The ship stopped moving, and it woke him up. It waste at night when Niki opened his eyes, which he could deduce from the ck window.


    He rose from the bed and stretched before climbing up the deck. The infinite stars above them looked as if it was painted by a divine being, beautiful and ever-stretching.


    “It makes you feel small, aye?”


    Niki turned and found Lex standing on the deck. She was holding her Tabaco pipe in hand as it silently burned, the smoke drifting in the wind.


    “Where are we?” Niki looked around with a frown. He allowed himself to sleep like that. It was a mistake on his part to be so unaware.


    “In the location that you told me about, captain!” Lex said with a smile as she walked over. “Are you alright now? I’m sorry about dragging you like that.”


    “It had to be done. Did we lose them?”


    “Yes, your abilitysted long enough for us to run away,” Lex said as her face turned to unease. “I must say that the darkness you used is nothing less than…”


    “Creepy?” Niki smirked. Lex looked awkward but nodded anyway. “That’s what you asked for.” He walked toward the railings and looked around. The dungeon should be at the base of the mountain.


    “We can’t bring the alchemist along,” Lex said as she tapped the railings with her pipe, allowing the ash to drift into the wind. “He would have to stay here with the archer.”


    “No.”


    “What do you mean by no?” Lex blinked. “You want to bring him into a dungeon? Are you mad?”


    “I’m not leaving him with the archer,” Niki said as he turned and walked toward the crates. “I want another gun.”


    “What for?”


    “To use it as a toothpick. What else can I use it for?” Niki said with sarcasm which Lex didn’t appreciate.


    “I told you, cold weapons are…”


    “The future. I know.” Niki knew that better than anyone. After the world falls apart, monsters that the world never saw the likes of before would appear. Shooting bullets at those monsters were akin to tickling them, even with the many buffs that you can add.


    “It’s a simple equation. The firepower of weapons can never catch up to the Strength stat humans can attain.” Lex said as she walked to stand beside him.


    “I’m still the mostfortable with a gun in my holster,” Niki said as he stretched out his arm. Lex sighed, walked toward a different crate full of her items, and took out a gun simr to Niki’s weapon.


    A grin of delight bloomed on his face as he took the gun and felt its weight in his hand. He nodded in thanks to the Gunmaster and slipped the weapon into its rightful ce.


    “Let’s descend,” Niki said, and Lex nodded, going into the core room. Even though Niki knew how to steer a ship, Lex was leagues above him in terms of control and smoothness.


    The ship began descending to the base of the mountain. In the meantime, Niki took out the bullets from his pocket dimension that the dwarves fired and began reconstructing the space.


    It was unstable since yesterday, and it would break down if he didn’t supply it with mana. So after spending half of his mana on it, the pocket dimension’s life was extended by another day.


    ‘It should be enough until we’re done with the inheritance.’ Niki thought as the ship approached the ground. The ship stopped moving a few meters from the ground. Lex came out from the core room with her gun in hand, ready for battle.


    “Both you get off,” Niki said to the archer and the Gunmaster. They nodded and walked toward the room below the deck. “No, leave Sergio here.”


    “What? Alone and bedridden?” Lex frowned.


    “Just get off,” Niki frowned, and the Gunmaster turned to Yuxi, seeking out her opinion. Yuxi nodded, and the two jumped off. Niki touched the floor and closed his eyes. Alias, along with Sergio, disappeared.


    Niki fell to the ground after the ship disappeared andnded in front of Yuxi and Lex. The two looked at him with dazed expressions, which he chose to ignore.


    “The dungeon is over there,” Niki walked toward the deeper parts of the forest where no light existed. He could feel the two get unnerved by the darkness which he adored. “Don’t worry. Nothing is jumping out of the bushes.”


    They reached the dungeon under Niki’s guidance. The two girls looked at each other then turned to Niki. Sensing their unease, Niki smiled lightly.


    “Do you trust me?”


    “Not really,” Lex shrugged, and Yuxi shook her head. Their response made Niki nod in approval.


    “Good, that’s how it should be.” Niki nodded. “I wish that idiot learns a bit of cynicism from you guys.”


    ‘You are its greatest master.’ Yuxi gestured, and Niki straightened his back with pride. ‘It’s not apliment!’ She huffed.


    “Enough chitchat,” Niki took out the blueprint and the parts. “I need your help to assemble this key.” He said with hands of darkness as he picked up the pieces.


    “How about I do it myself?” Lex asked with a bit of greed.


    “Is that the Souls Mechanic talking, or you?” Niki nced and shook his head. “I’m the only one who can do it. Just help me read the blueprint.”


    He handed her the blueprint, and Lex began guiding him through the steps to assemble the key. Then, piece by piece, the key started to take shape under their eyes.


    When Niki inserted thest part, the small watch, the key looked like three-quarters of a sphere with cogs and screws everywhere. It gave out a low hum as it glowed. But, before it did anything more than that, Niki ced it in his pocket dimension.


    “Let’s go dungeon diving,” Niki said with a grin and grabbed the dungeon’s entrance. The other two nced at each other and touched it as well. Then, the three of them disappeared.