The three trekked back toward Brimhope in relative silence—Luke and Tessa reflecting on their newly earned achievement, while Colm was lost in his own thoughts.

About halfway to the city, Colm cleared his throat and spoke up. "Hey. So, I've been thinking—I want to do a few things. I know I'm new here, and there's a lot I don't understand about this world. That's where you both come in. I'm hoping you can help fill in the gaps in my knowledge."

He let out a small sigh before continuing. "You've already seen how strong my class is and what I can do. I'm thinking about finding more Echoes and doing the same thing—speed-running them and stacking up on achievements." He nodded toward Luke. "Like you mentioned earlier, it's a small bonus, but every little bit counts. And who knows? If we can earn more of these sprinter achievements, they might synergize into something even better."

Colm paused, giving them a chance to respond, but Luke and Tessa simply watched him in silence, as if waiting for him to say more.

So, he did.

"And I don't want to stop there," he said, his voice growing more resolute. "I think I can really make an impact. Not that it's my intention to stand out, but… I know what it's like fighting the undead. I know how depressing it can be, the pain of infection—" He motioned toward his own body, emphasizing the point. "The undead plague rubs me the wrong way. I downright hate it. Whether it's something ingrained in me from where I'm from or something else entirely, I don't know. But I know one thing…"

His jaw clenched, and his voice dropped to a near growl, raw with emotion.

"I want to kill them all."

The final words hung heavy in the air, seething with quiet fury.

After a moment, he exhaled, forcing himself to cool the burning anger inside him. "...But I know I can't do it alone. I need strong people by my side. And that brings me to the next part of what I want to do."

Colm turned to Luke, locking eyes with the blonde-haired man.

"What I did here today? I know I can do it on an even greater scale. I want to help you tier up your class. When we get back to the city, if you're up for it, can you tell me everything you know about The Expanse?"

The trio came to a stop along the path back to the city, and silence filled the air. Colm stood there as Luke and Tessa exchanged glances, their eyes flicking between him and each other. The moment lingered until Luke finally broke it.

"That's a pretty big reach there, isn't it?"

Colm nodded. "It is. But I haven't felt this sure about something in a long time," he admitted with a sigh.

Luke considered him for a moment before nodding. "I mean, I'm all for killing more undead, stacking achievements, and getting my class tiered up, so I can't say no to that. But, you know, this plan helps us a lot more than it helps you, right? You'd be doing us a huge favor, one we probably couldn't repay."

He motioned between himself and Tessa. "And as for The Expanse—we wouldn't be able to come with you. We'd get squashed like bugs. The creatures in there are Tier 4, and the boss might even be Tier 5 depending on your luck. They're way stronger than us." Luke hesitated briefly. "I know you're strong, and if you're a Tier 5 class—"

Colm cut through the pause, deciding to trust his gut and his new friends. "I am."

Luke blinked, momentarily stumbling over his words before regaining his composure. "Since you're a Tier 5 class, I think you can mostly handle it. But I still think you should gain a few more levels first. Maybe focus on achievements until you're more in range of The Expanse. I'd hate to have it on my conscience if something happened to you because of me."

Colm nodded. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too."

He scratched his head for a moment, then continued. "Alright, how about this—we head back to the city, grab some food at the tavern, and start planning out the nearby Echoes. We'll focus on one we can clear relatively easily and see if we can snag another achievement. If that works, we'll build out a plan for more."

Tessa grinned. "That works for me. I'm starving! Not sure if it's the class upgrade or just the excitement, but I'm feeling fired up," she said with a laugh, grabbing both Luke and Colm in a playful chokehold.

Luke squirmed. "Tessa, you can't do that as hard anymore—you're way stronger than me!" he grunted, struggling to break free.

Colm laughed, trying to wriggle away, but his resistance only made her tighten her hold and redouble her teasing efforts on her brother.

For a moment, Colm watched them in silence, thoughts swirling in his mind. This is what I want to do. I don't know why I feel so strongly about it, but it feels right. I can't be reckless—I need to play it smart. I have a leg up here, and I intend to use it.

He sighed, then smiled. "Alright, let's get going."

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Tessa finally released her grip, and Luke gasped for air, taking a deep breath. "Finally," he muttered.

With lighthearted laughter still echoing between them, the three continued their journey.

The trio sat at a tavern table, enjoying a hearty meal of stew. As Peter, the tavernkeep, passed by, Colm called out to him.

"Peter, this is amazing! It's got a nice kick to it."

Peter laughed. "Glad you like it! It's one of my favorites to make. And between you and me," he added with a playful jab at Colm, "it's also one of the easiest to make in bulk. That means more free time for me—but don't spread that around, or the higher-ups might try to put me to work even more." He chuckled as he walked away, leaving Colm amused by the banter.

Taking another spoonful, Colm glanced over at Tessa. "How's the stew? Filling you up?"

She nodded happily. "Yeah, it really hits the spot. I don't think I've been this hungry in forever," she said, finally pushing away her fifth empty bowl.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "It really is interesting. I don't think I've ever seen you eat this much before. Guess the class upgrade takes a toll in more ways than one."

