A quiet stillness seemed to permeate the cave. On the ground, the figure of a delicate girl with beautiful blonde hair and empty sapphire eyes sat, leaning on her sword.
Cassie was thinking about her next move when the continuous noise of waves striking the rocks slowly began to fade from her mind.
Frowning slightly, she stood up and, moments later, stepped outside into the clearing.
The water creature—whatever it was—had started to recede bit by bit, allowing Cassie to perceive the ground beneath it.
The first thing she realized was that she was high above ground level. There was a large boulder slightly below her position, held in place by a narrow peak of the mountain.
Beyond it, the terrain descended steeply.
Stepping out, she also felt a faint warmth on her face, concluding that it was currently daytime. Either the sun was out… or it was another strange phenomenon of the Dream Realm.
'Well, a day without a sun, I guess. Nothing new in the Dream Realm.'
Cassie thought dryly.
Then, raising her sword, she swiped at a creature that had just lurked out from the darkness.
[You have slain a Dormant Beast, waste of Black.]
'…the hell?'
Quite the peculiar name.
But that wasn't why she cursed.
Rather, it was because the large boulder in front of her wasn't truly a boulder—it was hollow.
Or rather, filled with creatures like the one she had just killed.
And now, they were slowly emerging from within.
Likely to kill her.
But Cassie didn't curse because of that, either.
Surrounded by numerous Dormant creatures, her heart wasn't filled with fear—
but with greed.
She had been feeling indignant about not getting any soul shards from the earlier shapeshifting creature after putting so much effort, it seems the dream realm was rewarding her now.
'So many soul shards!!!'
Cassie thought demurely before lunging forward.
She knew she was being reckless and greedy.
But she blamed Sunny for that.
Jumping to the side with frightening agility, she slashed horizontally.
[You have slain a Dormant Beast, Waste of Black.]
Twisting mid-air, she drove her blade forward in a precise thrust.
[You have slain a Dormant Beast, Waste of Black.]
It almost felt unreal, even to her—how calm and composed she was in battle. The silent precision with which she cut them down.
Any other Sleeper, no matter how well-trained in the Academy, would have panicked being surrounded like this.
Cassie would have too.
If not for the Ashen Ground investigation.
It was there that she had truly learned what battle meant. And what Nephis had meant when she said—that a thousand practice sessions could not compare to a single real fight.
Especially when, more than once, she would have died if not for the intervention of others.
And yet—
she had fought.
She had proven to them—
and more importantly, to herself—
that she could stand on her own feet.
That she could fight her own battles.
Cassie had no doubts about her strength.
This wasn't her first battle.
In fact, the first time she had crossed blades, she would have died—if not for others stepping in.
But even then…
That day had left its mark.
It had cost her blood.
Fear.
Pain.
But it had also made her stronger.
Mature.
More capable.
[You have slain a Dormant Beast, Waste of Black.]
[You have slain a Dormant Beast…]
[You have slain a…]
[…]
Before she even realized it, she was already done with the horde. They had overwhelmed her for a bit with their numbers, but she had experience being surrounded by weaker enemies, so she pulled through somehow.
And now—
'Time for a feast.'
Cassie thought happily. Dropping to her knees, she picked up a soul shard and rubbed it against her cheek.
'Yay! Money!... I am rich.'
Happy at her small fortune, she picked them all up and started tossing them into the air, basking in her "wealth," acting like a child who had just received a pile of candy.
Before stopping suddenly and pulling her arms back.
She felt mortified.
'What am I doing!? Acting like a child! That Avi… I'll need to teach her manners when I go back. Who told her to act so childish!?'
Feeling embarrassed at her actions, she slowly started collecting them all, a depressed air surrounding her, knowing her fortune was going to disappear in a few seconds.
Sighing, she sat down and started the inevitable. She picked one up and crushed it in her hand.
[Your soul grows stronger.]
[Your soul grows stronger.]
[Your soul grows stronger.]
[…]