Sunny decided to explore the surrounding area for the rest of the day, keeping a wide distance from the massive corpse looming in the distance.
The red coral truly formed a labyrinth. Without the towering statue as a reference point, he would have long since lost both direction and his shadow to the endless maze. But even then at the back of his mind he had an instinct… an instinct that his shadow would return, even if it got lost.
By late afternoon, Sunny decided to call it a day and commanded Gloomy to return. He stood atop the headless statue and watched as the light in the sky slowly dimmed.
His shadow had only just reached him when it began.
At first, thin streams of black water appeared between the crimson structures. Then more followed. Their volume grew rapidly, until an apocalyptic flood swallowed everything below.
The sea was returning with the coming of night.
Sunny watched in silent awe as the labyrinth disappeared beneath the rising waters.
Soon, the world was plunged into darkness.
And Sunny was left alone with his thoughts.
⸻
His mind spun. Everything that had happened in less than twenty-four hours was… a lot.
'Guess I really am in an unexplored region of the Dream World…'
His gaze drifted to a certain rune.
[Fated].
Sunny stared at the attribute intensely before sighing.
Trying to understand it was pointless.
'If I told Mother… would she know what it means?'
He shook his head. It had already given him a clear explanation on what it is doing and he couldn't help but link everything that had happened to him back to that singular rune.
Looking down at his shadow, he muttered, "I'm going to sleep. Wake me if anything happens."
He had already concluded that this platform was relatively "safe." Exhaustion pressed heavily on his mind. The constant tension, one life-threatening situation after another, had drained him more than he cared to admit.
There was nothing else he could do.
So he lay down in the center of the platform, attempting to get comfortable—and failing. Still, fatigue claimed him quickly, dragging him into dreamless sleep.
⸻
Sometime in the middle of the night, a sudden impulse jolted him awake.
Sunny sprang to his feet, groggy but tense. His heart hammered.
Had the owner of that colossal tentacle returned?
Or had some other horror from the depths sensed him and decided to snack on human flesh?
The sea, however, remained calm.
No disturbances echoed around the knight's statue.
"What is it?" Sunny whispered to his shadow.
Gloomy silently pointed in a specific direction.
Sunny squinted.
A few kilometers away, a small orange light shimmered in the darkness. Its reflection rose and fell gently with the movement of the waves.
Light? A fire?
Confusion flickered across his face.
'What kind of abomination would willingly reveal its location in a death zone like this?'
Unless… it wasn't an abomination at all.
'Could it be survivors?'
Sunny's eyes narrowed.
'Or a trap?'
Still, he hadn't seen any land-based creatures after sunset—only sea horrors.
He watched the light carefully.
It flickered.
Then vanished.
Darkness swallowed the world once more.
'Maybe it really was people…'
He shook his head.
'Even if they were, they're probably dead by now.'
With that thought, he gave Gloomy the same instruction as before and returned to sleep.
⸻
Morning came again.
The same scene unfolded: the sea retreated, revealing the crimson labyrinth beneath.
This time, Sunny wasn't as stunned.
Instead, determination filled him.
His stomach growled painfully. He hadn't eaten since arriving. Sleepers could last longer than mundane humans—but not by much.
He needed food.
Sunny sent Gloomy down the statue first, mapping the safest path with the least resistance.
Then he followed.
The descent took longer than he liked, but eventually his boots sank into muddy ground.
He ignored the sensation.
Immediately, he sent Gloomy ahead to scout.
His plan was simple: avoid the massive corpse, find a lone creature, kill it, and secure food.
Water… he would deal with later.
Sunny moved carefully through the labyrinth, senses stretched to their limits.
An hour passed.
Then another.
Nothing.
'Not surprising,' he thought grimly. 'I deliberately moved away from the corpse. Still… I should have encountered something by now.'
He continued forward.
He had no intention of approaching the location of last night's fire. Not yet.
After some thought, he decided that if there truly were survivors, he would investigate tomorrow.
For now—food.
Then Gloomy spotted it.
One of the crab-like abominations he had seen before.
It appeared to be alone.
Still cautious, Sunny ordered Gloomy to scout the surroundings thoroughly before he advanced.
Satisfied, he moved.
The creature stood over a half-devoured corpse—another of its own kind.
Its attention was entirely on its meal.
Perfect.
Sunny observed it quietly, then sent Gloomy forward.
With visible reluctance, the shadow detached and slipped into the abomination's own shadow.
'Let's see how strong you really are,' Sunny thought, studying the exposed flesh between plates of the armoured abomination.
Through Gloomy's proximity, he gained a better understanding of its structure and its weaknesses.
After a moment, Sunny recalled his shadow.
Gloomy wrapped around him, reinforcing his body.
The creature continued chewing, oblivious.
Sunny inhaled.
Then burst from cover.
Mud splashed beneath his boots as he charged.
The beast turned just in time to see a human descending upon it.
In the next instant, one of its massive pincers was severed.
The creature froze for a split second—but recovered quickly, emitting a harsh screech as it swung its remaining pincer in retaliation.
Too fast…
Sunny had planned to end it in a single strike. He had underestimated its reaction speed.
The pincer swept horizontally, aiming to crush him.
In a heartbeat, Sunny dropped low, sliding beneath the attack.
A bead of sweat fell from his brow as he surged upward.
Using the strength granted by Gloomy, Sunny launched himself toward the creature's head.
He drove his odachi forward.
The blade pierced through its horrific mouth that was slightly ajar and into its brain.
Twisting the weapon, he felt resistance—then give.
The Spell whispered in his ear.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
[…Your shadow grows stronger.]
Sunny allowed himself a brief smile.
Victory.
But lingering was suicide.
The clash would attract attention.
He quickly harvested meat and claimed the soul shard before retreating, Gloomy scouting ahead.
Sunny allowed his mind to wonder slightly, 'what did it mean my shadow grows stronger?'
Sunny quickly shook his head, 'I will think about it later, at the moment I'll leave.'
By the time he reached the statue, dusk was approaching. It seemed that it had taken a little longer than what Sunny had predicted.
But he still began his ascent immediately.
The climb strained his muscles, but he pushed through. Finally, he reached the circular platform once more.
Thirst clawed at his throat.
He still hadn't found drinkable water.
As he caught his breath, the sea began to rise again, swallowing the labyrinth.
But this time, something else caught his attention.
On the horizon, dark clouds churned violently.
A storm was forming.
Massive waves built in the distance, threatening to consume anything caught unprepared.
"Damnation… just my luck," Sunny muttered as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving him alone in the endless darkness of the unknown region.