The shantytown disappeared behind us as we walked deeper into the dungeon. Gravestones littered the ground on all sides; only a single path led us to the lake. Passing by them made was like walking down a narrow cave. Something pressed against me with every step, but the rest of the group seemed unbothered by it. Keeping the information to myself could endanger the group.

I opened my mouth only for Swarm to put her hand over it. She placed a finger over her lips to shoosh me. We were in danger, but the party believed that being quiet would see us through it. The feeling didn’t leave me; it felt like cold, clammy hands grabbed me all over. I shivered as my aura transmitted the feeling of undead as pressure.

For hours we walked through an endless mass of graves without making a sound except for our footfalls. I clutched Nirvana tightly in my hand while the party only looked forward. So we marched, sounding like a single footfall while the feeling of undead pressure increased. The sun shone overhead, but I didn’t feel better. Grave after grave covered the ground on either side of the path, with only the descending beach leading to the river.

The graves became sparser until we finally passed them. Slowly that clammy feeling that had surrounded my body passed. I sucked in a deep breath and let it out.

“What was that?”

Samson sighed. “A trap by the dungeon to slaughter powerful parties. You saw the graves; five adventurers couldn’t handle hundreds of thousands of powerful undead. So, we snuck past them.”

“I understand that, but why did they feel so wrong?”

Swarm seemed excited. “You must have sensed the mid-bosses among the undead. Perhaps you have a future career in necromancy. The army is always looking for powerful necromancers.”

Money was good, but there wasn’t any necromancy training in the Ultra Divine Dragonspur sect. Necromancy was the type of skill only demon sects teach. While demon sects weren’t outlawed, there were terrible rumors about them. Mass slaughter, demon contracts, and blood drinking were some of the milder rumors I’ve heard. Ultra Divine Skyward sect had the best reputation, and anyone who could get in blessed their family for generations. Just by qualifying, I would get good fortune, but so too would my sisters, my father, and all of my extended family. So it would be selfish to seek out a demon sect.

“Maybe the Ultra Dragon sect has courses on necromancy,” I said.

“They do, but it isn’t advertised, and it's only given to those with a real talent for it,” Majorian said.

I didn’t know as much about the school as I thought. But then again, all I had was a brochure, which was destroyed with my pants.

Samson spoke up. “I still say he should find an old master and learn from him. There are tons of ancient necromancers living in caves hungry for an apprentice.”

“That would be a fitting end. A boy hungry for knowledge finds a kind old teacher in a cave only to become the man’s meal.” Obelisk said.

I took a step away from the man whose eyes seemed to shine. Suddenly a force gripped me, and I was dragged over to him. He put a heavily armored arm over my shoulder. I could feel hundreds of needles constantly moving through the armor. Blood dripped out from between the joints in the armor onto my leather jerkin.

“Once I too was a man in love, and to save the life of my beloved, I had to entomb myself in this armor. Then, a month later, I found her in bed with my best friend.”

Swarm groaned. “Stop lying; you never had a beloved.”

“I did so; her name was Clarice; I designed her myself.”

The picture slowly painted itself in my head. Obelisk bought a love doll; they were all the rage among single men. I even asked my father for one, but my sisters threw a fit. Owning one would have apparently been disrespectful to them, and they wanted nephews and nieces from me. Pa also argued convincingly that no one would be there to take care of me. People also talked about how it was a conspiracy of the Saxites to weaken our population. Personally, I just wanted a way to get my rocks off without committing or leaving a bastard behind. It's what they were for, after all. They were also fully loyal to the user and followed every order.

“Why did you order your love doll to sleep with your best friend and walk in on them?”

“That isn’t how it happened; she betrayed me. My master said so. There is nothing wrong with a little fantasy to spice up one’s love life.” Obelisk said.

Samson turned his head so fast that his neck nearly snapped. “Oh, you want a spicy love life. I’ll trade with you.”

