When night fell, the horizon disappeared.

The ocean turned into an endless void — black, silent, and cold enough that the wind bit through even Kharnek’s thick fur mantle. The stars barely showed between clouds, their faint reflections trembling across the water like broken glass.

Ludger glanced back toward the coast, the faint line of firelight from the camps now distant and dim. “We’ve gone about ten kilometers,” he said flatly. “Far enough for one day.”

No one argued. The idea of setting up camp in the middle of that vast, lightless expanse clearly didn’t appeal to anyone. The waves below whispered against the bridge supports, carrying strange, distant echoes — not quite voices, not quite the sea.

“Back we go, then,” Gaius said, rolling his shoulders before placing a hand against the stone beneath his feet. “Hold on.”

The surface of the bridge rippled. With a deep grinding sound, the rock under their boots began to move. Segments shifted forward like a rolling wave, carrying the group along in a steady, controlled glide toward shore.

Kharnek laughed despite the tension. “Stone surfing again. Best part of this trip.”

Lucius, standing near the middle of the group, looked down at the shifting stone with wide-eyed fascination. “It’s like the bridge itself breathes,” he said, his tone half wonder, half disbelief. “I can see why you geomancers are so respected. It’s a strange, beautiful craft.”

Gaius smirked but didn’t answer. Ludger, on the other hand, sighed through his nose and said without looking back, “Glad you’re enjoying the ride, my lord, but we’re not tour guides. This isn’t a magic academy excursion.”

Lucius chuckled, unbothered by the jab. “Still, it’s not every day one can glide across the sea on solid stone. You make it look effortless.”

“Because it isn’t,” Ludger said dryly. “That’s the point.”

The waves kept beating against the pillars below, the rhythm dull but constant. After twenty minutes of smooth travel, the faint glow of torches on the shoreline came into view.

When they finally touched solid ground again, everyone exhaled in relief. Even Varik, composed as ever, rolled his shoulders like a man shedding tension.

Kharnek stretched his arms and yawned. “No monsters, no corpses, and we’re still breathing. Good day’s work.”

“Speak for yourself,” Gaius muttered, dusting off his hands. “Let’s get some rest before your good day turns into another night of bad ideas.”

Lucius smiled faintly, watching Ludger as he adjusted his gloves and prepared to leave the bridge. “Then tomorrow,” he said, “we continue.”

Ludger shot him a sidelong look, half tired, half irritated. “Yeah. Tomorrow. But this time, try to remember—no sightseeing.”

Lucius chuckled quietly but didn’t reply. Behind them, the sea hissed against the stone, as if listening.

By the time they reached the base, the night had already settled thick and heavy. Lanterns flickered near the base, throwing warm light over the stone walls Ludger had raised. The moment they stepped through the door, a few heads turned immediately.

The others were waiting. Viola, Luna, Elaine, and Freyra and the others were gathered near the central hall, half-relieved and half-curious. The moment they spotted Lucius and Rathen walking in behind the geomancers, questions started flying.

“Finally,” Viola said, crossing her arms. “Do you have any idea how weird it is to not see Rathen breathing down Lucius’s neck for a whole day? We thought something happened.”

Rathen gave a tired half-smile. “Something did happen. We spent the whole day over open water with these two.” He tilted his head toward Ludger and Gaius. “Trust me, I’ve had better vacations.”

Ludger rolled his shoulders, walking past them toward the table. “Not a vacation. More like a test run.”

Elaine stepped forward, arms folded, her expression both stern and concerned. “So? What did you find?”

Ludger dropped into a chair and leaned back, closing his eyes for a second before answering. “The sea’s alive. Big things moving under us. Not all monsters—but not normal either. We even saw something that looked like a whale… only bigger. It just watched us and left.”

That earned a few uneasy looks.

Gaius nodded grimly. “And we confirmed that the sahuagins aren’t hunting sea life. They’re still focused on the land. Whatever’s driving them, it’s deliberate.”

Viola frowned, tapping her foot. “Meaning someone—or something—is calling the shots.”

