Charlie and Luke were wading through the waterlogged tunnel when the sound of heavy splashes echoed around them. More Drowned Walkers emerged from the shadows, slowly surrounding them.

Then came the splash.

Something massive charged through the water with terrifying momentum. Luke’s instincts kicked in—he blinked sideways with Assassin’s Dash just as the creature lunged into view.

[Enraged Drowned Walker – Lv 9]

It was larger than the rest, bloated beyond human shape, with algae and rot tangled in its limbs. And in its grip—

A war hammer.

“GRRR!” it bellowed, surging forward like a berserker.

Princess Charlie met it head-on, deflecting the hammer’s first swing with her blade. The force of the impact sent her stumbling back, almost losing her footing in the water.

Before the monster could strike again, Luke dashed in low and sliced its leg.

The swollen flesh split open, dark blood spilling into the water. The creature roared and spun, just as the other walkers leapt onto Luke, dragging him under.

He thrashed and kicked, trying to hurl a blade—but underwater, he couldn’t get the force. Teeth gnashed around him, hands clawing at his throat. With a violent surge, he broke the surface—only to feel a crushing blow slam into his back.

The war hammer.

He flew, crashing into the cavern wall with a grunt.

“Shit…!”

Charlie was fighting two more walkers nearby, her sword flashing in tight arcs.

The hammer-wielding brute came for Luke again, swinging wide. Luke dodged, and the hammer smashed into the stone, sending a tremor through the ground. The beast reeled from the force.

Luke hurled a kukri, which duplicated mid-flight and slashed across the walker’s face. With his second kukri, he lunged forward and carved into the creature’s wrist.

“AAARGH!”

The hammer dropped.

Luke shoved the monster back and called both kukris to his hands. With a sharp flick, he threw them again—this time at the two walkers trying to ambush Charlie from behind.

They dropped into the water with twin splashes.

He reached for throwing knives and flung them straight at the brute’s eyes. At the same time, he charged. The monster raised an arm to strike—

And screamed.

From behind, the kukris returned, spinning like twin saws. Luke had positioned himself perfectly, using the magnetic return as a trap.

He didn’t hesitate.

Three more knives went into the creature’s face. It staggered, roaring blindly. Luke caught his blades mid-air and buried them both into the monster’s skull.

[You have slain an Enraged Drowned Walker – Lv 9]

He turned, panting.

Not far off, Charlie was still locked in combat. Her strikes were fast, precise—she lacked raw power, but made up for it with movement.

[Princess Charlie has slain a Drowned Walker – Lv 5]

Then three more walkers tackled her.

One grabbed her sword arm. Another locked her torso. A third reached for her skull, fingers trembling with the intent to crush.

Luke moved.

Fast.

He hurled his kukris, striking the Drowned Walker holding Charlie. The blade hit clean, forcing the monster back. But Charlie was still trapped.

Luke didn’t stop.

He sprinted through the water, throwing a flurry of knives. His kukris returned to his grip just in time to cleave through the remaining two Walkers, cutting them down before they could react.

Charlie grabbed her fallen sword and finished the job, driving her blade into the ones still trying to rise.

[Princess Charlie has slain a Drowned Walker – Lv 6]

[Princess Charlie has slain a Drowned Walker – Lv 6]

[Princess Charlie has slain a Drowned Walker – Lv 5]

Luke turned toward the next group. Three more came at him—he met them head-on.

A slash to the leg.

A thrust to the chest.

A brutal stab into the skull.

He moved like liquid, even in waist-deep water. His muscles felt tighter, stronger, more responsive. Every motion was efficient. Lethal.

He threw one kukri, catching a walker in the face—then recalled it mid-air, making it reverse course and slam into two others from behind.

[You have slain a Drowned Walker – Lv 6]

[You have slain a Drowned Walker – Lv 7]

Charlie sprinted toward the last one crawling in the water and cleaved it down with a single blow.

[Princess Charlie has slain a Drowned Walker – Lv 6]

*The [Warrior] class of Princess Charlie has reached Level 2! (Class Bonus Points Acquired)*

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[Princess Charlie has gained a new Class Skill]

The battle was over.

Blood stained the water, swirling with the soft current that flowed from the waterfall behind them, slowly washing the gore away.

“That was close,” Luke muttered, catching his breath.

He checked her newly acquired skill.

[Heavy Strike (Common)]: Channeling raw strength, the Warrior delivers a devastating blow with +20% base damage. Simple—but deadly in the right hands.

Charlie held her sword in both hands and tested it, swinging downward in a powerful arc. The blade cut through the air with a loud hiss and splashed into the water, sending ripples in every direction.

Luke nodded. “That’s going to come in handy.”

She gave a proud thumbs-up.

Opening her system panel, Luke reviewed her updated stats.

Name: Princess Charlie

Level: 1

Rank: F

Class: [Warrior – Lv 2]

Race: Skeleton

Titles: [Servant of the Dark Lord]

Health Points (HP): 76/100

Mana Points (MP): 20/20

Stamina: 72/80

Stats:

Strength: 13

Agility: 7

Endurance: 8

Vitality: 10

Perception: 3

Intelligence: 2

Free Points: 1

He stared at her for a long moment.

