance to the east of it,
on a straight line, there was a mark in the shape of a red cross.

Another red cross was drawn inside the crater just outside the eastern side of
the Dark City. The third one was about a week’s worth of traveling time to
the north, near a symbol that looked like a grotesque, misshapen skull. The
fourth one was halfway between the ruins and the Crimson Spire. The fifth
one lay to the south, about the same distance as the third, drawn atop the
symbol of an arching bridge.

The last red cross was at the very edge of the parchment, far away to the
south, beyond the Labyrinth. Near it, two symbols were drawn: one was a
crown, and the other one was a question mark.
Sunny quickly realized what these crosses represented.

They were the giant statues of the seven forgotten heroes who had given the
terrible oath to vanquish the darkness and created the Starlight Legion.

The one to the east of the Soul Devourer was the statue of the knight that he
had used as a shelter on his first night in the Dream Realm. The one near the
walls of the city belonged to the woman whose hand had saved them from
drowning in the dark sea on the night of their escape.

The other four crosses, most likely, marked four more headless statues.

But where was the seventh?

Frowning, Sunny glanced at the map and said:

“So let me get this straight. You want to leave the Dark City, cross the
Labyrinth, reach the edges of the Forgotten Shore… and then return?”

Nephis smiled.

“Pretty much, yes.”

He sighed.

“If we somehow survive the months of traveling through the Labyrinth and
actually manage to escape it, why the hell would we return?”
The smile on her face withered. Changing Star lingered for a few moments,
then pointed to the three symbols at the lower edge of the map: the red
cross, the question mark, and the crown.

“The first lord of the castle led an expedition to find the way out of the
Forgotten Shore. This is where their trace disappeared. From what we were
able to learn, an unassailable mountain chain blocks the path to the south.
They ventured into the mountains… and never returned. Nothing but death
awaits us there.”

Sunny scratched the back of his head.

“So you aren’t really looking for a way out… you’re looking for the remains of
the cohort of Sleepers that had conquered the castle fifteen years ago?”

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Neph nodded.

“There is an item that they took away from the castle. If we find it… we’ll
have a chance in the fight against Gunlaug.”

Sunny frowned. He felt as though she was not telling him everything. Maybe
what little trust remained between them was not enough to share those
secrets. Maybe she didn’t want someone else in the room to hear them…

But then again, he didn’t really care. Changing Star’s business was her own.
Sunny was just here as a potential mercenary. As long as the reward was
worth it, he was ready to not ask any questions.
Provided that not knowing the answers was not going to get him killed, of
course.

Feeling his hesitation, Nephis added:

“The way to the mountains is not as dangerous as you think. There is… a
method we can use to reach them comparatively safely. But once we’re
there… that’s where we’ll need your talents. Having you with us will make a
lot of things easier.”

Sunny looked at her with doubt:

“How do you know all this? It’s not like there’s anyone in the Dark City who
was alive back then.”

Nephis shrugged.

“There isn’t, but there are stories. Some written evidence. However, most of
this we have learned from Cassie’s visions.”

She gave the blind girl a warm look.

“Cassie has helped us a lot.”

Sunny had to think. If Changing Star made this plan, it meant that she had
good reasons to believe that it was doable. Of course, there would be danger.
Nothing on the Forgotten Shore was ever safe or easy. But there was a rare
opportunity in all of this, too.
He felt very tempted to leave the ruins for a few months in the company of
an extremely formidable cohort. Outside the walls of the Dark City,
Nightmare Creatures were generally of a lower rank than those inside. The
efficiency of his hunting would be much higher, which would land him more
shadow fragments and Memories to feed to the Stone Saint.

Especially if powerhouses like Nephis, Effie, and Caster were fighting

alongside him. But more importantly, if Cassie was there to warn them of the
dangers that they had no business trying to fight.

He never forgot how many times her affinity to mysteries and revelations
had saved their lives in the past. Like on that awful night when they had
summoned a terrifying mimic from the depths of the dark sea.

With a true seer accompanying them, the most harrowing thing about the
Labyrinth — the cursed black waters — were not as unknowable and thus
deadly anymore.

So he was not immediately against the idea, more so because he would be

additionally compensated for the efforts.

But… there was something else that he had to consider.

Looking up, Sunny glanced at the people gathered in the room and cleared
his throat.

“Uh… I would like to talk to Nephis alone. Please.”

Most of them just stared at him without moving. Caster, especially, did not
seem happy about the prospect.
‘What is it about him and Neph? Why is he so… possessive?’

But after Changing Star gave them a look, they reluctantly stood up and left
the room one after another.

Soon, Sunny and Nephis were left alone.

He hesitated for a long time before finally speaking. His voice was raw and
hoarse:

“Neph… why are you doing this? Why are you trying to pull me back? Don’t
you know how this all will end?”

She watched him silently for a while with an inexorable expression. Then, she
simply said:

“Because there’s only two people I trust in this world, Sunny. One is Cassie.
The other one is you. I only trust you to have my back.”

He couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

“Have your back? Neph, you know what awaits the two of us in the future.
This story won’t have a happy ending. There’ll be only… only sorrow, pain,
and rage. Remember?”

Changing Star lingered for a few moments. Her face was calm and firm.
When the silence became almost overwhelming, she finally answered:
“Life is not a story, Sunny. It only ends when you die.”

He smiled crookedly, not knowing how to answer.

“So? Will you help me?”

Sunny sighed and stood up, glancing at the map of the Forgotten Shore one
last time.

“I… don’t know. I need some time to think. I’ll take Effie and keep her safe for
a week. You’ll have the answer once we meet again.”

She nodded, accepting that condition.

Turning around, Sunny forced himself to appear nonchalant and left.

As soon as the door closed behind him, his expression changed.

‘Damn! I forgot to discuss my compensation!’

It would look really silly if he went back now… right?

Right?

The shadow palmed its face, once again lamenting the stupidity of its master

Chapter 179 New Generation

Once outside, Sunny spent some time finding Effie and Kai. The two of them
were in the dining area of the lodge, discussing something between
themselves.

There was no sign of Cassie anywhere, but he did notice Caster observing
him from the stairs leading to the second floor.

‘Is she avoiding me?’

Somewhat disappointed, Sunny landed on a chair next to the two locals he

had come to know and gave them a dark look.

“What, the two of you know each other?”

Kai smiled.

“Who doesn’t know huntress Athena? We had, uh… a few brushes in the
past.”

Deciding not to inquire what type of brushes he was talking about, Sunny
sighed and asked:

“Does she know about that peculiar Flaw of yours?”

The charming young man blinked a couple of times, the said with confusion:

“I guess so? I don’t make a secret out of it.”

Great. Of all the people in the world, he got stuck with two weirdos who had
no qualms about telling every random stranger about their most hidden
vulnerability.

…Well, if he had a Flaw like Kai’s, he wouldn’t worry about it too much either.

‘Lucky bastard.’

Since there was no point in pretending anymore, Sunny simply asked:

“Well? Was anyone in that room lying?”

Effie grinned.

“Ah, so that’s why you dragged Night along. Paranoid much?”

Sunny would love nothing more than to ignore that question, but
unfortunately, his own Flaw was much more restrictive than Kai’s.

“Not at all. In fact, I think that I’m exactly as paranoid as a person should be.
By which I mean extremely, of course.”

Saying that, he looked at the charming archer with expectation. Kai hesitated
for a few moments.

“No, no one said a single lie. Your friends are all extremely honest people,
Sunny.”
‘Oh, you poor lamb…’

Not knowing how to react to that display of naivete, Sunny shook his head
and lowered his voice:

“Not even Caster?”

Kai gave him a nod.

“No, he was honest, too.”

Was Sunny wrong? Was Caster really just an honest and honorable guy? Was
his distrust irrational?

Somewhat unsure, Sunny lingered for a bit and then turned to Effie.

“Neph and I agreed to continue our conversation in a week. Until then, you’ll
be under my protection.”

The huntress giggled.

“Wow. That makes me feel real safe. Thanks, shorty”

He grimaced.

“Don’t you worry. I might not look like much, but wait till you see my
roommate…”
Kai suddenly choked on his drink and paled a little. Reminded of something,
Sunny patted him on the back and said:

“Anyway, thanks for your help. Our deal is done. See you around, I guess.”

He was not going to miss this guy one bit. Sunny wasn’t winning any prizes
with his looks already, but next to Kai, he seemed downright ug… uh…
barely above average.

The charming archer looked at him for a few moments, then forced out a
smile:

“Yeah, it was nice to make your acquaintance, Sunny. I can honestly say that
spending time with you is… uh… an unforgettable experience.”

With that, he glanced at Effie with something that resembled pity, rose, and
left.

The two of them were left alone.

The huntress looked around with a weary expression, and then asked in a
neutral tone:

“So? When do we leave?”

Sunny didn’t hesitate.

“Right now. Honestly, I can wait to get back to the ruins. This place… it gives
me the creeps.”

Effie gave him a strange look, then shrugged.

“Sure, no problem. Let’s ditch this scary place and go hide in the ancient
cursed ruins. At least we can feel safe there, right?”

Some time later, they were carefully walking through the streets of the Dark
City. Being here in daylight was not something Sunny was accustomed to, so
he was justifiably tense.

Luckily, both of them were experienced hunters and worked well together.
Sunny fell into the familiar rhythm of cooperating with Effie without skipping
a bit, as though three whole months had not passed since they last saw each
other. It was honestly nothing short of jolly.

At some point, the unruly huntress glanced at him and asked:

“But seriously. How did you survive, Sunny?”

He gave her a dark look, then shrugged.

“How do you think? You know that I am very good at hiding in the shadows. I
slept during the day and hunted during the night. Observed my prey
carefully before striking at their weak spots. If I ever met something I wasn’t
sure I could kill, I ran.”

