Not only the buildings changed in this new area. The deeper I moved into it, the larger the streets became. Houses that once stood side by side now had courtyards, more space between them, more privacy.
Even so, I kept advancing the same way as before, moving through blind spots, trying to make my presence as unnoticeable as possible.
Moving like that was extremely slow, but I had no other choice. If I drew too much attention, I had no idea how many creatures might start chasing me. On top of that, with wider streets, there were fewer places to hide.
Moments later, I encountered the first creature. Its silhouette was similar to the previous ones, but its body was different. It was taller, probably around three meters in height, with much more mass, much more weight. Its movements were controlled, refined. Where the others wandered without direction, this one showed intent behind every motion.
As I advanced further, I noticed the change. It wasn't that there were more creatures than before, but their density was higher. In the previous area, the creatures were more spread out. Here, they weren't.
They moved in pairs. Sometimes in groups of three. They crossed paths at wide intersections, paused briefly, changed direction.
I stopped within the frame of a doorless house, using the interior shadow as cover. From there, I observed.
The streets were enormous. They had been designed for constant traffic. That worked against me, fewer tight corners, fewer blind spots. Alleyways existed, but they were scarce and didn't always connect where I needed them to.
I wanted to expand my aether sense to check how many there were, but the fear of being discovered stopped me.
Just by observing, I could tell there were too many presences.
I couldn't count them all, but they were far more than I had faced so far. Every wide street seemed to have at least one group moving slowly from one end to the other.
I hid better.
I chose a house with two exits: one leading to the main street and another to a narrow side passage. I leaned against the inner wall and waited. At first, it was minutes. Then more.
Time began to stretch in an uncomfortable way. I could hear heavy footsteps, slow dragging sounds, the scrape of something hard against stone. Sometimes they passed so close that I could make out the shape of their silhouettes projected on the ground.
I could kill them.
That was the most frustrating part.
I knew I could. My body was fine. Aether flowed without issue. Dawn's Ballad and Infinite Lash responded as always. But I couldn't do it there. Not when there were three more just a street away. Not when the echo of a strike could attract something I hadn't seen yet.
So I waited for hours.
When one of them finally separated from the group, it was almost imperceptible. It didn't move far—just enough to fall outside the immediate range of the other two.
That was my chance, and I didn't hesitate.
I exited through the back of the house, crossed the side passage in silence, and climbed a low wall. From above, I could see it clearly.
It was huge compared to the previous ones. Thick arms, tense muscles. There were markings carved into its back, symbols I didn't recognize, but which were clearly not random.
I attacked.
Infinite Lash struck first, wrapping around its neck. I pulled hard and launched myself forward. Before it could react, Dawn's Ballad pierced the back of its neck.
The impact wasn't silent.
The body fell with a dull thud against the stone.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Rhael of Named Blood Kareth]
Before the sound could travel, I was already moving again, entering the nearest house and pressing myself against the inner wall. I held my breath, focusing aether into my ears. I heard footsteps. A lot of them.
They gathered where the body had fallen. They stayed there for long seconds. Then, slowly, they dispersed.
I moved farther away from the corpse.
'Awakened Beast. Named Blood.'
'So I was right. The hierarchical order of the families represents the strength of the creatures.'
The following days turned into a constant game of hide and seek.
I advanced little. Sometimes barely a single street over several hours. I moved from house to house, marking escape routes, observing from broken windows, from low rooftops, from deep shadows that I barely broke when changing position.
I started noticing patterns.
Certain groups repeated routes. Some streets were always patrolled in the same order. There were specific times of day when the density slightly decreased in certain areas.
That was my moment to attack. Still, never more than two.
One day, I isolated a creature by making noise with stones, guiding it into an alley and attacking it.
The alley I chose had no exit and was wedged between two tall buildings that blocked out the light. It was the perfect place for an ambush. And it worked until something happened that I hadn't planned for.
The first creature followed the sound of the stones and entered the alley. I was hidden in a recess in one of the walls. I followed the plan as usual, reinforced my body with aether, and when the creature turned its back, I launched myself with Dawn's Ballad aimed at its neck.
The blade pierced its skull with some resistance, but eventually gave way.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Serik of Named Blood Volen]
When I moved to retreat back into the recess, I felt another presence through my aether sense. While dealing with the first creature, I had suppressed my sense to avoid drawing attention but I failed to consider that another might enter the alley on its own.
And that's exactly what happened.