Colm perked up at that. "What do you mean?"

Luke leaned forward slightly. "Well, when you upgrade your class, the system does a stat backfill based on your level. It's actually really convenient. Say you reach level 70 as a Tier 2—you'd only have the stats of a Tier 2 class. If you upgraded to Tier 3 at that point, you'd be at a huge disadvantage compared to someone who had been Tier 3 their whole life. So, to balance things out, the system grants you all the additional stats you would've gained from the higher tiers, putting you on equal footing."

Colm nodded thoughtfully. "That's a pretty useful mechanic."

Tessa slurped the last of her broth and chimed in. "Yeah, it's a huge boost. I got over 60 stat points all at once." She sighed. "Hurts like hell, though. Getting them all at once really wrecks your body. I think I was out cold for a few hours."

Colm frowned. "Couldn't you just wait to allocate them? Do it a little at a time?"

Tessa shook her head as she waved Peter down for another bowl. "Nope. The system forces you to allocate them all at once. No clue why, but that's just how it works."

Peter returned, placing not one but two more bowls in front of her. Tessa's eyes lit up, and she practically bounced in her seat as she grabbed her spoon again.

Colm leaned forward. "Interesting… Alright, back to the topic at hand. Do either of you have a good idea for another Echo to test out getting another achievement?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I've been thinking about this since our earlier conversation. Before Tessa and I started running the Dusk Caverns regularly, we used to do a Tier 2 Echo called Twilight's Hollow. It's a bit eerie, with more variety of monsters, but the path is pretty straightforward. You're basically in a secluded forest under perpetual twilight, but the trees form a natural linear path, so as long as you follow it, you can't get lost."

Tessa added, "Yeah, and it's shorter than the Dusk Caverns too, so I think it's a solid bet. We could probably clear it in half the time, which makes it a good test for the achievement theory. I do wonder, though—does the system have a set standard for how fast you have to complete it, or is it based on the fastest people who've done it before?"

Colm nodded. "Good question. Honestly, I have no idea. I feel like anyone either strong enough or dumb enough to try sprinting through an Echo like I did has an edge—or at least a lot of trust in their abilities. I know I'm kind of an outlier with my phantoms, so I don't see many people attempting this."

Luke shrugged. "Yeah, and if someone gets hurt pulling something that reckless, it could be a huge setback. Healing up takes time, and that's assuming they even survive the run."

Colm sighed. "Yeah, I'm lucky in that regard. Which makes me wonder—how do people normally heal up? I know my class gives me something, but what about you two?"

Luke leaned back. "Most classes don't have any built-in healing. Getting a class with regeneration or self-healing is really rare, so the fact that you have something like that gives you a huge edge, Colm. For most people, it's all about natural regeneration—our Constitution stat helps us recover over time. But if we take a serious hit, we'd need to see a cleric."

He sighed. "And clerics are incredibly rare. The ones that exist charge an arm and a leg, so unless it's absolutely necessary, most people avoid them. The apothecary sells healing potions, but sometimes you really need an actual cleric's abilities. Last time we had to see one, it almost cleaned us out—which is why it took so long for us to tier Tessa up."

Before the mood could turn too somber, Tessa grinned and threw a few playful punches in the air. "Hey, I'm still kicking! And stronger than ever."

She leaned back, smirking. "But yeah, like Luke said, that's why we try to be extremely careful with everything we do. We don't want to bankrupt ourselves doing something reckless, and that goes for most adventurers too. You, on the other hand, have a bit of leeway to be dumb and try stupid shit—because, well… you can actually take it."'

Colm smiled, realizing just how valuable Lingering Vitality truly was. Turning to Luke, he said, "Alright, give me a crash course on all the monsters in Twilight's Hollow. I'll do a solo run tonight, then meet back up with you here tomorrow. If I manage to get an achievement, I can take you both through it."

Tessa raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it make more sense for us to go with you the first time?"

Colm nodded. "You're not wrong, but I want to try it alone first. I need to keep testing my abilities and pushing my limits, and the best way to do that is by tackling something new on my own."

Tessa considered that for a moment, then nodded in agreement while Luke gave a casual shrug. "Makes sense. Alright, where to start…?"

"My recommendation," Luke continued, "we'll give you a bit of a cram session now, but after this, you should seriously spend some time in the guild's library. There's a ton of knowledge in those books, and I think you'd benefit a lot from filling in the gaps—strengthening any weaknesses or covering things you might've missed."

He paused briefly before muttering under his breath, "Granted, it's tough to cover everything. And you already got a crash course from Jerry… lucky bastard…"

"But still," he pressed on, "you need more. Weapon abilities, the HUD, who knows what else you might be missing. Maybe take some time in the library before diving back into the next adventure?"

Colm nodded slowly, taking it in. "Yeah… I really have been jumping from one scenario to the next, haven't I?" He let out a quiet sigh. "That's a good idea. I think after we're done here, I'll do that. Thanks."

Luke gave a nod in return, already turning his thoughts back toward the Echo.

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