She became thoughtful for a while, then said:

“It’s noticeable, you know. You’ve changed. You look… feel like a true hunter
now.”

Sunny grinned.

“Well, I would hope so. I hunted more Nightmare Creatures than was
reasonable, really.”

She smirked.

“How many?”

That was a good question. Sunny hesitated before answering:

“Around sixty? Yeah, no more than that, I think.”

Together with those terrors he had slain in the Labyrinth, his kill count had
long ago moved past a hundred.

Effie blinked and looked at him with a dark expression. That many hunts in
only three months… the number was nothing short of staggering.

Actually, it was completely insane. Out in the real world, it was widely known
that Awakened Nightmare Creatures were too tough for mere Sleepers to
fight. Anyone who managed to prevail in a battle against one would earn
themselves a proper reputation. Killing a dozen would make a person
famous.
If Sunny were to return home and claim that he had slaughtered a hundred,
most of them in a cursed ruin populated by Fallen abominations, the news of
his accomplishment would fly around the whole planet in an instant. He
would be hailed as an unparalleled genius and a hope of the entire
generation.

…And yet, there were dozens of people just like him in the Dark City, many
of them even more accomplished. Much more. Effie had several hundred
hunts under her belt. There were a couple more hunters in the outer
settlement whose track record was just as impressive… even if with the
death of Jubei, their numbers had shrunk.

Inside the Bright Castle, there was Gunlaug himself, his five lieutenants, all
the Pathfinders of the Host, more than a few experienced Hunters, and even
a handful of Guards with a lot of battle scars to prove their prowess. All of
them were at a level that Sleepers simply weren’t supposed to ever achieve.

The Forgotten Shore was truly an… interesting place.

If Nephis were to somehow succeed and bring even just several of them back
to the real world, how would the world change? Would other things that had
been considered impossible before suddenly have their status put under
scrutiny?

Was it the reason why the Spell gave her the name Changing Star? Was Neph
destined to not only create change, but also be the catalyst of it?

Consumed with these thoughts, Sunny walked through the cursed ruins.
Soon, a familiar shape of the cathedral appeared before his eyes.

Looking at it, Sunny shuddered.

He had been honest when he told Effie about how he managed to survive all
this time.

However, he had failed to mention how close he came to dying in the

process.

The memory of his first visit to the cathedral, and its consequences, was
something he really liked to avoid…

Do

Chapter 180 Break Point

It happened a few weeks after he left the castle behind. Back then, Sunny
was just starting to feel confident in the absolute darkness of the cursed
night. He stalked the ruins, searching for prey and slaying one monster after
another.

Looking back, those few victories might have gone to his head a little. Or
maybe he was just too sane to survive alone in the Dark City.

It was the first meeting with the Black Knight that caused him to lose that
state of mind.

Sunny did not become interested in the ruined cathedral by accident, nor
was he led there by empty curiosity. In fact, he had noticed something
strange about the ancient temple and decided to explore it after careful
consideration.

Because the thing he saw was too alluring to ignore.

At dawn, for a few short minutes, he could see a weak, ethereal golden glow
emanating from the dark cathedral. The same golden glow he had seen twice
before.

Once deep within the ruby droplets of his own blood after consuming the
Drop of Ichor, and another time exuding from Changing Star’s unconscious
body after her battle with the horror of the depths.

Without having to guess, Sunny knew what this golden shine was.

It was the light of divinity.

With his own eyes altered by the drop of divine blood, which was left on the
talons of the Vile Thieving Bird after it had stolen Weaver’s eye, Sunny was
somehow able to perceive it.

Considering that both Nephis and he possessed some measure of divine

affinity, it wasn’t hard to come to this conclusion. More than that, the
circumstances surrounding the awakening of his ability to see the golden
glow supported it.

Thus, hoping to find another treasure equal to the Drop of Ichor, Sunny
entered the ruined cathedral. Then he froze for a second, awed by its
grandeur.

That second was all it took for the Black Knight to skewer him on his sword.

Sunny didn’t know how the massive devil managed to avoid being seen by
his shadow, nor how he got so close without making any noise. All he knew
was that a menacing black giant suddenly stepped forward from the
darkness that enveloped the temple and pierced him with a wrathful gaze.
There were two scarlet flames burning in the impenetrable emptiness behind
the visor of the knight’s helmet. Looking at them, Sunny felt as though he
was staring into the eyes of death itself.

However, even though Sunny was caught by surprise, his body moved on its
own. Countless hours of practice did not go to waste.

In the end, it were the reflexes that Sunny had engraved into his muscles
and bones that saved his life, even if only by a hair’s breadth. Because of his
quick reaction, the massive greatsword of the evil creature did not cut him in
two.

Instead, it simply disemboweled him.

Feeling a blinding pain pierce his abdomen, Sunny staggered and looked
down, only to see a river of blood flowing from his stomach, which was cut
wide open. The red ropes of his intestines were clearly visible in the terrible
wound, already on their way to falling out.