By the time I realized, the other creature was almost on top of me. I wasn't fast enough to reinforce my body or fully dodge the blow. The only thing I managed was avoiding a critical hit. The strike landed squarely in my stomach and sent me flying several meters. I slammed into the back wall of the alley, even breaking part of it.
I fell onto my back amid the collapsed stone, coughing as I struggled to catch my breath. I looked up again at the new creature, it was charging at me. I didn't have much time, and the noise was surely attracting more nearby creatures.
I had no choice but to get up however I could and run. The dense aether in the environment helped my wounds heal as I moved, but the creature kept chasing me. I jumped through windows, climbed onto rooftops, kept moving—and it still followed.
And that wasn't the worst part.
A few minutes later, more creatures started joining the chase. At first, one. Then three. Before I realized it, there were close to ten creatures pursuing me.
As I kept running, my pulse pounding in my temples and the irregular sound of footsteps behind me, I activated [Former King].
The change was immediate.
It wasn't as if something external took control, nor did I lose consciousness. It was stranger than that.
It felt like my mind split into two overlapping layers.
The first was still me. The exhaustion. The pain in my stomach from the blow. The ragged breathing. The very real fear of making a mistake and dying right there. That line of thought didn't disappear.
But above it, another appeared.
At first, it was empty.
No thoughts. No words. Just… presence.
It shared all the context with my normal mind, every image, every sound, every sensation. And then it started moving.
It was as if my thoughts accelerated without becoming chaotic. On the contrary, everything aligned. What had been impulses turned into data. Distances, timing, angles, speed. The city stopped being a maze and became a map.
The creatures were no longer a dozen chasing me.
They were moving positions with repeating patterns.
Thinking about consequences became automatic. I didn't have to stop and imagine what would happen if I turned left or jumped to a lower roof. I already knew. Options discarded themselves not because of danger, but inefficiency.
It was… addictive.
Not because it made me feel powerful, but because everything was clear. Too clear.
I understood then that this way of thinking wasn't heroic or just. It was practical. Cold. Optimized for survival when there's no margin for error.
And within seconds, the plan appeared fully formed. Not just one. Several.
I chose the quietest.
I kept running a bit longer, on purpose. Letting the group compress. Letting the creatures believe they were cornering me. I slightly reduced my speed, just enough for the fastest ones to pull ahead of the rest.
I had seen the place before without paying attention. A wide intersection meant for large traffic, with two narrow side streets and tall buildings blocking the view from above.
I slipped into one of those side streets at the last second.
The first two creatures turned with me. The others kept going straight for a moment before reacting.
That was the breaking point.
I jumped against a wall, propelled myself onto a low balcony, and from there into a house. I didn't stop. I crossed the interior, exited through a back window, and returned to the main street from another angle.
The two creatures that had followed me burst through the house walls, believing I was still inside.
To their surprise, I wasn't.
Using the noise and chaos they caused, I summoned Dawn's Ballad and Infinite Lash. I wrapped the latter around the neck of one of the creatures still in the street and pulled hard, making it stumble and fall over the legs of another.
Taking advantage of the distraction, I rushed toward the creature that had taken the impact and drove Dawn's Ballad straight into its forehead.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Rethan of Named Blood Kael]
Without wasting a movement, I pulled the blade free. When I turned, the other creature was already standing. What it failed to realize was that its neck was right at the height of my sword.
And that's exactly what happened.
With a clean motion, Dawn's Ballad cut through its neck.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Dervik of Named Blood Kael]
The head hadn't even hit the ground before I was moving again. The group was regrouping now, so I continued the plan and kept running.
I moved again, in and out of houses, using windows, low rooftops, narrow passages. I never ran in a straight line. I never repeated the same route.
Every time one or two creatures separated from the main group, I eliminated them.
Always fast.
The numbers started dropping without them realizing it. When only three remained, the attribute was no longer necessary. I deactivated [Former King] before the clarity became something I could grow used to.
The last fight was brief. Some of them were already in bad shape from crashing into each other or slamming into walls.
Using my agility advantage, I made one strike another, then moved toward the one not involved. I wrapped the whip around one of its arms and guided it into the path of another creature. In the end, all three collided with each other.
The one in the middle was the most affected and ended up farther from the group. It was the first to die. Taking advantage of a wound on its right knee, I cut there and it fell to the side. Supporting itself only with its arms, it had no way to attack me. Bringing Dawn's Ballad down in a vertical strike, its face was split in two.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Korl of Named Blood Veren]
The others didn't have much of a chance either. Using Infinite Lash, I wrapped it around both of their waists, extending it just enough for it to lock them together, back to back.
