'Can you Identify me?' Nightmare asked as Seth slung his bow over his back and picked up his dagger.

'Really?' Seth tilted his head, a teasing glint in his eye. 'No 'Hey, where'd you run off to? Did you have a good time without me? Did you eat well? Did you get hurt at all?' Just straight to business, huh?'

'You're alive, I'm alive. We're both alive,' Nightmare huffed. 'Now hurry up and Identify me.'

'Umm, later,' Seth answered, walking past the direwolf and kneeling beside the undead wolf's carcass. 'Give me a few hours to process that you didn't miss me at all.'

'Oh, come on,' the direwolf retorted, shaking his head. 'I did miss you… a bit.'

Seth paused mid-slice, his dagger poised over the corpse's half-opened chest, then his brows furrowed. 'What? A mighty beast like you missed a mere human?'

Nightmare looked away with clear indignation. 'You're the worst, you know that?'

Seth chuckled, grabbing the black beaststone within the corpse and yanking it out. 'I'll be sure to remember this next time you ignore me.'

'You should start now,' the direwolf grumbled, plopping down onto his haunches with a loud huff.

Seth stood and walked over, a sly smile tugging at his lips as he ruffled the dark fur on the direwolf`s head and cast Identify. 'There you go, Mister grumpy.'

Nightmare (Tenebrous Young Direwolf)

 

Potential: Silver Tier

Rank: 16 (High-Copper)

Affinity: Darkness

 

Bonded to [Seth]

 

Strength: 28

Arcane Power: 33

Toughness: 21

Well Capacity: 18

Agility: 37

Regeneration: 22

Spells:

- Illusionary Emptiness [Silver〜Epic (Crude)]

- Danger Sense [Silver〜Rare (Decent)]

- Shadow Bite [Iron〜Rare (Crude)]

'Rank 16!' Nightmare exclaimed, momentarily forgetting he was supposed to be mad at Seth. 'Am I still a higher Rank than you?'

'What do you think?' Seth rolled his eyes before checking the direwolf's attributes. For the first time in weeks, the direwolf's Toughness had increased. 'But with Link's bonus attributes, I'm getting close.'

'That doesn't count,' Nightmare retorted, pride filling his tone. 'So, we're what? Two? Three Ranks apart?'

'Three,' Seth answered with a shrug as a smile spread across his face. 'But we both gained two Ranks since we were separated, and you can eat stones and I can't.'

Nightmare snorted. 'Use that excuse if you want. I'm still ahead.'

'Yeah, yeah.' Seth brushed the comment away before looking at the tunnels around there. 'Which ones haven't you explored yet?'

'That one,' the direwolf said, pointing with his muzzle at a wide tunnel on the right. 'Every time I got close, Danger Sense started tingling.'

Seth looked at the dark mouth in the rock facade. 'Like it did for the Rank-18 Stone-Scaled Sloth? Or more intensively?'

A few days prior to entering the cave, they had encountered their strongest Stone-Scaled Sloth yet, near the Black Mountain. Back then, Nightmare's Danger Sense had activated, but they had still opted to fight it.

'Um, about the same.'

So, it's probably Rank 19 or 20, Seth thought, weighing his options—which basically boiled down to venturing in there, hoping to find a way out, or starving to death. 'Well, it's gonna be a tough fight.'

'Great!' Nightmare answered, his excitement spreading through their bond. 'With luck, that thing will have high Strength and Agility. I last ate a stone about half a day ago. My aether channels should be ready for another soon.'

'I'd prefer low Agility. It'd be an easier fight.' Seth muttered, shaking his head. As his gaze fell onto the chamber's glowing runes, his expression grew serious. 'They're brighter here.'

Nightmare glanced at them briefly. 'Probably because the exit of this domain is close.'

'Perhaps. We'll soon find—' Seth stopped mid-sentence and frowned, repeating the direwolf's last words. 'Wait, this 'domain'?'

'Yeah. We're no longer in the usual world.'

Seth's eyes widened. 'How do you know that?'

'When we entered that cave, the aether… shifted,' Nightmare explained, trying to share the feeling with Seth through Link. 'Just like when you move me inside that devil necklace.'

