"Halt!" Sunny whispered, observing the group of scavengers through his shadow.
As soon as the word left his lips, Nephis summoned her sword in one smooth motion. After quickly scanning their surroundings, she turned to Sunny, a silent question in her eyes. Cassie froze, raising her staff with hesitation. Miguel simply gripped the scabbard of Yamato tighter, his gaze sharpening.
Sunny counted the monsters: one, two, three... six.
'Curses.'
They looked like the weaker members of the pack-similar to the one he had slain before-but their wounds were fewer. That meant they were stronger. Six of them... far too many.
"There are scavengers ahead. Six of them, moving this way."
Nephis narrowed her eyes.
"They're done with the carcass?"
Sunny shook his head. "I doubt it. Maybe the meat's running out. Looks like these stragglers got nothing and are searching elsewhere."
Nephis nodded, gesturing to a nearby side path. "We'll circle around them."
The four Sleepers moved quickly, trying to bypass the scavengers without being noticed. Every step was tense. But eventually, they had to stop, catching their breath near a dead end. A massive cluster of beasts passed nearby, just beyond a twisting coral passage.
Sunny sighed. "We can't keep doing this. At this rate, we'll never make it by nightfall."
Cassie bit her lip. "Maybe... we should go back?"
Nephis's tone remained cold, resolute. "It'll only get harder tomorrow."
That much was true, Sunny didn't know what to do or rather he tried to make the though dissappear from his mind when a calm voice broke his efforts to not think about it.
Miguel, hand resting on his hip, looked at Sunny and said flatly, "Isn't it obvious?"
Nephis answered without missing a beat. "We fight."
Sunny grimaced. "I know you're good with a sword, but those things are awakened. They're a full rank above us. We won't survive a head-on fight."
"We avoid big groups. Cut down small ones," she replied. "If there's one or two... there's a chance."
Sunny hesitated but eventually nodded. "Fine."
Nephis turned to him. "Did you study the scavenger you killed?"
Sunny blinked. "No. Why would I?"
"Because they have weak points," she explained calmly. "First-joints. The armor can't be thick there, so it's easier to damage their limbs and reduce their mobility."
She continued, "Second-where the torso connects to the carapace. A precise hit there can cause serious damage. Third-the back, around where the eyes would be. There's a discolored spot between armor plates. If you pierce through it, that's a killing blow."
Sunny absorbed the info, his brain already forming scenarios.
"And if there are two of them?"
"Don't die," Nephis replied with a shrug.
Miguel raised a hand. "And me?"
"You make sure Cassie stays alive," she said.
Miguel smiled at the blind girl. "Light work."
Both Miguel and Cassie stayed hidden behind a wall of crimson coral. He was bored out of his mind, a hand resting lazily on Yamato's scabbard. Boredom-it wasn't just a feeling. It was practically a flaw of his own.
From the distance, he heard the sounds of battle-Nephis and Sunny were fighting. Miguel stayed alert, his senses peeled open like razor wires. Then... he felt it. A tremor in the mud. A subtle shift. Something big was coming.
A Carapace Scavenger emerged from the earth, hulking and hungry.
Miguel grinned.
"Cover your ears, Cassie. It's gonna get noisy. Oh-and pay close attention. Time to show you how my ability works... smell, hear, sense-whatever helps."
The monster lunged, its pincers gleaming with killing intent.
Miguel vanished in a blur.
Clang!
Steel met steel as Yamato clashed with a pincer. The impact echoed like a thunderclap. Miguel reappeared behind the scavenger in a heartbeat, but the beast twisted, blocking the slash with its carapace. It retaliated, lashing out with both pincers.
Miguel disappeared again.
Above the beast now.
With perfect timing, he descended, Yamato slicing through the pincer's joint like butter.
THUD!
The severed limb crashed to the ground. The scavenger shrieked and lunged again-but Miguel didn't wait. He teleported to the side, dashed around its flank, and carved through the legs with blinding speed.
Four of them dropped. The scavenger fell with a crash, unable to stand.
Miguel exhaled once, shifted his grip... and plunged the katana into the weak point on its back-the discolored spot. The blade sank in with a wet crack.
The creature spasmed once.
And stopped moving.
A soft chime echoed in his ears.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Carapace Scavenger]
[...The demon within you merges with your human self]
Miguel stood atop the corpse, expression neutral. The thrill faded fast.
"Cassie, you can uncover your ears now."
The blind girl slowly turned toward the sound of his voice. She hadn't screamed, but her silence said plenty. She felt the creature die.
She whispered, "Just... what are you?"
Miguel grinned.
"Your handsome friend, obviously."