Colm sat in the training room, watching his mana slowly regenerate. Okay, it looks like my mana regeneration is tied to my intelligence. It seems to be about 12 mana per minute, or roughly 10% of my intelligence stat. So, to fully regenerate my mana, it would take about an hour. Not bad, but I can't afford to spam Abyssal Lance—it takes too long to recover the mana from even one cast. Barring regeneration, I can cast it 32 times before I'm out. He frowned thoughtfully. This makes mana potions a priority. I don't want to be caught in a situation where I'm out of mana. He muttered aloud, "I'll make sure that's on my to-do list."

He remained there, continuing watching his mana slowly tick up. Honestly, this was long overdue. I should've looked at this much earlier, but at least I know now.

Once his mana was fully restored, Colm headed to the lobby, only to realize how long he'd been in the training room. The bustling crowd he'd seen earlier was now gone, leaving only a few stragglers. "Well, at least it's easier to move around now," he chuckled.

Exiting the guild, Colm stepped onto the streets of Brimhope. With the sun fully set, everything was bathed in twilight, yet his Twilight Sight made it as clear as day. I'm really enjoying the perks of being a Morvyn, he thought, chuckling to himself.

He wandered through the streets, taking in the quiet stillness of the city. Without the overwhelming crowds, Colm had a chance to truly appreciate the surrounding architecture—the intricate stonework, the glow of lanterns casting gentle light over the cobblestones, the overall charm of Brimhope. This city really is something, he thought, basking in the peaceful atmosphere.

After a while, he arrived at the city gate and waved at a nearby guard. The guard saw him approaching. "Heading out for a late night?"

Colm nodded, responding, "Yeah, got a new weapon and wanted to try it out in some real action."

The guard chuckled, nodding. "I get that. Getting a new weapon ability always comes with that rush. It's hard to sit still after. Be safe out there."

"Thanks," Colm replied, stepping past the gate. He followed the familiar path he'd taken with Luke and Tessa toward the Dusk Cavern.

Once clear of the city, Colm activated his Phantom Warrior and Phantom Spearman abilities, watching as the spectral forms of Carver and Lance materialized around him. He decided, for now, to keep his Phantom Archer a secret. He also activated his Rising Current attunement ability, and the familiar trail of water rippled beneath his feet.

Sighing with satisfaction, Colm muttered, "There's something about seeing my own strength that just feels right. I didn't realize how stifling it felt in the city, unable to use my abilities."

Turning to Carver and Lance, he waved at his silent phantoms. "Hey, sorry about keeping you cooped up. It's been a weird change of pace." He waited for a moment, almost expecting some kind of response. The phantoms remained as they always did—vigilant, unmoving, and silent. After a brief pause, Colm shook off his odd expectation and continued down the trail, breaking into a rapid pace.

As the wind brushed against his face, Colm let out a carefree cackle. "Oh man, this still feels amazing!" Picking up speed, Carver and Lance trailed alongside him, their spectral forms keeping perfect pace. Glancing behind him, Colm caught sight of the shimmering water from Rising Current rippling in his wake. It's pretty cool to see all that without having to think much about it.

Before long, Colm reached the familiar rock formation where the Echo awaited. He chuckled at the absence of a line. "Why is no one here? Nighttime seems perfect for delving—why isn't anyone else doing this?"

As he approached the Echo, he spotted a lone guard stationed nearby and gave him a wave. With a quick cast of Analyze, Colm observed the figure.

Mitch (Level ??) – Elf

Oh wow, Colm thought. He looks pretty strong. After finishing his assessment, Colm called out, "Hey there! How's it going tonight?"

The guard, Mitch, scrutinized him briefly before responding. "Pretty slow, as usual. I'm guessing you're planning to run the Echo? I'm not going to stop you, but you know this is dangerous, right?"

Colm nodded confidently. "Yeah, I'm aware. I'm confident in my abilities for this Echo, at least. But if you don't mind me asking, why is it practically empty at night?"

Mitch gave a slight nod. "Honestly, no one really runs Echoes around this time. It's one of the few quiet periods, which is why I like the night shift. But to each their own." He shrugged.

"I can see the perks in that," Colm replied. "I'm really enjoying the peace—it might become a habit for me."

Mitch raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Well, I'll probably be seeing more of you, then. Adventurer's badge, please?"

Colm retrieved his badge from his inventory, handing it over. Mitch focused on it for a moment before glancing back at Colm. "All good. Be safe in there."

Colm gave a respectful nod. "Will do. Thanks."

Colm stepped through the shimmering portal, his vision plunging into darkness before the familiar caverns materialized around him. Shuddering slightly, he muttered, "That's still going to take some getting used to."

He glanced around, noting the absence of his phantoms. "Forgot about that," he murmured, quickly activating his abilities to summon Carver, Lance, and activated Rising Current. With their spectral forms now flanking him, Colm felt a surge of confidence. Looking down at his arms, the metallic dark blue of his armor caught his eye. This definitely makes me feel a lot sturdier, he thought with a smile. His gaze shifted to his waist, where his grimoire was securely latched, and a grin spread across his face.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

Turning to Carver and Lance, he motioned them forward. "Alright, let's speed-run this," he said, picking up his pace.

Reaching the first chamber, Colm spotted a familiar group of Cavern Centipedes skittering ahead. This time, instead of sending Carver into the fray, he tested Abyssal Lance. Squaring up, he exhaled deeply and focused on one of the creatures. As he channeled the ability, the spell formed in his hand, swirling with an ethereal energy encased in tidal waves. With a swift motion, it shot forth, striking the target directly.

A notification flashed in his vision.

Cavern Centipede (Level 62) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher-level enemy.

