Ch 169.

  Matt had just begun to feel a sense of calm wash over him as he rowed away from the site of his encounter with the sperm whale when one of his puppets called out, urgency lacing its voice. “We have a swarm of something headed this way.” Rising to his feet, Matt squinted through the shimmering surface of the water, spotting pink clouds surging through the depths at an unnaturally rapid pace. Although they were on a trajectory that would see them pass a hundred feet from his raft, he instructed his puppets to take over rowing while he remained vigilant for any signs of danger.

  As he watched the swirling mass approach, a chill crept up his spine; he felt as though these creatures posed a greater threat than even the largest monsters lurking in the ocean's depths. If they decided to attack, he had no clear means of defending himself beyond hardening his body and bracing for impact. He could only hope they weren't inclined to target larger prey as he observed what he believed to be swarms of krill drifting by.

  Just when he thought the swarm had safely passed, a massive whale surged up from the depths beneath them, its enormous mouth opening wide to engulf over half of the tiny creatures. One glance was all it took for Matt to realize he was staring at a creature capable of swallowing his entire raft whole. Fortunately, it appeared to be a baleen whale, still focused on hunting the diminutive critters that made up its diet. Relief washed over him, especially when he caught sight of its tail fin, which was the size of his raft.

  With that, the incident was over, but Matt remained on high alert. The sight of such colossal beings left him uneasy; both whales possessed the power to complicate his journey, and he couldn't shake the fear that even larger creatures might be lurking nearby. Aside from a few more fish the size of motorcycles, the rest of the day unfolded without further incident as he received an updated heading from Radoznaormr. He was still 390 miles from his destination, primarily due to the necessary detour around the area where the sperm whale’s blood had drifted. Nevertheless, as the sun dipped below the horizon and darkness enveloped him, Matt felt a profound gratitude simply for being alive.

  Part of him had considered keeping Radoznaormr’s anchor out just to provide some light, but he quickly dismissed the idea as reckless. While it might offer a fleeting sense of safety, the glow would only serve to lure monstrous creatures toward him, and Matt had no desire to tempt fate. A heavy weariness settled over him, a feeling that he had likely exhausted his last opportunity for restful sleep before reaching land. He understood that he should close his eyes and let fatigue take over, but the day's events had been a stark awakening, prompting him to share his harrowing experiences with the others through the leader chat.

  He also felt compelled to reach out to Apricity, knowing she was likely charting a similar course and was just a week behind him, according to Radoznaormr's information. The moment the call connected, Apricity's voice crackled through the device, filled with mock indignation. “Oh, finally decided that I am worth calling?”

  “I wasn’t going to give you the chance to talk me out of leaving,” Matt replied, a hint of defiance in his tone.

  “Jerk, you were supposed to meet up with me right away,” she retorted, her irritation palpable.

  “I never agreed to that. Besides, it wouldn’t have been the best idea, all things considered.”

  “Oh, are you referring to the two close calls you had? Are you forgetting my escape skills and safe passage abilities? I’m more than just a dungeon guide at this point; I can easily apply those skills wherever I am. Yet you want to face the dangers alone—”

  “The rest won’t have you with them,” Matt interjected firmly. “And if I waited for you, I’d also have to wait for Jaelyn. After all, you’re heading my way with a few hundred people and building actual ships. If I were you, I’d make sure their bottoms are extra thick and sturdy if you want them to survive. Even then, capsizing might be the real issue you all need to address, especially after today’s events. I’m starting to wonder if the ocean will ever truly be safe to cross again.”

  “You’re overreacting because you’re approaching this in the most reckless way imaginable, and you can only get away with it due to the stats you've accumulated from the system. No, let’s not dwell on things I find unimportant right now. Tell me, have you figured out what you’re going to do about dating now that we’ve returned to Earth?”

  “Hide and make all of you work extremely hard to track me down,” Matt replied, a teasing smile playing on his lips. “Maybe I’ll focus on building a fort on the island and then set sail again, steering clear of the dungeons.”

  “Don’t even joke like that. Besides, I know you won’t go through all the trouble of getting there just to turn around and leave,” Apricity shot back, her tone dripping with smug confidence. “So don’t say things we both know aren’t true.”

  “Yeah, but I’m serious about hiding from all of you. Also, until I have a chance to talk to Rose face-to-face, nothing will happen between me and any other woman. Even after that, I doubt I’ll want to get involved with any of you for quite some time.”

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  “Coward. You can brave the crossing of 500 miles of open ocean on a rickety raft, but you can’t sort out your feelings—”

  “Enough, Apricity! All I see ahead is pain from being with any of you! I can easily picture myself falling for any one of you, but I’ll be facing foes who make Tempormr look weak. Unless one of you can not only keep pace with my level but also match my fighting skills, it just won’t work out.”

  “I see, and are you planning to tell us that if you win, we can have a chance then?”

  “No, what I’m saying is that once this phase of our integration is over, I’m likely never returning to Earth, even if I win. I just don’t—”

  “Want a reason to care about Earth,” Apricity interjected, finishing his thought. “Fine, but if one of us can stand next to you and fight on your level, you have to accept them.”