"A domain," Seth mumbled, struggling to fathom that possibility. How could that be true? Everything around him felt so real: the jagged walls, the cool, damp air, the echo of every step. And the cave was massive, far larger than the adaptive domains of his necklace.

'Any idea why we were separated when we got in?' he asked after a moment, trying to understand the rules of the place.

'No clue,' Nightmare answered. 'Maybe we weren't close enough when we stepped into that cave? Or it's just random. But it doesn't change anything about our current situation.'

Seth rubbed his face, forcing himself to push aside all those questions in his mind. The direwolf was right. It didn't matter. Domain or not, the only thing they could do right now was to explore that damn tunnel. 'Alright, let's move.'

Nightmare nodded and advanced toward the dark opening in the cave's wall, leading the way with his night vision. Seth followed closely behind, bow drawn and ready. Each step echoed through the oppressive silence, while the faint glow of the runes seemed to intensify around them. As they advanced through the tunnel, a dim light appeared ahead, breaking the darkness' reign.

Seth's grip tightened on his bow, and he nocked an arrow. 'Be ready to fight.'

Nightmare let out a low growl in response, his fur bristling along his back. They cautiously inched forward, their eyes darting toward every shadow, looking for any potential threats. The light grew brighter, and when they finally reached the tunnel's end, a breathtaking sight unfolded before them.

The glow originated from a vast underground hall, where hundreds of massive stalactites descended from the ceiling, mirrored by jutting stalagmites rising from the floor. The place resembled a natural cathedral of rock, its grandeur amplified by the eerie play of light and shadow. In the center, a small, azure flower blossomed in a narrow crevice next to a large stone column. Its vibrant petals shimmered with a soft, ethereal light that bathed the surroundings in a serene radiance.

Domain Flower

Resource

Tier: Iron

Grade: Epic

'Iron and Epic!' Seth exclaimed, striding toward the flower with Nightmare following on his heels. Up close, the delicate petals were even more stunning, adorned with intricate patterns that seemed to pulse with an inner light. 'If we harvest it, do you think it'll take us out of the domain? Or make this entire place collapse and kill us?'

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'Hard to say,' Nightmare answered, his red eyes fixed on the shining flower.

Seth sighed. 'Well, that's our best lead.'

Just as he knelt next to the flower, a rumbling roar resonated through the cavern and the ground beneath them began to tremble. Instinctively, Seth whipped up his bow and scanned the area. Then, he saw it—a massive creature of bony plates and thick bands of muscles charging toward them. The behemoth's head was lowered, with a monstrous horn gleaming under the flickering glow of the cave's rune between two red flames smoldering in the depths of its skull where its eyes should have been.

Undead Rhinoceros

 

Potential: Iron Tier

Rank: 20 (Peak-Copper)

Affinity: Undead

 

Strength: 41

Arcane Power: 24

Toughness: 42

Well Capacity: 28

Agility: 37

Regeneration: 28

"Rank 20!" Seth yelled to Nightmare, aiming at the charging beast. 'With that Toughness, I'll need somewhere to aim for!'

'On it!'

Nightmare vanished, phasing into Illusionary Emptiness and leaving only a blur in his wake as he dashed to the side. The direwolf then lunged toward the undead beast's flank, but the behemoth abruptly swiveled its head, its blazing eyes locking onto Nightmare's position.

'It can sense me!' the direwolf exclaimed, quickly retreating as the massive undead beast thundered in pursuit, growling in rage.

Seth took aim and shot a lightning-infused arrow at its head. The projectile struck the rhinoceros' bony armor with a loud clang that echoed throughout the hall. The behemoth halted, then turned toward him, snorted in disdain, and charged his way.

"Got his attention!" Seth shouted, bursting into a sprint.

As the enraged beast now stormed toward Seth, Nightmare darted around it, searching for an opening while remaining invisible. The moment he perceived an opportunity, he quickly pounced and sank his teeth into the undead's upper back in a cloud of corrosive black smoke. The behemoth howled in pain and spun around violently, sending the direwolf crashing into a stone pillar.

"Nightmare!" Seth cried out, quickly firing another electrified arrow to draw the pachyderm's attention back. The instant the beast turned his way and resumed its charge, teal aether began shrouding its horn, outshining the fiery ember of its flame-eyes.

