Ch 182.
Time slipped through Matt’s fingers like sand as he struggled to piece together the remnants of his encounter with Vassilis. For much of that time, he floated in a haze, unsure of his own identity or purpose while trapped within the confines of his mind. Yet, despite the overwhelming confusion, a fierce desire to push forward and survive ignited within him, burning brighter than any despair. This willpower compelled him to resist the seductive pull of oblivion, urging him to remain anchored in reality rather than surrendering to the void.
Visions once again flooded his consciousness, this time showcasing the chaotic dance of a formless mass being torn apart and scattered across the cosmos. However, instead of fixating on the fragment that had ultimately merged with him, his attention was drawn to the piece residing within Vassilis. The vision mirrored his earlier experience, yet it culminated in a chilling image of himself and Vassilis entwined, becoming one entity. The unsettling realization that a part of him craved this fusion jolted him awake, both in his mind and in the physical realm.
“Finally,” remarked Matt’s puppet, who had vigilantly guarded his body during his ordeal. “Whatever you just experienced has likely caused more issues than you realize.”
“How long was I out?” Matt inquired, propping himself up and noting the substantial progress made on the fortress surrounding him.
“Twenty days,” his puppet replied, concern lacing its voice. “For a while, we feared you might never awaken.”
Without hesitation, Matt accessed the leadership chat, discovering a flurry of messages pleading for his response, each growing increasingly anxious and desperate as the days dragged on. Sensing the weight of their worry, he quickly typed a reassuring message, explaining that he was fine after slipping into an unexpectedly prolonged meditative trance. With that message dispatched, he redirected his focus back to his puppet.
“Has anything happened here since I fell asleep that I need to know?”
“No,” the puppet answered. “Radoznaormr informed us that you were recovering from something, but he was vague on the details.”
“It was the one we trapped on the insectoid-controlled world. Somehow, he created a connection between our minds and fought me there. I thought I had lost and was on the brink of destruction—I can’t recall how I managed to survive, to be honest.”
“There’s no need to explain now; we will all understand when we have the chance to recombine as one and then split off again.”
Matt wanted to sidestep the inevitable complications he sensed were looming, especially once the memories from all his clones over the past twenty days flooded back into his mind. The weight of that thought hung heavy on him, yet he knew there was nothing to do but wait for the impending storm of memories. With a resigned sigh, he pushed himself up from his resting place and stretched, feeling the tension in his muscles ease. As he turned toward the entrance of the dungeon, a helpless smile crept onto his face—he realized that the best course of action was to ensure he hadn’t lost his edge during his long rest.
Meanwhile, Matt's return sent ripples through the ranks of the other leaders of Scattered Stars as they noticed his message pop up on their screens. Among them, Rose felt the most impact; she had secretly hoped that his prolonged absence would grant her a reprieve from the relentless pursuit to find him. Yet, now that hope twisted into anxiety, knowing he had squandered twenty precious days of preparation while Spencer had seized that time to level up and reach B rank. Spencer was not content with just that; he had resolved that if he were to confront Matt, who had undoubtedly battled B rank monsters while still at C rank, he needed to push even higher.
“What’s got you looking so disappointed?” Spencer remarked as he exited the dungeon, catching sight of Rose’s troubled expression. “I thought you had given up on me dying in there a few weeks ago.”
“It’s nothing,” Rose deflected, hoping Spencer wouldn’t pry any further.
“No, that’s not how this works,” Spencer warned, his tone firm. “Now spill it before I make you.”
“Matt finally sent another message,” Rose admitted reluctantly. “It seems he got lost in a meditative trance for twenty days.”
“He did what?” Spencer asked, incredulity etched on his face. “A meditative trance lasting twenty days? He must have really been focused on—never mind, I guess I need to reassess my plans.”
“Whatever. Just let me know when it's time to leave. I’m tired of freezing my ass off out here,” she replied, crossing her arms against the chill.
“You're welcome to enter the dungeon if you can promise me that you won't get yourself killed,” Spencer offered, a hint of seriousness in his eyes. “The more powerful you are, the more likely you'll be useful to me when it comes time to deal with your boyfriend.”
“I’m good. There’ll be plenty of time for me to gain levels once Matt takes care of you,” Rose shot back, a flicker of determination igniting in her gaze.
Spencer didn’t bother to respond to Rose’s provocation; instead, he simply reached for one of the frozen monster steaks she had meticulously cleaned and prepared from a buffalo-like creature he had hunted. He carried it over to their fire, which crackled with heat, fueled by rendered monster fat, and carefully placed it on a rack crafted from sturdy monster bones. As the meat began to sizzle, he settled down, lost in thought. Rose had grown accustomed to his habits by now, but the weight of their contract loomed heavily over her. She felt trapped, unable to break free unless Spencer made a critical mistake. The recent elevation to B rank had only fortified the contract that bound her to him, leaving her anxious about the possibility of seeking freedom even if he ever did falter with his orders.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“I’ll go into the dungeon,” Rose muttered, determination creeping into her voice.
“Did you say something?” Spencer asked, his attention momentarily diverted.
“I said that I’ll go into the dungeon and promise to do everything I can to survive as I gain levels,” she clarified, her resolve hardening.
“Oh? What made you change your mind?” he replied, raising an eyebrow.
