"Nando?" Daru muttered, his brows rising in intrigue.

The name just automatically popped up in his head as he subconsciously recalled two crucial pieces of information.

He didn't know how the headless abomination was surviving, but it was there, somehow, well and alive.

Daru instinctively approached without any negative intent.

This allowed the strange Lost Damnedling to notice him, its stump of a neck turning to look his way as a pristine white ribbon, tied in its scrawny left arm, swayed in the chilly winds.

…And then the hunching abomination bolted and disappeared into the mist.

It didn't seem to be as mad, lost, and malicious as the other Damnedlings he had encountered.

In the end, Daru could only return to his root hollow to rest early, lost in thought.

He had just been planning to visit Nando's grave tomorrow to see if the information in the soulslips was accurate.

He certainly did not expect to meet a Lost Damnedling that seemed to fit the description in the [Wretched Soulslip] that mentioned the surnameless Nando so soon.

This encounter, however, only increased his anticipation for tomorrow, as it hinted that the ancient pieces of paper with burned sides gave real and legitimate information.

Daru just had to find the ones that would hint or at least progress his escape from the god-forsaken realm, no matter how small.

Currently, he did not have an inkling how he would return to Valmaris aside from the risky, suddenly harrowing, and uncertain idea of giving up a life to respawn back at the Sword Goddess Statue in Agaron.

Daru couldn't exactly explain why, but he had a feeling that while the method seemed feasible — logical, even — it was not.

The god-forsaken monochrome world was just too weird.

The items he obtained here mentioned wretches, souls, and other such underworldly stuff that should be out of a mere mortal human's grasp.

It was difficult to trust that everything would happen as expected, especially since even the special divine force that would kick him out after six hours could not touch him here.

Who could claim with certainty that he would respawn?

Nonetheless, unsettling and grim as his situation was, Daru was still having a lot of fun, and negative thoughts only swirled at the back of his mind.

"Nando has been around…he knows some things…"

He shall see for himself what knowledge the supposedly veteran Damnedling has to offer.

Maybe if he were lucky, he would get a clue, though Daru somewhat doubted it.

They wouldn't be called Lost Damnedlings if they weren't lost themselves, would they?

In any case, he had a direction for tomorrow, at least.

If this one turned out fruitless, then he would only continue his plan of learning more from the [Wretched Soulslips] and [Journals of the Damned] while growing stronger to secure better options for himself.

No rush.

So, Daru rested in his hollow for his perceived nighttime, finding peace within its cramped, dead walls.

His initial unease was gone, now confident that none of the passing Ashen Cleaners and Twisted Custodians could detect him inside.

None of the Accursed Soulcatchers had passed by in the past few days, either.

Daru's mind wandered before he was embraced by the comfort of temporary oblivion.

Came the perceived morning the next day, he felt fresh and ready, though a little hungry and thirsty.

He consumed sustenance before exiting his hollow, stretching for a while before proceeding westward.

Instinctively knowing which way to go was a strange feeling.

After all, Daru had never been here, yet he knew where Nando's grave was.

There was no need to rush.

So, Daru took his time, his head turning left and right to observe the part of the cemetery he was in as he journeyed deeper.

Still mostly gravestones and dead trees.

He frowned, realizing something.

Daru had been walking for around a dozen minutes now. Yet, he still hadn't encountered an Ashen Cleaner or a Twisted Custodian.

'Hmm…where could they be? Shouldn't they be maintaining the cemetery?' he mused with a reprimanding undertone. 'They…are not doing a good job…Are they slacking?'

It was then that he finally heard the echoes of distant footsteps.

'Ah…there they are.'

A faint smile appeared on his face as he strode towards the source with visible excitement.

It was as though he was about to meet an old friend he hadn't seen for a long time when, in reality, he was simply going to murder the poor, dutiful wraith for experience points and underworldly drops.

But then, Daru noticed that something was wrong.

It wasn't the normal, casual pace of the Ashen Cleaners accompanied by the sifting of a broomstick.

The brisk pace was more similar to the Twisted Custodians'.

However, the footsteps were nowhere near as light as theirs.

'A digger?'

No.

The footsteps were heavier, and although Daru hadn't heard a Burdened Gravedigger's footsteps, he was certain that they would be heavier than the ones he was hearing some distance ahead.

It could only be either a new type of Swordspawn or the Soulcatchers.

The problem was that there seemed to be more than one of them. Halting in his tracks, Daru made a decision, quickly turning and hiding behind a dead tree.

He almost didn't make it.

Soon, ominous silhouettes tore through the mist.

Three Accursed Soulcatchers.

Daru narrowed his eyes, astonished at the strange sight he had never seen before, granted that he had only been in this place for a few days.

He was curious as to what the three armored wraiths were up to.

One of them was probably more than enough to catch a Damnedling, so why were they teaming up?

The small group of elites quickly passed him, heading in the rough direction of the dead tree he was using as his resting spot.

Then, in the barely visible distance…

They suddenly began rampaging.

The Accursed Soulcatchers kicked trees down, cut the occasional dead shrubbery, and uprooted the unnamed graves.

'What…are they doing?'

In any case, getting entangled with three elites he hadn't fought before might be a bit of an overreach even for him.

Daru decided to silently disappear in the opposite direction.

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