The horror of seeing something that should have been inside of him moving
to the outside was much more powerful than the excruciating pain of his
flesh being torn apart.

Pressing one hand against the wound, Sunny fell on his back and weakly
tried to crawl away. However, the Black Knight was already moving, rising his
greatsword to deliver a finishing blow.

For a fraction of a second, everything froze. Sunny didn’t have time to come
up with an elaborate plan, nor even think things through. All he knew was
that he had to buy himself a chance to crawl away… somehow.
Of all the Memories at his disposal, nothing seemed to be of use. Not the
austere and razor-sharp Midnight Shard, not the ominous and powerful
Puppeteer’s Shroud. His mighty tier-five armor did not even slow the black
blade for a moment.

Even augmented by the shadow, they were not a match for the terrifying
devil of the ruined cathedral.

…In the end, Sunny simply thrust his hand forward and let a small and
ordinary-looking rock fly from it into the depths of the ancient temple. His
shadow wrapped itself around the little stone, enhancing its enchantments.

In the next moment, the rock suddenly howled, replicating the scream of the
last Nightmare Creature that Sunny had killed. Augmented by the shadow,
the howl shook the walls of the cathedral, causing dust to fly into the air.

The Black Knight stopped, then looked over his shoulder in the direction
where the howl was coming from. He seemed to hesitate for a moment.

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Not wasting any time, Sunny pressed tight onto his terrible wound, rose to
his feet and staggered away, almost slipping in the puddle of his own blood.
Groaning from pain, he tried to reach the exit of the old temple.

Miraculously, he did. The Black Knight stopped in the doorway, simply

following the small figure of the mortally wounded human with the burning
flames that served him as eyes.

Then, it indifferently turned away and slowly returned into the darkness.
Some time later, Sunny found himself lying in a ditch somewhere in the
depths of the Dark City. He had found his way to this ditch and crawled into
it, hoping to hide himself from the monsters stalking the ruins at night.

He was consumed by pain, fear, and disbelief.

Was this… was this how it was all going to end?

Was this how he was going to die?

He wanted to cry for help, but knew that no one would come.

He wanted to simply cry, but, for some reason, nothing but laughter escaped
from his lips.

Funny… it was just too damn funny!

An outskirt rat like him, dying in a ditch.

What a fitting end.

Why wouldn’t he laugh?!

It was all just so hilarious.

A laughing fit sent him into an ocean of suffering. Every time he moved, it
felt as though invisible blades were cutting into his abdomen, slicing his flesh
apart.

And yet, he couldn’t stop laughing.

The funniest thing of all was that he couldn’t even die.

No matter how much he bled, his tenacious blood refused to give up. Guided
by Blood Weave, it desperately tried to repair the damage done to his body.
However, the damage was just too extensive. Even augmented by the
shadow, the Blood Weave couldn’t contend with it.

In the end, he was locked in an endless cycle of excruciating agony, not quite
alive, but also unable to die… yet. Minute after minute, hour after hour,
nothing but pain and suffering drowned his consciousness, until something
inside simply cracked.

Who wouldn’t have gone mad?

Through the fog that clouded his mind, Sunny hazily realized that the sun
had come up, then disappeared again. This happened a few times until he
finally let out a quiet sigh.

Enough was enough. He couldn’t take it anymore.

It was time to give up.

He had a good run, really.

But how could anyone endure all this?

He wanted to die.

He was ready… ready…

‘Are you? Are you really ready?’

Sunny thought for a bit… and then suddenly bared his teeth.

Fuck no.

He was not ready.

Give up?

Never! Never! He was never going to give up!

He refused to give the world the satisfaction of devouring him. Not unless it
choked to death on his soul.

‘No, I’m not going to die… I’m going to live… I’m going to thrive… I’ll be the
last one standing, no matter what…’

With that thought, he summoned the Midnight Shard and gripped its hilt with
the last bit of strength left in his body.

Memory Enchantments: [Unbroken].

Enchantment Description: [This blade refuses to be broken, and thus is
durable beyond reason. It will greatly enhance the power of its wielder when
they are close to death, however only if the wielder is still unwilling to
surrender.]

Responding to his vicious promise, the ancient blade finally opened the gate
to the well of power hiding somewhere deep within his soul. Instantly, a
torrent of energy filled his body with dark resolve.

The power given to Sunny by the Midnight Shard enhanced the healing factor
of Blood Weave, allowing it to just barely keep him from slipping over the
edge of death while it slowly began to repair his ravaged body. And as long
as he was almost dead, the effect of Unbroken continued to feed Blood
Weave with power, creating another cycle.

A virtuous cycle. A cycle of unbroken will to survive.

This was how Sunny was able to live through his first encounter with the
Black Knight.

However, while his body eventually healed, the wound dealt to his mind
remained. Days later, after Sunny finally crawled from that ditch, he was
never quite the same.

And he never forgot the debt he owed to the Black Knight.

One day, he was going to kill the bastard, no matter the cost.

