In the dark temple, silence prevails as there's not even a pin drop of noises that could be heard. Desolate, eerie, and bizarre. One can only describe the entire underground temple's environment like this. Just like how the wall was covered and intertwined with numerous black vines.

Near the passageway, a bonfire can be seen producing light in this place that was covered by infinite darkness, flames were burning to give a slight warmth to the surroundings. the light of the fire accentuates the corners and the figure of four silhouettes.

On the ground, a red soft carpet with gold ornament can be seen. Fein was resting on top of it, his face was full of relief. His black kimono has some wear and tears on it as a result of the intense battle with the platinum statue.

Sofia on the other hand was resting on top of Aoi while quietly looking at the ceiling of the underground in deep thought.

Grrrrr!

Fein was woken up due to hunger pangs as his stomach protested. He opened his eyes, his body was no longer heavy, but it was full of energy and power.

I've passed out huh? it seems I've relaxed my spirit after the tense situation disappeared.

Damn it feels good to be alive! Fein smiled after successfully surviving the dangerous situation. Then, he turned his head to the carpet he was resting. Only to see the gold ornaments that could blind the onlookers due to their sparkles.

Fein decided not to think of it. He won't understand the complicated mind of the rich with a commoner mindset like him. Then he shifted his gaze towards Aoi. Only to see Sofia's pondering expression, her pupils were deeper than usual, the scarlet became more scarlet if one looked at her eyes directly, it felt like could suck the soul of anyone.

Fein began to examine her carefully and he noticed that her temperament changed.

What happened? Did her mindset grow after experiencing a life and death situation? I can feel the air of maturity, Damn! my innocent Sofia is no more?historical

He felt mixed emotions in his heart. Well, he was honestly gratified if Sofia would become more mature, and less reckless. But he also doesn't want to see her become cold and serious. He still prefer her to be cheerful, as Fein was already a cold person to begin with inside him, what he wants was someone who would suppress it. But, what happened already happened. There's no use crying over spilled milk. Furthermore, her growing early is a good thing because it means that her purpose to experience the world was successful. In this cruel world, where fighting and death are extremely common, a mature mindset is definitely a must. And although she change, it was only subtle, as it was impossible for someone to change drastically overnight.

Hmmm... She didn't seem to notice that I was already awake. I'm happy that you finally got out of your shell.

Fein decided to interrupt Sofia's melancholy moment. "Hey Sofia, what the f*ck are you thinking with that dramatic expression? and how long did I sleep?"

On top of Aoi, Sofia was startled by the sudden voice that interrupted her deep thought. She was thinking of the process of the battle with the platinum statue. Analyzing her mistakes and wrong decisions. She wants to improve those areas and make up for her weaknesses.

"You're already awake? you have been sleeping like a pig for 4 hours now." Sofia said on her face without emotion.

Pffffft!

Fein burst out laughing after Sofia said that with a serious face. "I thought you were thinking about me earlier."

Sofia rolled her eyes at his shamelessness. but she was relieved that Fein was already back on his feet.

He sighed with relief after seeing Sofia didn't change in behavior. He knew that she change but only in her mentality. That for him was a good thing. He believes that you don't need to be an emotionless person, after all, emotions are what makes human a human. it is a gift, that only humans possessed. Without emotion, you would only become a robot.

"Well, let's get going already..." Fein said confidently as he sensed that his degu energy was full after resting.

p Sofia smiled and nodded with approval, she wants to leave this place badly, as she feels uncomfortable. "So what's the plan? we still have to pass the dreadful spiky passageway in front of us."

"We only need to repeat what we've done, but this time, Voli would carry you first."

Fein walked in the back with Aoi, while Sofia was in the back of Voli. As they walk Fein couldn't help but marvel at the structure and mystery of the place.

"This Civilization should be powerful in the past. How did they f*cking create an artifact like that? If there are four of them, even S-rank degu users would have a hard time. They can not only regenerate, but they can still use Gravitational Pull. it restrained most of my advantage.

With this battle, Fein manages to list down his shortcomings. First, his body wasn't strong enough. If his body have reached S-rank, they wouldn't be in a helpless situation in the first place, because the gravitation pull won't affect him too much at that time. Second, he's still lacking the means to kill an undying opponent that could regenerate like that, this battle definitely leave a deep impression on him. No matter how many times he hacked and slashed the opponent it would always get up. Although he has the Death curse effect of the 'Dragon Abyssal Death Blade' that could slow down the regeneration of the opponent. it wasn't enough as seen in the result of the fight. and lastly, he lacks regeneration ability, without the sun, his Ryujin armor can't exert its ability. So he needs a regeneration ability that could work at any given time.

That means that I need to prioritize strengthening my body and find items or techniques that can restrain regenerative powers...

Hmm... What else? Oh! I need a regeneration ability or a piece of equipment that could enhance it!

"Hey, we are here! What are you thinking?" Sofia looked at Fein who was walking absentmindedly.