If she had lost a leg… or an arm… what would he have done?

Would he have carried her on his back for the rest of the climb?

“Maybe I should just leave you at the elevator…” he murmured.

Charlie immediately shook her head, fast and firm.

“You want to come with me?”

More furious nodding.

That’s the problem… You’re too fragile.

Luke let out a sigh, watching the still water shimmer under the crystal light above them. If he left her behind, she wouldn’t gain experience. She wouldn’t grow stronger. She’d stay weak—vulnerable.

He had to bring her along.

He’d just need to be smarter from now on. More careful. More precise.

Opening her stat window again, he stared at the free point.

He wanted to place it into Perception—it would help with awareness, reaction time. But she was still so physically frail…

She needed to survive.

Given her skeletal frame, Charlie was far more vulnerable than Luke had been back when he was Level 1. Her structure didn’t allow for the kind of punishment a body with flesh could absorb. For safety, he spent her point on Vitality.

Updated Stats

Vitality: 10 -> 11

Free Points: 1 -> 0

Health Points (HP): 76/100 -> 86/110

They pressed forward, following the tunnel where the ceiling dipped lower. The further they walked, the more Luke noticed something subtle but worrying.

The water was moving.

Just enough to tug at his legs. A shallow current, but one that was definitely gaining force the further they went.

I don’t know how HP regeneration works exactly, Luke thought, gripping the slick cavern wall for balance. But it’s way slower than mana or stamina…

He wasn’t sure where the line was drawn.

If he broke a bone, would HP naturally heal it? Or would he remain crippled until some kind of potion or spell was used? What about bleeding or internal injuries? Were there hard limits to what HP could regenerate?

And what about Charlie?

She didn’t have muscle. Or skin. Or blood.

Every hit she took was directly to the bone. Could her HP even regenerate properly if there was no flesh to bind or wounds to close?

That thought alone made him tighten his grip on the wall.

***

The slope grew steeper, and the current stronger. Both Luke and Charlie used the jagged stone along the wall for support, keeping their bodies tilted to resist the slow but insistent pull of water.

Just in case, he handed her one of his throwing knives.

“If the water sweeps us, use this to stick into the wall and hold yourself.”

She nodded, understanding.

Eventually, the tunnel opened.

A blast of blue light struck his eyes, forcing him to squint. After a second, his vision adjusted—and what he saw stunned him.

A massive underground chamber stretched out before them. A broad, circular basin of water took up most of the space, its surface dotted with oversized lily pads. Several other tunnels spilled into the pool, each feeding it with a soft cascade of water. The faint scent of minerals filled the air—almost like bath salts mixed into a hot spring.

Above them, high on the ceiling, a colossal blue crystal pulsed with light. It glowed so fiercely that its reflection on the water shimmered like starlight.

But what truly caught his attention…

“There,” Luke whispered.

Floating near the center of the lake, atop one of the lily pads, was a crystal—identical in shape and size to the one used in the elevator.

He looked up again.

It probably broke off from the big one above and fell… Talk about a stroke of luck.

His eyes narrowed as he scanned the waterline, searching for movement. The chamber was too quiet. Too still.

Nothing this important would be left unguarded.

“Stay here,” Luke told Charlie before leaping onto the nearest lily pad.

The oversized leaf wobbled under his weight, but held. Carefully, he hopped from pad to pad, each one just barely supporting him, until he reached the one closest to the crystal.

As he landed, the crystal tipped, rolling slightly before slipping off the edge.

With no time to think, Luke used Assassin’s Dash, propelling himself just in time to grab the crystal falling into the water. It was heavier than he expected—about the size of a fire hydrant—and cold from the water. He almost dropped it.

Looking down, his eyes widened.

Dozens more crystals littered the lakebed, glimmering faintly through the milky water below.

“So that’s why the water looks like it’s full of salt…” he murmured.

Then—

Glup.

A soft sound echoed behind him. Subtle. Not like the rushing waterfall, not like dripping cavern water.

It was different. Luke turned his head. A small ripple spread outward, like someone had tossed a pebble nearby.

He glanced up.

“Was that… a piece of the crystal falling?”

He shifted his weight and leapt to the next pad—but the moment he landed, the leaf wobbled, and he nearly slipped off.

Glup.

Closer this time.

Luke froze.

Something just below the surface caught his eye. A shadow. It vanished before he could identify it.

Probably nothing… just nerves.

He leapt again. One more lily pad left.

Holding the crystal in both hands, he looked across to where Charlie stood waiting.

“Catch this! I’ll jump to you after!”

But right as he was about to toss it, he caught movement. Beneath the water. Right next to him.

“Eyes…?”

Wide, slitted, and yellow. Unblinking. Watching him.

The surface exploded.

Something massive surged out of the water, and Luke’s entire body went rigid.

It was green, scaly, and covered in jagged spikes. A long, muscled body, wide jaws bristling with serrated teeth.

Vertical pupils stared at him with primal hunger.

It wasn’t just a crocodile.

It was a monster.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep