Chapter 258. Waking up

[The church, huh?](Aylin)

[What are they up to this time?](Mira)

[I'm not sure, but after they cleared all Dungeons in Scosglen, they departed as if nothing happened.](Celeste)

[Wait... they cleared all Dungeons in two days?](Helen)

[Yes. Not only that, but there were reports of them visiting the Altars of Lilith as well.](Celeste)

[Wait, what!? Weren't they against Lilith?](Aylin)

[Well... I don't think they activated them, to be honest. If anything, the scouts reported that they tried everything in their power to destroy the shrines. Obviously, they failed miserably.](Celeste)

Everyone continued talking, but Natalia looked strangely at Helen.

[Do you think they might be training?](Helen)

[It makes sense.](Natalia)

[Mhm. They are preparing for something, and the extra skill points would come in handy. Also, Celeste, was Prava leading them?](Helen)

[She was.](Celeste)

[Then it's no doubt. I'm sure they only put on a show by attacking the Altars when, in fact, they activated them. While she is a devout believer of Inarius, she wouldn't throw away the possibility of strengthening her Knights. This means that after dealing with Scosglen, is very likely that they went to other regions. Let's keep a look out for them to be safe.](Helen)

Everyone went silent. It was obvious that Prava was going forward with her plans of invading Hell.

As for whatever this was, it was training.

[If she is indeed training the Knights, we should expect to see the Cathedral attacking Stronghold Events pretty soon. After all, unlike Dungeons, where the number you can send is limited to four, up to 50 people can participate while taking down a Stronghold.](Aylin)

[And since every region has a requirement of three Strongholds for progress, Prava will no doubt lead the Knights across the continent to complete it. An extra ten skill points and nine paragon points is not something she could ignore.](Natalia)

[*Sigh* It's not something ANYONE can ignore. Leaving aside your little sisters, I am barely holding myself back from Dungeon diving right now. Fortunately, in the past three days, I have already explored all of Kehjistan and activated all the Altars.](Mira)

Seeing the dumbfounded looks on her friends' faces, Mira paused for a moment and realized that she had just given herself away by bragging.

[Didn't we already agree NOT to do that, though!?](Celeste)

[*Sigh* Mira...](Beatrice)

[Well... it's not that bad...](Mira)

[What's done is done. At least now we can confirm that it works. Since Michael will be awake in three days, let's focus on exploration and the Altars. As for Quests and Dungeons, we'll have time for that later. Let's exchange information about dangerous locations in our regions to keep an eye on. Also, it would be good to spread this information further to other Wanderers. We can avoid useless casualties that way.](Helen)

The conversation continued until later that evening, and after a copious dinner, everyone returned to their regions to pass on the decisions made after today's meeting.

Helen was mentally and physically drained. She had barely slept a wink in the past 72 hours due to Michael's condition.

As much as she tried, even if Mina was looking over him, she couldn't rest at all. Adding the chaos happening in the Wanderer ranks, she did everything she could to help Aylin and Connie with the decision-making.

Wobbling up the stairs, she returned to her room, where she saw Mina nozzled up next to Michael, deep asleep.

It didn't seem that he moved much in his sleep, but there was quite a bit of blood staining the sheets.

Taking another Cleaning Marble, she used it, changed into her sleepwear, and joined the duo.

While waiting for the exhaustion to catch up to her, she watched her beloved gently tracing the wounds on his face and neck.

She knew how strong he was in comparison to his overall level, which is why she was that much more worried about Nightmare Dungeons.

Fortunately, with help from the other four regions, the first and second tiers of Training Arrays were mass-produced and were spreading across the continent.

Not only that, but the third tier had already been fully researched with Neyrelle's help, and after some experiments, they had already reached the 'fine-tuning' stage.

With some more time, those who reached Level 50 and had gone through their Second Class Awakening could use this Training Array to improve their Resistance and reflexes.

Helen's eyes closed while smiling, thinking of how surprised Michael would be since he could also use this array soon.

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

Three days later, Michael woke up once again.

The pain he felt was much less compared to before. If there was one thing more annoying than pain, it was how heavy and 'rusty' his body felt. 

After laying in bed for over five days, it was as if he had taken root. None of his motor functions were working properly as he stood up on his ass and tried feeling how well the wounds had healed.

Looking around the room as he waved his hands and clenched the fingers on his feet, he noticed the light blue walls, the exquisite furniture, and the women's clothes haphazardly thrown around the empty chairs.

A deep sigh echoed through the room for a moment, after which the Necromancer's face changed into a weird grimace. 

Taking out a mirror, Michael looked into it and sighed again.

"It looks horrible..."

He immediately stopped smiling, and his face returned to a more neutral expression.

It couldn't be helped. Looking inside his mind, the previously high and thick walls separating 'him' from the 'facade' were gone, not even rubble remaining.

Now, instead of two 'players,' this 'console' only had one, as the two had already merged. Actually, rather than calling it merging, it would be more accurate to say that Michael stopped compartmentalizing himself and was forced to recall the facade he put up for so many years.

Standing up from the bed, he shakily walked in front of the dresser, where a large mirror stood. 

Looking into it, he undressed, taking off his shirt and pants, carefully scrutinizing his body.

'My body looks so much different than what it was on Earth. I'm not at a body-builder level, but every muscle is streamlined, as if sculpted. Withish-gray hair and a somewhat handsome face. I didn't notice before, but there's at least a 75% resemblance to my face on Earth. It's the blue eyes and the tattoos that made the facade overlook this.'

That and the attention to detail he was sorely lacking. Sighing again, he used a Cleaning Marble to get rid of the sweat and the stench, after which he put on a clean pair of pants.

As he was preparing to 'equip' a shirt, Mina entered the room with a pail filled with water and a clean cloth, obviously prepared to clean his body.