“If you actually kill Matt and I ever want to be free of you, I need to at least be powerful enough to escape after that fight. Otherwise, what’s to keep you from forcing another, much worse deal on me at that time?”
Spencer chuckled darkly, a smirk spreading across his face. “I must seem like a real villain to you, but I promise you that all I want is to kill Matt. After that, I don’t really care what happens to you as long as you never come after me.”
Rose remained silent, her mind made up. She turned away from him and stepped toward the entrance of the dungeon for the first time, allowing her fierce determination to fuel her steps.
Meanwhile, Apricity let out a sigh of relief as she read Matt’s message. She called for Matt’s puppet, which had arrived with a small contingent of a few hundred followers. Their conversations over the past few days had made it clear that something was blocking Matt’s mind from connecting with his body; otherwise, the puppet would have been able to relay information about his situation. Now, the pressing question was whether it would be able to rest and gather the most current updates.
“I’ve already told you that I can’t contact my main body,” stated Matt’s puppet as it entered the tent that Apricity currently called home.
“I guess that means you really do need to sleep first,” Apricity commented with a smile. “He just messaged that he is back.”
“Great, now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get some rest because there’s a ton that I need to know.”
“Hold on, before you go, I want him to know that I want a call.”
“He won’t. You have me here, which is just as good. The others don’t have that luxury, and the only reason you do is that I needed to contact someone in leadership so you would know that I’m not dead.”
“Yeah, well don’t think about going anywhere now. I need you to navigate for the ship.”
Matt’s puppet wanted to argue, but instead, it chose to ignore Apricity and left a smaller puppet behind to fulfill that role. After all, it recognized that she was right about the necessity of this decision. Once they reached the island, another of Matt’s puppets could seamlessly take over the responsibilities from those already present. With that thought in mind, Matt’s puppet quickly laid down on the ground, surrendering to sleep. Fortunately, it was the first of Matt’s puppets to do so, but it soon discovered that being reincorporated after twenty days apart was far from simple. What usually transpired in a matter of minutes was now dragging on for hours as the self that had been with Apricity felt more of Matt’s selves attaching to it, all forced to wait. Anxiety crept in, and the selves began to worry that something was seriously wrong, just as Matt’s puppet standing guard over the others on the dungeon island did. Over six hours had passed, far exceeding the normal sleep time for any of them, and it had tried unsuccessfully to rouse the other puppets. This was also around the moment when Matt stepped out of the dungeon, intending to catch up on some much-needed rest.
“You need to stay awake,” warned Matt’s puppet, urgency lacing its voice. “Something is wrong with the recombination process.”
“What is happening?” asked Matt, his brow furrowed with concern.
“I can’t wake them,” replied Matt’s puppet, frustration evident in its tone. “It’s as if a self has failed to form to control them.”
“Radoznaormr, do you know what is going on?” Matt inquired, turning toward Radoznaormr’s anchor, seeking clarity.
“I can’t say for certain, but I suspect it might relate to the prolonged wait for recombination,” Radoznaormr answered after a slight pause, curiosity evident in his tone. “It should be interesting to see what unfolds.”
“If a day normally takes thirty minutes to process, then twenty of them would take ten hours,” Matt mumbled, frowning deeply. “I never considered how long all of this would take; we usually take short naps and merge regularly.”
“That could very well be the case,” Radoznaormr agreed. “It seems you can either stay awake for days or risk being asleep for an entire day or worse.”
Matt's brow furrowed deeply as he weighed the implications of his situation. With over ten puppets under his command, he realized that if he waited for all of them to complete their recombination, it would stretch into more than three days in Earth's time. The thought gnawed at him, yet he felt cornered, contemplating whether he dared to engage in battle within the dungeon during this prolonged wait. “The one named Spencer has already reached B rank,” Radoznaormr warned, urgency threading through his voice. “If you keep hesitating, there’s no way you’ll catch him before he arrives.”
With a heavy heart, Matt decided on the only course of action that felt viable and stepped into the dungeon, determination coursing through him. He resolved to push for level 64 and then challenge the formidable level 65 floor. In his mind, the path was clear: he had to forge ahead and trust that luck would be on his side.
Meanwhile, far to the north, Zara couldn’t help but smile as she finally stood before the looming entrance of the dungeon. The journey to the island had drained her completely, even after purchasing a raft from Apricity through the guild merit exchange—a resource she had almost forgotten she could access. Unfortunately, the raft had only carried her three-quarters of the way; it soon became unwieldy in the rough waters, forcing Zara to plunge into the icy water and swim for her life, her muscles screaming with exertion.
Though half-frozen, Zara pressed onward, her resolve unwavering as she darted toward the dungeon's entrance. She understood that the next opportunity for rest would only come after she reached the end of the dungeon floors that were raging. Even then, the multitude of monsters lurking above ground filled her with unease. She wouldn’t have felt safe with her plans for sleeping even after ending the raging dungeon state were it not for the skills she had honed against her previous attacker.
Her only true concern now was the whereabouts of that assailant. Zara was certain they were still alive, and the last thing she needed was for them to strike while she was fatigued from battling other creatures. Yet, there was no option but to charge forward, pushing herself to ensure she could find a moment of respite as soon as possible.
