A few minutes later, the group finally crawled out of the water, gasping for breath. They had held on as long as they could, waiting for the Siphon Wraiths to lose interest and disappear. Now, the forested area near the riverbank was quiet, except for their heavy breathing.
Fumiko squeezed the water out of her hair, her soaked clothes clinging to her as she tried to catch her breath shaking her head to get rid of the last droplets.
Si-eun lay on the grass nearby, still unconscious, her face pale but breathing steadily. One of the other mbers knelt beside her, checking her pulse. "She's stable," he reported. "But she used too much mana... it'll take ti before she wakes up."
The second-in-command stood a few feet away, his eyes scanning the remaining group. His expression hardened as he did a headcount. He turned back to Fumiko, voice heavy with frustration. "We have eleven left... we lost thirteen back there."
Fumiko's face darkened, and she glanced back at the water. "We need to move... if those things co back, we're sitting ducks."
He scoffed, rubbing his wet hair with his hand. "And with no mage and our healer out cold, we're even worse off."
Fumiko stood with her arms crossed, glaring at him.
"This... this is all ssed up," she muttered, voice sharp.
He stopped pacing and turned to her, eyebrows raised. "Excuse ? I'm the one keeping this group together. If it wasn't for my orders, we'd be wiped out by now."
Fumiko stepped forward, not backing down. "Your orders? If we had listened to and backed down earlier, we wouldn't have lost thirteen people!" she snapped, eyes blazing. "I told you the Siphon Wraiths were too much! But you just wanted to keep pushing forward!"
He scoffed, folding his arms. "And do what, huh? Run back with our tails between our legs? We're here for a mission, Fumiko. We can't just run at the first sign of trouble."
Fumiko's fists clenched. "This isn't about pride! It's about keeping people alive! And if we had taken a mont to find Mr. Han—"
The second-in-command cut her off, laughing bitterly. "Mr. Han? That kid who just popped up out of nowhere? You're still holding out hope for him? Face it, Fumiko. He's probably gone, He wasn't even S-rank to begin with! Just so spoiled kid riding on Chairman's reputation."
Fumiko's eyes flared with anger. "You don't know that! He was supposed to be our mage, but you shut him out from the start! If we had just listened—"
"Enough!" he barked, pointing a finger at her. "This is not the ti to play the bla ga. We have eleven left. Eleven. That's it. We push forward and finish this raid. No more distractions."
Fumiko gritted her teeth, her eyes locked with his. "If you keep ignoring reality, we're going to lose more than just numbers," she warned.
He shook his head, turning away. "Fine. But if you want to go searching for that kid, do it alone. I'm not risking anyone else for a ghost."
The heated argunt was getting worse, voices raised and tension rising. Just as it seed like it would escalate, one of the other mbers quickly stepped in between Fumiko and the second-in-command, raising his hands. "Alright, alright, enough! We're all tired. Let's not tear each other apart."
Another mber grabbed the second-in-command by the arm, gently pulling him back. "Co on, let's cool off. Fighting each other won't bring anyone back."
The second-in-command huffed but didn't resist, letting himself be pulled away. His eyes still burned with frustration, but he stayed silent for now.
At that mont, Si-eun slowly walked up, rubbing her eyes. "Miss Fumiko... what's gonna happen now?" she asked, her voice small and tired.
Fumiko let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of her neck. "We keep moving forward. Damn Returnees... Ms. Alexa and Sir Alex said they'll be sending reinforcents, an—"
Before she could finish, the second-in-command's voice bood across the area. "Alright, listen up! It's getting dark. We're setting up camp here for the night! Get your tents ready, prepare food, and rest up. We need to be at full strength by morning!"
So mbers nodded and started moving, unpacking their supplies and setting up small tents. Fires were lit, and a few started preparing food. The mood was heavy, but they moved with purpose, each of them knowing how important it was to stay sharp.
Fumiko glanced at Si-eun and patted her shoulder. "Get so rest, Si-eun. We'll figure things out in the morning."
Si-eun nodded, still looking a bit pale but determined. "I will, Miss Fumiko."
****
Back in the cave, the floor was littered with the bodies of River Lurkers. Their slick, scaly skin glimred under the dim light that seeped through the cracks above. Pools of dark green blood were spreading across the stone, mixing with the moisture that dripped from the cave ceiling. So of the Lurkers were cut cleanly, their heads separated from their bodies, while others had deep slashes across their chests, their limbs twisted at odd angles.
Seojun stood calmly amidst the carnage, his white hair slightly ssy but untouched by the blood around him. In his hand, the crimson dagger glowed faintly, dripping with the residue of the monsters he had just fought. His eyes were fixed forward, unblinking.
Before him lood theleader of Lurker. It was massive—at least three tis the size of the others. Its body was covered in thick, armored scales, each one glimring with a faint blue light. Its eyes, large and bright yellow, stared back at him with a mix of fury and fear. Long tendrils dangled from its mouth, twitching and dripping with thick, green fluid.
It let out a low, rumbling hiss, its many legs clicking against the stone as it shifted its weight. Around it, several eggs were nestled in slimy webs, pulsing with a faint glow. The ground seed to tremble slightly with each breath the creature took.
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