Seth's core ignited in his chest and filled him with its primal energy as he poured aether into Haste's grooves. Mid-dash toward the hall's wall, he spotted a boulder right next to it and changed direction.

The ground quaked under the enormous beast's thunderous charge, and Seth could almost feel the beast's hot, rancid breath on the nape of his neck. Then, Feral Instinct took over and flooded his mind and muscles, propelling him toward the large rock ahead. Reaching it, he planted his feet onto its rough surface and pushed himself up with all his strength. Time seemed to slow down the moment he soared through the air, the Undead Rhinoceros skidding beneath him and slamming headfirst into the wall a second later.

Seth landed on the beast's back with a grunt and plunged his dagger into the patch of corroded plates. The behemoth let out a deafening roar and thrashed wildly, trying to shake him off—but Seth gritted his teeth and held on tight, using his blade's handle as an anchor against the bone-jarring jerks.

"Eat this!" he hissed, sending dozens of lightning arcs through the weapon into the undead beast.

The behemoth bellowed in pain, running around the cave, its massive frame slamming against the stone pillars to dislodge him. Meanwhile, Nightmare, back on his feet, circled the rhino, black smoke seeping from his maw. With the undead beast distracted, the direwolf sprang into action, finally managing to bury his fangs deep into its hindquarters. The rhino's roars intensified and grew louder as Shadow Bite tore through the flesh and caused pieces to drip down onto the cavern floor.

The Undead Rhinoceros bucked and reared frantically, its boiling raging turning into frenzy, forcing Seth to use aether to hold firm. Suddenly, a loud crack echoed above, and several enormous stalactites began to shake.

'Nightmare, get away!' Seth shouted through Link, sending another series of lightning bolts arcing across the undead's body to lock it in place through the pain.

The direwolf glanced at the hall's ceiling, then immediately released the behemoth's upper leg and darted away. Almost simultaneously, Seth yanked his dagger out and jumped off from the beast's back.

The moment he hit the ground and scrambled away, the behemoth turned toward them and growled—yet before it could charge, the stalactites above broke free. The massive, jagged rocks rained down onto the undead beast, crashing onto its large body with an ear-splitting impact. The entire hall shook to its core as the avalanche of stone kept hammering the giant creature. When the dust had finally settled, Seth saw the rhinoceros struggling beneath the heavy columns of stone, trying to heave itself up while still roaring.

Not wasting a second, Seth dashed toward the trapped creature. Pouring aether into his arm, he leapt onto the behemoth's exposed back and drove his blade into the only corroded area visible among the rubble. Nightmare immediately joined him and pounced at the rhino's neck, tearing apart its darkening bony plates with fierce jerks. The colossal beast growled and barely managed to move as lightning arcs kept crackling across its body with each of Seth's strikes. In a matter of seconds, the undead beast bled out from its wounds and collapsed, its burning eyes fading away and leaving two empty, lifeless sockets.

Seth and Nightmare both crumpled to the ground, panting from exhaustion while staring at each other.

'Is Danger Sense still tingling?' Seth asked, his ribcage heaving.

'No, all clear,'

'Great.'

After lying still for several minutes to catch his breath, Seth scrambled onto his feet and walked over to the giant carcass. He then thrusted his dagger behind the left shoulder and slowly cut large chunks of flesh before tossing them aside. After a grueling and arduous dissection that nearly took half an hour, he finally reached the stone deep in its chest and wrenched it out.

'Do you still want it, even with the Toughness?' Seth asked.

Nightmare hesitated for a moment before answering, 'Sure.'

Seth took out his adventurer vita and pressed it against the teal crystal for a few seconds before throwing it to the direwolf. The instant Nightmare crushed it, his body began to jerk violently, aether surging through his channels in waves of raw power.

Meanwhile, Seth filled Identify's grooves and looked down at his hand.

Seth

 

Class: Primalist

Rank: 14 (High-Copper)

Subclass: -

 

Core: Feral Instinct

 

Strength: 26 (+3)

Arcane Power: 21 (+4)

Toughness: 20 (+2)

Well Capacity: 20 (+2)

Agility: 30 (+4)

Regeneration: 23 (+3)

Spells:

- Link [???〜??? (???)]

