CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
[You have slain a Nightmare Creature!]
[You have slain a Nightmare Creature!]
[...]
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
[You have obtained 1 Terror Core.]
[You have obtained 1 Terror Core.]
[...]
Ignoring the sounds of chewing behind him, along with the countless resulting pop-up messages, Somnu ran at full speed, the wind hitting his bare skin. Thankfully, his body had been strengthened by the general abilities, allowing him to resist the growing chill, as well as not worry about stepping on any small stones while barefoot.
The thought of that alone made him remember all the times he stepped on a lego piece in the middle of the night as a kid, only to immediately cover his mouth to not wake his mother up.
Somnu had come a long way since then, but that might have been a trauma of itself.
Let’s just hope I never encounter some kind of lego Nightmare Creature… He lampooned inwardly.
Naturally, Somnu realized how dangerous it was to leave both Fala and Grudgekeeper behind. He was in a crypt filled with small Nightmare Creatures, after all.
However, he had figured out that there was no real cooldown between canceling the skills or Mementos, and resummoning them again next to him.
That alone gave him many ideas for the future, but for now, he hoped that the distance between him and the munching predators he left behind him wouldn’t be an issue.
Even if they can be too far away from me, they would probably be moved automatically into my storage… He hoped his guess would be spot on. I’ll have to test it in the future.
For the moment, he was closing in on the exit of the long hallway, having ignored all the bugs around him himself.
“!”
Suddenly, he felt a weird sensation pop into his mind.
It was different than a headache, but closer to a sudden chill in a specific spot.
He couldn’t know what it was, but just in case, he summoned his violet sickles. So far, if he had learned anything, it was that nothing was ever easy.
If he were to take the portal out of this place and back to the First Layer of the Nightmare Realm, he was surely going to meet some opposition.
Perhaps, that was what he had just felt.
Was that some kind of boosted perception I just sensed? I’m not under any active fears though… And there should only be Lurkers here according to Mr. Emberlyn. He figured, but his thoughts began to come together. That could only mean a few things…
Either it was some kind of Nightmare Creature Somnu had already fought and overcome before, or Eamon had been wrong about there only being Lurkers in the crypt.
Or, worst case, perhaps both of those things.
“!”
And that’s exactly what it was. Somnu found the source as soon as he got to the end of the hallway.
What happened to your overpowered barrier, old man?! Why are there specters here?!
In front of him was a wide circular room, surrounded by countless stone pillars in a chaotic spiral shape. They seemed to create multiple paths to the center, where the portal, in the form of another demonic bloody pentagram, awaited.
And all the paths leading to the center were filled with Slowing Bunnies, waiting to give chase to the first thing that attempted to race them. They hunched on top of broken pillars, ready to rush forward at any second.
Crow-shit! Did they somehow evolve without the old man knowing…? He questioned as he stood motionless at the doorway. Or did small Lurker bunnies feed on my fear again to evolve?
He couldn’t know the answer, but he knew that he had to fight either way.
Somnu wasn’t the same person as the one who first went up against a Slowing Bunny.
[Ego Particles Available: 875.]
[Would you like to consume available Ego Particles?]
Have Eclipsed Requiem consume 500 Ego Particles.
[Your Memento {Eclipsed Requiem} has leveled up!]
[Your Memento {Eclipsed Requiem} has leveled up!]
[...]
[Memento {Eclipsed Requiem} Level: Lvl 50.] {With 10 more cores to the next level up.}
Finally using a big chunk of his Ego Particles on his sickles, he felt them shake and glow violet beneath his grip. Although they didn’t end up looking any different than before, Somnu could feel the sudden surge of energy they received after all those level ups.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
He could feel a tinge of excitement form within him, he wasn’t scared this time. In fact, he was looking forward to it now.
So much in fact, that he chose to leave Fala and Grudgekeeper on their hunting expeditions.
Fighting with no clothes isn’t going to help my reputation at all… but here we go!
“Rraghh!!”
“GRRAGHHH!!” “GRRAGHHH!!”
The moment Somnu took a step forward into the room, the countless Nightmare Creatures turned their heads towards him, sniffing the air as they growled.
It only took them a second to put on a wide toothy grin, letting gooey saliva leak down their hairless, tight skin. Somnu recognized the same crimson eyes and the two long bunny ears protruding from their skulls.
He tightened his grip on his sickles, and lunged forward towards the nearest path.
“Professional scarecrow, rolling out!!”
He shouted his childish proclamation, for no reason other than to pump himself up. And yet, it only resulted in countless Nightmare Creatures dashing towards him, not even waiting for him to enter the spiral path first.
