Undead Mariner (Level 32) Defeated. No Experience Gained.

Undead Mariner (Level 41) Defeated. No Experience Gained.

Undead Mariner (Level 21 Defeated. No Experience Gained.

…

Undead Mariner (Level 26) Defeated. No Experience Gained.

Unarmed Combat (Level 1) has increased to Unarmed Combat (Level 2).

Unarmed Combat (Level 2) has increased to Unarmed Combat (Level 3).

Unarmed Combat (Level 3) has increased to Unarmed Combat (Level 4).

Unarmed Combat (Level 4) has increased to Unarmed Combat (Level 5).

Unarmed Combat (Level 5) has increased to Unarmed Combat (Level 6).

Unarmed Combat (Level 6) has increased to Unarmed Combat (Level 7).

Meditation (Level 8) has increased to Meditation (Level 9).

Meditation (Level 9) has increased to Meditation (Level 10).

Colm stood over the latest fallen enemy, his chest rising and falling as the last groans of the undead faded into silence.

"This was easy," he muttered, glancing down at his hands. Scrapes, cuts, and the occasional bite mark marred his skin.

Glad I'm Morvyn, so I don't have to worry about any of this.

As he watched, Lingering Vitality took effect, closing the wounds at an incredible pace.

His senses finally caught up with him.

Shit. I've never brawled like that before. There had been something raw in it, something unchecked. That unbridled rage…

He flexed his fingers, staring at the dried blood that still coated them.

I know what Jerry said about the Morvyn race being disgusted by the infected, but that was reckless. He exhaled sharply. If I didn't have my class abilities, this could have gone a lot worse.

I need to handle that better. His lips curled slightly. But I can't say that wasn't fun.

Colm took a deep breath and lifted his head, finally taking in the full scene around him. His eyes widened.

Corpses stretched across the coast.

The battlefield was a graveyard, the sand darkened with rot and blood. There wasn't a single untouched spot—the entire shoreline bore the marks of their struggle.

His gaze swept the field until he spotted Don and Grant, sitting back to back, heaving deep breaths as they recovered.

Colm made his way toward them.

Don caught sight of him and raised a hand to wave him down, but as Colm stepped closer, Don's eyes widened.

"Colm…" he muttered. "I'm sorry."

Colm frowned, confused—until he looked down at himself. His cuts and scratches were still visible, even if they were already healing.

"Oh," Colm said, brushing it off. "Don't worry about me. I can't get infected. Perk of my race."

Don let out a heavy breath, relief washing over his face. "That's… good. Damn good." He shook his head. "Also—you're a goddamn monster."

Colm raised an eyebrow.

"You were barreling through them, crushing them, obliterating them. I don't think there was a single person who didn't drop their jaw at the sight of you." Don let out a dry chuckle. "And that's not even counting your phantoms. They held the front entrance the entire time. Not a single one made it past them."

Colm grinned. "Yeah… they're pretty great. Don't know where I'd be without them."

Grant chuckled as he pushed himself to his feet. "You're a right monster, that's for sure." He clapped Colm on the shoulder. "Glad you were here, otherwise, I think we'd be a lot worse for wear."

Don nodded as he rose to his feet, his expression darkening. "Yeah… and that's the problem. This has never happened before."

"Not once in the history of these escort missions," Don continued, rubbing a hand over his face. "Something changed. I don't like it. I'm calling it now—we're cutting this trip short. The caravan's heading back to Brimhope as soon as possible."

He sighed, glancing toward the aftermath. "But first… we need to assess the damage. See who's still with us."

Colm nodded, scanning the field. Movement stirred near the caravan—adventurers checking the wounded, tending to the fallen.

Most of them held the line by the shore, but unlike the funnel entrance, this battle was much wider…

Some had made it. Some hadn't.

Colm, Don, and Grant made their way toward the caravan, passing a few scattered survivors lingering nearby. The atmosphere was heavy, the air thick with exhaustion and loss.

Don sighed. "There are so many bodies… we might not find them all," he said grimly.

Grant nodded, and Colm remained silent, listening.

"Let's at least see who's here," Don continued. He approached the caravan, nodding to the people they passed. Colm recognized a few familiar faces from the escort—some adventurers had made it back, though far fewer than they started with.

Don muttered, "We definitely took a hit… Hopefully, Zach's still around."

Raising his voice, he called out, "Zach, you still alive?"

A cough came from one of the wagons, followed by someone clearing their throat.

"Over here, Don—just a second."

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Colm watched as Zach emerged from the wagon.

Immediately, something felt off.

Sweat dripped down the man's face, soaking his clothes. His skin had shifted to a ghastly green-gray hue. He's infected, Colm realized, his stomach twisting.

Don muttered, "Fuck."

Zach gave them a weary nod as he approached. "Didn't make it out so lucky," he said, voice laced with resignation. "I've made my peace with it, though." He took a deep breath before offering Don a sad smile. "Thank you—for everything over the years."

Don clenched his jaw, a tear forming in his eye.

"Don't worry about me, friend," Zach continued. "You all saved a lot of lives today." His hand clutched at his stomach as he doubled over slightly, the pain clear in his expression. "If it weren't for you… we'd all be dead." He coughed, his body trembling before his legs gave out, sending him to his knees.

Don swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, my friend." He exhaled slowly before speaking again. "I'm calling off this expedition. I'm taking everyone back."

Zach nodded weakly, another cough rattling through him. "Yeah… that's a good idea," he wheezed. "I think we'll be putting these runs on hold for the foreseeable future."

