Colm breathed in slowly, then out. One movement at a time. Just keep inching my way down.

He huffed out a quiet chuckle. "You know, I never thought I was scared of heights, but…" He glanced down, emphasizing the thought. I don't think I've ever been in a situation where I can't see the bottom of what I'm climbing toward.

What unsettled him even more was that, despite his Twilight Sight, the depths below remained shrouded in darkness. His immediate surroundings were crystal clear, yet beyond that, there was nothing but an abyss.

Well, there is nothing I can do except keep going.

Hand over hand, he carefully lowered himself down the rope.

Holy shit, I'm still going. Glad I bought a huge chunk of rope… and even more thankful for my strength stat. No way I would've been able to make this climb before the System.

Then, as if passing through an invisible threshold, everything changed.

The world around him brightened, the air grew sharp and cold, and a deep chill rushed through his body.

"What the hell?" He froze mid-descent, gripping the rope tightly.

Suddenly, he could see the bottom—it wasn't far now, maybe a couple hundred feet at most. But what caught his attention wasn't the distance left to climb. It was the rope beneath him.

A thin layer of ice had formed over it.

Was there some kind of invisible barrier hiding all this? No one mentioned anything like this… This doesn't seem normal.

His instincts screamed at him to be careful.

"Just in case."

Focusing on the ground below, he activated Phantom Warrior, Phantom Spearman, and Phantom Archer, summoning Carver, Lance, and Robin into existence. With a silent command, he ordered them to scout the immediate area for threats while he continued his descent.

Might as well be cautious.

He resumed inching his way downward, but as his hands reached the icy portion of the rope, a new problem emerged.

This isn't good. It's slippery—

As if jinxing himself, his grip gave way.

"Shit!"

He slid several feet before managing to tighten his hold and halt his fall, the rough fibers of the rope biting into his hands.

I just had to say something, didn't I? He sighed, steadying his breathing. "Okay… let's be a bit more careful about this."

Moving more deliberately, he slowed his descent, adjusting his grip inch by inch until—

His feet hit solid ground.

A long exhale escaped him as he dropped to one knee, pressing a hand against the frozen earth.

"Oh, shit… I've missed solid ground. Even though our time apart was brief—" He patted the icy stone dramatically. "Don't ever leave me again."

The corny statement echoed slightly in the stillness, but he grinned as if someone had heard the joke. Then, shaking out his arms, he stood and turned his attention to what lay ahead.

Standing back up, Colm shivered as the cold bit into his skin. Oof, it got really cold. Bracing himself, he quickly swapped out his previous outfit for the warm clothes in his inventory he had stocked up on, layering his armor above them.

"Much better," he muttered, tugging on the long sleeves, slipping gloves over his hands, and pulling the hood down over his head. Not perfect, but at least I won't be freezing anytime soon.

His gaze swept the area, but there was no sign of Carver or Robin. Guess they wandered off. I'll let them keep doing their thing.

Spotting Lance a few feet ahead, he called out, "Lance, mind sticking with me for backup? Hopefully, we can find the entrance to the Echo."

Lance gave a silent nod and moved in line with him as Colm started walking in a random direction.

No clue where to go. This place is massive. His breath formed faint wisps in the frigid air. I wonder why it's so cold, though. Would've been nice to know in advance that the weather would shift so drastically.

As he continued along the icy cavern floor, a thought struck him. Does the Echo itself affect the environment around it?

His mind pieced together patterns he had noticed before.

The Lucent Grove was surrounded by trees—even if they were dead, they were still trees—and its theme was all about nature. The Dusk Caverns' entrance was in a rocky cave outcropping. Twilight's Hollow was nestled in a dense patch of trees.

He muttered under his breath, "That's too much of a coincidence."

Is it the Echo that alters the environment, or is it the environment that shapes the Echo?

He let the thought simmer for a moment before shaking his head. Getting a little distracted here. I'll push that aside for now, but it's an interesting tidbit to note.

Ducking into a nearby alcove, he pushed deeper into a branching path of the ravine.

Hmm… nothing here. He exhaled, scanning the icy rock walls. This might take a while to find.

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Your Phantom Warrior has been destroyed.

Your Phantom Archer has been destroyed.

Colm's eyes widened at the notification. Shit. I haven't seen one of those in a while. There's something here. Something dangerous.

He immediately activated Phantom Warrior, bringing Carver back into existence as he ducked out of the alcove he had wandered into. Don't want to be stuck in a cramped space with something strong enough to kill my phantoms.

Once he was free, he activated Phantom Archer—but before the ability could fully manifest, a sharp, uncomfortable tug drained his energy.

Oh shit. I forgot about the increased mana cost from the tier upgrade. His gaze flicked to his mana reserves.

Health: 1450 / 1450 Mana: 122 / 720

Fuck. Can't believe I forgot that it's a full 25% of my total mana per summon now. His chest tightened as realization hit. I just resummoned them when I got down here—I've already burned through almost all my mana. I should have accounted for this. I should've been more prepared.

"Carver," Colm said aloud, keeping his voice steady. "Which way were you when you got attacked?"

The phantom, already at his side, stood poised and ready. Without hesitation, it raised its sword, pointing into the depths ahead.

And as if on cue, a deep, guttural roar reverberated through the cavern, shaking the icy walls.

Colm exhaled sharply. "Alright, new plan. Fall back."

Without wasting another second, he turned and bolted back toward where he had climbed down, his phantoms following. As he ran, he activated Rising Current, boosting his mana regeneration slightly.

His mind raced as he did quick calculations. I need about five minutes to recover enough mana to activate Phantom Archer again. After that, it'll be at least fifteen more minutes before I can summon another. Ideally, I should wait until I'm fully recovered before moving forward.

But that didn't account for one thing.

If that thing comes after me…

His thoughts cut off as he skidded to a stop at the base of the rope.

A deep, rumbling tremor echoed behind him.

Well, shit. It knows I'm here.

Colm looked up at the rope. I won't have enough time to climb.

He cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders as he turned back toward the cavern's depths. A slow grin crept onto his face.

It's been a while since I had a good fight.

His pulse steadied, his breath evened out.

Whatever you are… don't disappoint me.

* * *

Don stepped into the adventurers' guild, his heart heavy. I'm lucky to have made it out of that trip alive.

The image of Zach's lifeless form flashed through his mind, sending a chill down his spine. Seeing him like that… it puts everything into perspective. He clenched his fists, exhaling shakily. I'm done. I'm retiring. That was my last job.

He didn't want to die in some nameless field or along a blood-soaked road. He wanted to live—to be with his wife, to see his kids grow up, to make sure they never had to live without their father.

Running the numbers in his head, he reassured himself. If we spend modestly and I take on local work in the city, we should have enough to live comfortably.

A different weight settled on him then. Hell… everyone in that escort owes their lives to that man. Without him, we would've been overrun in minutes.

Still lost in thought, Don stepped into the line for a guild clerk to report the events of the mission.

Morvyn… I remember seeing references to that race when I was studying, but I never actually learned much about them. Whatever he is, he's strong.

His mind drifted back to the phantoms—spectral warriors shimmering with ethereal energy, the water swirling endlessly within their forms. He shuddered. Those things… they're terrifying. Just one of them was probably stronger than me.

He barely noticed the line moving forward until the clerk called him up.

"Hey, Don! Back so soon? I figured you'd be gone a few more days before the caravan made it back."

Don frowned, the weight of his thoughts dragging his expression down. "This one was different," he said quietly. "I'm afraid I have some bad news to report."

The clerk's smile faded instantly. His posture straightened, and he listened intently as Don recounted everything.

By the time Don finished, the scenery had shifted. He now sat in a private guild room, the air thick with tension.

Haven't been in one of these in a while… he muttered under his breath.

Leon, the clerk he had debriefed, leaned against the table, arms crossed. "Yeah… given the details of your mission, I figured it'd be best to notify some of the higher-ups. They've been informed and should be here any minute."

"Mind waiting a few minutes for them?"

Don nodded. "No problem. Thanks, Leon."

Leon gave him a brief nod before stepping out, leaving Don alone with his thoughts.

It didn't take long before the door creaked open.

Three figures entered, and the sight of them sent a shiver down Don's spine.

It's been a long time since I've seen the three of them together.

On instinct, he cast Analyze on each one as they stepped into the room.

Dorian Varn (Level ???; ???) - Human

Jerry Lorn (Level ???; ???) - Human

Ves Hallow (Level ???; ???) - Human

Don couldn't help but shudder at the immense pressure the trio emitted as they stepped into the room. He gave them a respectful nod, keeping his composure.

The man in front, Dorian, locked eyes with Don and smiled. "Good to see you again, Don. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Don returned the smile and nodded. "Aye, it has, Dorian. I see you three are as intimidating as ever." He let out a small chuckle.

Dorian grinned and clasped a firm hand on Don's shoulder. "Can't help it—I'm just naturally strong," he said jokingly. "Jerry, on the other hand, has to keep up that gruff exterior so people don't realize he's actually a softy."

Jerry shot Dorian a glare and huffed, crossing his arms.

Dorian chuckled but quickly sobered. "I wish this meeting were under better circumstances. Sounds like there was some trouble on your last mission?"

Don's expression darkened as he nodded. "Aye, there was. More than a bit troublesome, to say the least. We lost good folks out there." He exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. "I already spoke with Leon, and he recommended I brief you three directly. This was supposed to be an easy mission, as usual, but based on what we saw... we're afraid of what it might mean."

With that, Don recounted the details of the northern caravan escort—how he met a man named Colm Arden, who had tagged along despite being out-leveled for the mission's scope just because he wanted to see the beach. Then, he described the horde of Undead Walkers and Mariners rising from the ocean depths, an event far beyond what anyone had expected.

The trio listened in complete silence, their expressions unreadable as Don continued.

When he finally finished, he let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding.

Ves was the first to speak. "That's… alarming news." She stroked her chin, her gaze distant as she processed the implications.

"It has to be her, doesn't it?" she asked.

Jerry nodded, his tone grim. "Yeah. There's no other explanation. The undead don't just get there on their own—someone had to be at the helm." His brow furrowed. "But what I find interesting is that Colm was there."

Dorian's gaze sharpened. "He's the one you told us about, right? The one who uncovered the Class Specializations?"

Jerry nodded. "The same."

A heavy silence followed before Jerry added, "There's something else about that man's background that adds more to the mystery. And it makes me wonder..."

He glanced between the other two.

"...if this was a targeted attack."

* * *

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