Colm watched as the lance exploded into shards of tidal energy, impacting the surrounding centipedes and drawing their attention. Grinning, he quickly cast the spell three more times in rapid succession, each blast finishing off another centipede. The fifth fell from the residual splash damage.

Cavern Centipede (Level 62) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher-level enemy.

Cavern Centipede (Level 63) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher-level enemy.

Cavern Centipede (Level 66) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher-level enemy.

Cavern Centipede (Level 61) Defeated. Experience Gained.

Turning to Carver with a smirk, he quipped, "Hey, look! I can defend myself now. You'd better keep up, or I might not need you anymore."

The joke faded as Colm reflected on the fight. That pack took nearly 100 mana. The Abyssal Lance is a great addition to my arsenal, but it's not something I can cast endlessly—not unless I get better mana regeneration.

Approaching the fallen creatures, Colm scratched his head. I probably should have paid more attention to how Tessa harvested these things, he thought. Looking at Carver, he said, "Can you harvest the mandibles from each of these?"

Without hesitation, Carver moved to the nearest corpse and began methodically using its spectral blade on it, much like he once did with the wooden spears in the Lucent Grove. The phantoms are incredibly useful—they can handle simple tasks like this too. Definitely a nice quality-of-life perk, Colm mused.

After Carver finished the last centipede, he brought the harvested parts to Colm, who stored them in his inventory. "Alright, I think I've got a plan. Let's move to the next room. I'll practice with Abyssal Lance a bit more, and once I'm comfortable, I'll let you both take over so we can speed-run to the boss," Colm said, addressing his phantoms.

The trio advanced, ready for the next challenge.

After a few more rooms of using Abyssal Lance, Colm felt himself growing more adept with the ability. He tested his limits, letting some Cavern Centipedes close in while casting. He discovered he could move while channeling, though at a slower pace, but any lapse in focus caused the spell to dissipate.

Clearing the latest pack, Colm glanced at his mana pool and saw it had dropped to just under half. Turning to his phantoms, he said, "Alright, you two are up. I want to clear this place as fast as possible. No stopping. Carver, don't bother harvesting the creatures anymore—I'll just store as many as I can as we go."

With his command, the phantoms sprang into action, moving so quickly that Colm's notification feed exploded in his vision. "Oh shit, they're really booking it," he muttered, breaking into a sprint to keep up. As he dashed through the rooms, he scooped up the bodies of fallen Centipedes stashing them in his inventory, occasionally catching glimpses of Carver's Ripping Cleave glowing in the distance.

"They've completely left me in the dust," Colm said with a laugh, marveling at their speed.

After about half an hour of this relentless pace, Colm finally arrived at the familial cavernous room before the boss. He glanced at his phantoms, who looked as composed as ever, showing no signs of exertion. Signaling them to move forward while he took a moment and skimmed through the flood of notifications from the frenzied run.

Cavern Centipede (Level 64) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher-level enemy.

Cavern Centipede (Level 62) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher-level enemy.

…

Cavern Centipede (Level 67 Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher-level enemy.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Rising Current (Level 1) is now Rising Current (Level 2)

Rising Current (Level 2) is now Rising Current (Level 3)

"It really is much more efficient to run these solo. Especially with my class," Colm mused, considering the speed and ease of his progress. "I could make a habit of farming these low-tier Echoes for levels, but that might hurt me in the long run," he thought, weighing his options. "Maybe I should focus on leveling my abilities instead—getting them all to Tier 2 could make a big difference."

His train of thought was interrupted as a new notification appeared, drawing his attention away from his musings.

Broodmother Centipede (Level 79) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher level enemy.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

"Oh, they're already done. That was fast," Colm said, swiping away the flood of notifications as he stepped into the boss's chamber. The Broodmother Centipede lay cleanly sliced in two, with Carver standing vigil beside the massive corpse.

"Carver, harvest this one. It's way too big for my storage," Colm instructed, noting his inventory was already about half full from the other centipedes.

While Carver methodically worked, Colm opened his status screen, allocating his recent level-ups to Intelligence for more mana and damage. I wonder what the ratio of Intelligence to my phantoms' damage is, he mused, mentally calculating his improvements.

When Carver finished harvesting the Broodmother, Colm stashed the parts into his storage and turned to his phantoms with a grin. "Ready for round two? Let's see if we can go even faster this time." With that, he stepped toward the exit portal, already anticipating the next run.

[ Status ]

Name: Colm Arden

Race: Morvyn

Level: 63

Health: 1450 / 1450

Mana: 642 / 690

Strength: 70 (84)

Dexterity: 70 (84)

Intelligence: 115 (138)

Constitution: 121 (145)

Bonded Weapon: Abyssal Ledger (Tier 3, Level 4)

Weapon Ability: Abyssal Lance (Tier 3, Level 4)

Attunement: Tide

Attunement Abilities:

- Rising Current (Level 3)

- Wavebound Surge (Level 3)

Class: Spirit Warden (Tier 5)

Active Class Abilities:

- Phantom Warrior (Tier 2, Level 2) [Carver]

- Phantom Spearman (Level 10) [Lance]

- Phantom Archer (Level 10) [Robin]

- Empty

- Empty

Passive Class Abilities:

- Lingering Vitality (Tier 2, Level 10)

- Spectral Persistence (Level 10)

- Phantom Sacrifice (Level 10)

- Empty

- Empty

Skills:

- Analyze (Level 5)

- Stealth (Level 7)

- Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 1)

- Hardened Skin (Level 8)

- Slash Resistance (Level 7)

- Spear Mastery (Level 10)

- Sprint Mastery (Level 10)

- Poison Resistance (Level 6)

- Stun Resistance (Level 5)

- Dual Wielding (Level 4)

- Infection Resistance (Tier 3, Level 10)

Achievements:

- Through the Rift

- Champion of the Lucent Grove

- Bane of the Undead

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.