Crap, crap, crap…
Sunny was in a very bad situation.
He was trying to reach the distant hill before the sea came back. A few hours earlier he even had to fight a carapace scavenger.
Due to his bruises and increased vigilance, Sunny's progress slowed down considerably. He was sweating and grinding his teeth, feeling pain with each step. What's worse, the further he reached into the labyrinth, the more confusing and entangled the paths became. Even with the shadow's help, he constantly had to backtrack and struggled to move in the right direction.
If nothing changed, Sunny would not reach his goal. Which means that he'll be crushed to death by the returning sea.
Not allowing himself to think about dying, Sunny tried to walk faster. However, he couldn't be too hasty: making a wrong turn would have taken precious minutes away from him, so he had to choose the way carefully. Additionally, failing to notice another ambush could end his life directly.
Curses!
Just when he was beginning to feel desperate, his shadow suddenly saw something that momentarily sent Sunny into a stupor.
Some distance further down the path, beyond a few turns, the corals widened, creating a small clearing. And in the middle of that clearing, someone was walking across the mud.
The difference in situations of the two groups was comically large.
In one place was Sunny, beaten and bruised, looking and feeling like shit while also in a hurry to figure out a way to reach the massive coral pillar.
And on the other hand were three of the four sleepers he had come to know.
One was a tall and lean young man. He had striking crimson hair, falling in untamed strands that framed an otherworldly, handsome, and noble face. His face seemed completely unbothered by anything around him.
Reinhard was clad in imposing black armor, the boundaries of each plate gleaming golden. The armor fit him flawlessly, neither cumbersome nor restrictive, but instead enhancing the natural grace of his movements.
Beside him was a tall and lithe girl. She had silky silver hair and clear, grey eyes.
She was dressed in a simple tunic with leather sandals on her feet.
The rope in Reinhard's hand was tied to the hand of a delicate and fragile girl with blond hair and cerulean, aimless eyes. It was Cassia.
She wore leather armor with a dark silver chest plate.
Wow. What a sight...
Sunny thought.
He suddenly regretted that he was not an artist. The picture just begged to be made into a painting.
Wait… why am I thinking about that? People! I found people!
His heart skipped a bit. If they were here, then the orange light from before, most likely, had something to do with them. Which meant that they knew how to get to the tall hill.
Which meant that Sunny didn't have to be crushed to death by the high tide!
Uh… so what do I do now?
He wasn't the best at ingratiating himself to other people. In fact, he was the polar opposite—people usually instinctively avoided him. And that was in normal circumstances. This time, however, he had spent a whole of four weeks making sure that everyone in the Academy hated his guts…
Good job, Sunny!
Still, he was at least useful. In this situation, an additional body was already a great boon when facing hungry monsters. And he wasn't just anyone: his ability to scout ahead alone was worth a lot. Surely they'll understand that… right?
Plus, Reinhard was an outskirts rat too; they had a similarity among them, so maybe he would let Sunny join them because of that.
Who was he kidding?!
Their shared background was the exact reason Reinhard would think more about whether he should take someone like Sunny into their group or not.
Silently muttering curses, Sunny stepped into the shadows and hurried to the clearing. He reached it in a minute or so, hiding and observing the three before making a final decision.
Or at least that was his plan.
"I know you are here; come out, Sunless."
Reinhard said out loud and stopped in his place.
How does he know!?
Sunny's mind raced.
Does he have a detection ability? I thought he had a combat-related aspect!
Since there was no point in hiding anymore, with a heavy sigh Sunny came out from his hiding spot.
"Uh... I didn't mean to spy or anything. In fact, I was just thinking about how to approach you."
Sunny raised his hands in surrender, though his posture remained tense.
With Reinhard and Nephis here, if they wanted to kill him, he would be dead meat.
That didn't mean he would just roll over and die, though.
Reinhard gave him a brief nod before looking him over once from head to toe.
"You encountered Carapace Scavengers?"
Sunny was a bit confused; they let go of the previous matter far too quickly.
Almost as if they were expecting to meet him here.
Still, he was asked a question, so ignoring that, he let out a breath and then spoke up.
"Yeah."
"Did you kill it?"
"Uh, yes."
To prove his point, he gestured at his rucksack, full of delicious monster meat.
Sunny glanced at Nephis's face to see her reaction.
There were hints of approval in her eyes.
He looked back at Reinhard; there was nothing substantial, though he could recognize interest.
Carapace Scavengers were only beasts, but they were still awakened. With the addition of their mighty physique and natural armor, defeating one was not an easy feat for any Sleeper, who all had a dormant core. Let alone someone from the very bottom of the ranking list.
Come to think of it, it was even a bit too outstanding.
Sunny lowered his eyes.
"Eh… it was already wounded."
Reinhard didn't respond; he seemed uninterested in the reason Sunny could kill the scavenger.
Instead, he glanced at the sky once. Then, turning his body slightly towards Nephis, he said.
"Let's head back."
She simply nodded in response.
From what Sunny could see, both Nephis and Reinhard seemed perfectly fine with not continuing the conversation and just leaving for the coral pillar.
Did they already accept his inclusion into the group? Or were they outright rejecting him?
What the fuck is going on?!
I haven't even asked if I can come yet!
His eyes went to Cassia's face in panic; luckily, like the beautiful angel she was, Cassia seemed to have heard his plight.
"Are you seriously injured? Can you walk properly?"
She looked towards his direction and asked.
Yes!
Hearing her talk, Reinhard and Nephis looked back at him.
Having two people who were completely out of his league in strength stare into him at the same time was unnerving, but he kept his goal in mind this time and spoke.
"No, it's just that my ribs and leg are bruised — I'll be fine in a day or two. My armor is pretty resilient."
Before they could ignore him again.
Sunny cleared his throat.
"Before stumbling on the Scavenger, I was heading for the tall hill with the massive coral pillar on top. But after the fight, my speed decreased. Now I'm worried about not making it in time. Do you perhaps know the way?"
Cassia smiled.
"Actually, we spent the last day on that hill. We were just about to go back."
Sunny licked his lips.
"Well… can I come with you?"
They're not going to say "no"… right?
"Sure." Reinhard spoke up almost a moment after.