Lone approached Four-twelve and bowed his head a little. "Thank you for not getting upset over Sophie for just pinning them. I know that was a bit dangerous."

The dwarf shrugged. "Ain't the first time I've seen someone get boosted. I assume the girl shakin' like a leaf will be the one doing the killing?"

Lone laughed a bit awkwardly. "Aha, em, no. it'll be me."

Four-twelve raised an eyebrow. "... Okay. I guess it's your business, not mine."

Lone smiled appreciatively then moved to the pinned down Darkness Spawn and killed them all one by one, turning them into piles of scattered purple dust.

He checked his status to see the changes as he congratulated Soph for a job well done.

Status Name: Lone Immortus Sex: Male Age: 24 Level: 201 [+1] Species: Foxkin Rank: D Race: Golden Foxkin HP: 52,390/52,390 SP: 52,030/59,050 MP: 40,490/40,490 Basic Stats Strength: 2,905 Vigour: 5,239 Dexterity: 2,134 Agility: 3,061 Vitality: 5,905 Luck: 193 Secret Stats Charm: 127 Charisma: 132 Magic Power: 4,049

He frowned deeply. 'What? Only one level can be explained by them not giving enough experience but no stats too?'

"Just what are these things..." he mumbled.

Soph looked at him in concern, "Is everything okay, Lone?"

"... Yeah... everything's fine. Sorry for the delay, let's move on before any more show up, shall we?" Lone suggested to which Four-twelve was more than happy to oblige.

As they walked Lone spoke to Soph and said, "So, I've been thinking about our fight back there. You used a lot of barriers. How draining on your MP was that?"

Both Breena and Four-twelve paid attention to the conversation as they walked.

Soph shrugged a bit awkwardly. "Um, about half? I've regained a bit since then so I'm at about two-thirds now."

Four-twelve nodded approvingly. "Good natural recovery rate right there."

"T-Thank you," Soph timidly responded.

Lone stroked his chin as he said, "I think it'd be smarter for you to just use one blade and decapitate them all from now on. Maybe save one or two for Breena to kill."

He smiled kindly at Breena and added, "If you're up for killing them, of course. Also only if you need levels."

"I am... and I do," Breena answered in a soft voice.

"Then it's settled. Also, Soph, don't dismiss the barrier to save on MP between encounters if it remains undamaged," Lone advised. "Y'know, since moving it uses no MP."

Soph nodded enthusiastically. "Mmm, it's a good plan."

Four-twelve smiled oddly. "You sound like a different person from before. You're bubblier than then. He also started using a nickname on you," the dwarf said, pointing a thumb at Lone.

Soph froze in place for a moment. 'Uh... L-Lone? Is it a bad thing he's noticed I'm not Sophie?'

'I don't know. Let's see what he says next,' Lone answered, keeping in mind the information that Four-twelve was completely devoid of mana.

Four-twelve chuckled and said, "We've all got our quirks, eh? Miss Armour there with the two different attitudes, Ninetails with the tail-colouring that makes no sense, Little Miss Goosebumps over here and me with my... condition."

"Condition?" Lone asked. 'Is he gonna explain why Sophie can't see him with Mana Sensing?'

He shrugged. "Bit of a shocker, but I wasn't born with this messed up mug of mine, haha. Anyway, let's focus again, aye? I want to reach the midway point of the tunnel to set up camp before I start feelin' groggy. It'll take us a good six hours at least just to get there since that attack right there? It was only the first of many to come. Darkness Spawn ain't too tough to the experienced but boy are they numerous."

"... Sounds good," Lone answered. 'Maybe I can ask him about his condition later. I'd best not sleep during this trip though. I want to keep an eye on him if Sophie's right and he's bad news, and besides, I don't want to wake anyone up if I have a nightmare and yell in my sleep or something.'

----------------------------------------

A small ruin of what was essentially a dwarven village once upon a time was chosen as their resting spot for the night.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

On the way there they had been attacked a total of 14 times and had killed over 100 Darkness Spawn. When Four-twelve said they were numerous, he wasn't kidding.

Soph was on the verge of collapsing due to the mental pain she was enduring so she was the happiest of the four to find a place to, hopefully, relax.

Breena had killed her fair share and apparently reached the level cap for F-rank which was certainly helpful.

Lone had killed some of them as well and had gained three more levels, putting him at level 204.

Four-twelve seemed fine if not a little bit physically tired. He'd used up about a fourth of his arrows helping Soph. He stopped at one point to compliment Lone for not needing assistance defending the rear which Lone took with a smile.

He was happy because while draining on his party members, the battle-fraught journey had been very beneficial for Lone beyond the paltry sum of levels he'd been earning.

As he took out some simple supplies from his Dimensional Storage and disguised the action as retrieving them from a cheap Adventurer's Pouch at his waist, he went over his new system notifications.

Congratulations! the host's passive skill [Polearm Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 10.

Congratulations! the host's passive skill [Evasion Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Advanced Level 8.

Congratulations! the host's active skill [Weapon Block] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 4.

Congratulations! the host's passive skill [Fear Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 8.

Congratulations! the host's passive skill [Fear Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 9.

As it turned out, while he was mentally strong enough to not succumb to the fear which Soph and Breena were struggling to combat, Lone still gained levels in Fear Resistance.

The passive effects of the Darkness Spawn were strong, it seemed.

