Yu Zhou rummaged through his dimensional bracelet and found a few recovery pills. He handed one each to Hudra and Darramb.
These pills had been bought back on the Earth-like planet — said to have been created by the Ancient Humans, or perhaps their descendants.
They worked fairly well, though Yu Zhou himself rarely needed them.
After all, his endurance was already far beyond normal limits. He didn't exactly need such things.
Still, Hudra and Darramb trusted him completely. They swallowed the pills without hesitation—instantly feeling their energy restored to full.
"Wow, these work great!"
"Hey, give us a few more next time!"
Both of them grinned mischievously, holding out their hands.
"Sure," Yu Zhou replied casually.
To their surprise, he actually gave them a few extra pills.
"Nice! You're a real brother now!" Darramb cheered.
The battle-hungry man was overjoyed. With medicine like this, he could keep fighting endlessly.
Yu Zhou only smiled faintly and didn't say much. He still had several bottles left in the bracelet anyway.
He could always hand out more later if needed.
Camearra holstered her energy cannon, and the four of them began exploring the mysterious wasteland ahead.
Because Yu Zhou had already cleared the area earlier, most of the nearby monsters had been driven off by the explosions.
They walked for quite some time without encountering much danger.
As they travelled, Yu Zhou and Camearra chatted casually, with Hudra and Darramb occasionally joining the conversation.
The atmosphere was relaxed, and soon Yu Zhou had fully blended into Camearra's small team.
According to Camearra, when she was born, a shaman of R'lyeh had prophesied that she was a divine maiden—one destined to become a future leader.
However, the prophecy didn't guarantee such a fate.
As she grew older, Camearra began traveling the world, searching for the "fateful opportunity" the shaman had spoken of, exploring every corner of the continent.
Her father, Keshiva, the lord of R'lyeh Island, feared for her safety and loaded her dimensional bracelet with numerous powerful pieces of advanced technology.
He also assigned his two nephews—Hudra and Darramb—to accompany her as bodyguards.
Both Hudra and Darramb had trained under Keshiva himself, learning martial arts and combat techniques.
That's why they habitually addressed Camearra as "Miss" despite being family—she was, after all, the island master's daughter and the prophesied goddess.
But life on R'lyeh was dull, and Camearra was never one to stay still. She often returned home for only short periods before heading back out on new journeys.
This time, after exploring the entire continent, she had decided to travel beyond—to the vast ocean itself.
"So," Yu Zhou asked thoughtfully, "what do you think your destined opportunity as the goddess really is?"
In the grand story of the future, Camearra would indeed become one of the leaders of the Dark Giants—though the true ruler would ultimately be Dark Tiga.
But right now, she was still a bright, pure-hearted girl—far from that shadowed destiny.
"I believe there are people in this world who can wield the power of light," Camearra said after thinking for a moment.
"I've been to Fuhuo City. Their lord, Amon, possesses that power."
"If I truly am the goddess in the prophecy, then I should learn how to control the power of light."
"The power of light, huh…"
Yu Zhou was a little surprised. He hadn't expected that answer.
No wonder—during the Final Odyssey, Camearra had once said she longed for the light.
It seemed that yearning had been there from the very beginning.
"So, I've been searching for something that can help me gain the light's power," Camearra continued.
"Lord Amon even tried to teach me how he harnesses light… but his method didn't suit me."
"Oh?" Yu Zhou raised a brow, curious. "How does he do it?"
"He… well…" Camearra's cheeks flushed slightly. "During the sun's highest hour, he performs a ritual to the gods… by standing naked under the sunlight to absorb its energy."
Yu Zhou blinked, then smirked.
"A ritual in pure form… So, the guy's still a virgin, huh?"
He pictured Lord Amon—an older man with a dignified face—and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Wait—Tiga, you know Lord Amon?" Camearra asked in surprise.
"Met him once," Yu Zhou replied casually.
Camearra hesitated, then glanced at him with curiosity.
"Actually, I wanted to ask… that giant you turned into earlier—was that…?"
"A Dark Giant," Yu Zhou said directly, without hiding it.
"Dark…?"
Hudra immediately tensed up, his hand moving toward his weapon. Anything related to darkness was usually bad news.
The recent monsters, after all, were manifestations of that very darkness.
And this place itself—was a realm steeped in shadow.
"If Tiga is a Dark Giant," Hudra muttered, narrowing his eyes, "and this place is part of the darkness… then…"
He raised his crossbow and aimed it straight at Yu Zhou.
"You're the master of this domain, aren't you?!"
"Huh?" Yu Zhou blinked in disbelief. That escalated quickly.
Darramb, simple-minded as ever, had no idea what was going on but still raised his shield just in case.
"Hudra, you've got it wrong," Yu Zhou said calmly. "If I were the master here, why would I bother saving you?"
"…That does make sense," Darramb said, lowering his shield after thinking about it.
"Enough, both of you." Camearra sighed and stepped forward.
"If Tiga wanted to hurt us, it would've been effortless. I trust him."
"Yes, Miss!"
Chastised, both Hudra and Darramb immediately withdrew their weapons and bowed slightly toward Yu Zhou.
"Apologies, Tiga. We acted rashly," said Hudra.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Darramb added.
Camearra gave Yu Zhou a small, apologetic smile.
It was clear this sort of misunderstanding happened often with those two.
"It's fine," Yu Zhou said, waving it off. "No harm done."
Then, with a faint grin, he added,
"As for the power of light… I once had it too, you know."
"You did?" Camearra looked at him in surprise.
"Yeah," he nodded softly. "But now, only darkness remains."
Camearra smiled gently, eyes bright.
"To have once possessed the light… you must've been very lucky."
"Yeah," Yu Zhou murmured, watching her smile. "It really was."
For a brief moment, the air between them felt still—almost tender.
Then, the distant shriek of birds shattered the calm.
A shadow passed over them—another swarm of Zoiger descended from the skies.
"Those damn bird things again?!" Yu Zhou scowled.
"Um… that might be my fault," Camearra said awkwardly.
"I… may have stolen their eggs."
She reached into her dimensional satchel and pulled out two enormous eggs, setting them gently on the ground.
Yu Zhou stared at her, speechless.
Of course she did.