Water mastery (Common) - While swimming, running, or standing in water: Gain increased movement speed, waterbreathing, clearsight, enhanced stamina efficiency, and immunity to barotrauma and nitrogen narcosis.

The real part that got Wade's attention: Why is running in water specifically mentioned?

There's only one time he could think of that count as running or standing in water, and that'd be ankle deep on a beach. Which meant wet sand under his feet.

So he had been plotting to get actual sand into these yellow rubber boots to make micro-beaches on the inside.

Still, sand was going to get real annoying to get a hold of, and Wade felt there was some more bullshittery he could poke at.

It seemed like so long as some of his barefoot was connected to something wet enough to count, the System gave him the win.

Did it have to be sand? He looked around for alternatives that did the same thing sand would - keep a porous medium between the ground and his foot.

He tested it with socks.

It worked. The socks absorbed the water, and it would trigger the buff.

And if socks would work, why not double down and make completely certain the buff wouldn't vanish at the wrong time?

So Wade had socks, sponges and multiple bottles of water ready to refill anything lost.

This really wasn't the most ridiculous thing he'd done, he was pretty sure there'd be more batshit insanity ahead of him in the future. But rubber boots filled with water was a small price to pay to trigger the boon he needed for this run.

He grabbed his glock off the ground and checked to see what Eri's status was.

Level 44 Skeletal Greatsword Champion - 93%

He'd mitigated a lot of damage so far by abusing his fluffy loose clothing to fool the bite attempts. But now the clothing he'd come with was ripped to shreds, only parts of it still clinging to him. Made Eri look like he'd come from a horror movie set in a snow cabin. A buried dead snowboarder discovered by the gang or something.

The wolves attacking hadn't gotten it easy either, but their constant regeneration and teamwork was preventing Eri from really focus firing one down and putting them into the dirt.

That and the skeleton was trying to keep himself in the way of the snack they were after - him. That positioning requirement was really hampering his ability to chase after them.

"Eri! Bug zapping coming, get ready!" Wade tossed the empty plastic bottle off to the side, then grabbed a rock nearby with his left hand. He didn't bother to even get up off his knee but instead threw the rock at his foot and triggered the dodge boon at the same moment.

Once more physics was left traumatized in the time-out corner where the System put it. One moment Wade was knelt down on the mud, empty plastic water bottle rolling away, and the next he was in midair, performing a perfect dodge roll.

Even better - everything on his equipment equally defied physics. Just like last time with Leon's hammer, it didn't matter how unwieldy something was, he rolled with the exact same speed and agility as a video game animation would do. And that included the water in his boots remaining exactly where they started even as he rolled upside down.

Water started sloshing in his boots the moment he landed on his feet and felt himself back in control, free from what the System had imposed over his body.

The lighting damage buff was active and waiting for his next attack. Stamina wise, if he had to put a finger on it, he'd say he felt only half as tired as he should have been. And rapidly regaining his stamina right from the moment he landed on his feet.

A bullet shot out from his glock, aimed right at the nearest wolf. It hit, and Wade didn't waste more shots like last time. One bullet would do to pass on the pain.

The beast took a hit to its health points, but bullets weren't going to kill an animal of that size in the first place without a headshot, and even less one infested by blackrot.

The lighting damage equally chipped away at the creature. It was still an extra one fourth the damage of a bullet fired a handful of feet away. That added some extra numbers to the pain.

But the real winner was the electric effect.

The oversized mutt curled in on itself instantly, all its muscles contracting all at once.

Which left it exposed for one angry greatsword chop down through the neck.

The other wolf took the opening to leap at Eri and snapped a jaw right over the skeleton's forearm. Wade could hear the bone get crushed under the biteforce, but Eri showed no sign of pain and simply held the wolf up as it gnawed on his arm, then pulled his greatsword free. A moment later, he skewered the wolf right into the stomach.

It yelped, and Eri pried his arm out the same time. A nasty half kick and half shove pulled the entire beast off his greatsword.

The wolf landed on the ground, and started to back away, blackrot already regenerating its lost health.

Wade chucked another rock at his foot, did his dodge roll bullshittery, and then shot his electric bullet which once more affected it exactly like it's late friends. In the process, he drained just about three fourths of his stamina, which knocked him straight down on his ass again.

But it was worth the temporary incapacitation.

With a yip, the wolf looked like it tripped in-place, curling into itself in short spasms. The effect lasted just a second or two before it hastily began trying to scramble back up.

Until Eri's greatsword rammed straight through the skull, ending its life in one hit.

Two seconds wasn't a lot of time in normal day to day life. In a fight, two seconds was a small eternity, and Eri had very little trouble making full use of the offered time. The skeleton even dug the sword deeper with a second full body shove. Then, one foot pushed hard on the neck and Eri ripped the blade free again.

It was quiet for a moment in the clearing.

Wade thought it was over. He was wrong. The body exploded into tendrils like an octopus. Blackrot rushed out in every direction, desperate to latch onto anything, including Eri.