  “We can have that discussion—”

  “No, we all lost out on our chance to convince you because of how things played out in the dungeon. So, if you want to set the standard for being able to fight evenly with you, then you need to let any of us try at every opportunity we get. If we meet your standard, then we get to be by your side until another one of us beats us and proves they’re a better choice to stand next to you.”

  “This is starting to sound like something Greg would suggest,” Matt argued, shaking his head. “I’m not having you all fighting each other to prove who’s the strongest. The issue is that none of you can regenerate like I can, and so—”

  “We have to be that much better at defending ourselves,” Apricity countered, her voice firm. “I never said convincing you would be easy, just that you need to let us try.”

  Matt hesitated, reluctant to agree with the proposal, but he had to admit it was a solid idea, and at the very least, it would put an end to their argument for a while.

  “Fine,” he relented with a sigh. “Just don’t try to use some cheap trick or gimmick to win, as it needs to be a fight that I feel isn’t a fluke if you want me to acknowledge it.”

  “Of course, we’re fighting to earn the right to put our lives on the line,” Apricity agreed, her voice steady and resolute. “Anyone unwilling to go that far can simply walk away.”

  “Why are you so ready to take that risk?” Matt pressed, his brow furrowing in concern. “I understand you’ve elevated me in your mind, but am I really worth facing almost certain death for?”

  “That—well, that’s actually a valid point, and I hadn’t considered it from that angle,” Apricity admitted after a brief pause, her eyes narrowing as she contemplated his words. “I suppose I believe that if I’m by your side, I’ll find a way to survive, but now I need to reflect on that.”

  “Take your time with that thought. Now, fill me in on your situation…”

  The remainder of the call shifted to more practical matters as Apricity detailed how she and her mother were among a few hundred others who had been drawn into Scattered Stars alongside them. Their current plans involved establishing a settlement near the closest stretch of land to the island Matt was aiming for. They believed that setting up a ship to ferry back and forth regularly would be beneficial. During their travels, they had encountered several individuals who had spent their entire integration aboard a ship. These newcomers had never laid eyes on the ocean before and harbored a deep-seated fear of it, leading the system to compel them to confront their fears alongside others who shared similar experiences.

  Apricity left the details light, but it was evident to Matt that they had witnessed a significant amount of death early on, as many had struggled to adapt to the harsh conditions. However, those who managed to survive had a clear path to leveling up, as the monsters relentlessly escalated in power throughout their trials. By the end, all who persevered had reached level 35, a remarkable feat considering that most hadn’t even attained D rank at level 17. This made the fact that Rose had been ensnared by someone at least as formidable as she was even more concerning. It prompted Matt to ponder just how many individuals were at a higher level than he was and how many of them had their sights set on his demise.

  Meanwhile, as Matt wrapped up his call, the sun hung low in the morning sky where Rose and Spencer were stirring awake after yet another grueling day of travel. By this point, Rose was certain that Spencer understood just how tenuous his grip on her was. This realization was both a blessing and a curse; while he only issued the simplest of commands and never demanded too much from her, he also provided no means of escape from her predicament. Although she didn’t desire freedom until they reached Matt, the thought of being able to break free at a moment’s notice was enticing. Even better would be the opportunity to launch a surprise attack against him if the chance arose.

  “You know I can sense when you’re plotting to gut me, right, love?” Spencer remarked with a lazy stretch, his muscles rippling beneath his shirt. “Not that it’ll do you any good; you can’t touch me, and I can’t touch you. So, just accept the situation. Once I deal with your precious leader, I’ll give you the freedom to live your life away from me.”

  “Why not just kill me?” Rose shot back, her voice sharp as a knife. “If you don’t, I will find a way to ruin you.”

  “I believe you, but honestly, who cares, love?” Spencer replied, a smirk playing on his lips. “If anything, it just means I’ll be keeping an eye on my back for the day you figure out how to strike at me.”

  “It’s almost like you want a convenient reason to be paranoid,” she countered, narrowing her eyes at him.

  “That’s exactly right. You’re going to escape, and frankly, the rest isn’t important to you. Let’s just say Matt isn’t the only one I need to eliminate, and the fact that he’ll be in the dungeon when we arrive will be perfect.”

  “So, you have someone from your integration you want to kill, but you don’t think you can?”

  “No, I just don’t like leaving things to chance,” Spencer grumbled, his tone low and warning. “There are going to be some hard fights ahead if I want to lay claim to Earth and become its ruler—”

  “That’s pointless. If you kill all the strongest people here, who’s going to stand up when others come to claim it?”

  “Why fight them when I can sell it?”

  “You can’t be serious!?”

  “Do you really think whoever comes here will want Earth to be half-destroyed when they take over? Plus, they’ll want our population to join them with as little resistance as possible, so why wouldn’t they buy it?”

  Rose shook her head slowly, absorbing this unsettling new information. Arguing felt futile, especially as her thoughts drifted back to Matt and her hope for his safety.