Nathan and the gorup spent most of the day marching. They had to get ahead of the Harrowed Hand and get ahold of the Pandora.

But when night fell, they had to stop and get some sleep. Nathan took the opportunity to stock up on his fish at a river—and if he was lucky, get ahold of an E+ rank item. Ultimately, he got an item, but it wasn’t what he’d expected.

Coral Strand Bracelet (E+ Rank)

Set Item (2 of 3)

Bound with woven coral and silver, this bracelet carries the vibrant energy of the tides. Each bead pulses faintly, as if alive, channeling the ocean’s untamed force into the wearer’s strikes.

Riptide’s Wrath: Amplifies offensive abilities. With every attack, the bracelet surges with the ocean’s fury, adding a swift, cutting force that enhances damage and disrupts defenses.

Echo of the Deep: When adrenaline rises, the bracelet hums with a fierce, rhythmic beat, filling the wearer with a surge of power that sharpens their strikes and increases their speed for a brief time.

Nathan slipped the bracelet on. Instantly, he felt the effects course through his veins. Water seemed to be above him, below him, everywhere, surrounding him. He took a deep breath, the salty scent refreshing his body.

He held up his hand and tugged on his Riptide Grasp skill.

Water sliced through the air in a razor-sharp line, cutting through a tree. The trunk stood for a second before falling to the ground in a loud crash.

“Does this even count as a grasping ability anymore?” Nathan said.

And why does this come so easy to me, but none of my other cultivator abilities work?

Deep down, he knew the answer. Mara’s conversation with him had confirmed it. He pushed the thought away and turned back around, leaving destruction behind him—an increasingly common sight.

----------------------------------------

They resumed marching. Once or twice they’d run into raptors, but it turned out to be no issue. At this point, everyone in the group was hilariously over-leveled relative to Circle One. It was to the point where they’d started playing a game of it, tracking how many raptors they could kill, with the winner getting… bragging rights. Mara won in the end. The scoped rifle allowed her to get an entire group hiding in the distance.

While they walked, Mara had glanced back at him. Nathan avoided her gaze. The conversation from last night still bounced around in his mind like a pinball and he didn’t want to deal with it.

Emi and Bjorn, meanwhile, stayed as far apart as possible. It was as if they were pretending that the other didn’t exist.

We’re incredibly dysfunctional.

Bjorn believed in the extermination of elfkind. Emi was a war criminal in the making. Nathan’s time in the tutorial seemed to have permanently screwed him up. Mara was a walking collection of red flags.

What did it say about them that the most sane person they had was a celebrity streamer who’d made a cameo in the Superbowl?

Nathan’s eyes darted toward the man himself. Chad had his phone out and was speaking into it, talking about the ‘Stop a gang of psychopaths challenge.’

“How do you even keep that charged?” Nathan said. “I never use my phone, so that’s how I still have ten percent, but you have that out all the time.”

Chad paused and looked back at Nathan. He reached into his pocket, revealing a battery pack with a solar panel on the side.

“Behold,” he said. “The object that has allowed me to stay sane.”

“Are you really planning to upload all this online once we’re out?”

Chad turned back at the camera. “Can you believe this guy? Thinking that I won’t upload this shit. Y’all know I’ll do anything for content.”

Nathan rolled his eyes. As he did so, he caught sight of a shadow, darting between the pale green trees.

His eyes narrowed in that direction and he stopped.

Chad looked back. “Dude?”

Nathan shook his head. “Nothing, sorry.”

They kept walking.

A cold feeling went down Nathan’s spine.

Maybe I’m just being paranoid?

He caught up with Bjorn, standing to his right.

“Bjorn, does something feel off to you?” Nathan said.

“No.”

Nathan’s eyebrows furrowed. Surely Bjorn would’ve noticed if there was something there.

Still, the feeling wouldn’t go away.

“Sorry, Bjorn, must be my imagination,” he said.

Bjorn nodded.

An hour passed. Nathan had started to calm down. Chad tapped on his shoulder.

“By the way,” Chad said. “I noticed you and Mara were kind of weird earlier.”

Nathan frowned.

“She said something that kind of freaked me out,” he said.

“It just… surprised me, I guess,” Chad said. “You two seemed comfortable around each other. Not how most of us roll around here if you hadn’t noticed.”

“What do you mean by that?” Nathan asked.

“Oh, nothing. Just saying, most of us are just… getting by, y’know? Less drama that way.” Chad shrugged.“Nothing bad about it, but it is what it is.”

Chad had a point. There had been a kind of distance between everyone. Nathan had a brief moment of frankness with Chad after they’d both killed their first person, but even that wasn’t enough to fully break down the walls between them.