Don nodded. "Yeah… we will." He hesitated before asking, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Zach lifted his gaze, the light in his eyes dimming. "Could you… bring me closer to the water?" His voice was barely above a whisper. "I'd like to watch the waves one last time."

Don nodded, his expression unreadable. Without a word, he and Grant moved to lift Zach, carefully supporting him as they guided him toward the shore.

Colm stood frozen. Shit… this is the first time I've seen someone infected like this.

Uncertain, he followed behind. I have to see this. They reached the beach, stopping at a clear spot near the water's edge. "Hey, Colm!" Don called over his shoulder. "Can you clear a spot for him to sit?"

Colm snapped out of his daze and hurried forward. He began shoving away the corpses of the undead mariners, clearing a space for Zach.

There are so many… He gritted his teeth as he pushed another body aside. Reaching for the next one, he suddenly faltered. His breath caught in his throat.

"Fuck…" Colm muttered.

Don turned, his eyes landing on what Colm had found.

His expression shifted—from recognition, to realization, and finally to quiet grief.

Colm swallowed hard. "This… isn't a Mariner."

His voice felt distant.

"It's Levi."

And right beside him—his friend. The one he had been arguing with, laughing with, just hours ago.

Colm's hands clenched into fists. "And his friend," he whispered, barely able to say it out loud.

Don nodded. "Move them to the side for now."

Colm swallowed hard and finished clearing the corpses, making space for Zach to sit.

Zach coughed weakly. "Thank you."

Once he was settled, Colm watched as Zach gazed out at the ocean. The minutes stretched on, the only sounds breaking the silence were the rhythmic crash of the waves and the ragged coughs that grew harsher with each breath.

"It's so calm," Zach murmured. His voice was barely above a whisper.

He exhaled, shifting slightly before curling onto his side. "Thank you… for being a good friend to me through the years, Don."

Then, silence.

His breathing stopped.

Colm felt the weight in the air shift.

Don clenched his jaw before letting out a sharp, "Goddamn it!" His voice cut through the night, raw with frustration and grief. He pulled his weapon free, gripping it tightly.

"I'm sorry, Zach. You were a good man," Don said before plunging the blade into his friend's skull.

Colm's eyes widened, the shock gripping him.

Don didn't miss the reaction. "He wouldn't have wanted to turn into one of those things," he said simply, wiping the blood from his blade.

Colm said nothing, only staring at the man's lifeless body as thoughts swarmed his mind.

Fuck this world.

It has its perks, but in the end, it's still a goddamn nightmare.

I want to fix it.

The three of them stood in heavy silence as the minutes dragged on.

Don was the first to break it. "I'm going to organize the survivors. Take a count of who's left and what we're working with." Without another word, he turned and walked off.

Colm blinked, grounding himself as Don's voice lingered.

"Colm, Grant—can you take care of Zach, Levi, and Alex's bodies?"

Colm nodded. A pang of sadness hit him as he realized something—I never really learned all the adventurers' names.

Alex… must've been Levi's friend.

Grant responded first. "Of course."

As Don made his way back to the caravan, Colm and Grant exchanged a silent nod before turning to Levi and Alex's bodies.

Before they began moving the corpses, Grant spoke. "We don't want to risk them turning while we're handling them." He pulled out the spear he held on his back.

Colm met his gaze and gave a single nod of understanding.

With a quick, precise motion, Grant ended any chance of reanimation, his spear piercing through both adventurers' skulls in one clean stroke.

Without another word, the two worked in silent understanding, moving the bodies next to Zach's.

It only took a few moments, but once the three bodies were situated, Colm exhaled deeply.

"They were good men," Grant muttered under his breath.

Colm could only nod. What else was there to say?

A few minutes passed before Colm noticed a faint spark of light flicker in Grant's hand. Their eyes met, and Grant spoke, his voice low.

"We don't want anything feeding on their corpses. It would be a great disrespect to them."

Colm nodded. Without hesitation, Grant tossed the sparking orb onto the bodies, and within seconds, flames roared to life, consuming them in an intense blaze. Heat washed over them as they instinctively stepped back.

Colm stared into the fire.

"What was that?" he finally asked.

Grant didn't look away from the burning corpses. "Cremation Orb. I keep a few in my inventory for cases like this," he said, his voice heavy. "Basically, a ball of intense heat that turns corpses to ash in a couple of minutes."

He sighed, shoulders slumping slightly. "I don't use them often," he admitted. "But whenever I do… it's a reminder of how brutal this world is."

Colm said nothing, only nodding as they both stood there, watching the corpses of Zach, Levi, and Alex burn—the flames illuminating the dark shoreline.

[ Status ]

Name: Colm Arden

Race: Morvyn

Level: 65

Health: 1279/ 1450

Mana: 720 / 720

Strength: 70 (84)

Dexterity: 75 (90)

Intelligence: 120 (144)

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 6)

- Wavebound Surge (Level 5)

Class: Spirit Warden (Tier 5)

Specialization: Resonance

Active Class Abilities:

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

- Phantom Spearman (Tier 2, Level 1) [Lance]

- Phantom Archer (Tier 2, Level 1) [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 7)

- 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)

- Heightened Instincts (Level 3)

- Meditation (Level 10)

- Unarmed Combat (Level 7)

Achievements:

- Through the Rift

- Champion of the Lucent Grove

- Bane of the Undead

- Echo Sprinter I

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