A lizardman…? Somnu questioned as he rubbed his still blurring eyes.

  Everything around him seemed to be going in circles as he tried to focus his thoughts.

  “Naked, drunk guy, if you got some cores, consume them quickly before you lose control again! You're completely stoned, brother!” The double figures of a lizardman talked with an echoing sound.

  It can’t be… lizardmen don’t exist… Somnu decided. It must be a Nightmare Creature…!

  “!”

  “I’ll… kill…”

  “Hey! Don’t get up! You won’t be able to-”

  “You… monster…!”

  THUD!

  Just as the drunk, naked guy got up to attack the talking figure in front of him, his feet gave out on the first step and he fell forward into the lizardman's arms.

  “I tried to warn you… don't make more trouble for me, bird-brain!”

  “Uhhh…”

  Somnu’s legs left the ground, and for a moment, he felt as if his body was flying through the clouds like a free bird in the sky.

  However, his uncovered, semi-petrified body was simply being carried in princess-like fashion to his new makeshift bed of dirt and rocks.

  “You should have listened to me and leveled up if you could… now I'm stuck taking care of you for who knows how long…” The lizardman said as he put down the drunken mess. “You better be grateful and pay me back when all this is over, you hear? Even though I'm sure something will still come out of this on its own…”

  “...”

  In and out of reality, Somnu glimpsed the figure walking away from him.

  “Calling me a Nightmare Creature of all things… I'm a pacifist, for lord Trado's sake. Who are you calling a monster?” The lizardman continued to mumble under his breath, his feet stomping all the while.

  On the other hand, Somnu was too busy choosing between which cloud to paint which color, to even begin figuring out what was going on around him, or what had happened to him.

  And it would be quite a while before he would be able to.

  ***

  [You have successfully recovered from a status ailment.]

  [You have temporarily overcome the curse of Lethe.]

  Having no idea how much time had passed or what the pop-up messages were referring to, Somnu found himself finally regaining control of his mind.

  And as if to welcome him back, the first thing his senses took in was a heated argument about him.

  “!”

  “We should throw him in the lake!”

  “What?! I didn’t take care of him for so long just to throw him back in there now!”

  “Why did you save him in the first place?!”

  “Yeah, what she said. He seems to be a complete pervert, walking around with no clothes like that. Not to mention he could be-”

  “We don’t know the circumstances, alright?! Besides, none of you would have been able to do anything had someone tried stealing your clothes while you were in that state! You should be all glad I kept you alive and show some patience!”

  “...”

  How did Somnu know it was about him specifically? Well, he doubted anyone else was completely naked. Thankfully, it seemed as though there was some kind of cloak covering him like a soft blanket.

  Equip Grudgekeeper… He commanded the System with closed eyes. I want to disappear…

  [Processing…]

  [Dream Catcher {Grudgekeeper} has been successfully equipped.]

  “!”

  As soon as he was clothed again, his outfit seemed to come to life, thrashing around like a whole other crazy person shaking Somnu back and forth repeatedly.

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  “...”

  All he could do in response was close his eyes and accept his situation, letting his body rock in both directions.

  I want to disappear… He repeated, not looking forward to either meeting the people shouting nearby, nor summoning his crow companion who will likely drill a new hole in his head again.

  Nevertheless, he was too worried not to do it, so he chose to get it over with quickly.

  [Crow’s Call!]

  “...”

  “!”

  However, to his surprise, Fala didn’t seem any different than normal. In fact, as soon as the smoke summoned her, she flew and simply landed on her master’s still rocking head, looking away.

  “Hey… you didn’t forget me, did you?!” He finally asked in a panicked whisper, fearing the worst. “It’s me! Your favorite scarecrow! Wait, crows don’t like those… Ah, never mind, don’t tell me you lost your memory of me?! Of our time together?!”

  “Caaw. Caaw.”

  A negative response came back, followed by a short snuggle as Grudgekeeper stopped its shenanigans.

  “How much longer do you plan to take care of that guy anyway?!”

  “We have to go back to the fort soon.”

  “I’m not leaving him alone here to fall victim to that lake again. If you all think you can find your way back without me, go ahead.”

