“B-benji! Benji… Wake up!” Lulu’s broken voice echoed around the surroundings.

  Her shaking hands hesitantly nudged her childhood friend’s motionless body, receiving no answer back.

  “Please… Benji!” She pleaded, the white and pink fur covering her arms quickly getting stained in red. The metallic scent filling the air made her shudder slightly in place every time she inhaled. “Please… no-”

  As soon as her gaze met his lightless eyes, she immediately broke into tears. She kept nudging him, her hands now grabbing so tight to his clothes, the fabric began to tear beneath her grip.

  Behind her, Mathros’ furrowed brows and gritted teeth were more than enough to make Somnu beside him realize there would be no going back anymore.

  Benji the Lopinor Guard was dead.

  He was given no chance to leave any words behind, to see the one he cared about most in this world. He couldn't feel her touch one last time.

  It was all taken away from him, and by someone he had trusted to have his back.

  Somnu grinded his teeth thinking about all of that, but he couldn’t look into Benji’s eyes now. He had forced himself to stay alert instead, looking around with his sickle in hand.

  There was only one more person here… There is no body or signs of another body being moved away… Somnu figured, confirming his suspicions.

  Benji was most likely murdered by Almon.

  That realization alone was making Somnu’s blood boil, but he still made sure to ignore it all. To ignore Benji, to ignore the drawing of the grinning skull symbol.

  From the fight with the Dreadbeast, Somnu was already aware of some of the things Almon could do. And one of those was turning completely invisible.

  Thankfully, the scarecrow had already confirmed that his perception could pick up on the killer’s presence if he came near him.

  That is why he was staying vigil. As angry and frustrated as he was at this outcome, he could never forgive himself if he allowed for the other two to get hurt while they were grieving for their friend.

  Perhaps a normal person would panic, or stand still in shock, when facing a dead body, especially one of a friend. It would only be natural. However, for Somnu, this hadn’t been his first, or second dead body. He shoved those thoughts of his past into the back of his mind and focused on the moment at hand.

  I’m sorry, Benji… I promise you, no matter how long it takes me… I will avenge you, along with every soul that bastard has taken…

  Somnu made his vow to strengthen his heart, but a moment after, it was all for naught.

  “Here, this will help! This… It can make miracles happen! Please, come on!”

  Lulu’s voice alerted Somnu, the implications almost giving him hope. Looking her way, he saw she had summoned her Dream Catcher, a pink and blue perfume bottle that, at first glance, seemed elegant and fragile, like a gemstone carved into a bottle with its surface hinting at something almost magical inside.

  “Don’t do this to me, Benji!” Lulu kept spraying him, looking for his wounds specifically, which almost seemed to trace all over his body in sharp, little cuts. “Let me… let me hear your voice!”

  Wounds that were all too familiar to the scarecrow.

  “Wake up, you asshole! You promised…! You-”

  The bunny girl broke down, her head resting on the body in front of her. She kept mumbling, her voice quickly fading into uncontrollable sniffling.

  “...” After closing his eyes for a second, Mathros took a step forward towards her.

  However…

  THRACKK!

  “?!”

  Somnu and Mathros turned their heads upwards towards the rocky floors, finally hearing another sound in the now empty arena.

  “It can’t be…!” Somnu let out as he looked at the lizardman who seemed to have the same idea.

  “He’s escaping… Or worse-”

  “Stay here!”

  Just as Mathros said the words, Somnu took action, immediately equipping Grudgekeeper again and summoning Fala.

  “Take me up there.”

  “Caaw!”

  The crow’s clones seemed to appear before their master even gave the command. They immediately flocked over his head, allowing him to grab on their feet with just his right hand. Then, without waiting, they carried him up to the second floor where the north cave that led to the cavern exit was supposed to be.

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  “...”

  Just as he landed on the second floor, the scarecrow took one last glance back towards the arena. He made brief eye contact with Mathros, who quickly checked his compass.

  Somnu’s gaze shifted to Lulu, and then to Benji’s bloodied face.

  I’ll do my best to keep the promise between us…

  Ignoring the increasing tightness in his chest, Somnu took off running into the north cave at full speed.

  “Caaw!”

  “Don’t stray too far from me, Fala!”

  As fast as Somnu was, Fala flew ahead of him to scout. It wouldn’t matter much if she did, considering Almon is likely still invisible.

  At the entrance of the rocky tunnel, Somnu had passed a little cave in. It hadn’t looked natural, and if that had been the source of the noise earlier…

  Is he luring me on purpose…? Does he know who I am? Somnu wondered. Is he really John Doe? The same serial murder who killed people and drew grinning skulls with their blood above their bodies?

  As he ran through the cave, with his eyes darting left and right, Somnu’s head was going in circles.

