[Congratulations!]
[The duration of your punishment has ended!]
[Please be more mindful not to harm other Sleepers!]
[Reinitiating System to Sleeper Somnu ERROR!]
Finally…!
Having endured a whole hour of sharp pangs and quivering all over his uncovered body, Somnu immediately activated all the skills that could help close his wounds once more.
That was close… I almost bled out if it hadn’t been for the stitches that remained… He thought, slowly straining his body to move. Man, I’m so stiff…
He used [Burlap Bandage] to cover his stitched up wounds, [Stuffed Resilience] for his stomach wound, and lastly [Straw Storm] to apply pressure all over said wounds.
“Hgh…”
The last skill pressed tightly against the applied bandages, making the patient shudder repeatedly.
He made sure to use that same skill to replace his missing left arm with a makeshift straw equivalent. It didn’t seem to be regenerating ever since the Dreadbeast slime monster devoured it. At the very least, the straw replacement wasn’t too bad. Even he was bewildered at how easy it functioned, as little sense as that made to him.
Getting the System and his General Abilities back at the perfect time had been a breeze of fresh air, even in the deep hole he had fallen into after his recent altercation.
Perhaps it had been the creeping cold winds beneath the emerald moonlight that had kept his wounds from swelling up. The scarecrow knew that hadn’t been the only reason, however.
The rank up of his Hollow Core from Chalk to Ashen hadn’t sound all that impressive going by the names alone, but on top of his new abilities and upgrades, it had come with additional benefits too.
Even with the System taken away from him, Somnu could still feel the strength in his body, the refined muscle tones and even the faster processing speed of his mind.
I guess those are permanent now… Like the translation aspect.
He had used the long hour of punishment to review everything he knew, leading to such discoveries.
For one, he had multiple foes he needed to go up against.
Starting from the scarecrow monster, a Nightmare Creature born from his own trauma, and one who was likely to return once more.
To John Doe, the serial killer who murdered his mother and one of Somnu’s new companions, Benji. The bunny man had entrusted the scarecrow with a promise to protect the remaining bunny girl, Lulu, or as she always reminded Somnu to call her; Lucy.
To the Faceless Forager, the one who is behind it all, pulling all the invisible strings Somnu couldn’t even begin to see. Not to mention all the possible pawns he has hiding around.
According to Mr. Emberlyn, who the scarecrow had similarly made a promise to save as well in the brief time they had met in the forgotten lands of Nirvia, the Faceless Forager is connected to Somnu’s inability to sleep.
On top of that, from what John Doe had let slip, the hidden deity was the one who orchestrated the death of Somnu’s mother. He wanted her to suffer, but no matter how much the orphaned punk racked his brain, he couldn’t figure out any relation his mother would have had to such an entity.
Who were you really…? Why would a deity from this place be after you? These questions had been haunting the injured victor for most of that hour. To have a deity be after me too… No, whoever it is, I’ll find them and make them pay for what they did to you…
Noticing his wounds finally starting to close and heal with his boosted General Ability, [Enhanced Natural Prowess], Somnu straightened his back on the tepid wall behind him and prepared to bid it farewell.
No matter who he still had to fight, there were people still waiting for him. People who he still needed to find and protect.
His new companions, Mathros and Lulu were likely still on their way through the cave’s exit. They must have been worried after Somnu took off after the killer on his own.
And his siblings, along with Mr. Emberlyn’s granddaughter, Aurora, were together in the Nightmare Realm. Except, one of the Faceless Forager’s pawns was with them as well.
At the very least, that was what Somnu’s legendary Memento, the Veilbinder’s Diadem, had shown him before the System initiated his punishment. Not that it would have affected the transparent crown, since even with the System's disappearance, the item that had remained was the higher grade artifact.
“Ah… Okay, time to cover up first and foremost…” Standing on his own two feet, Somnu commanded the System and equipped his Dream Catcher, the last thing his mother had left him, a custom-made Halloween costume. “...”
However, Grudgekeeper didn’t respond to him. Instead, the pop-up messages he got made his brows twitch.
[Cannot summon Dream Catcher.]
[Grudgekeeper is already equipped.]
“What…?” He blurted out before looking down and examining his own body. “No, still naked here…” Then a sudden realization hit him as he whipped his head to the side. “Don’t tell me…!”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Crunch! Crunch!
“You! What are you doing?! Stop that!”
Somnu ran to the opposite side of the hole he was still in, to the only other presence there.
The remains of Almon Gorbert, the manipulated and possessed follower of the Faceless Forager.
And the first human Somnu had ever killed. Even if Somnu hadn’t known Almon was being possessed by a serial killer, that fact alone could never make it easier.
“I said… Stop! Get. Away. From. Him!” Somnu let out through gritted teeth as he grabbed onto his gluttonous outfit munching down on the limbless corpse. “Damn you… Why are you so strong?!”
And yet, no matter how much he pulled, even threatening to reopen his wounds, Grudgekeeper simply reformed itself, extended with new jagged teeth and took another bite.
THUD!
Soon enough, the scarecrow fell back and let out a long sigh.
