Daru didn't know when he fell asleep.

The only thing he knew was that he was woken by appropriately loud knocks on the door of his wooden shack.

The pale yet peaceful moon had retreated, giving way to the Reprieve's artificial sun.

Well…what is artificial and what is not in the Myriad Sword Realm, anyway?

The night and day in Egress could very well be the same as those in Agaron.

Yawning and stretching, he stood up, making his way over to the door and opening it.

The sight of a serious Ascalon greeted him.

"Daru…"

The SS-ranker met his still slightly disoriented gaze.

"Ah…hey, Caleb…" Daru greeted back, scanning the cherry blossom-haired young man before asking: "You guys are already heading out?"

"Yeah…"

A brief silence ensued as Ascalon struggled to keep his emotions in check.

The SS-ranker's heart was in utter chaos and turmoil over the decision made two days prior.

There were no doubts in his heart that Daru was the strongest combatant of Egress now, since he went ahead and tested him two times in the past few weeks, losing both duels.

He had even gone all-out in the second one, yet he still lost to Daru.

The S-ranker was, despite being a rank lower than him and younger, somehow truly stronger.

If there was anyone who had the highest chance of pulling off the vague, broad, and seemingly impossible mission on the other side of the river, it would be Daru, both technically and in combat prowess.

Daru had almost all the necessary qualities, too.

He was courageous, rather adventurous, bold, decisive, focused…and a bit unstable in the head.

The last one was strangely beneficial in such an endeavor.

He only lacked a bit of cunning, but that wasn't too much of a problem.

Beggars can't be choosers, after all.

Yet, Ascalon couldn't shake his anxiousness off, despite knowing that no one in Egress was a better fit for the job than Daru.

He had been looking out for the young man as though he were truly Daru's older brother.

Of course, it was partly due to Caleb's desperation to leave Limbo that he tried to keep the younger man safe as much as his limited abilities allowed.

Who knew this timidity would only backfire on his confidence?

He might be less worried if he allowed Daru to gain as much experience as he could, forging him through the monochromatic crucible of the god-forsaken realm.

Unfortunately, what's done is done.

They could only let him do whatever he wanted moving forward.

After all, preserving him was simply impossible now that they had learned a part of what had to be done from Nando.

They could truly only pray that Daru was competent enough to succeed on the other side.

"Well then, I wish you luck. I'll make my preparations and then leave for the other side of the river."

In the end, Ascalon's visit ended up being quite weird, with him only managing to greet Daru.

He then left a few nods and a sincere wish of luck and success later.

Perhaps he realized that there was nothing his words would change, especially since Daru didn't seem to be someone whose heart was swayed so easily.

So, Caleb simply left after checking on him…how he was feeling, and other subtle things.

The SS-ranker was both inwardly pleased and shocked that Daru didn't seem to be thinking too much about the dangers ahead.

Caleb was certain he wouldn't remain so calm being tasked to scour the other side of the river for the pages of a possibly non-existent mystical book about five horrors on his own, at least not in the first few days.

Nonetheless, what he saw cheered him up.

Maybe Daru could really save them…

Watching the SS-ranker leave, Daru performed a quick inventory check to see what he needed before he left.

Well, mainly sustenance…

He just had to ensure he had enough for a few weeks so that he would be able to focus on his mission.

And fighting new Swordspawns.

Closing the inventory window after donning his armor set, Daru left his accommodation and headed over to the Supplies Shack guarded by two wretches.

Everyone in the village knows him by now, and even though his socialization skills were still more or less dogwater, he had at least mastered basic courtesy without keeping other people at a distance.

The Damnedlings were starting to warm up to him, at least.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to capitalize on his learnings, and there was a chance his already poor skills would regress.

He would be gone from Egress for quite some time, after all.

Nodding at the two non-combatants, Daru was led inside the shack by one of the two — a young, female Windar who they had saved a couple of weeks back.

The plume on her head bounced rather adorably as she presented the selection of sustenance.

Daru didn't even have to think, though.

He had long gotten used to the simplicity and efficiency of the Limbo Carrots and Hellberries.

He only needed to consume two units each per day, and he's good to go.

The ten percent bonus on hit points and stamina regeneration, however, was the main reason why Daru preferred the two over the others.

Egress was also somehow able to grow cooked meat chunks from bushes, which did not make sense, but he took a few pieces of those nonetheless.

They had the bonus effect of increasing one's strength attribute for a short period.

Their effects could also be stacked — a good card he could use to turn a negative situation around.

But best of all, they tasted damn good.

It was as though they were already perfectly seasoned with salt and pepper.

Aside from them, he also brought a sleeping bag with him and a camouflage cover made from vines, leaves, and ash.

Joining a collective, especially a relatively established one, had its own advantages.

Daru politely thanked the female Windar and left, heading for a boundary of the reprieve.

He was surprisingly stopped by Nando, who gave him an old, random, slightly rusty key, only saying that it might be of use to him.

Daru didn't think too much about the matter and simply kept the item in his inventory, watching the old man leave for a few seconds before heading over to where his escort party was waiting.

It was time to see what was on the other side of the Howling River.

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