Medici wasn't exactly hiding in the spine's bone crack just for cover, he was there to sharpen a skill he knew he'd need one day as a proper conspirer. But his thoughts weren't on just Nephis's cohort abandoning Luna. No, what caught his attention was the way his two friends were… close. Uncomfortably close.

Holy shit. They're actually together… but wait. No, something's off. There's a weird awkwardness hanging between them.

What really unsettled him, though, was Amon's reaction. Something in that maniac's expression sent a chill down his spine.

Hiss. What the hell is he scheming now?

Still, Medici was a pacifist. At least, that's what he told himself. He had no interest in making the situation worse. He didn't want to escalate.

... Fuck it.

…Then again, maybe it was time to embrace his American heritage. Maybe it was time to give those bastards a taste of freedom.

But jokes aside, he needed to lighten the mood. Transmigrator Trio being gloomy? Nah. Roselle would be ashamed of them if they stayed this way.

So Medici straightened his back, put on a dazzling grin, and declared dramatically:

"I have decided! My symbol in mysticism will be the eagle! RAGHHHGRHH!"

Luna gave him a flat look, then shook her head with visible disappointment.

"...Fucking capitalist."

Amon let out a tired sigh and stretched his shoulders. He never liked fighting, truth be told. Necessary, yes. Enjoyable? Not really.

Then, without warning, he summoned Fraud's Bag and grinned like a thief who'd just robbed a bank.

Luna blinked at the sight, dumbfounded. Even Medici, who knew damn well Amon was going to steal fruit, was a little stunned when he saw the sheer amount. The bag overflowed with ripe, glistening fruits, as if Amon had plundered an entire orchard.

"What the..."

"When did you even!? Wait… would you have stolen the entire tree if you had the space!?"

Amon's smile sharpened. He met their shocked gazes, utterly unashamed, and replied with perfect calm:

"Nah. I steal."

After that, the Transmigrator Trio set out on their journey. Night had finally lifted, and with it, the oppressive shroud of the dark sea vanished into memory. It had been a miserable ordeal, but they didn't have much of a choice but to keep moving forward.

As they walked, Amon fell silent, lost in thought. His mind circled back to the problem of his Uniqueness. He needed to unlock it, to truly wield it, yet the requirements made no sense.

From what he understood, the symbolisms tied to the Error pathway were out of reach. He simply didn't have the abilities or the characteristics to even imitate them yet. Which meant there had to be another way.

But then… his brow furrowed.

Wait. That didn't make sense.

Maybe Luna hadn't glimpsed her "Five-Headed Dense Shadow" because she was mimicking her Sin Bearer and Scapegoat symbolisms after all. Maybe it was something else, an enlightenment born of creeping mental corruption. A resonance, sharpened by the characteristics of Secret Supplicant and Listener, that let her gain access to the Uniqueness of the Hanged Man pathway.

Yes. That felt closer to reality.

After all… Uniquenesses weren't just tools. They weren't dead relics. They were alive.

And in his case… there was no separation.

Amon and his Uniqueness were one.

He was Error. That much was obvious.

So then… how the hell could someone be locked out of their own existence? How could he need a key to open a door that was already him?

A few minutes later, a groan echoed from behind.

Startled, Medici and Luna turned, only to see Amon trudging along, kicking stones in irritation. A shimmering crystal monocle coalesced in his palm from lustrous, sparkling light. He slapped it onto his right eye, adjusted it with exaggerated precision, and wore a bitter scowl.

"We're idiots! Absolute fucking idiots! Talking about gaining access to Uniqueness? What the hell do you mean gain access? We are Uniqueness!"

Medici's eyes went wide with disbelief. Luna opened her mouth as if to argue, but gave up halfway, lips pressing shut.

Barely audible, Medici muttered a single word.

"…How?"

Amon spat in annoyance, the monocle morphing into sleek black gloves, then into an hourglass, before snapping back into the monocle again.

"What do you mean how? We're basically Uniqueness that somehow grew sentient. It makes zero sense for us not to give it form. Just focus on your damn Uniqueness and shape it already!"

Medici blinked, still stunned, then awkwardly tried. His hesitation was obvious, fumbling with something he couldn't quite grasp.

Luna, though, managed it instantly, her Uniqueness swelling into a five-headed shadow that twisted beneath her feet. With a frown, she willed it to change: first a massive cross, then a mirror. Finally, she let it settle back into its natural shadowy form with a frustrated sigh.

"So it really was that simple… damn it."

At last, Medici succeeded. A charred, bloodstained banner manifested in his grip, heavy with ominous weight. He stared at it in silence, curiosity warring with unease.

Amon nodded subtly. He could feel every ability he already possessed being strengthened. His agility, flexibility, and reflexes were enhanced. The only limitation was his own rank, holding him back. Actively using his Uniqueness to amplify his abilities would quickly exhaust him, given his lack of divinity. But merely giving it physical form? That was effortless, he didn't need to expend much energy, since it already existed within him as an abstract concept.

Still, now wasn't the time to experiment. The Labyrinth they were in was dangerous; exhausting himself here would be equivalent to suicide.

Letting out a soft sigh, Medici dismissed his own Uniqueness and turned to the others.

"Right now, we have two options. We either head to Dark City, or… remember those spiders? We could kill them to grow stronger first. What's it going to be?"

Luna frowned, drawn to the idea of increasing her strength. Not just for power's sake, but because Listener was wreaking havoc in her mind. The constant screams fatigued her more than she cared to admit. As her gaze drifted to the crimson spire, she knew exactly where the madness originated… no doubt, it was that bitch.

Amon shook his head and answered flatly.

"Nah. We already have plenty of fruits. That'll be enough to saturate your core, Medici. As for you, Luna… after Medici forms his Monster Core, you'll consume the rest. The spider nest… could be a good idea but... wait, no. We're going there."

Luna squinted, suspicion sharpening her gaze at Amon's abrupt change of mind.

"Why?"

Amon stared at the crimson coral for a moment, then replied evenly.

"Only seven Sleepers… only seven are transported to the Dream Realm this year. There's Sunless, Nephis, Cassie, and Caster. What about the other three? From what I remember, Caster's friend was killed by the spiders. Meaning we can find out if we've replaced those three Sleepers or not by checking it out."

Medici nodded, though his motivation was more simple: he wanted to kill the spiders to gain more power rather than track the Sleepers.

While Luna considered that, her curiosity went elsewhere.

"And why should we care? What difference does it make? Sure, we might find out, but then what? Whether we replaced them or the rules changed, there's nothing we can do about it. I like the idea of getting stronger, but that… meh."

Amon smiled at her and glanced at Medici, who returned a knowing smirk.

"We're voting! Who wants to kill spiders!?"

"Me."

"Me."

Then they turned to the scowling Luna, grinning brightly. Medici patted her head with a self-satisfied smile.

"Sorry, little communist. We have democracy here."

"Fuck off!"

Eventually, communism lost, and democracy claimed victory.

As they traveled, the trio gradually grew stronger and more experienced. Though, Amon didn't particularly enjoy fighting. Well, nothing could be done when Luna forced him to train and slay nightmare creatures.

Why should I?! he thought bitterly, blocking the pincers of a scavenger. I should be out there, swindling poor nightmare creatures instead of killing them!

He leapt onto a coral branch, twisting his body with his signature flexibility to strike between the creature's chitin, driving his blade along its spine and ripping it out with a visibly displeased expression.

[You have slain…

Amon then planned the journey with them. Until they reached the statue, they would need to cross a vast distance. For that, they required something that could get them across quickly, preferably before the sun rose.

Eventually, they decided to use the same method Sunny had employed: build a boat and cross the sea.

Medici somehow managed to construct it using the carcass of a nightmare creature and some iron wire. Sure, it wasn't pretty, but it would do the job. Not to mention, Medici could generate bursts of flame as explosions to boost their speed.

Overall, the plan was solid. However, they didn't intend to head straight to Dark City. They would travel west first. Both Medici and Amon were familiar with the area and knew the route. If they weren't searching for Luna, they would have already been in Dark City by now.

After all, the statue dropped them on the west side of the Forgotten Shore. From there, they would slaughter the spider nest and then enter Dark City through the catacombs that Nephis's cohort had used to escape.

But all of that could wait because Amon was indulging his true passion. Apparently, the bum had forgotten to put anything valuable for survival in Fraud's Bag… but he hadn't forgotten his notebook and pen. Failure.

He frowned, staring at the paper, then ripped it out and tossed it at Luna, who retaliated with a bone. He dodged effortlessly and continued writing.

[Shadow Slave - Chapter III]

And Sunless, Lost From both rizz and height, decided to use his greatest technique: [Dickriding Nephis] to gain a new attribute: [Inferiority Complex], in order to gain a decisive advantage against Ordinary Rock.

But Ordinary Rock knew exactly what kind of bum Sunny was and blocked it easily, much to Sunny's disbelief, who exclaimed:

"How's that possible?"

To which Ordinary Rock replied:

"'Cause I'm Him."

He then proceeded to summon his partner: Shadow Chair. With the combined might of the two unholy abominations, Sunless succumbed to their ultimate technique: [Femboy Allegations], losing the battle in humiliating fashion.]

Amon smiled in satisfaction as he finished, glancing at his notebook with pride. Once this was complete, everyone would see it. That's what Sunny gets for leaving Luna behind. But that wasn't all. When he reached Dark City… hehehe.

Just making Sunny the biggest bum in history wasn't enough. Oh? And he almost forgot about Nephis and Cassie too… hmm, let's give them PTSD. That'll be fun.

Of course, doing that to Cassie would be easier than Nephis. That's why Amon needed to crush her, not just in battle, but in mind as well.

Hmm… let's start stealing her… Nah, they're bums. If they were strong enough, Gunlaug would've taken them to Bright Castle, but he didn't. That makes them fodder… But gaining warriors from the castle? Hunters for Medici, and others for Luna? Hmm… that could work. Let's mess with the plot.