Chapter 14 Tracking

After confirming the nightmare creature was dead, the group cautiously approached to investigate. It was at this time that Ybur finally caught sight of the third member of the squad—she was also wearing the slightly cumbersome cotton armor and shouldered a large backpack, her figure somewhat slender, but not in an unhealthy way, instead conveying a sense of lightness and agility.

Seeing the group draw near, Ybur carefully tucked himself into a crevice in the ground.

So the nightmare creature had been dealt with just like that... Although it seemed that none of these individuals was more formidable than the creature on their own, there was certainly strength in numbers. And what was that Holy Water that appeared to be so lethal to nightmare creatures?

At this thought, Ybur suddenly realized something—Ruby's memory contained very little about the city.

His mind was a mess as he listened intently to the sounds outside.

The dwarf seemed experienced; he quickly stepped forward at the death of the nightmare creature and began rummaging through the ashes. After a moment, he brushed aside some ash, exclaiming with joy, "There really is something!"

"What?"

The tomboy and the curly-haired girl came over, only to see several black Crystal Stones lying on the ground.

"Nightmare Crystals," the dwarf explained. "These crystals generally contain some of the nightmare creature's memories and the essence of its Dream Realm power. There might even be useful knowledge within these memories. Besides, the Nightmare Crystals themselves are valuable; a few Vocational Practitioners can use the essence of the Dream Realm within them... Anyway, we'll take these to Madam Mina's Divination Hut later, she'll definitely take them off our hands."

He laughed, "We've hit a small fortune!"

The tomboy asked in surprise, "Madam Mina takes these too?"

The dwarf chuckled, "That you do not know, huh? We've gotten to know each other anyway, I don't mind telling you, but don't go spreading it around—Madam Mina is nothing but a Divinationer on the surface."

"Then what is she really?"

"In truth, she is a genuine Transcendent, and her profession is an [Astrologer]!"

The tomboy couldn't help saying, "Sounds pretty similar to a Divinationer..."

"No, it's very different," Pan said seriously. "But I won't go into the specifics with you, those secrets are not for outsiders."

Of course, the main reason is that I don't know either... Pan thought to himself.

The curly-haired girl expressed her admiration, "Uncle Pan, you know so much."

The tomboy, a bit dissatisfied, said, "And here I thought I had a good relationship with Madam Mina, she seemed so fond of me! Yet I had no clue she was a Transcendent! If I were to ask her for guidance, do you think she would teach us?"

The dwarf named Pan became serious, "Karlo, I've told you many times, don't aspire to what is beyond your reach! Becoming a Transcendent is very dangerous, and the official control over them is very strict. People like us can't get a permit to be a legal Transcendent, and you know what happens to illegal Transcendents once they're discovered! Besides... do you have any idea what that nightmare creature we just encountered was?"

He whispered, "After the fall of the Sun God, every time Transcendents enter the Dream Realm, they have a not-so-small chance to encounter these nightmare creatures, and such things can even chase them from the Dream Realm into reality! The one we ran into probably came here like that. Look around, do you see any Transcendents? This means that the unlucky Transcendent was probably devoured completely!"

...The fall of the Sun God?

Ybur carefully recalled, finding that Ruby's memory did contain this knowledge—that roughly a hundred years ago, the Sun God fell, and the world lost its sunlight. The survivors had to move underground, relying on geothermal energy and steam towers for warmth. But that was about all there was on the subject in Ruby's memory.

And why did this dwarf say that encountering a nightmare creature was 'not-so-small'? Ruby said it was extremely rare! Maybe these two had different standards for what constituted 'not-so-small' and 'extremely rare'?

Ybur continued to listen intently. To hear even more carefully, its body surface subtly changed shape, sprouting two ear-like hollows that gathered the sounds more effectively.

The one named Karlo, the tomboy, was a bit defiant, "Well, didn't we just defeat this nightmare creature..."