…And now, approaching the cathedral months later in the company of Effie,
Sunny felt like that day was drawing closer.
Perhaps he really should agree to participate in Neph’s expedition.

As long as she helps him repay that debt.

There was a lot to think about.

Effie’s voice tore him away from these thoughts.

“Huh… Sunny? Are you alright?”

He shook off the harrowing memories, hesitated for a bit, and then smiled.

“Of course! Never been better. Here we are, by the way. Welcome to my
humble palace.”

The huntress looked at the grandiose cathedral with doubt.

“Here? You live here?”

Sunny remembered his First Nightmare and shrugged.

“What can I say? I have a weak spot for ancient temples…”

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Chapter 181 Rules Of Hospitality

Effie regarded the cathedral for some time, then glanced at Sunny with
doubt.

“I know for a fact that nothing comes out alive from that temple. Are you
sure that this is where you live?”

With a carefree smile, Sunny shrugged. The fact that Effie knew about the
danger hiding inside the ruined church did not surprise him. Even if it was
situated outside of her usual hunting grounds, she had extensive knowledge
of the Dark City, some from her own exploration, some from sharing
information with other hunters.

Dead tired and longing to return to the peaceful silence of his home, he
didn’t waste any time and told her about the Black Knight who guarded the
cathedral.

The unruly huntress scratched the back of her head.

“So… there’s a Fallen Devil inside? He’s the roommate you were talking
about?”

Sunny gave her a nod.

“The bastard endlessly patrols the ground floor and kills anything that comes
through the doors. However, if we enter through the roof and stay hidden, we
can reach my living quarters without any problem. More than that, nothing
will bother us once we’re there, because the bastard never comes that way
and obliterates anything that tries.”

Effie was silent for a while, then grinned.

“So, you basically have a devil for a butler. Pretty smart…”

Sunny chuckled.

‘Was that a compliment?’

“…for a doofus like you.”

‘Ah, there it is.’

Once they climbed up to the roof, there was a slight problem. Sunny failed to
consider that the hole in the tiles that he used to enter the cathedral, while
wide enough for his small frame, would be too tight for the tall and robust
huntress to crawl through. Looking at the narrow gap between the massive
plates of dark marble, Effie gave him a gloomy look.

However, before Sunny could come up with an alternative plan, she simply
bent down, grabbed one of the incredibly heavy plates, and moved it aside.
The words died on his lips.

‘S—strong. So strong. I wonder who is stronger, she or the Stone Saint.’

Honestly, he wasn’t sure.

Before proceeding further, Sunny instructed Effie on how they were going to
get her inside the hidden chamber and watched as the huntress reluctantly
dismissed her bronze armor. With only a short white tunic covering her lovely
olive skin and abundant figure, she looked very… uh… comely. For a
moment, his displeasure of having someone intrude upon the secluded
peacefulness of his lair evaporated.

…But only for a moment.

“Don’t you get any strange ideas. Your armor is just too much of a risk. We
can’t allow ourselves to make any noise, that’s all.”

Effie grinned.

“Strange ideas? Why are you talking about having strange ideas all of a
sudden, huh Sunny?”

He gritted his teeth, turned away to hide his blushing face, and crawled into
the hole between tiles.

‘Damn woman!’

Once they landed on the support beam of the cathedral, Sunny guided Effie’s
hands to rest on his shoulders. Although the sun was still high in the sky,
there wasn’t any sunlight around them. Only the floor of the ancient temple
beneath them was bathed in it.

But even then, large areas of the grand hall were drowned in deep shadow.

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Only it wasn’t really shadow. It was darkness. Not one born from the absence
of light, but true darkness, one which even his sight could not pierce. Sunny
didn’t know if it was summoned here by the Black Knight or simply obeyed
him, but this was how the bastard had managed to sneak up on him
unnoticed back when they first met.

In any case, he had to guide Effie across the beams of the cathedral. One
wrong step, and they would plunge to their deaths.

‘What a bother.’

Feeling rather awkward because of how close their bodies were to each
other, Sunny quietly sighed and took a step forward. It was hard to
concentrate…

‘Strange ideas… who’s having strange ideas? Not me!’

A few minutes later, they reached the hidden balcony behind the statue of
the unknown goddess. Despite the fact that nothing out of the ordinary had
happened, Sunny was rather on edge.

Something told him that this was going to be a really long week.

Once they entered his hidden chamber, Sunny informed Effie that she was
free to create light and speak. Not wasting any time, the unruly huntress
summoned a radiant Memory and looked around with curiosity.

The beautiful and spacious room that had once belonged to the priestess of
this ancient temple was suddenly flooded with soft light. The intricate
engravings on the walls created an atmosphere of sanctity and elegance.
Here and there stood various pieces of furniture, most made out of opulent
pale wood, with a few mismatched pieces that Sunny had scavenged from
the ruins.
Effie whistled.

“Have to give it to you, Sunny. You sure know how to live in style. Who would
have thought?”