“No, that’s alright.” Obelisk’s respirator seemed to suck in with satisfaction. “I’m quite happy to wait for that flower to bloom fully. Seeing how it unfolds has been a curiosity of mine for some time.”

Swarm sighed. “Don’t bother trying to work it out; some people are weird. Before the armor, Obelisk was even weirder than he is now. Could you imagine an Obelisk obsessed with sex?” My eyes widened, and I shook my head.

The tragedy-obsessed man was a little too much to handle already. If he had sexual deviance on top of that, he would be a monster.

“It looks like we’re here,” Majorian said.

I pulled myself free from Obelisk’s grasp and saw a massive cabin in the distance. The beast of a building sat on stilts halfway in the lake where under the cabin, massive bats roosted, and a few even sang a haunting chorus. Massive half man half, fish monstrosities attempted to crawl out of the water, only for massive, bladed tentacles to fly out of the water and stab them through. The fishmen didn’t struggle long before being pulled back into the river.

The cabin was five stories and made of a dark wood that seemed to drink in the sunlight. It would be the next part of this dungeon before we tackled the river itself. I could feel something even worse within the cabin than what I felt in the seemingly endless graveyard. Something powerful waited inside the cabin, which gave me an opportunity to get stronger.

Samson turned his attention to me. “Do you see that dock?” I nodded. “We need to catch 10 fish from there every day for 3 days starting at noon today.” Then, from his own bag, he fished out a rod. “Kill one of those bats and use it as bait.”

I pointed Nirvana at one of the monsters.

Madness Resistant Songstress Vampire Bat lvl450

I lowered my weapon. “It's too strong; killing it won't be easy unless one of you backs me up. There is also a chance if I hit one, the others will attack.”

Swarm smirked and held out her hand. Samson slammed two gold coins into it and turned around before crossing his arms. “Enjoy your gold. He isn’t as dumb as I thought.”

“Do I still need to fish?”

Majorian sighed. “Check the stats on the rod Samson gave you. That’s what smart adventurers do. Even if it might appear rude.”

“You only get one life, and dying to a bat would be too anticlimactic to be tragic.” Obelisk said.

“Do you have anything else besides tragedy?” I asked.

“No,”

I blinked and nodded my head. That was good to know.

Odin Wood Long Fishing Rod lvl10 Rank 1 – A fishing rod made from the wood of an ancient world tree found in a dungeon to the far north. Level Bonus: +15 LUK +15CHA +10% Fishing Skill leveling +10 Charm area effect.

So, I just need to catch 10 fish, and it doesn’t matter what kind they are.

Swarm spoke up. “If they have jewels embedded in their bodies, then bring them to me and try to keep them alive. And don’t let the water touch you.”

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

I fiddled with the reel at the bottom of the rod a little to get a good feel for it. The crank was smoother than I thought. This wasn’t my first time using a rod with a reel attached, so I was sure I would be okay.

“We’re going to clear out the bottom floor of the cabin while you’re gone. It shouldn’t take too long. Be sure to be inside before dark. That’s when the fun in the cabin begins.” Majorian said with the first smile I’ve ever seen on his face. It freaked me out a little.

“Sure, I’ll be there on time.” The man nodded, and his eyes seemed to glow brighter.

I approached the docks alone and saw a creature peak out from the water. Red hair fell down around its shoulders, but its body was covered in fish scales. Ears like fins stuck out from its red hair, and its eyes were black like a doll’s eyes. The creature smiled, showing rows of sharp teeth. It placed two webbed hands on the peer before struggling to rise. I lifted Nirvana and prepared to fire.

The creature turned its head to the side and made her eyes seem large. For a moment, she looked cute until I heard her voice.

“That’s it, you green as seaweed adventurer; look at my cute eyes while I get in close. You smell so good I can’t wait to bite into your juicy man flesh and slurp your guts. I bet you’ll taste salty and sweet.”

“I’m not that sweet,” I said, and her eyes widened further before I shot her in the gut.