25: Meeting with an acquaintance

**POV of ???**

As we passed through coral corridors leading nowhere and retraced our steps, time flew by.

The boy fought four more scavengers but was still fine to continue the planned path.

We were at least about 150 meters from the rock rising above the coral.

That's when we saw them.

A boy with black armor lined with golden streaks through its darkness, two daggers in each hand, and his armor did not cover his arms.

His head was helmetless, revealing hair as black as the night sky in this starless world. His eyes, in contrast to his dark hair, were a bright ruby red.

Walking beside him was a slender girl with a toned body. Her pink hair seemed to reach down to her lower back. Her armor was brown and didn't appear special. Her eyes, a beautiful contrast to the man next to her, seemed like two bright emeralds with a hypnotizing green hue.

'Wait, what are they whispering?' The girl seemed confused as the boy whispered something in her ear while keeping an eye in our direction.

'Could he see me or sense my presence? That would be surprising. I suspected it since we met, but if he can really see me, it would confirm my suspicions.'

As I thought about this, my boy approached them, and I was a few steps behind him when he started speaking.

"Well, look who it is, if it isn't the wonder boy who managed to defeat me using a dirty trick. I didn't expect to have the luck to find you here, and I see you've brought some good meat with you."

The armored boy remained calm, but the girl made a disgusted face as she looked at my boy and spoke.

"It seems you know Jonathan. If you have issues, it's best to leave them for later. Night is coming, and we need to get to higher ground before the ocean swallows us."

"Sasha is right. I don't want to fight here, Ludwin," said the boy in black armor, cautiously looking at Ludwin.

"Fine, but don't get it twisted. I was heading towards that high rock before I ran into you," said Ludwin, looking past the boy in black.

"I don't care. Follow me; I know the quick way to get there. Don't try anything stupid because Sasha and I are enough to subdue you."

'Can't he see me? Then what was that whispering earlier? It's very suspicious, but during the whole short conversation, he showed no sign of knowing about my presence.'

Anyway, for now, I'll follow him, and if he's truly trustworthy, I'll reveal myself. But not until I'm completely sure.

Ten more minutes passed until we reached the top of the rock. No one spoke the entire way, so they just climbed and then moved to the center of the rock. I was always a few meters from the three.

Jonathan was the first to speak.

"Look, I know we had some issues, but now we are in this unknown place and need to get out. I'm willing to work with you if you behave and help us..."

"...but if you cross the line, I won't hesitate to do something about it. Let that be clear, Ludwin."

Ludwin grimaced and was silent for a few seconds. 'How amusing, they are right, he can't beat them. It's clear that they are stronger as a team than he is. Now, what will you do, Ludwin?'

"Fine, but if you threaten me again, I'll seriously hit you."

"Try it if you can."

Before things could get worse, the pretty girl named Sasha spoke.

"Alright, stop fighting. We'll have to fight alongside each other in the near future. Fighting won't do any good."

Apparently, Jonathan seemed more willing to accept Sasha's suggestions. 'Interesting.'

"Anyway, what I wanted to say has been said."

Ludwin sat silently on the edge of the high rock without saying anything. Jonathan stayed in the center, talking to Sasha.

'What a strange combination.'

Well, if they're not going to fight tonight, it would be smarter to reveal myself tomorrow. I can't remain weak now that I've found these people.

I need to start absorbing more soul fragments. I'm far below all of them right now.

...

The day passed quietly, but before night fell, they lit a fire and cooked crab meat. All of them sat around the fire in somewhat uncomfortable silence until Jonathan spoke.

"Ah, I really dislike you, you know? But we need to fight together, so what do you think about sharing our abilities and memories? We need to assign roles or at least see what could be useful for team fights."

"That sounds good to me. I have no problem with that. What about you, Ludwin?"

Good, this way, I can learn more about their abilities. If it becomes a problem or they try something stupid, I'll have more information than them.

"Fine, but I'll only reveal what's necessary."

"That's enough. I'll go first."

It seems Jonathan wants to reveal his abilities first. I wonder how much he will hide?

"My ability allows me to sense my enemies' movements at least a second before they make them. As for my relics, I have an awakened dagger that passively exudes poison from its tip. The other is this armor; it allows me to mold it in certain areas to create a dagger or shield of the same rank."

'Interesting.'

"My turn. My innate ability enhances all my physical senses and perception. My aspect ability allows me to create a field around me that greatly enhances myself and those I consider allies within the range, though the enhancement for them is lesser."