He smiled.

“Jealous?”

She sighed.

“The important thing is that even if Gunlaug tracks us here, none of his
people would be able to enter. So we’re indeed safe.”

Slightly disappointed, Sunny shrugged.

“Well, make yourself at home. I’ll show you the back exit and other stuff
later.”

With that, he furtively glanced around and tried to quickly hide a few things
from sight to make his home more presentable. If he had known that there
was going to be a guest here, he would have cleaned up the mess a little in
advance.

Not that Effie paid it much attention. She walked around with curiosity,
studying the engravings on the walls and ancient furniture.

…But then, suddenly, Sunny heard a loud giggle coming from behind.
Turning around, he saw Effie standing in front of the wardrobe hidden behind
a stone panel. The wardrobe was currently open, showcasing the garments
left behind by the priestess.

The huntress looked at him with a strange smile.

‘Why… why is she staring at me?’

“What?”

Effie shook her head.

“No, nothing. It’s just… you know, Sunny, when I first saw you, I thought —
look at this tiny boy! He’s just like a toy! You just want to dress him up like a
doll and play with him…”

Sunny blinked a couple of times, then scowled angrily.

“Who are you calling tiny? I’m not tiny… in any way, you beanpole!”

Not paying him any attention, the huntress glanced at the wardrobe and
giggled again.

Then, suppressing laughter, she said:

“Who knew that you are into… playing another kind of dress-up, huh?”
It took Sunny a couple of seconds to realize what she was implying. When he
did, he turned bright red from outrage.

The nerve! The gall! How dare she!

“What are you talking about?! Those aren’t mine! The priestess who lived
here before left them behind!”

Effie nodded a couple of times.

“Sure, sure. You just happened to have a wardrobe full of pretty dresses. By
accident…”

“That’s the truth! I never lie!”

She looked at him with a wide smile.

“But of course! It must be the truth. I totally believe you. Definitely.”

Sunny stared at her with his mouth wide open, not knowing what to say.

Effie, meanwhile, looked around and innocently fluttered her eyelashes.

“But, Sunny… we have another problem.”

Gritting his teeth in irritation, he snapped:

“What is it?!”
She lingered for a few moments, then said teasingly:

“There’s only one bed. Ah, what a predicament! Whatever should we do?”

Sunny glared at her for a long time, then spat:

“You take the damn bed! I’ll sleep on the floor!”

With that, he turned away a tried to take a deep breath.

‘Why did I ever agree to this?! Women… damn women… they’re the true
terror!’

…Indeed, this was going to be a very long week.

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Chapter 182 Dinner Time

After Sunny calmed down a little and had time to think about it, he realized
that things weren’t as bad as he had thought.

Yes, living this close to the rambunctious huntress was a very special kind of
trial, especially due to how much joy she seemed to derive from tormenting
him, but there was one redeeming aspect to all of this… aside from the fact
that he would get to constantly feast his eyes on… wait… back to the topic!

It was that Sunny was a nocturnal creature. He didn’t have to sleep on the
cold floor or interact with the vigorous huntress that much, because he would
be asleep during the day and out hunting during the night. The window of
time when they would both be awake and stuck in the hidden chamber
together was not that large.

More than that, Effie had brought enough food to satiate her unnatural
hunger in that bottomless bag of hers, so he didn’t even have to feed her. So
hosting her was not going to be as bothersome as he had initially assumed.

After showing the huntress around and enduring several more good-natured
jabs, he finally had some time to himself.

Finally!

Sitting down in a remote corner of the chamber, he closed his eyes and dove
into the Soul Sea.

As always, the tranquil sea met him with calming darkness and peaceful
silence. Not paying any attention to motionless shadows that stood at the
edge of the visible part of it… not even to gaunt and pitiful Harper… he
walked over and stood beneath the black sun of his Shadow Core.

Then, Sunny summoned the Stone Saint.

“Hey there, darling. Guess what? I brought dinner…”

Before commanding the Memories he had purchased with the help of Kai
down, he quickly glanced at the runes surrounding the taciturn monster:

Shadow: Stone Saint.

Shadow Rank: Awakened.

Shadow Class: Monster.

Shadow Attributes: [Battle Master], [Stalwart], [Spark of Divinity].

Shadow Fragments: [6/200].

Only six fragments, and she was already so strong. He couldn’t wait to see
his monster grow even more ferocious.

Not wasting any more time, Sunny summoned the first Memory — a strange
sword with a stupid amount of useless gems embedded into its blade, for
some idiotic reason — and handed it to the Shadow. She took the sword
without showing any emotion and ruthlessly shattered it with her gauntlets.

[Your Memory has been destroyed.]

Sunny made a face.

“Why thank you, Spell! I wouldn’t have guessed if it weren’t for you. So
helpful.”

Two torrents of ethereal sparks entered Stone Saint’s body and were
absorbed by the dark embers burning in the depths of the living shadow that
hid in her body.

[Stone Saint has grown stronger.]