It seemed like everyone in his little group was much the same. They all viewed this as an alliance of convenience that would eventually collapse in on itself. But after Mara used those explosives and saved the town, Nathan had unconsciously become more comfortable with her.

Of course my first ‘friend’ in the apocalypse turns out to be a gun nut muderhobo. Just my luck.

Nathan was about to respond when he heard something in the distance. He turned his head just in time to see a glint of light before it vanished.

The hairs on Nathan’s back stood on end.

“Something’s following us,” he said.

Bjorn looked back. “What?”

“I said something’s following us, I’m certain of it,” Nathan said.

“Where is it?” Chad said.

Nathan pointed. Chad squinted his eyes and shielded his vision with the palm of his hand. After a few seconds, he shook his head and turned around, an expression of confusion on his face.

“Nathan, I don’t see anything.”

“That’s because it’s gone,” Nathan said. “I’m telling you there was something earlier. A glint.”

“Could it have been an animal?” Emi said.

“Maybe, but I really think it was something else.”

Chad raised an eyebrow. “Like what, some kind of monster?”

Nathan’s eyes darted to the side. “Not sure.”

“Dude, if you don’t explain I’m just going to assume that the lizard-men are about to strike,” Chad said.

Nathan was about to respond when he caught sight of something. A black glint. Every alarm in his body screamed at the top of his lungs, and every part of his brain scrambled to duck down.

His back strained from the sudden pain of tilting to the side faster than it had any right to move.

What felt like a rocket soared just above his head, went behind him, and crashed into a tree. The tree exploded on the spot, a shockwave ran through Nathan’s body, and a fire blazed to life on the ground.

Nathan turned back toward the glint.

A figure emerged from the trees.

It was the archer from last time. The one who’d gotten away. But there was something different about him.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

His body seemed to be crackling with dark energy and the whites of his eyes had turned black. The arrow he had half-cocked on his bow seemed to be burning with a black flame, even his very aura was suffocating.

“Who the hell are you!?” Chad said.

“My name is Callen,” the man said. “And I’m going to be your downfall.”

He pointed his bow at Nathan, pulled back an arrow, and let it loose.

----------------------------------------

Nathan jumped out of the way of the attack. The arrow zoomed by and was about to scratch his side until his necklace glowed bright blue and a barrier formed on his skin. The arrow pinged off with a high-pitched noise. It flew on before crashing into another tree with a loud boom.

Instinctively, Nathan knew that if he’d been directly hit, he would’ve been dead.

Without saying a word, Riptide Grasp roared to life. Water appeared from the air and shot out toward Callen. The water screamed as it flew through the air, like a police siren right behind the ear.

Callen vanished from sight in a blur. The water sliced through a tree and continued for a few meters.

Nathan’s eyes darted from left to right.

Where’d he go—!?

A moment later, Nathan felt something impact his side. His necklace lit up with a blue glow and its shimmering barrier appeared.

Behind me!

Nathan threw himself into a roll. He sprung back up and slid into a fighting position.

Before he could even blink, Callen was already in front of him, knife outstretched—then he disappeared. A moment later, a hammer swung through where Callen had been standing. Bjorn grunted and gave him a nod.

Chad pulled out his katana. “Great, a teleporter. Nathan, if you have some eleventh-hour superpower, now’s the time to use it.”

Emi readied her staff and Mara pumped her shotgun.

Nathan grabbed his fishing rod from his inventory and watched the treeline—

A scream ripped out as Emi was thrown through the air from a surprise attack. She landed with a hard thud on the ground. Bjorn rushed toward Callen only for a sudden attack from behind to knock him out.

Nathan sprung into action. His fishing hook spun through the air, aimed toward Callen’s chest.

The hook slammed into Callen. He rolled backward, absorbing the strike. Before He could stand, Chad had dashed in front of Callen and was already swinging his katana down.

Callen tilted to the side and dodged the attack. His knife swung out and Chad was forced to jump backward.

Nathan’s eyes flickered toward Emi. His stomach turned as he looked at her limp body.

He went for the physically weakest one first, then the slowest one next.

Was it just a coincidence? No. Those eyes—they were purposeful. It was planned.

Callen flickered out of sight and reappeared in front of Mara.

Nathan threw his fishing line for another attack—

And then he caught sight of Callen’s grin.

Callen immediately ran toward Nathan while his fishing line was still flying through the air.

No choice, I’ve got to drop it.

Nathan let go of his fishing rod and swung his arm toward Callen. Callen ducked underneath the shot and shifted into a boxing stance. A jab with his knife swung out like lightning. Nathan dodged, the knife brushing his nose. The next thing he saw was a kick rising to hit him before it cracked against his head, the sensation instantly sending stars up and down his vision.