Sorry, Almon… You hoped for someone to save you, to protect you… And yet, all I did was… Somnu looked away, his eyes closed, refusing to watch the victim’s remaining head from being devoured whole.
The single thought of having his own hunger satiated by proxy made him want to throw up. In reality, the contents of his own stomach were still completely empty. He had given up on trying to figure out how that worked.
Instead, opening his eyes again, another pop-up message made him question all his logic.
[You have absorbed Sleeper Almon Gorbert’s grudge.]
[Your grudge has grown much stronger!]
[Calculating rewards…]
“You have to be kidding me…! I don’t want that!”
[Your Dream Catcher has leveled up!]
“!”
[Your Dream Catcher has leveled up!]
[Your Dream Catcher has leveled up!]
“Stop it! Cancel it! Whatever it is you are doing now…!”
[Your Dream Catcher has…!]
“I reject it!”
[Grudgekeeper has grown significantly stronger!]
[Congratulations!]
[You have enough grudge for a rank up!]
“Crow-Shit! Dammit!!” The scarecrow cried out, his tightly clenched white knuckles leaving marks on the ground around him. “What kind of cheat is that…?! This is too much…!!”
[Your Dream Catcher {Grudgekeeper} has ranked up!]
[Dream Catcher New Grade: Tuned.]
[Dream Catcher {Grudgekeeper} Level: Lvl 1.] {With 9482 more Ego Particles or Core equivalent to the next level up.}
[Additional Skills obtained.]
[New Skills: {Night Terror State}, {Resonance}, {Serpent’s Slither}, {Crowstorm}]
Without realizing it, Somnu’s back hunched forward, his arms wrapped around his knees. His shaking eyes grew distant, a single tear ran down his right cheek.
He had not only ripped Almon of his life and aspirations, but even consumed his very essence.
And to make matters worse…
[A Memento is responding to your aspirations!]
[Retrieving Memento…]
Almon himself seemed to be allowing it all to happen, entrusting Somnu with his grudge, with the same mission of revenge and protection, even leaving his killer all his remaining fears.
[Unable to retrieve Memento!]
[Processing…]
“...” Somnu lowered his gaze, his eyes narrow. “If it’s that ripped gray hoodie… Whatever was still left of it is already consumed…”
He remembered glimpsing the dead boy’s Dream Catcher just before his System disappeared. The same gray hoodie that had been a constant through Almon’s life. It had allowed him to become invisible. That aspect of his power hadn’t been a skill, but his outfit.
And now, Grudgekeeper had devoured it all.
The scarecrow sat in silence for a moment, only the sound of rattling leaves carried by the cold breeze accompanied him.
He had gotten stronger, that’s what he had wanted.
The strength to beat those who would stand in the way of his living loved ones, who throw dirt over the memory of those who were gone.
And yet, none of it felt…
“This isn’t right… I don’t deserve to carry all of your dreams…”
“It’s not up to you…”
“?!”
Somnu whipped his head around, the new, soft voice coming from behind him.
“Those who chose you, they depend on you now…”
He was met with the same familiar black smoke covering a winged figure.
“Fala…?”
“Caaw!”
“You’re… so much bigger…” Somnu blurted out, seeing his crow companion take on the form she had as they fought against the scarecrow creature in the forgotten lands of Nirvia. “And I can really understand you now…”
“It was about time… Caaw! Having a reckless master I can’t communicate with was quite frustrating…” Fala landed on the scarecrow’s bare shoulder, her talons slightly pinching his skin. “You made me worry, stupid master… You always come too close to…”
As the crow trailed off, Somnu turned away, a slight wince appearing on his face.
“And now… Caaw! You’re wallowing in your own misery when others have entrusted you with everything they could leave behind…” Slowly, Fala pushed her head against her master’s right cheek, erasing the trace of his tear. “I know you aren’t going to let them down.”
“...” The scarecrow looked up at the emerald moon, still illuminating the deep hole he was still in. “... You’re right, Fala. You’re becoming too smart too fast for me… but I can’t deny it. I was being selfish.”
“Caaw.” The crow closed her eyes in acknowledgement.
“I almost ran away again, overwhelmed with the pressure of what it all meant.”
Somnu got up, equipping the silent Grudgekeeper onto his body. He traced all the new straps and leather upgrades it had gotten before raising his head with newfound determination.
“Almon, Benji, and all the owners of the Ego Particles we’re carrying with us…” He clenched his fists and squinted his eyes. “Even if I’m not worth their trust as I am now, together… We’ll make sure to make their dreams a reality.”
VRRMMM!
“!”
The moment the words left his mouth, everything around him began to shake.
“What’s going on?! Another trap?!” Somnu questioned, the grinning skull symbol on the wall still staring at him as it did for the past hour.
“No! It’s-”
“The crown?!”
Suddenly, the blinding light above his head grabbed his attention. The intense shaking was ever-increasing as the legendary Memento began to distort the very air around it.
“Crow-Shit!”
The one thing that could have saved him, he wasn’t able to do.
Veilbinder’s Diadem could never be removed from his head.
Hence was the fate of the Naked Prince.
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