They tried to break free, but I never gave them the chance. Throwing Dawn's Ballad with all my strength toward where their cores should be, the blade pierced the first creature's body and the tip emerged a few centimeters from the second.
Both dead.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Saith of Named Blood Veren]
[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Molrek of Named Blood Veren]
Silence returned all at once.
I leaned against a wall, breathing deeply, letting the aether finish closing my superficial wounds. Only then did I fully notice the abysmal difference between my normal state and when I activated [Former King]. The ease of thinking up plans, developing them, and executing them wasn't the only thing that surprised me.
It was the absolute clarity with which I acted every movement. I didn't feel like myself at all. It was as if my body had stopped being mine, and a cold, calculating presence had taken my place.
'Is this how Grey felt?'
'How can someone maintain their humanity thinking like that?'
In a way, the sensation was euphoric, the efficiency of everything, the real feeling of power. It was magnificent. And that unsettled me.
Because I knew that, when the time came, I would use it again.
And that a part of me… was already waiting for it.
'Wow, I should only use that attribute as a last resort. I could easily lose myself if I keep it active too long.'
Moments later, I recovered a bit and continued on my way. If I stayed too long in the same place, there was a chance more creatures would approach, and I had no desire to fight more battles after what had just happened.
The change came without warning.
The structures began to rise disproportionately. It wasn't just that they were taller, the scale of the place itself felt wrong. Towers rose far above anything I had seen before. Walls were polished smooth. Columns were so massive that my presence felt insignificant.
The stone was black, or dark enough to seem so. The metal showed no signs of wear, no rust, no visible imperfections. Everything was too clean. Too intact. There were few decorations, but the symbols carved into the surfaces were precise and ancient, as if they didn't need repetition to make their meaning clear.
I looked for a tall building and waited. Before making any decisions, I needed to see what creatures inhabited this new zone. Hours later, I had studied them enough and I didn't like what I saw.
Until now, I had only fought Dormant Beasts or Awakened Beasts.
But ahead of me were Awakened Demons and Fallen Monsters…
And there weren't few of them. Nearby, I could count around ten scattered across the area, and I had no doubt there were more the deeper I went.
'This doesn't look good.'
There was no way I could fight them. It was already incredible that I could handle multiple Awakened Beasts at once in the previous area and in the labyrinth. But an Awakened Demon? A Fallen Monster?
No. Absolutely not.
I'm just a Sleeper whose core isn't even saturated…
'Actually… how am I doing on that?'
[Aether Fragments: 232/1000]
I hadn't progressed as much as I would have liked. Thinking back, I should have stayed longer in the labyrinth. In one week there, I advanced more than I did here in almost two.
'And Dawn's Ballad?'
[70/100]
Fortunately, the sword only cares about how many kills I make. It doesn't care about the rank or class of the creatures.
'What will happen when it reaches 100? I can't wait to find out!'
Unfortunately, I won't find out in this zone. I have no intention of fighting these creatures. It will take me longer to cross the area, but I'm not a masochist.
Once I recovered, I advanced with far more caution than before.
This wasn't about isolating or improvising. Every movement had to be justified. The wide streets left very little room to hide in plain sight. Shadows existed, but they were deep and sharply defined, created by massive structures that allowed no margin for miscalculation.
I moved only when I was sure.
Sometimes hours passed without me advancing more than a single block. I stayed still on upper floors, behind columns, or inside secondary buildings, observing. The Awakened Demons moved with a dangerous calm, as if they were in no hurry at all. The Fallen Monsters, on the other hand, remained motionless most of the time.
That was what unsettled me the most. They didn't seem like improvised guards or randomly placed beasts. Each one covered a specific area. Every major intersection had at least one dominant presence.
I realized then every creature I encountered moved as if it were protecting something.
My first thought was the relic, but I didn't think it would be something sitting on a pedestal waiting to be taken. The process was probably similar to what happened in my first nightmare.
'They're protecting the portal…'
Analyzing their movements, I came to the conclusion that forcing a fight wouldn't just be suicidal it would be useless.
So I didn't.
I learned the intervals. How long a creature stayed in one spot before moving. Which routes overlapped and which didn't. Which zones were temporarily empty and which never were. It was slow, frustrating, but it worked.
Days passed.
Not one or two. Several.
I didn't eat, and hunger was starting to set in. I slept poorly and always in different places. Never twice in the same building. Never long enough to truly relax. The exhaustion piled up, but there was no alternative.
Even so, I advanced.
Little by little, the structures began to change again.