  “...”

  “Just remember what’s blocking your way.”

  Looking around him, Somnu found himself in some kind of deep cave, with the same musty stench he encountered before falling into the lake.

  He guessed the weirdly green glowing walls surrounding him were carrying the sounds from the entrance. While he seemed at the very end of the cave, he could see at least four other beds put together by natural resources.

  Since some of the voices seemed to dislike Somnu’s presence, and were discussing the option of throwing him out, he decided to be ready for a fight, even if one of them seemed to have saved him, and kept him alive until now.

  He quickly equipped Eclipsed Requiem and got up with the use of [Silent Step]. As much as he wanted to figure out what exactly had happened during whatever episode he just had, he chose to review his situation more carefully later after he had ensured his survival.

  Last he remembered, he saw some kind of lizardman. For all he knew, a group of lizardfolk might be looking to eat him.

  Keeping Fala behind, he slowly began to approach the entrance, hoping to get a better look at his targets.

  “You know I can’t even sleep with him there! He sleeps with his eyes open, OPEN! Who does that?! And he’s naked! How do you think that makes a girl feel?!”

  … No, I’m the one who can’t sleep, lady! You think I want to be like this?! My eyes were forced open! It wasn’t my choice! As for the other thing, it was simple bad luck! I thought I was going to die! It was a matter of survival, survival, I tell you! Somnu lampooned, continuing to lose hope for fixing whatever reputation he was going to have.

  “?!”

  Suddenly, Somnu hugged a wall as one of the figures outside turned in his direction.

  How did he notice…? I’m completely silent… Somnu questioned, but he was never sure if the skill masked more than simple sound.

  “W-what is it?” The female voice sounded again.

  “Hey, I know you’re there, buddy. Since you got back up, I’m guessing you finally got over the curse too…” The same lizardman’s voice traveled through the cave’s walls.

  “...”

  Somnu quickly tried to assess the situation based on what he knew.

  If they had wanted him dead, or if they had craved to eat him, they had plenty of time and opportunities to do so while he was completely out of it.

  And so, he decided to play along for now.

  “You stay right there, and I’ll stay right here! I’m killing anyone who comes close, is that clear?” Somnu threatened without hesitation.

  “What?!”

  “See? He’s too dangerous, stoned or sober!”

  “Relax, all of you!” The lizardman raised his voice, then spoke slowly. “Brother, I understand you’re feeling confused considering everything. Let’s talk from this distance and clear things up.”

  “...”

  Somnu stayed silent for a moment. He hadn’t expected such a calm response. It almost seemed too calm for someone who had just been shouting at his comrades.

  “Who are you?” Nevertheless, the newly sober and clothed scarecrow asked with a stern voice.

  “I am called Mathros, what is your name, brother?” The lizardman replied, seemingly unbothered.

  Somnu couldn’t risk moving closer, but part of him wanted to peek out and steal a glimpse at the lizardman’s System to confirm his name. He wasn’t sure he would be able to see the System of everyone, or if it had just been something Mr. Emberlyn allowed him to see.

  Seeing as Mathros asked for his name, if he hadn’t been playing a trick on him, it should confirm that at the very least the lizardman had no way of looking at Somnu’s System and finding out his name.

  This could either mean it was because Somnu had a weirdly different System due to being defective, or because no one else was able to look into other people’s Systems. It also confirmed that none of his current opposition had learned of the weapons or skills at his disposal, still giving him options to use them as he wanted.

  However, all of this was based on guesswork he had quickly put together.

  Whatever the case, he needed to carry on the conversation until he could come up with a better plan.

  “What happened to me and how long was I out?” Somnu finally asked, ignoring the other party’s question for now.

  “Now, that's not very nice, buddy. I gave you my name, how about you return the favor? I won’t answer anything else until you do.” Mathros asserted.

  “... Fine. It’s Somnu.”

  “Good, thanks for that. I at least was owed that much, considering I did take care of you for the past month and a half, you know?”

  “?!”

  Crow-shit! That long?!

  Somnu began to see things differently after that revelation.

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