“Exactly.” Ludger opened one eye, then pulled up the faint blue shimmer of his status screen in front of him. To everyone else, it looked like he was staring at empty air, but the scrolling runes reflected softly in his irises. “That’s today’s summary,” he muttered dryly. Ludger. scrolled through his interface, eyes flicking over his stats.

Name: Ludger

Level: 61 (2,450 / 6,100)

Current Job: Cook (Lv 35 – 620 / 3,500)

Current Class: Geomancer (Lv 66 – 1,300 / 6,600)

Health: 2,930 / 2,930

Mana: 9,480 / 9,480

Stamina: 4,150 / 4,150

Strength: 393

Dexterity: 306

Intelligence: 686

Vitality: 293

Wisdom: 948

Endurance: 415

Luck: 150

Classes & Skills

Sage Lv 64 (+2 INT, +4 WIS / level)

Skills: Mana Bolt Lv 25]

[Mana Wall Lv 06]

[Spiritual Core Lv 67]

[Meditation Lv 41]

[Mana Armor Lv 01]

[Mana Arrow Lv 01]

[Arcane Arrow Lv 01]

[Mana Spear Lv 01]

[Arcane Focus Lv 01]

[Astral Veil Lv 01]

[Mana Sword Lv 01] A high-level Sage construct that shapes a blade made entirely of mana.

[Mana Cyclone Lv 01] A wide-area Sage spell that generates a spiraling vortex of pure mana, functioning as both barrier and weapon. The cyclone shreds incoming projectiles, deflects elemental energy, and inflicts raw mana erosion on anything caught inside.

[Mana Fang Lv 01] A Sage technique that channels condensed mana into a short-range, claw-like projection around the user’s hands or weapon. Each “fang” vibrates at high frequency, capable of tearing through magical defenses and cutting steel.

Geomancer Lv 69 (+6 INT, +3 WIS / level)

Skills: [Earth Manipulation Lv 85]

[Stone Grip Lv 62]

[Quicksand Lv 14]

[Seismic Sense Lv 14]

[Mineral Skin Lv 01]

[Terra Burst Lv 01]

[Gaia’s Grasp Lv 01]

[Rock Spike Lv 01]

[Continental Shield Lv 01]

[Earthen Surge Lv 01] 

[Dust Curtain Lv 01]

[Tectonic Pulse Lv11]

[Stoneflow Lv 01] 

[Earthen Ward Lv 01] 

He focused, distributing the points methodically into wisdom because he always wanted more mana.

When he finished, the screen faded, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “All right.”

Lucius, however, remained thoughtful. “So tomorrow we continue?”

Ludger nodded. “Yeah. We’ll finish the path to the archipelago and find out what’s sitting under that ocean.”

Lucius smiled faintly, accepting the jab. “Noted.”

As he rested, Ludger noticed. His mana pool had grown again, and his spell repertoire was starting to look absurd even by mage standards. He could bend stone, shape storms, and cut the air with condensed mana.

But he could also feel it—the imbalance.

His magic side was sprinting ahead, while his physical strength lagged behind. Every new spell, every refined control of mana, made his body feel just a little slower, his strikes a little duller. It wasn’t weakness—he was still stronger than most—but compared to what he used to feel in the north, the difference was clear.

Gaius had once said that all power tilts if you don’t keep your weight balanced. Ludger was starting to see what he meant.

He exhaled, resting his elbows on his knees. Magic can’t do everything,

he thought. Not when the fight turns close… not when the enemy’s smarter than a monster.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he looked toward the sea, dark and endless beyond the base walls. “Guess I’ll have to start breaking things again,” he muttered.

When they reached the archipelago, he wasn’t going to rely on spells alone. No geomancy, no mana constructs—just his hands, feet, and muscle. It’d been a long time since he’d hunted purely with strength, but that was fine. He needed to remind himself what that kind of battle felt like—the tension of every movement, the burn of each hit landing clean.

He clenched his fists slowly, feeling the rough fabric of his gloves grind against his palms.

“I’ll use magic when I have to,” he said under his breath. “But next time… I’ll fight like I used to.”

From the table, Gaius looked up from his meal, catching the tone in Ludger’s voice but saying nothing. He just smirked faintly.

Kharnek, overhearing from across the room, let out a low chuckle. “About time you stop letting the ground fight for you, boy.”