It didn't work on the skeleton. Eri clicked his jaw a few times, taking a step back to wipe the fading black dust off his tattered clothing. The rest of the rot faded away, blown by the wind. Tendrils growing thinner the longer they extended.

"Holy… shit." Wade wheezed, watching.

The rest seemed to realize there were no easy hosts nearby, and all at once retreated right back into the dead body like a hermit crab.

It wasn't going to survive in there for long either, but Wade made a mental note not to get anywhere close to these things when they did die.

The other wolves didn't react like this when they'd died, so maybe this alpha-blackrot knew there wasn't any other host coming to pick it up, hence why it panicked hard at the end.

Eri stalked back to Wade, yanked him off the ground and over his shoulder, clicking his jaw a few times. Water sploshed out of the yellow rain boots, but enough remained on his soles to keep the boon triggered. And Wade had brought extra bottles for exactly this situation.

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"Building." Wade said, breathing heavy through the stamina drain. He'd done two dodge rolls back to back here, but already his stamina was climbing back up. In a few more seconds he could probably do another dodge roll and still have the energy to walk.

Eri got the message and began a swift sprint to the first ruined building they could see. Shelter.

Along the way a smaller blackrot creature raced out of the shrubs nearby. Wade had a moment of fear as he saw the beast. But this one did not run in their direction.

Rather away from them.

Level 16 Blackrotten Rabbit - 100%

Ah, this must be the 4th shadow he'd seen while falling. The one darting along the moss and plants. The three wolves had been chasing this goddamn rabbit.

And hilariously enough, if the System was to be believed, this rabbit could fight and beat the skeletons lurking around the Nathir city. Probably beat up most regular normal unarmed humans.

Wade was pretty sure a holy hand grenade would be the optimal choice against a demonic infested rabbit, but in the meantime he did have regular hand grenades. That was all the time he had to think before Eri made it into what looked like the ruins of an ancient watchtower, still connected to a wall side.

The moment they crossed the empty doorway and past the threshold into darkness, Wade could tell something was wrong.

Eri didn't notice, but Wade did - because he could smell.

The smell in the air was like rotting meat. Putrid, musky, and Wade was pretty sure he would find a few new debuffs for plague on his stat screen if he stayed even a minute longer in here. He'd dry heaved on the first breath he took, then frantically tapped on the skeleton's shoulder, "Put me down, I'm good to walk now!"

Eri was about to set him down but instead aborted the move and stood very still. He clicked his jaw a few times, nervous. It was too dark to fully see.

"Going, I'm going!" Wade said, hand fumbling for his flashlight out of his pant pockets. The skeleton clicked a few more times. Hurry up, there's something in here.

Wade finally pressed the button on the flashlight. It was both a good and bad choice.

Good because it let them see what they were up against. And bad for the same reason.

The entire interior of the building pulsed with a mass of writhing fungal growth. Black tendrils thick as his arm snaked across the walls and ceiling, while smaller growths clustered around what might have once been windows. Vines draped down everywhere, slowly shifting. Bodies were clutched inside some of them, tangled up. Choked to death, and then slowly consumed by more tendrils digging inside.

It looked like a horror movie set piece.

Level 41 Blackrotten Fungal Colony - 95%

Eri spun and ducked, Wade's boots dangerously sloshing as they moved, already leaking a lot out in one go. A vine raked above them, trying to snag something.

"Nope, nope, nope." Wade rapidly tapped Eri's shoulder. "Out! Now!"

The skeleton didn't need to be told twice. As they turned toward the door, the fungal mass seemed to sense their retreat. A dozen vines tried to bar the path, like a moving spiderweb.

Eri gave zero shits and sliced through the entire thing with his greatsword, cutting the path free.

Then he sprinted straight out like a quarterback, carrying Wade as the ball.

They didn't stop moving until they were fifty feet from the building, before Eri finally came to a stop and set Wade down.

His legs were back to feeling like he could walk and run again, stamina recharged, and the Water Mastery buff remained active even after half the water in his boots had splashed away.

Behind them, the fungal colony had gone quiet again, apparently content to wait for the next unfortunate visitor.

An ambush predator, and not a mobile one. And out here it had clearly gotten fat from its survival strategy.

"Building number two it is." Wade said, refilling his boots from one of his water bottles. Now that he had time, he finished his original plan with the boots:

He pulled out rope, and tied the tops closed around his pants. Not a perfect seal, but it would at least stop most of the water from getting out.

That done, he stood back up, testing. His feet felt real weird, each step feeling like he was squishing a sea anemone or something. Not comfortable in the least, but sacrifices had to be made.

There were a host of small buffs that came with this boon, like water breathing, clearsight, and immunity to a few deep-sea issues.

But what Wade was really banking on was the overall increased movement speed, and enhanced stamina efficiency. Both of which would work wonders. He didn't know the exact percentage, but stamina wise he knew he was capable of doing a lot more dodges.

He hadn't yet tested the movement speed, this would be as good a time as any.