Nathan gritted his teeth. He tilted his neck and another knife attack flew past his cheek.

Nathan tensed his arm for a counterattack.

Callen’s eyes widened and he jumped back.

But it was too late—Nathan reached out and grabbed Callen’s hand.

I don’t have my other hand, I can’t attack.

Well, plagiarism is okay in some cases.

Nathan raised his leg and kicked Callen in the chest. The blow was sloppy and awkward, but with Nathan’s stats, Callen had just taken a jackhammer to the stomach.

Callen only let out a pained grunt. His vision snapped over to his knife then back toward Nathan.

Then he vanished from sight.

A second later, he reappeared behind Mara. Before Nathan could say a word, she’d already jumped forward and swung her shotgun around.

The slug fired out, but Callen had already disappeared again—this time, right behind Mara. He punched her head, knocking her out on the spot. A moment later, he vanished from view.

This isn’t going well.

Nathan’s eyes stared around where Callen had been.

Red on the ground.

A little bit, but it was there—Mara’s slug had landed, or at least skimmed the man.

He’s not invincible.

If the pattern held true, then Callen would appear—

Now!

Nathan dropped low. Sure enough, a knife stabbed toward the position his neck had been. Nathan sprung up and back, fist pointed out. The shot landed with a satisfying crunch, and Callen tumbled backward. Somehow, he managed to recover and get back to a crouched position.

“You learn fast.” Callen wiped the blood from his lips. “I’d have hated to fight you when you had both your arms—but I guess that’s why you want the Pandora.”

Nathan tucked away the stray piece of information. His eyes flickered toward Chad, who’d come up to his side.

“Give me an opening!” he said.

Chad nodded and darted in, his katana flashing in the sun.

There was a fast exchange of blows, then Nathan dived in and slashed his harpoon down. Callen disappeared.

Three-step combination. Always leads with the knife, follows with a kick if blocked, then teleports if countered.

Nathan caught the coming attack from an angle using his forearm, his coral necklace barrier flashing and straining from the blow. The familiar kick flew toward his side—

Nathan was ready. He caught the attack, then pounded the shaft of his harpoon into the man’s solar plexus. Callen stumbled back with a gasp. Nathan turned sharply and held out his hand. Water summoned from overhead and blasted out like dozens of knives, supercharged by his bracelet.

Callen teleported—but a droplet of water had gotten onto his neck.

Checkmate.

As Callen was materializing, Nathan was already stabbing his harpoon. It ripped a bloody wound across Callen’s arm and he stumbled backward, hissing.

He reached into his inventory and pulled out his bow.

Nathan got ready to dodge. The bowstring pulled back…

And at the last second, Callen changed targets and the arrow shot toward Chad.

Chad tried to block with his katana, but he was just a bit too slow.

The arrow pierced into his chest.

Chad looked down and stared at the wound before falling.

For a moment Nathan was unable to think.

Nathan's eyes fixed on Emi's crumpled form. Her staff lay beside her outstretched hand, fingers still curled as if reaching for it.

A kick slammed into his ribs. The impact sent him tumbling across the dirt and leaves until his spine cracked against rough bark. The physical pain was distant, dulled. Chad's final moment replayed in his mind—the arrow punching through his chest, the way his eyes had widened in that last instant of surprise.

Copper filled Nathan's mouth. He wasn't sure if it was from biting his cheek or from one of Callen's hits. His hands trembled against the ground.

"What's wrong with you?" Callen's voice cut through the ringing in his ears. "Don't tell me you've just given up."

Nathan didn’t respond.

Callen raised his bow.

Move. Get revenge. Find your sister.

Callen smirked.

You’re still alive. Fight.

The arrow drew back.

MOVE!

The arrow shot out. The last bit of Nathan’s strength was used and he threw himself to the side. The arrow cleaved through the bark with a loud explosion, shattering the wood. Nathan tumbled to the side.

Callen growled and pulled another arrow from his back. “Lucky dodge!”

Nathan's muscles screamed as he threw the harpoon. The weapon cut through the air with a whistle—too fast, too sloppy. Callen jerked to the side, but not quite fast enough. The harpoon caught his bow, splintering wood and snapping string before disappearing into the undergrowth with a rustle of leaves.

"Shit!"

The curse had barely left Callen's lips when Nathan launched himself forward.

The world narrowed to the space between them. Gravel crunched under Nathan's feet as he closed the distance.

He collided into Callen with a bang. The two of them fell into a heap of elbows and fists. Nathan caught sight of a flash of silver going for his heart.

Shell of protection.

A shimmering barrier appeared, interspersed with a brown color like a snail’s shell. It cracked. Callen pushed forward, driving pressure into his knife.