Was it just him or did the Spell sound a bit hurt?

‘Well, tough. I didn’t hear you complaining when Neph was promising to rip
you to shreds.’

He grinned and glanced at the runes again.

Shadow Fragments: [7/200].

Satisfied, Sunny summoned the next Memory. The process repeated itself.

[…Stone Saint has grown stronger.]

[…Stone Saint has grown stronger.]

[…Stone Saint has grown stronger.]

As the number of shadow fragments saturating the core remnants inside his
pet monster grew, his mood continued improving. This was the best feeling
ever!

Shadow Fragments: [8/200]

Shadow Fragments: [10/200]

Shadow Fragments: [11/200]

Finally, after the ninth Memory was consumed, the runes describing the
number changed to twenty out of two hundred. The Stone Saint looked
considerably stronger already. Remembering the changes that happened to
his own body after his first few kills, Sunny could more or less gauge how
much her condition has improved.

The Increment wasn’t really that substantial… but in battle, the tiniest
advantage could often decide everything. Especially considering that it was
going to be doubled by the augmenting effect of his indispensable, but
impudent shadow.

All of this was just a prelude, anyway. The main event was yet to come.

Full of anticipation, Sunny called the onyx armor down. If his calculations
were correct, this relic alone should give the Stone Saint twelve shadow
fragments — almost as much as the nine lesser Memories Combined.

The jet black suit of ancient plate armor appeared in the air in front of him.
Surrounded by the lightless vastness of the silent sea, the feeling of dark
grace it emanated was even more pronounced. Sunny clicked his tongue.

‘Ah, what a beauty.’

It was almost a shame to destroy it.

…Almost.

Slightly reluctant to part with the ancient armor yet, Sunny read the runes
describing it.
Stev was right. Even the Spell couldn’t make sense of the damaged Memory.

Memory: [M… Un…old].

Memory Rank: ?

Memory Tier: ?

Memory Type: unknown.

Memory Description: […Pr… …first …army …shed …own…]

Memory Enchantments: —

Many of the runes were missing, and those that did appear refused to
coalesce into any sort of comprehensible words. However, Sunny did notice a
few of the strange runes that made his head hurt, the same ones present
whenever the Spell mentioned the mysterious Unknown.

‘Just as I thought.’

The armor was clearly connected to the same tribe of Nightmare Creatures
that the Stone Saint had belonged to before becoming a Shadow. The origin
of the strange living statues was tied to the Unknown, so it was logical to
assume that the onyx armor had something to do with them too.
Well, no matter. He knew that this Memory was severely damaged when he
bought it. Sunny was never planning on using it, anyway, only feeding it to
the Saint.

“Time for dessert!”

With a wide smile, he pushed the beautiful black armor to the stone monster.

However, the smile soon froze on his face.

Because the Stone Saint did not move to take and shatter the armor like she
did with all the other Memories. Instead, she simply turned her head and
looked at it. The hue of the crimson flames burning in her ruby eyes ever so
slightly changed.

It was almost as though they were filled with the tiniest shadow of… sorrow.

“Come on! Eat it!”

But no matter how much he tried to get the Stone Saint to destroy the
armor, she refused. The living statue just stood there and did nothing.

After a while, disappointed, Sunny stared at the onyx armor and sighed.

Well… serves him right. To be honest, he had a slight inkling that this would
happen.

Nevertheless, Sunny had decided to buy the armor anyway. It’s not every
day that you stumble upon a tier-six Fallen Memory, even if it’s damaged
beyond your ability to repair.
Perhaps he would don it one day… if Nephis would actually manage to open
the path to the Gateway and he would somehow find himself among those
lucky few to reach it alive and become Awakened.

Until then, the awesome black armor was pretty much useless.

With a deep frown, he left the Soul Sea and summoned it into existence.
Soon, the armor appeared on the floor of the hidden chamber.

Effie looked at it with interest:

“Wow. What is this?”

Sunny lingered for a long time, and then finally answered:

“A decoration… I guess.”

The huntress raised her eyebrows.

“Really? Well, what are you staring at me for?”

He gritted his teeth.

A few awkward moments later, Sunny said:

“Uh, can you help me move it? It’s… too heavy for me to lift…”

Chapter 183 Learning New Tricks

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

With a rather unpleasant noise, the monster’s head fell down. Sunny
indifferently bent his arm and wiped the Midnight Shard on the sleeve of his
armor, watching as the massive body slowly topple over.

Standing on the other side of it, the Stone Saint simply flourished her sword
in and stopped it abruptly mid-swing, sending every drop of blood flying to
the ground. Then, she just stood there absolutely still, pretending to be a
statue.

Sunny sighed.

‘That’s a cool trick. I should learn it.’

Honestly, cleaning his blade on the Puppeteer’s Shroud was not very fair to
the tier-five armor. He felt guilty.

“Watch my back.”

With the taciturn Shadow observing the surroundings, he summoned the

Prowling Thorn and used it to recover the soul shards from the carcass.