And they had better. Howling was coming from behind, out of sight. The sounds of another fight between animals. The longer they stayed out in the open, the more chances they had of drawing the wrong attention.

Eri pointed toward a more exposed structure about a hundred yards away. This one looked like it had been a house once, but half the roof had collapsed and most of one wall was missing entirely. Not exactly cozy, but Wade could see straight through it from here. No mysterious shadows or suspicious evil blackrot growths.

"That works." Wade said, turning to start a sprint, and almost stumbled right then and there. "Ho- shi- damn, one second."

The speed bonus wasn't a joke, he felt twice as fast as he should have been.

The only reason he hadn't tripped was because he had experience with exactly this kind of speed difference. Back in round 1, when he had blackrot in his legs. And in a few seconds he was adjusted enough to keep running.

They might have a chance of outrunning even the blackrot, and possibly for a very long time too if the stamina recovery was active the whole time. Eri didn't need to breath or deal with any kind of living being limits, so he could probably keep up with Wade.

Vegetation didn't get in their way, but they did notice a lot of bugs everywhere. All of it infested with blackrot. Mostly huge crickets and larger beetles. Identify helped him steer clear of those things, though the levels all showed 1. So at least he knew if he had to get into a fight, he'd probably win.

But he didn't want to get into a fight with any of these things.

Wade remembered how the wolf's blackrot had gone manic the moment it sensed impending doom. And he had a feeling the insects here would do the same thing if he stepped on any.

Not a great idea.

The next shelter building was coming up and the pair approached more cautiously this time. Wade kept his glock ready in his main hand, and a rock in his left hand for his current bullshit reasons.

The building was exactly what it appeared to be - empty stone rooms open to the dark shimmering clouds above. Rubble covered most of the floor, and moss had started to creep up on the sides of the rock walls here.

They searched through all the open rooms anyhow, just to make certain nothing would jump them. Eri took on insect duty, flicking the dangerous things away, while Wade finally found a clear protected spot and sat down with a deep sigh.

Through the missing wall, Wade could see more ruins scattered ahead. Dozens of buildings, any of which might contain more nasty surprises. This was a demonic village. And it looked just like a regular long abandoned village to Wade.

Zin said that this place was supposed to be a sand filled desert, except for the regions around the base of the mountains. And something about demon tribes. He didn't have time to look down while he was falling, so all he really saw was the ruins of the village here and a lot of green moss.

He didn't quite know what to think about that. But he could figure it out later. For now, get his ground, figure out where to go next.

Illy and Leon weren't anywhere around here, he'd have heard some kind of comotion otherwise. So he took a wild guess that the system really had spawned them back on top of the boat.

Which meant he had to find a way up the mountain as fast as he could. His limp would get in the way of scaling upwards, but the water mastery boon would do the heavy lifting in keeping his stamina and speed up.

He pulled out his phone to check if Play had sent him anything during the fight.

Ayyyyyyyy time for XP farming, round two electric boogaloo, go get yourself bit by a bug out here, spread it around and let's get this party started ◝(⁰▿⁰)◜

"You don't think this is a tad too dangerous out here?" Wade asked, voice flat.

Dangerous? Quit being a baby. You got Eri to tank for you, electric bullets to shock anything and enough ammo for three people. Best part - you're all alone out here without anyone else to ruin the farm. This is the best day ever!!

Wade didn't even know how to deal with that. Yes, technically she was right and he could feel the back of his brain waking up to that min/max monkey crunching numbers.

On the other hand, lot of ways this goes horribly wrong.

He put it off to the side. One thing at a time. First, get himself situated. Then he can start thinking about options.

Second thing he noticed after her texts was the time on his phone. Just a few minutes past nine PM. Wade crunched the numbers and was almost certain the witching hours were probably right at 9:02 PM. If they'd continued with Zin and the other three, for all Wade knew he might have been yanked into Azdrial mid-session.

Oh wait. Uh, maybe you might need to delay that XP farm plan.

That got Wade's attention. If Play was worried about something that would get that bloodthirsty sociopath to advice him on bailing out of this area, it had to be bad. Real bad. "What's going on? You want me to leave now?"

Check your notifications.

He did. Two had showed up. First: He had a quest.

New Regional Quest: Get the hell out - Manage to return on the other side of the mithril vapor barrier before the end of the round. Rewards: One storefront coin.

Well, that was already his goal, so nice to get a quick coin for it. But a single coin would not have made Play of all people want him to bail on XP farming.

It was indeed the second notification she was worried about:

Luck triggered!

Opponent Gamble Roll failed. You will have three additional luck based events trigger over the course of this round, excluding Gamble counter-rolls.

Luck triggered!

Opponent Gamble Roll failed, their Infiltrator upgrade has been impacted. You are being forewarned.

Your assassin is selecting an alternate shape using their Infiltrator upgrade.

Wade had no goddamn idea what the hell any of these notifications meant, until he read the last line:

Challenge mode active. You are now being hunted.

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