"That's because nightmare creatures can't stay in reality for long, the longer they stay, the weaker they become! And we were lucky, we encountered one that was not particularly strong!" Pan said sternly. "If we really faced a nightmare creature in its prime, do you think we would stand a chance? Let me tell you the truth, I also wanted to become a Transcendent. My first time in meditation entering the Shallow Sea, I encountered a nightmare creature! That time..."

He seemed to shudder at the memory: "After that, I knew this path was not an easy one! Why do you think the authorities control the Transcendents? Every legal Transcendent is monitored so that if they attract a nightmare creature during meditation, it can be quickly dealt with. But what about illegal Transcendents? Who knows where and when they might suddenly produce a nightmare creature, not only killing themselves but also causing how many deaths and tragic consequences?"

Karlo remained silent.

His sister looked around and suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, there's another book over there!"

...That's my book!!

Ybur was so anxious he almost jumped out. But he couldn't speak yet, and if he did show himself, who knows if people might take him for a monster and... finish him off...

Was he confident enough to confront three humans now? Ybur carefully considered it, then pessimistically thought—probably not. Shapeshifters in the First Rank had no significant enhancements, especially in terms of Defensive Abilities, with almost no strengthening at all. Plus, he was still small, with poor innate abilities, and his strength and endurance were inferior to those of humans and dwarves. His movement was slow and his Acid had limited range... After all, humans are not witless beasts. If the three collaborated and were cautious, he would stand no chance.

The only game-changer might be the God Secret Source, but for one thing, the God Secret Source itself required a long time to charge before activating, and for another, he'd already used God Secret Source twice in a row, leaving his spirit exhausted. So encountering these three people, without the ability to communicate due to the language barrier, taking the initiative to come out felt a bit like throwing his life away, so he had no choice but to endure.

The girl picked up "Survival Guide," and said oddly, "Why is it all sticky on the cover?"

Pan furrowed his brows, "That's probably something left by that unfortunate Transcendent. I'm not judging you, Cherie, but it's best not to touch objects left by Transcendents. We should probably sell this book to Madam Mina too."

"It's just a book, how much could it be worth?" Cherie laughed, "Uncle Pan, you know I like reading. How about I take this book home and read it for a while? It's not new anyway; selling it later is not too late."

Pan's thick brows came together as he thought for a moment and didn't insist too much, "Alright then."

...So this is my book!!

Ybur was so angry he almost started beating his belly.

Don't just take someone else's book and talk so seriously about what to do with it! Give it back to me!

Wow, Sherry, I'm sorry! I won't be able to hear you scold me anymore wahhh... huh?! Hey?!

Ybur suddenly cheered up.

Karlo coughed, "Anyway, our haul this time isn't too bad, right? I think we should head back now."

Pan pulled out an old brass pocket watch from his coat and checked the time, "That works... It's really not safe down in the deep underground, best to get back early. Luckily we ran into this nightmare creature that wasn't too strong; we got a good haul. But if we go back now, we should just make it before curfew; we won't be able to go to Madam Mina's today..."

He pondered a moment and said, "Let's go our separate ways for now and meet tomorrow morning at seven o'clock outside Madam Mina's shop."

Pan carefully stowed away the Nightmare Crystals, "Whatever we get for these items, the three of us will split the money on the spot. I won't cheat you out of your share."

"Hey!" Karlo laughed, "Uncle Pan, it's not like we don't trust you."

The dwarf waved his hand, "Enough talk, let's go."

...

Once again, the sound of their footsteps gradually faded away.

Ybur crawled out of the crack in the ground, hesitating for a while.

The "Survival Guide" had been taken away...

No, that book was too important to him; he had to get it back. And judging from their conversation, none of these people seemed to be Transcendents? That was good, just ordinary people, no need to worry too much. Based on what they mentioned about this curfew, once they got back to the city, the three of them should all be staying in their own homes. So at night, after they fell asleep, he could stealthily take Sherry back!

With this thought in Ybur's mind, the idea of adventure immediately became resolute.

He was going to follow them!