- Shocking Strike [Copper〜Uncommon (Standard)]

- Haste [Copper〜Uncommon (Standard)]

- Identify [Copper〜Common (Refined)]

Rank 14, not bad, Seth thought before glancing at Haste and Shocking Strike. Will I be able to push past Standard through enough dangerous fights with my core, or am I just going to hit the same ceiling as every other commoner?

During the prior days, he had tried improving the grooves by following the guiding figure of Haste's evolution-path, but the thing was so frustratingly vague, he couldn't make any real progress. With a heavy sigh, Seth brushed the question aside and approached the shimmering flower, still standing tall in the floor's fissure. 'Ready?'

As Nightmare's body ceased shaking, the direwolf gave him a haughty look. 'So you can admire your new attributes, but not me? Hurry and Identify me too.'

Nightmare (Tenebrous Young Direwolf)

 

Potential: Silver Tier

Rank: 17 (High-Copper)

Affinity: Darkness

 

Bonded to [Seth]

 

Strength: 31

Arcane Power: 34

Toughness: 23

Well Capacity: 21

Agility: 38

Regeneration: 23

Spells:

- Illusionary Emptiness [Silver〜Epic (Crude)]

- Danger Sense [Silver〜Rare (Decent)]

- Shadow Bite [Iron〜Rare (Crude)]

'There you go,' Seth said before moving the direwolf back into his necklace. 'Stay inside, so it doesn't separate us again as we get out.'

'You should've done that before jumping off that cliff,' Nightmare grumbled from within his teardrop domain.

Seth paused, a small smirk tugging at his lips. 'Why would I have done that? It's more fun if we're two.'

The direwolf's low growl vibrated through Link. 'Oh yeah? Imagine if I'd broken a leg. No hunts for a month. And those bonus attributes of yours would've stayed the same.'

'I'm joking,' Seth answered with a quiet laugh. 'I just didn't think about it, Mister Grumpy.'

'One day, I'm going to stop saving your stupid two-legged ass,' Nightmare muttered. 'And then we'll see who's grumpy.'

Seth chuckled under his breath as he adjusted the strap of his bow. 'You won't. You like me too much.'

Nightmare let out a loud huff in his wolf's den before sitting to go through all his attributes. '... We'll see.'

Seth rolled his eyes and walked over to the Domain Flower, its shining petals casting a vibrant, otherworldly glow that seemed to transfix his entire being. Crouching down, he wrapped his trembling fingers around the delicate stem while his heart pounding furiously in his chest. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as Seth paused, steeling himself. What if plucking that thing out makes the place crumble and kills me?

'Come on,' Nightmare sighed. 'Just do it.'

"Fine."

With a deep breath, Seth gave a sharp tug and yanked the flower free from its crevice. The instant the roots left the ground, a deafening hum rang into his ears, rattling his bones and sending shivers down his spine. The once bright and luminous hall flickered and disappeared, plunging him into a spinning abyss of darkness.

Seth stood there, paralyzed and nauseous, his senses in turmoil and reeling in all directions. For what felt like an eternity, he remained trapped in the void, his mind on the verge of giving up and shutting down. But then, as if on cue, a soft white light began to grow, shining upon him and pulling him back to the physical world. The heavy fog clouding his mind vanished bit by bit, and his heartbeat slowly returned to normal.

The first thing his eyes caught sight of was the narrow crevasse still only inches away from his feet. "Shit," he muttered. "We're still—"

But as he raised his head, he froze. The entrance of the cave lay in front of him, bathed in the warm sunlight with the vast blue sky stretching out above the distant trees. The gentle sound of rushing water and chirping birds filled his ears—a sweet melody that he hadn't thought he would miss so deeply.

Taking in his surroundings, Seth realized that while the few feet immediately around him had remained the same, everything else had changed. He was back in the real cave—no towering stalactites and stalagmites, just a few boulders scattered here and there.

'Good thing I was in here,' Nightmare said with a chuckle from inside the necklace. 'I didn't feel a thing.'

'Oh, go to hell,' Seth retorted, a small smile tugging at his lips as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the crisp, fresh air.

We're back.

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