The towers and fortresses didn't disappear, but they started organizing around a central axis. The streets, though still massive, now had a clearer purpose. There was symmetry. Order. A growing sense of separation.
Until I saw them.
Inner walls.
They weren't improvised or defensive in the classic sense. They were too clean, too straight. They weren't meant to withstand a siege, but to mark a boundary. Dark stone reinforced with polished metal stretched from side to side, blocking access to the city's center.
In front of one of the entrances, a sign carved directly into the stone caught my attention. The language was ancient, and at first glance I didn't understand it but thankfully, the spell did.
The runes read:
Central Domain Academy
'An academy…?'
I stopped.
The contrast with everything before was brutal. There were no ruins, no wear, no improvisation. Everything was in perfect condition, as if time itself wasn't allowed to act within. Beyond the walls, the buildings were different not taller by brute force, but by design. Elegant, solid, with a silent presence.
I crossed.
The sensation changed immediately.
The noise of the outer city almost completely vanished. The space felt isolated, separated from the rest of the world. There were no giant streets, but wide yet contained avenues, inner courtyards, structures that invited one to stop and rest for a while.
Obviously, I didn't.
At first, I walked around the wall to carefully observe for possible threats. I didn't see any, but there was a strange feeling in the air.
When I found a building connected to the wall, I decided to jump over and enter it. Its interior was strangely comfortable…
There was a desk with an extremely comfortable chair, I know because I sat in it while looking around the room. To the left, there was a stack of books, but when I tried to read them, they were all blank, as if they had never contained anything, or perhaps everything had been erased. To the right, there was a sofa with a small table in front of it, and not much else.
The feeling it gave me was very similar to the professors' rooms at the academy in NQSC.
I didn't have to be a genius to realize I was in a room that once belonged to a professor before the entire city became corrupted. Leaving the room, I headed to the rooftop of the building. A few minutes later, I was overlooking the academy from above.
Surprisingly, it was quite similar to the academy in NQSC. Both felt like cities within a city.
'I would've liked to see this academy full of life, with students moving around…'
Still, admiring the view wasn't the reason I climbed to the roof. From here, I could see a large part of the academy, and by focusing aether into my eyes, I could tell I wasn't alone. From this vantage point, I could see a few creatures, maybe four or five.
Their shape was similar to the previous ones, but they emitted a different aura. I didn't look at them directly; I didn't want them to notice my gaze. Even so, seeing them from the corner of my eye was enough to reach a conclusion I didn't like at all.
They were Fallen Devils…
'Oh hell nah.'
'I'm not getting anywhere near that place.'
I spent a few hours studying their behavior, and I didn't like it at all. They moved in patterns whenever I stopped watching one, another immediately replaced it. The patterns continued, over and over. The organized way they moved confirmed something else, and thinking about it sent a chill down my spine.
What kind of creature could make Fallen Devils act in such an organized manner? And not just them, I had felt this throughout the entire zone.
There could only be one explanation. There was a creature even more powerful controlling all of them.
At minimum… a Corrupted Tyrant.
My eyes widened, and I felt the air start to leave my lungs.
Eventually, I started breathing again, but the feeling of insignificance didn't fade.
'Gray is insane!'
'How does he expect to send me, a damn Sleeper, into a place with a Corrupted Tyrant?!'
I stayed on the roof a while longer, partly cursing Gray in my head and partly memorizing the visible movement patterns. There was no way to advance through the academy without risking running into those creatures, so I discarded that route entirely.
I climbed down the building on the opposite side and resumed moving while circling the wall.
The journey was long.
I advanced little, rested just enough, and moved again.
Eventually, I found a more viable area to walk through and enter the academy. I avoided open spaces, circled large structures, and crossed only when I was sure no creatures were nearby. Several times, I had to retreat and change routes, losing entire hours over a single miscalculated move.
It wasn't fast.
But it worked.
Over time, the buildings began clustering together, resembling the dormitories at NQSC. The streets also narrowed a bit.
And then I saw it.
The portal stood at the end of a straight avenue, between two low structures. There were no creatures nearby, no signs of recent activity.
It was exactly like the portals I had seen in my first nightmare.
Gigantic. Dark. Completely devoid of light or visible energy.
It made no sound. It reacted to nothing.
It was simply there.
I stopped to observe it for a long while, making sure there was nothing out of place. When I was convinced it wasn't an obvious trap, I advanced without rushing.
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
'This is just the next step.'
I crossed the portal.
The city vanished from my sight in an instant, along with the academy, the inner walls, and everything I had left behind.
The relic awaited me.