"As for my relics, I only have an awakened rank shield and this armor. Uh, the armor was a gift from Jonathan, though it doesn't have any useful charm."

Apparently, she is the most important piece in the team. By enhancing everyone, they gain a great advantage when fighting beasts of a higher rank than themselves. Now I see how they managed to survive.

Only Ludwin was left to reveal more about himself.

"Alright, my aspect ability gives me significant enhancement in my physique, endurance, speed, and durability. As for my relics, I have three. One is this armor; its charm allows for improved recovery of the user."

"The second is an amulet that gives me slight resistance to the cold. Finally, I have another armor; it's only of latent rank and has a warmth charm that keeps the body warm and prevents cold."

Uh, that would be useful to me. Indeed, during this week that I've been following Ludwin, I've been and still am naked, so that armor would be very useful. I'll definitely reveal myself tomorrow, but I need to make some rough pants from the seaweed below.

"Alright, that's good. So, since you two focus on enhancing your body and strength, you'll be the frontline. You'll go first before me and distract the scavengers we encounter. What do you think of that, Ludwin?"

"Fine, I can handle two scavengers, but I can't guarantee anything."

"That's okay. Sasha can also handle two or three scavengers now that I can give her a weapon. I can handle two as well. And look at this, I have an echo of those scavengers."

He has an echo; that's quite fortunate, eh, Jonathan? It seems you had a lot of luck after that.

Leaving these thoughts aside, I looked at the scavenger that manifested out of nowhere two meters from Jonathan. It was like all the others below, but as an echo, it was calm and obedient.

When we all gather, we'll truly be powerful as a cohort, eh? I like that, hahaha.

"Oh, that's good. That damn thing will help a lot in fights. Now, how about a duel to pass the time? Something friendly, consider it a rematch for the fight lost at the academy."

"Wow, you're really not going to hide that you want to give me a beating, eh."

"Don't get it wrong, I also want to get out of this hell, but yes, I want to fight again to give you some hits. Although I won't do too much damage, I don't want to delay our movements."

After a few seconds of silence, Jonathan spoke again.

"Alright, I accept the duel. There's still some time until sunset. Let's go to the center."

...

This will be fun.

Jonathan prepared with a slightly hunched posture, his muscles tense and his gaze fixed on Ludwin, who was also getting ready for the confrontation.

Ludwin stood still for a moment, his expression serious, before launching himself at Jonathan with determination.

Jonathan agilely dodged Ludwin's punch with a fluid movement, feeling the wind from his blow brush his face.

He quickly rose as Ludwin passed by his side, seizing the moment to strike him in the side of his torso with a precise blow.

Ludwin seemed surprised by Jonathan's speed and skill, quickly stepping back a few steps.

"You've grown a lot, damn monster!" Ludwin growled through gritted teeth, assessing with some concern.

Jonathan remained on guard, ready for Ludwin's next move. This time, it was Ludwin who waited for his opponent to attack.

It seemed Jonathan had understood the message. He shot forward like a bullet, with a surprising speed that even surpassed Ludwin's.

Ludwin barely managed to avoid the blow aimed at his face, but before he could fully react, he felt a powerful kick to his side, sending him flying backward.

He quickly got back up, shaking his head to regain composure. "Not bad, but it won't be that easy," he murmured to himself, adopting a more defensive fighting stance.

Both launched their attacks and dodged each other's blows

Both launched their attacks and dodged each other's blows. Ludwin received strikes from Jonathan while trying to counterattack, but Jonathan always managed to evade his attacks just in time.

The fight continued until Ludwin finally stopped and raised his arms in surrender. "Alright, I admit you're stronger than me. Let's stop here, I need a break. I've fought a lot before we met."

Jonathan nodded, maintaining his fighting stance just in case. "Rest then. My echo will keep watch. It's already getting dark, so I'll retreat to rest. You decide whether you want to sleep or stand guard with the echo."

Ludwin didn't respond immediately but lay down on the platform's ground and closed his eyes, though it was evident he wouldn't easily succumb to sleep, remaining alert for any danger.

Meanwhile, Jonathan prepared to rest as well, knowing the night would be long and full of uncertainty.

The temptation to claim the armor was strong, but I decided to postpone that decision for another time. For now, I need to sleep so I can reveal myself in the morning and join Jonathan's cohort.