Soon the sun fully disappeared, and with it, the dark sea returned to life, flooding the world with dark water, although Lumian could see perfectly in the darkness.
After a while, Asael broke the silence.
"Well, Lumian, since we're a team now, shouldn't we share our abilities and memories?" Asael said.
Lumian nodded.
"Alright."
"I'll start," Asael said. "My attributes give me affinity with lightning and wind. I also have a strong connection to divinity." Asael paused before continuing.
"As for my abilities, I already told you—my aspect strengthens me when I'm under the sky, whether it's day or night. And my other ability… well, it lets me strengthen my body," he explained.
'So he's basically a battle tank,' Lumian thought, remembering how Asael had defeated him so humiliatingly in their fight.
"As for memories, I only have one. It's a sword."
Lumian nodded. Now it was his turn.
"Well, in my case, my attributes give me affinity with lightning and darkness, and a light connection to divinity," Lumian said, pausing to decide how much more to reveal.
"My ability… well, you saw it. I can Dominate monsters weaker than me, giving them orders they obey. I also have a physical enhancement," Lumian explained.
"As for my memories and echoes, I have several. The first is this suit, which is armor I got in my first nightmare; a sword I won in a bet; a spear I won in another bet; along with two utility memories—one for breathing underwater and the other for starting fire. And finally, I have an echo I obtained after killing an aquatic beast," he revealed.
Lumian noticed the surprised look on Asael's face.
"You seriously got memories by gambling?"
"Yes. It's like an illegal market where you gamble something of value, and someone challenges you with something of equal value—and the winner gets what the loser wagered," Lumian explained.
Asael nodded, understanding.
"Well, that's everything. I think we have enough tools to survive in this place if we use them wisely," Lumian said.
"That sounds good… Do you think Eva survived?"
"I suppose so. She also took Professor Julius's classes, so unless she ran into some kind of monstrous horror, she'll survive," Lumian said, lying down on the rocky ground.
"Which direction should we go?"
"West. Something tells me there's something in that direction," Lumian lied, of course.
"Alright, then let's sleep. We'll need to start moving early tomorrow."
---
The duo fell asleep within minutes.
When morning came, the dark sea was retreating completely. Lumian had woken up a little after Asael, who was sitting and watching the dark sea pull back.
They soon ate monster meat for breakfast and climbed down the statue, moving west.
Lumian consumed half of the cores they had obtained from killing the scavengers, and he gave four to Asael, who tried to refuse, but Lumian convinced him to take them so he could strengthen and saturate his core and become more useful.
Once they descended the headless knight statue, they advanced through the coral labyrinth. From time to time, they had to fight a scavenger, where they emerged victorious.
Lumian explained the scavengers' weak point; knowing this made it easier for Asael to kill them.
The duo advanced, killing an occasional scavenger and avoiding large groups.
Thanks to Lumian's heightened senses, and the fact that both he and Asael possessed physical reinforcement abilities, they managed to cover a considerable distance and strengthen themselves along the way.
Monster Core: [204/1000]
Lumian hummed a cheerful tune upon seeing that in just one day in the dream realm, he had gathered 200 fragments for his monstrous core. If he kept up that pace, his dream of becoming a tyrant would become reality.
Lumian stopped suddenly—he felt the air change.
Asael noticed the sudden shift.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"A storm is coming," Lumian said, pretending to be worried.
As he said that, a drop of water fell on Asael's head. Asael lifted his face, seeing clouds slowly forming.
His expression tensed with concern.
If the sun was covered by clouds, the dark sea would return, and they would die from the pressure of the water crashing into them.
"We need to move faster!" Asael said.
"You read my mind. Come on, there must be something tall we can use for shelter," Lumian said, starting to run.
As the duo ran, they ignored the scavengers that noticed them. Those that got in their way were either dodged or stunned to secure an escape window.
But the majority of the scavengers were just as terrified as they were, trying to hide from what was coming.
The drizzle turned into a strong downpour, and the winds intensified greatly.
After a few minutes, the sun vanished completely, leaving everything in darkness. A thunderclap echoed in the sky, illuminating the world.
The ground trembled, and Lumian heard the sound of the water rapidly approaching.
Finally, both reached the cliffs as the water reached their knees.
They quickly began climbing the tallest cliff to get to safety from the dark sea.
After climbing for a minute, they reached one of the highest parts, safe from the dark sea now at its full 200-meter height.
The duo continued ascending the cliff, since the sea's volume increased centimeter by centimeter every instant.
The heavy rain and wind made it hard to hold on properly. Eventually, they reached the highest part, safely above the dark sea.
Lumian looked through the darkness, though the rain partially blocked his vision.
And the smells were completely replaced by moisture; all he could hear was the sound of the heavy rain.
"Can you see anything?" Asael asked.
"A little, but the rain makes it hard to notice anything," Lumian said.
At that moment, lightning lit up the sky. Lumian observed the distance and noticed some scavengers standing completely still.
Lumian narrowed his eyes. He remembered those scavengers from the original story and then opened his eyes wide.
'If those scavengers are here, that means…' Lumian looked at Asael.
"I'll be back in a bit. I want to check something," he said, heading toward a higher area.
When he reached a ridge, he looked down. He saw the nightmare creature—it was larger than the scavengers, with uneven spikes protruding from its thick shell. Its chitin was black with crimson lines. Instead of pincers, it had two terrifying scythe-like limbs.
'I see. So it's a Shell Centurion,' Lumian thought coldly. His mind remained calm as he looked at the awakened creature.
They would have to eliminate it. Lumian was certain he could obtain the Stellar Legion armor if he did. And he would get plenty of fragments for his core.
Lumian retreated silently—he would need Asael's help to deal with the monster.