Lumian watched with some curiosity as Effie managed to lift a large slab of stone under great force.
"Do you like what you see?" Effie asked. The question wasn't aimed at Lumian, but more specifically at Asael, who averted his gaze.
"Yes... uh... wait, no! I mean, I wasn't looking at what you think. Just... how are you so strong?"
Effie glanced at the granite slab and then at Asael.
"Ah, that. It's my Aspect ability. It's a strong overall physical enhancement."
'Oh, so it's a combat and enhancement-oriented ability, but totally different from my Aspect ability. My ability greatly enhances the entire scope, both physical and mental,' Lumian thought.
"From your thoughts, I can guess that your own ability seems similar to mine," Effie said, to Lumian's feigned surprise.
"Yeah, you could say that," he replied.
"Do you want me to tell you my flaw?" Effie offered.
"It's very simple. My Aspect not only enhances all my physical attributes, but it does the same for all my physical needs. Why do you think I ate so much meat to create a literal pile of noisy bones? For fun."
She shook her head.
"Well, it was fun, I won't lie..."
'So the price of having the strength of many men was also being constantly hungry,' Lumian thought.
After that, Lumian asked a few more questions, which Effie answered.
After an hour, the trio left the granite tower, beginning their journey toward the outer settlement.
The journey had been long, and it took them almost a full day to reach their destination after traveling a great distance, hiding, and moving through the alleys under the guidance of the experienced Effie.
When they arrived at the settlement, there were tall white marble walls around the hill, which rose slowly up the slopes. In several places, there were long stretches of stairs and formidable, yet strangely graceful, fortifications. However, there were no guards.
"Why are there no sentries?" Asael asked.
"Gunlaug barely has people to guard the castle walls. However, they will notice anything approaching the colony. The entire city is in view from up there, and various protective measures have been taken; they have seen everything."
After a good while climbing the stairs, they finally reached the hill's zenith and saw the mighty castle in its splendor.
The castle was made of the same pristine marble as the arch at the hill's base, and it stretched toward the sky like a white mountain made by human hands. The foremost tower was wide and imposing, with a tall, decorated gate and a grand staircase descending from it to a vast stone platform where the path ended.
Lumian admitted the construction was astonishing.
Looking down, Lumian saw the dozens of makeshift hovels crowding the stone platform. They were built with fragments of rubble, rotten wood, and pieces of monster skins, chaotically clinging to the stones as if fearing the wind would blow them away.
A strange smell reached Lumian's nose; he had never smelled it before, yet it felt immensely familiar.
'Strange,' Lumian thought.
Among the hovels, gaunt, hollow-eyed people clung to eking out a living. They wore a mix of dirty rags and shiny mementos, and some wore armor, standing out among the rest as oddities. Most were young, being about two or three years older than Lumian.
Now that Lumian thought about it, he had no idea when the birthday of this body was or who had inhabited it. Lumian knew very little, except that he came from the outskirts and was an orphan when Jet told him after he awoke from his first nightmare.
Lumian pushed those thoughts from his mind.
"What do we do now?" Asael asked.
"The castle gates have already closed, so I advise you to find shelter before nightfall. Look for an empty hut. With the number of people who die each season, there are always many."
"And you?" Lumian asked.
"Me? That luxurious one-bedroom shack over there is mine. Granted, it was built with the best trash you can find here... though it's still trash. Anyway, I'm going home, preparing a hearty dinner, and then going to sleep. I'm dead tired. Sorry, but I don't entertain guests."
Lumian nodded.
"Okay. Thanks for what you told us, Effie. I won't forget it."
Effie nodded.
"Goodbye. I hope you survive." Effie whistled a pleasant tune and walked away.
"So what will we do?" Asael asked.
"Find an empty hut and sleep. Soon, I'll summon Diablo and Knight to hunt and gather fragments," said Lumian.
"Won't it be conspicuous for an awakened Diablo-class monster to appear, along with an awakened monster?"
"Who cares?" Lumian shrugged. "This place is full of fallen monsters, so it'll be good to do some cleaning."
"Alright, but don't get angry when they're destroyed."
"I'll keep that in mind," said Lumian.
After a dozen minutes of Lumian and Asael searching for a hut in better condition, they found one.
At the edge of the vertical slum stood a stone platform; there was an unusually spacious dwelling. It was built with stone slabs that had been heedlessly torn from the ruins.
Lumian couldn't smell any odor coming from that hut, so it had been abandoned for a while.
When they entered the interior of the stone hut, they noticed everything was destroyed and moved around, as if it had been looted of the materials in the best condition.
Lumian noted that here and there were sections that needed repair.
"This is a mansion," Asael said. "If we manage to fix it up, it'll become a good place."
Lumian feigned an empty smile on his face.
"Yeah. Plus, we can use furniture from the ruins; there should be some in good condition."
Asael yawned.
"But that's for tomorrow; I'm dying of sleep." Asael lay down on the floor, instantly falling asleep. Lumian shook his head.
Leaving the stone hut, he looked at the dark city sky. Night had fallen, and its inhabitants began to sleep.
Lumian left the settlement until he reached the ruins. It was time to get to work.
After a few seconds, he summoned his subordinate, the Demon, alongside the Knight.
"Eliminate any monsters you find," Lumian said.
The enormous demon, as large as a house, moved its pincers slightly as if in agreement.
Lumian looked at the black knight, who made no gesture, being merely a monster. Once it reached the Demon rank, it could be more expressive.
Soon, both creatures headed into the ruined city, disappearing among the structures.
Lumian also summoned the Elder Centipede.
"Accompany your brothers," he ordered. The gigantic centipede began running across the ground with its countless legs digging into the soil; soon, the beast disappeared by scaling the ruins.
Lumian decided to explore the insides of the houses, finding several objects in good condition despite their age.
When he returned to the stone hut, the spell's voice began informing him of the kills his subordinates were making:
[You have killed an awakened monster: Steel Spider]
[You have killed a fallen beast:Black Crow]
[You have killed an awakened Demon:Abyssal Wolf]
[You have obtained a Memory]
[Your core strengthens]
Lumian smiled as he lay down on the floor. He felt the ground was incredibly comfortable; whether sleeping on dirt, rock, leaves, branches, or on top of the spiky-shelled Devil, Lumian felt like he was in heaven.
He soon fell completely asleep, just as his monsters grew stronger and strengthened him with every kill they made.