Ludger shot him a dry look. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it hits harder than you ever did.”

That got another booming laugh from the northerner.

The night wind blew through the open window, carrying the faint crash of waves against stone. The archipelago waited somewhere beyond that darkness—and Ludger already knew what he’d do once he got there.

He’d test his magic. And then, he’d remind himself that he was still a fighter. It seemed Ludger would get his chance a lot sooner than expected.

Three more days passed in steady, grinding work. The bridge had stretched so far that the mainland that couldn’t even be seeing behind them, the archipelago ahead finally visible through the sea mist — jagged shapes of black stone and coral rising like the spines of a buried beast.

Ludger stood at the front of the group, hand resting against a newly raised pillar, mana still faintly pulsing under his skin. “That’s it,” he said, his voice carrying just enough to reach the others. “The archipelago.”

Rathen stepped up beside him, squinting at the distant silhouettes. The man’s normally relaxed expression was tight. “Yeah… that’s it. I’ve been there before, by ship. Should’ve stayed that way.”

Ludger raised an eyebrow. “That bad?”

Rathen didn’t answer right away. Instead, his gaze flicked toward the water, where the waves had grown sharper, angrier. “Let’s just say the sea doesn’t like visitors. We noticed this the first time, but we kept ignoring it.”

Gaius, standing a few steps behind, pressed his palm to the stone underfoot and frowned. “He’s right.” His eyes narrowed, his tone dropping low. “The mana here— it’s dense. Wrong, almost.”

Ludger turned toward him, immediately alert. “How wrong?”

Before Gaius could respond, the bridge trembled under a sudden thud. Then another. The ocean below churned, swirling with rising foam and bursts of faint blue light. The sound wasn’t like normal waves—it was rhythmic, heavy, and too coordinated.

A ripple of mana washed over them, thick and cold enough to sting the skin.

Ludger’s eyes sharpened. “Everyone, ready up.”

Kharnek reached for his axe. Rathen drew his spear with a metallic hiss. Even Lucius, standing near the middle of the formation, unsheathed his saber.

The first shadows appeared in the water—long, sinuous shapes darting between the pillars. Then dozens more.

“Contact!” Rathen barked.

The sea erupted.

Dozens of sahuagins burst from the depths, their scaled bodies gleaming under the dim light, eyes glowing with pale green hate. They hissed and screeched as they landed on the stone, claws digging grooves into the surface, tails thrashing for balance.

Ludger exhaled slowly through his nose, his blood already heating up. “Of course,” he muttered. “It is time for some payback.”

Beside him, Gaius’s expression hardened as he crouched slightly, the ground under his boots beginning to hum with gathered mana. “You wanted a fight, boy? Here’s your warm-up.”

Ludger rolled his shoulders, the faint red flicker of Rage Flow beginning to trace along his arms. “Perfect,” he said, cracking his neck. “Let’s see if I still remember how to kill things the old-fashioned way.”

The sahuagins screeched again and charged. The bridge trembled as the battle began. The first wave of sahuagins didn’t strike at the front—they came from behind.

The ocean hissed and foamed as half a dozen of the creatures vaulted from the black water, landing hard on the bridge’s rear section. The sound of wet scales slapping against stone echoed across the span. Before anyone could turn, the monsters’ throats bulged, glowing faintly blue.

Then they spat. Streams of pressurized water bullets shot out like arrows, striking the bridge with deafening cracks. Chunks of stone shattered and sprayed outward. The impact left craters the size of fists—too precise, too deliberate to be random attacks.

Everyone’s eyes went wide. Rathen cursed under his breath. “They’re targeting the bridge! Not us!”

Lucius stepped back, raising his sword defensively. “They’re trying to cut us off!”

Ludger felt the vibrations travel through the soles of his boots. The sahuagins weren’t just attacking—they were calculating, weakening the section between the group and the shore. That meant they wanted to trap them in the middle of the sea.

He clicked his tongue. “Smart little bastards.”

Gaius slammed one hand down onto the bridge, sending ripples of mana pulsing through the structure. “I’ll reinforce the stone!” he barked. “Buy me time!”

“Got it!” Ludger snapped back, already channeling mana of his own.

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