Nathan punched Callen across the jaw with every bit of rage he had left in him, the blow so strong it sent a jolt back up Nathan’s arm. Callen’s head banged against the ground. Blood trickled from his mouth.

He disappeared, reappearing a few feet away. His eyes were unfocused, then they snapped back toward Nathan.

“Why won’t you fucking die!?” Callen shouted.

Nathan didn’t respond and dove back at Callen. Callen growled and redirected the blow. Nathan flew into the ground with a loud crash, the air exploding from his chest. He turned around—

Callen jumped down and wrapped his hands around Nathan’s throat.

Nathan pried at Callen’s hands. Tears came to his eyes. He threw a punch. Callen absorbed the blow and kept his hand on Nathan’s throat. Dark spots danced at the edge of his vision.

Nathan's hand trembled as he reached for his inventory.

Something, something, something—

A knife.

The knife he’d made in the tutorial. A stupid, useless knife that was only made because he needed to finish a dumb quest and he would’ve thrown it away if he hadn’t forgotten about it till just now.

Nathan’s eyes flashed.

The blade cleared his inventory with a sound like tearing silk. Nathan drove it deep into Callen's side, feeling it punch through cloth, then skin, then muscle. Callen's scream hit him like a physical force. He let go of Nathan’s neck and scrambled backward, blood spraying from his lips in a crimson rain.

“Y-you bastard!” Callen said.

Nathan grinned, a rush of adrenaline flooding his veins at the sight.

Callen stumbled to his feet, reached into his inventory, and pulled out another bow.

“If I’m going—“ Callen pulled back the bowstring. “You’re coming with me.”

There was a part of Nathan screaming for him to dodge… but it was overwhelmed by the exhaustion. Nathan was done.

If this is the end, I guess it’s not a bad one.

Nathan prepared himself for the end—

Then a silver katana flashed through the air. Callen froze in place.

A moment later, his head slid off his body and tumbled to the ground.

The body fell over, revealing a bloodied and hunched-over Chad, his hand wrapped around a red katana. Chad’s body shook before he collapsed.

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

[Achievement Get: Defier]

[Achievement Get: Iron Resolve]

Nathan scrambled over to Chad.

“I… knew min-maxing… would help,” Chad said. “Constitution… for the win.”

Nathan looked at his wounds. He ripped open Chad’s shirt. Chad was still bleeding out, red and red and red everywhere, coating the ground, Nathan’s hands, everything.

“I think this is gonna be my final stream,” Chad said. “I was able to hold on till now, but I don’t think…”

Screw that.

Nathan pressed his hands against Chad’s wounds. A groan came from Chad in response.

“You remember that thing you said about getting a superpower at the last second?” Nathan asked.

Chad’s eyes flickered. “Yeah?”

“Let’s hope you’re right. Ocean’s Embrace.”

Water appeared from the air, shimmering, glowing with an ethereal blue light. It swirled gently down to the wound. Nathan’s breath stopped.

Then it shattered and the water fell to the ground.

No, damn it, don’t do that!

Nathan shut his eyes tight. He could feel the water come back.

Please, I’m begging you. Please. Help me.

The water flew toward Chad’s wound. He felt something sap at his energy. He was close—so close.

But so far.

The water fell out of his control.

“Thanks for trying,” Chad muttered. “It’s too bad I never got to know you a bit better, man.”

“Shut up, I’m trying to save your life.”

Come on. There’s something I’m missing. Some fundamental aspect of this skill.

What was Nathan trying to do? Heal. Stitch the body back together. He’d seen it happen before—he’d seen it happen quickly. The mushroom woman, Fuge.

What did water have to do with healing?

He knew that already, water was life. Even blood is mostly water. Water is life, and gentle streams, not just destruction and power. Water could shape mountains, and destroy worlds, but that wasn’t all it could do.

The realization struck him and he opened his eyes.

This isn’t a repair job. This technique isn’t about slapping a bandaid on a wound. There’s something deeper happening.

I’m giving Life itself.

He felt the energy pull from deep within him. Water swirled around him in a halo. It reached out and seeped into Chad’s wound, weaving the flesh and fusing it together, making him stronger, all to the pace of Nathan’s heartbeat.

Nathan’s own strength went down with every second. The tug became stronger and stronger. He didn’t resist. The water glowed brighter, bathing their figures in light. At the edges of his vision, he saw that the water had branched off, touching each of his companions, and sapping his stamina to the breaking point. Nathan’s breath turned shallow and strained, but he held on. Finally, the light faded, his strength completely drained.

Chad slowly pushed himself up. He looked down at his chest. Nothing remained but a pale white scar.

“Holy shit.” He touched it. “How the hell…?”

Nathan fell over.

The world went black.