This was the fourth Nightmare Creature Sunny had killed this night. With the
help of the Stone Saint, his hunts became much easier than before. Not even
mentioning the fact that the Shadow was as powerful as most of his marks,
the mere fact that he had a partner to draw the enemy’s attention away
changed a lot of things.

Sunny was somewhat capable of, but preferred to avoid engaging in direct
battle with these abominations. His way of doing things was to strike from
the shadows and, ideally, kill the enemy with a single strike. If everything
went smoothly, the prey would never even see its killer.

Of course, such a hunting method required a lot of cunning, patience, and

preparation. He had to observe the enemy for a long time to learn its
behavior and weaknesses. The confrontation itself took just a few seconds,
but only because days had been spent in adnvance to make that immediate
resolution possible.

After hunting in that meticulous way for three months, Sunny felt strange
simply overpowering the monsters with brute force. The combination of
Stone Saint’s indomitable defense and his swift blade was nothing short of
miraculous.

It was almost like fighting side by side with Neph.

Almost…

With a sigh, Sunny threw the soul shards into his rucksack and stood up.

He was facing a problem that he had never expected to face. It was honestly
rather bizarre.

He was running out of monsters to kill.

Awakened Nightmare Creatures weren’t that abundant in the Dark City to

begin with, let alone those whom he had already tracked, studied, and felt
confident attacking. After tonight’s massacre, pretty much every one of them
was dead.
Sunny had cleaned the house.

But he was so much stronger now, so much more dangerous. With the help
of the Stone Saint, maybe there was no need to be so cautious…

‘No. This is how you get yourself killed.’

This was a dangerous mindset. Despite his recent growth, Sunny was still in
no way the apex predator in the ruins. In fact, he was the opposite of that. Of
all the creatures stalking these streets, he was the weakest.

‘Pride is the gravest of all sins. Next thing you know, you’ll be trying to hunt
the Fallen Ones.’

Sunny would perhaps survive a confrontation with a Fallen Beast… maybe…

but actually defeating one was a whole other conversation. And if he had the
misfortune to stumble on something of a higher class, his chances of making
it out alive would not be very high.

He could start Investigating one of the Awakened creatures that he knew of.
Or simply go home.

However, something was bothering Sunny. There was this feeling in his head
that he had a seed of an idea, but then got distracted and failed to fully form
it.

‘What was I thinking about just now?’

Whether or not to hunt again tonight… how powerful he had become with
the help of the Shadow… how it was not very practical to wipe the blood with
the sleeve of the Puppeteer’s Shroud…

‘Oh, right!’

Back when he saw the Stone Saint shake off the blood of her sword, he had
thought that this would be a cool trick to learn. And at that moment, he got a
feeling that he was onto something.

‘I should learn it… I should learn it…’

Suddenly, Sunny’s eyes became bright.

If he could learn this trick from the Stone Sait… what else would he be able
to learn from her? This Shadow of his had an Attribute called [Battle Master],
which apparently meant that she was proficient in all forms of combat.

Was there a better teacher for someone like him?

The answer was — no. With his technique stagnating because of the lack of
guidance, there was no one better than the masterful Stone Saint to learn
from.

Suddenly excited, Sunny summoned the taciturn monster back into his
shadow and headed home.

By the time he returned to his hidden lair, Effie was already awake. Sitting on
the bed, she was lazily staring at the ceiling and whistling a cheerful tune.
Her long legs were somewhat covered by the blanket, but still… that white
chiton of hers was way too revealing! Sunny had to be very careful to look
the other way.

It was very hard…

“Oh, you’re back. Good hunt?”

Instead of answering, Sunny walked over to his chest, glanced at the

huntress with suspicion, and opened it.

Then, he poured the contents of his rucksack inside. Seven soul shards fell
on the pile, which was sadly visibly diminished because of his recent
expenses.

It was still nothing to scoff at, though.

Effie whistled.

“Seven? How many heads is that?”

Sunny closed the chest and sat on it.

“Four. Three monsters and one beast.”

Effie blinked, a bit stunned.

“Three monsters? How did you manage to kill three monsters in one night?”

He hesitated, then sighed.

Trying to hide the existence of the Stone Saint would be very bothersome,
especially if he was going to venture on an expedition with Neph’s cohort.
Out there in the Labyrinth, chances were that none of them would be able to
hold back to hide their aces.

That was if he was even going to agree to it, of course.

Anyway, there would be not much harm in revealing her now. Or rather, the
benefits outweighed it.

“I’ll show you. Just don’t freak out.”

Effie giggled.

“I’m pretty sure that nothing you’re capable of showing can freak me out…”

Ignoring her teasing tone, Sunny glared at the huntress and summoned the
Saint out of his Soul Sea.

Immediately, two crimson flames ignited in the depths of his shadow. A

moment later, the menacing stone knight stepped from it on the floor of the
hidden chamber and turned her head to Effie.

Effie recoiled.
“What… what the hell is that?!”