Seeing him standing in front of the mirror, upper body naked, her face flushed immediately, and looked at the ground.

As she remained quiet, Michael was puzzled. While he didn't pay attention to the outside world that much, he did gain the facade's memories. 

And in those memories, Mina saw more than his upper body naked. However, questioning her would make him appear suspicious; therefore, it was better to act first.

In accordance with how he previously behaved, he approached the Priestess and lightly kissed her on the lips.

While doing so, he held up her chin, prompting him to marvel at how velvet-like her skin was. Not only that, but her lips were soft and fleshy, reminding him of cherries he used to eat when he was a kid.

Seeing Mina's face grow even redder after the kiss, a strange feeling of enjoyment washed over him. Michael realized that while incorporating the facade grew his memory base, it also added its personality, albeit in the form of instincts. 

Letting the pretty Priestess 'escape' from his clutches, he watched her fiddle with the pail of water in her hands for a while, waiting to see what she'd say next.

[I'm glad to see you awake again. How are you feeling? Does it hurt badly?](Mina)

"I'm fine. The pain subsided considerably compared to before. How long has it been since I returned?"

[Six days. Most of your wounds are already closed, but you're still in Healing Cooldown, so I can't patch you up completely just yet. In a day or two, you should be back to normal.](Mina)

"That's fine. I'm not in a rush. What about the others?"

[The others? Well... everyone is super busy. After you cleared the Nightmare Dungeon, the Sanctuary immediately implemented the Region Progress. You can imagine how crazy all Wanderers went.](Mina)

"I assume Helen, Aylin, and the other Representatives took care of the mess, though."

[Huh? Y...yes, that's right.](Mina)

Mina felt something was off, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what. Michael also noticed her slight confusion, prompting another mental sigh.

To have the memories is one thing, but to act similar to the facade is impossible. After all, he had removed himself from the social domain for over 15 years. 

It was expected for those close to him to notice the inevitable changes in his behavior and speech pattern.

Extending his right hand, he patted Mina's head, increasing the woman's confusion.

Putting on a clean shirt, he took the pail from her hands, and they descended the stairs and joined the others in the garden.

The noisy conversation in the pavilion immediately disappeared upon seeing him, especially since he was holding Mina's hand. Judging from how red the girl's face was, it was easy to guess their relationship.

Many pairs of beautiful eyes locked on Helen, who was just as surprised as they were. Still, it wasn't because he was holding Mina's hand, as much as it was the odd feeling she was getting from Michael.

"I'm sorry to keep everyone waiting."

[[[...]]]

Seeing everyone's gaping mouths, Michael was confused, not knowing how to react to their reactions. Did he do something wrong?

The chaos that erupted not even seconds later proved that he might've been overthinking things, with everyone buzzing around him like bees around flowers.

After the excitement somewhat died down, he smiled at a confused Helen and sat beside her. As embarrassed as she was, Mina happily stood on his left, prompting raised eyebrows from the others.

While nobody was teasing this big sister of theirs, their suggestive glances were enough to prompt another furious, blushing session.

Michael grabbed Helen's hand and smiled at her, beginning to ask about what had happened during the past six days when he had been out.

The warmth of his hand was still the same, but his personality felt different. As the one who spent the most time with him, conversing until dawn multiple times, she felt he was different.

It was hard to explain in words, but while Michael was previously much warmer when talking, it felt that he had some walls that even she couldn't bypass. Now, however, he felt much more vulnerable.

The more curious thing was his manner of speech, which changed from a passive and more accepting manner to a more detached and authoritative one.

Putting her worries aside for now, she helped debrief him on the current situation on the continent.

"I see. This means that you need the details of the Nightmare Dungeon, as you promised that to the high-level Wanderers in exchange for their help controlling the masses. Let's call the other four before I start. Also, Taissa, since she's been waiting for a while."

[Taissa left with Sophia to do some shopping. She enjoys walking around Kyovashad so much that Evelyn, Tia, and Mei managed to 'recruit' her for their newspaper.](Aylin)

"That's fine then."

It took less than half an hour for everyone to come running to the Pink Palace. 

Once they did, the kitchen staff served a hearty lunch, and everyone ate while Michael explained the general situation.

Hearing the details, the girls frowned immediately.

[Leaving the Affixes aside, the main issue is the demons' increased control over these Dungeons. The fact that they can intervene however they want is a bit daunting.](Beatrice)

[I don't think they can act however they please. The Sanctuary wouldn't allow it.](Mira)

"That is correct. When inside, the Sanctuary proposed an increase in difficulty and explained how the demons had to pay the corresponding price in resources for making such changes. That's why, unless it is someone they really want to get rid of, such direct interventions shouldn't be happening often. Especially for low and mid-level Wanderers."

The conversation quickly shifted toward the Region Progress. Michael explained everything he knew about it, including the need to advance to higher World Tier Difficulty to claim the rewards.

The Representatives wrote everything down to ensure they wouldn't forget the main points, and the 'meeting' ended only four hours later.

By the time everyone left, it was already 5 p.m. After a brief conversation with Taissa, he found out that Lorath was still searching for traces of Elias, getting closer and closer to his location.

Overall, he should have at least another week or two before he'd be asked to continue his Main Quest.

[What now?](Helen)

"Let's take a walk. Nostrava should look very nice close to sunset, especially on the hill where the church was previously."

[Eh? Uhm... okay.](Helen)

[I...](Helen)

"You'll join us, of course. Also, we've all slept enough in your rooms this past week. Let's sleep at the inn tonight. All three of us."

This time, it wasn't only Mina, but Helen also that blushed. Remembering the last time they 'slept' together, she couldn't help but glare at this 'odious' rascal.

Still, a change of pace should be nice.