He felt he didn't need the skill given everything he had endured during his life but it was passive, so he'd be a fool to dismiss its uses and he wouldn't be Lone if he didn't get excited seeing a skill level up.

"You have an Adventurer's Pouch?" Four-twelve asked. "Those aren't cheap."

"Haha, I got it from a kind-hearted friend," Lone lied. 'It's just a leather sack with no magic to be found on it. I'm still surprised by how well it works as a disguise, honestly.'

Four-twelve inspected the bag closely with narrowed eyes, somewhat alarming Lone. 'Ah, Stone's Vision... Fuck. I didn't consider that. Please don't ask me any questions. He seems to be tactful thus far...'

Lone worried internally for a good few seconds before Four-twelve grinned with that heavily scarred face of his. "Shame I got Miner's Glory when I popped out of my ma, huh? What grade is it?"

"... Common. Kind-hearted that he was, stupidly generous he was not," Lone answered.

"Ah, shame. Anyway, gonna help me set up our camp? I got some tools to ward off Darkness Spawn attacks that need some delicate placement. My fingers are a bit messed up. I can swing a pick and draw a bow, but fine control escapes my cut up and arthritis-riddled hands. Another reason I hired you bunch," the dwarf requested.

"Sure, I'd be more than happy to offer a hand or two," Lone replied.

"Or two? Haha. Dunno if you'd be of any use only using one hand," the dwarf laughed warmly. "Sophie was your name, right?" he said to Soph. "Would you mind setting up a campfire while Mister Fluffy Arse over here and I get to work?"

Sophie took control of Soph's body and nodded. "Of course. Breena, help us."

"Oh, uh, sure," the foxkin answered as she scrambled to her feet.

She'd been sitting on the floor to rest since blisters had started to form on her soles but she wasn't great at saying 'no' just yet, much to Lone's chagrin.

About an hour later, the group was sat around a campfire having a meal and this time, instead of Four-twelve telling the story, it was Lone.

"... and after healing me he carried me on his back all the way to Ranton. Sophie, Breena and another girl were there too," Lone said, finishing the recounting of his time fighting the Blue Orcs.

"Sounds like a good guy, that Gilbert," Four-twelve remarked.

Lone smiled warmly. "He's like a dad to me."

"That's real sweet. Still, only stories you seem to have, laddie, are tragic ones. Your life's been a fuckin' mess, huh?" the dwarf asked. "You're lucky you don't have scars like I do."

"Nah, I've got 'em. They're just in here," Lone replied as he tapped the side of his skull a few times.

A moment of silence befell them before Sophie asked, "Four-twelve. You mentioned you had a condition earlier when commenting on our peculiarity. What condition?"

Lone frowned. "We really shouldn't be asking person-"

"It's fine," Four-twelve interrupted with a dismissive wave of the wrist. "Short answer is that I'm technically not real."

Lone narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Sorry, what?"

"Haha, I always get that reaction," Four-twelve chuckled. "Ever heard of demigods?"

Lone's mind immediately thought of the grey fog-filled orb sitting in his Dimensional Storage. "Yeah, a bit. Don't tell me you met a demigod, did you?"

"Less 'met' it, more got slapped around by it and phased in and out of reality," Four-twelve answered with a smirk. "Phantogribsomora. The technical term for a big fuck-off powerful ghost. I encountered one touched by Darkness a long time ago. It pulled me back and forth through several realities and dimensions like a ball being kicked around."

He stared into the fire and continued, "I used to be an S-ranker, y'know? Now I'm stuck at C-rank with more limitations and disabilities than one might ever even hear of."

"How'd you survive?" Lone asked.

"Mercy? I don't know. I was the only one spat back out onto Altros when the fucker was done. Well, most of me, anyway," Four-twelve confessed. "I'm surprised you believe me. Most don't on account of; one, demigods being so elusive most don't believe in 'em, and two, I'm alive to tell the tale. You're more likely to survive a sword to the brain than an encounter with a pissed off demigod, or so I hear."

Lone and Sophie shared a look.

How could they not believe him? They had a Djinn's wish in their possession and they knew Four-twelve was lacking any traces of mana so this was a plausible explanation to them.

"H-How did you get your name?" Breena timidly asked, which earned her a curious look from everyone. She shied away a bit as she stammered out, "I-It's not a name, m-more like a code..."

Lone's expression immediately brightened. 'She's taking the initiative to ask a question of a stranger... Fuck, why do I feel like a parent witnessing their kid's first words?'

Four-twelve shrugged. "It's part of a little ditty my old pals and me used to sing. They said I sang it best so it became my nickname. Felt right to keep it when they... disappeared to that demigod."

"T-Thank you," Breena replied before trying her best to fade out of the conversation again.

'Baby steps,' Lone thought. "I'll go take watch. It's getting late, right? I'm used to not sleeping."

Everyone agreed. Sophie still didn't fully trust the dwarf even after his story so she chose to sleep within an arm's length of Lone.

Only feeling comfortable around Sophie, the group's other girl, Breena chose to rest next to her. Four-twelve wasn't fussy. He brought out his bedroll and curled up next to the fire.

'Phantogribsomora... This world really is amazing,' Lone thought before he recalled being tortured daily by Sir Ardus.

A shiver went up his spine and anger surfaced on his face. 'Amazing and horrifying.'