  It doesn’t make any sense… He doesn’t look anything like the captured serial killer I saw in the papers. Did they catch the wrong one…? No, that’s unlikely. He was caught not too far from our house, hiding in the farms and foraging the crop so he could strike again. If Almon really is John Doe… Does it mean he can shapeshift into other people? Change the height and disposition? If it’s true, John Doe would be connected to the Faceless Forager as his believer too… Somnu raced through his thoughts, scouring them for every possible detail he could think of.

  Whoever he was going to find, they would at least have to pay for what they did for Benji.

  The scarecrow will make them pay.

  It’s all my fault… From the start, I had a bad feeling about Almon and his hidden face. I kept an eye on him whenever he was around, but I was too lenient. I convinced myself he couldn’t be the same person as John Doe based on appearance and mannerisms alone. His teeth grinding against each other, Somnu’s feet picked up more speed. I let someone dangerous get his way just because I was trying to be nice and careful…

  What would have happened if Somnu had acted from the start? If he had done something and then explained himself to the other party members?

  They might have disagreed with him, but at the very least, Benji might have had a chance to survive. And yet, there would have been no guarantee the party would have been able to survive the Dreadbeast fight without Almon supporting the tank.

  Even so, I should’ve trusted my instincts from the start and done something… Straightforward and honest… Didn’t I promise myself I would change that? That, despite how much I didn’t want to, I would try to cheat and deceive again if it meant I can protect others now? Is it that difficult to change oneself? Have I not done it once already? Did it really take someone’s death for you to realize it, Somnu…?

  He couldn’t stop the thoughts from flowing into his mind, overtaking his focus. He was relying on his high perception to pick up on Almon again, but even after the scarecrow had run quite a ways into the cave, there was still no sign of his enemy.

  I can’t allow this to happen ever again… Somnu clenched his fist, his feet showing no signs of tiring. I promised to protect Lulu, and I want to protect Mathros too. I want to save Mr. Emberlyn from his endless prison, and I want to stop the Nightmare Creatures from breaking into the real world and putting everyone else in danger. Ms. Emberlyn, Mo, Leyna… Everyone!

  Somnu reminded himself of his priorities one by one.

  And then I can wake up from his hellish nightmare and live my life. But to do all that, I have to become someone else. I have to change completely.

  Even if it's a fabricated lie, a forced fallacy…!

  [Congratulations!]

  [The recalibration of your Hollow Core is completed.]

  [Your Hollow Core has ranked up!]

  [Personal Rank: Dreadbound.]

  [Hollow Core Rank: Ashen.]

  [Your Grudge has grown much stronger.]

  [You have obtained an additional Aspiration Class and Skills.]

  [Aspiration Class: {Strawman}]

  [Aspiration Class Description: You have realized the shortcomings of your own straightforward and honest ways! You now understand that deceiving and cheating your way to victory may not always be morally wrong. By using your hidden wits and talents, you can still protect the ones you care about!]

  [Skills: {Distorted Fallacy}, {Decoy Doppelganger}, {Stuffed Resilience}, {False Echoes}, {Burlap Bandage}, {Stillness of Straw}]

  [You have obtained upgrades and additional Skills for the {Scarecrow} Class.]

  [Upgrades: {Straw Storm}, {Silent Stalk}]

  [New Skills: {Hay Stitching}, {Feral Instinct}]

  With the onslaught of pop-messages, Somnu felt a sudden surge of coldness envelop his entire body, a brief white glow accompanying it.

  The first thing he noticed is his speed. Since he had been running already, after the rank up, he immediately covered more ground with every step. So much so that he could finally see the end of the cave in the distance.

  I got a lot of new skills and a whole new class… That’s good, but I don’t really have the time to read through them or test them out right now… He thought, trying to skim through some of the parts quickly. Why do you always do this to me in the middle of a dire situation?! And how do you even know about my mental dilemma and assign a class to me according to that! That’s just stalking!

  “!”

  Just as Somnu reached the end of the cave, taking a careful first step outside, he half-expected to see the greenish swamp again.

  However, a sudden image blocked his vision instead, the translucent crown digging slightly into his head.

  What…?!

  He could see him. A boy sitting on the floor of a dark room, hugging his knees as tears trickled down his bruised, stained face.

  Veilbinder’s Diadem not only revealed a brief image of the Unseen’s face prior to entering the Nightmare Realm, but also where he currently was.

  Almon was running, at a speed that could rival even Somnu, or perhaps even faster. Nonetheless, none of that mattered to the new strawman now.

  As soon as his vision returned to normal, the scarecrow simply turned his head into the direction his instincts led him, then took off running after his enemy once more.

  I don’t care about your past… Run all you want, hide all you want…

  “I see you now.”

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