The first thing Somnu did was swing his Eclipsed Requiem in a cross shape, releasing flying slashes towards the coming enemies.
“!”
Almost immediately, Somnu noticed the difference in size, speed and power of those slashes. They had been so improved, he almost missed the opportunity to implement his plans.
[Hollow Gaze!]
“Raagh?!”
At least three of the monsters were taken aback by a sudden purple glow coming out of their supposed prey, glaring into their cores. It wasn’t just coming from his eyes, Somnu noticed the intensity being concentrated around the translucent crown hovering above his head.
Nevertheless, the skill was enough to hold them in place for a second.
While others jumped out of the way, Somnu made sure the ones affected stayed put using [Straw Strike] from underneath the ground.
While the two slashes overwhelmed and cut through those three bunnies like they were nothing but butter, two of the ones who had jumped in the air received gifts they couldn’t refuse.
“!”
The two barely realized what happened before the two thrown sickles cut their heads clean off, leaving their bodies plummeting down.
“Graagh?!”
“Where are you looking?”
Just as another one had landed from its initial jump, Somnu appeared in front of it completely undetected with the use of [Silent Step].
Then, immediately using the trick he had realized he could earlier, canceling and resummoning his Memento, he used [Rooted Vigil] and swung his newly acquired Eclipsed Requiem, cutting not only through the stunned Slowing Bunny in front of him, but the one on its heel too.
It wasn’t long before Somnu had cut through the remaining dozen or so Nightmare Creatures and took a first step into the open path while twirling his sickles around.
“I guess I’ve grown a little stronger after all…” He mumbled, still strolling in the nude.
Instead of running, he walked slowly, summoning both Fala with [Crow’s Call] and Grudgekeeper to feed on the corpses behind him instead.
“!”
Then, among the countless pop-up messages he received, a new one grabbed his attention.
[New Personal Title Received.]
[Personal Title: Naked Prince.]
[Title Description: You have no dignity or shame! Fighting in the nude increases the fear of your enemies! Nothing is more scary than a naked scarecrow with a crown! As a new prince, you are at least expected to wear your crown at all times, unable to remove it until you have proven your worth!]
“...”
Crow-shit!! My reputation is completely ruined!
Somnu held back his screaming, but he was on the verge of convulsing out of simple frustration.
“Caaw!”
When Fala landed on his shoulder, seemingly to check up on him, he simply hunched his back forward and patted her on the head.
“It’s fine… Don’t worry about it…” He continued to mumble similar things until he finally reached the center of the spiral. “Let’s just get out of this place, please…”
“Caaw!”
He chose to review his new stats after getting back to the first layer safely. He guessed Grudgekeeper should have been done eating, so he summoned it back, finally covering his dignity once more.
With one last look up, he saw the barrier through the glass ceiling, and now beyond it, he could see the violet moon shining down on him.
“I’ll be back somehow… I won’t leave things as they are here…” He vowed as he had not too long ago.
Then he stepped into the portal, letting the lights shining from the pentagram below envelop him.
Just before he disappeared, he heard a voice.
“If you make my granddaughter cry, I’ll come for you… Naked Prince.”
Damn you, old fool! Get out of my head-
Before he could tell the owner of the voice off, Somnu was gone.
He had left the hidden realm beyond the veil.
***
“He’s gone, are you happy now?!”
“Wait, we could still kill him and walk into the crypt!”
“Right, killing him might destroy that annoying barrier too!”
“Then we could send our children to hunt him for us!”
“That’s devious!”
“I like it!”
“HA HA HA!”
“HI HI HI!
“HU HU HU!”
“HO HO HO!”
“HE HE HE!”
“HAUR HAUR HAUR!”
“HYAGH HYAGH HYAGH!”
“...”
Eamon Emberlyn got up once more after exerting his energy. The worst of the worst in this sanctuary, the strongest Nightmare Creatures present who had gotten even stronger now after feeding on Somnu’s fear, were now surrounding him.
They weren’t just some evolved monsters, but Nightmare Creatures based on the concept of sins. Ones evolving with the new generation.
Even so, Eamon wasn’t about to stay down or let them hunt down the one holding onto the hope of that next generation.
The beacon of the Sleep Sovereign.
“!”
With a crack of his neck, the last knight, the Eternal Warden of Nirvia shined once more, emitting a blinding light from his holy Mementos.
“Come, on my honor, I will not let you harm him!”
The Nightmare Creatures rushed forward at him.
He took a deep breath, the corners of his mouth curling up before he stabbed his sword in the ground.
“He is the prince of the forgotten realm!” He proclaimed, blinding lights emerging from the cracked ground beneath him.
“?!”
“The prince of Nirvia!”
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