He cackled as he surged through the frigid depths, not merely swimming but gliding through the water with effortless speed.

"This is incredible!" he thought, slicing through the currents like a force of nature. "Somehow even though the description doesn't mention it, Herb seems to enhance me slightly."

He halted abruptly, flexing his hand.

The sight of his own arm left him awestruck. It wasn't just the ashy gray with streaks of blue veins anymore. His skin now held a spectral glow, an almost liquid shimmer rippling across its surface as if water danced upon it.

"I never would've imagined in a million years that this would be my new normal," he mused, chuckling. "But honestly? I can't complain."

He could sense that Herb's timer was running low. The massive spectral knight would dissipate. The knowledge wasn't even something he had to check; there was an internal awareness of the strain on his resources. And just as expected, the spectral energy around him began to fade as Herb dissipated, the enhanced connection to his other phantoms returning to normal.

A wave of dizziness hit him, and he instinctively clutched his head as he steadied himself, treading water.

"That feels rough..." The rush of strength he'd felt just moments ago had vanished, leaving him with a fleeting sense of loss. "It's like having all the power in the world, only to have it yanked away in an instant."

He exhaled, allowing himself to sink to the bottom, settling onto the cold floor of the abyss as the water enveloped him.

"Well, at least there's good news," he thought, focusing on the details of his ability. "Herb doesn't have a traditional cooldown. I can summon him whenever I have enough mana. The limiting factor is just my mana pool, which isn't really a problem since Herb is Tier 1 right now and has a fixed low mana cost."

His fingers curled slightly as he imagined the possibilities. If Herb increases in tier and the ability becomes more efficient with levels... His mind drifted to the thought of keeping Herb active permanently. "How long would it stay active?"

"If that becomes a reality..." he chuckled, reveling in the sheer power he had experienced.

His thoughts drifted back to his early days in this world and his reliance on his abilities, his dependence on his phantoms.

"I've come a long way..." he mused. "I still rely on my phantoms, sure, but with Herb leading them and enhancing both them and myself? We can cause devastation together."

He envisioned his phantom army carving a path through hordes of undead.

And then, a more pressing thought hit him. "More importantly... would I be able to help on a greater scale? If I could aid Brimhope and its people, could I extend that impact further?" His brow furrowed, eyes widening as another realization struck.

"Could I help cleanse the undead?"

Jerry had mentioned that many of his kind before him had tried. "Is it some kind of instinctual drive? A need ingrained into my race?"

"Shit." He exhaled sharply. "If I really want to go down that path, I need to be thorough. I can't get ahead of myself. First things first: I need to see if I can even get the ability." His lips curled into a smirk. "Next task: kill more monsters. Gotta fill out the rest of my class abilities."

Before the thought fully faded, he couldn't help but let out a sarcastic plea to the system.

"Oh, gracious system," he thought mockingly, "please bless me with a phantom eagle that can carry me or something. I don't even care if it's weak. I just want to fly."

To solidify his request, he clasped his hands together, shut his eyes, and tilted his head skyward in an exaggerated prayer.

When he opened them again, his heart skipped a beat.

"Oh, shit."

The thought hit him instantly. "Of course, it made sense.

It's a damn shark."

His gaze locked onto the creature's corpse, its blood spreading through the water in thick, curling tendrils.

"If the animal instincts I know still apply... then that blood just sent out a dinner bell."

His eyes darted into the distance, where familiar eerie glows flickered into view.

"More of them. So many more."

He clenched his fists, glancing to his sides.

He smiled looking at his nearly full mana pool and activated Phantom Harbinger again. "Let's see what Herb can really do."

With a surge of mana, spectral energy erupted around him in violent torrents. The massive form of Herb materialized beside him: a towering spectral knight that dwarfed the approaching enemies.

Herb's presence immediately strengthened his other phantoms. Lance, Carver, and Robin all became more solid, their forms reinforced by the knight's overwhelming aura.

Herb raised its colossal sword, easily as tall as he was himself, and glided forward to meet the oncoming threat.

"This feels... powerful."

The tactical advantage was immediate. Instead of fighting alone with enhanced abilities, he now commanded a small army with a nearly indestructible guardian leading the charge.

The coordination was seamless. With Herb leading the charge, his other phantoms fell into formation like a disciplined unit.

"Incredible."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

This wasn't just about raw power anymore. It was about tactical superiority. Herb would tank damage and deliver devastating blows while his other phantoms delivered precise strikes.

His smile widened as he turned his gaze to Carver and Robin, issuing a silent command.

"Let's go."

He raised his arm, readying a cast of Abyssal Lance, and advanced behind his phantom army. The Harbinger moved with surprising grace for its size, each motion creating small shock waves that rippled through the surrounding water. Carver and Robin flanked the massive Harbinger while Lance took position.

Turning his focus back to the glowing orbs ahead, he assessed the approaching threat.

"Alright... I see about eighteen glowing eyes. That's nine creatures." He exhaled, muscles coiling in anticipation. "If they go down as easily as the first one, this shouldn't be too bad."

As he closed the final distance, his gaze sharpened.

Analyze.

Cryoshark (Level ???)

Cryoshark (Level ???)

Cryoshark (Level ???)

...

Cryoshark (Level ???)

"Yep," he thought, eyes scanning the approaching creatures. "Same situation as before: way higher level than me. But let's see how this goes."

Herb was only a few dozen feet away now. Colm leaned forward, and watched as Herb raised the massive sword and swung down in an instant, letting the water split apart, creating a shock wave of power that pushed even him back.

The first creature never stood a chance. Herb's strike landed with devastating force, the sword slicing through its flesh like paper. But Herb wasn't done. The Harbinger's momentum carried him forward, and the ripple of Tidal Energy exploded outward, shoving everything in its wake.

Still, Herb surged ahead. While he watched in disbelief at the massive phantom's speed.

"One.

Then another.

And another."

Before long, the Phantom Harbinger had torn through half the creatures, each impaled cleanly, their bodies left in ruin as it pierced straight through them.

He barely had time to process the Harbinger's rampage before Carver easily tore another apart, while Robin decimated one of their own.

"Holy hell..." His breath came fast as his gaze darted to the few stragglers remaining. "That's six down already. Only three left."

A grin spread across his face, adrenaline surging through his veins. He felt intoxicated by his newfound strength.

"Finish this," he murmured, his voice laced with exhilaration.

In a flash, Colm propelled himself above one of the final creatures, charging an Abyssal Lance, and with the increased strength flowing into his own form from Herb's presence, the ability pierced straight through its skull, ending it instantly. Even before he could shift his gaze from the lifeless corpse, he saw Carver and Robin had already finished off the remaining two.

He let out a breathless laugh, fully consumed by the sheer power coursing through him. He looked down at his hands, then at Herb still glowing with residual spectral energy as the Harbinger began to fade.

Finally, his eyes fell to the remains of the creatures, their corpses sinking slowly to the depths below.

"So much power..."

His gaze lingered on several corpses of the creatures that Herb had decimated, leaving them in pieces. They didn't even stand a chance.

He smiled.

"This... this is real power."

And for the first time, he felt like he had truly claimed it.

Cryoshark (Level 121) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher level enemy.

Cryoshark (Level 130) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher level enemy.

Cryoshark (Level 136) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher level enemy.

...

Cryoshark (Level 132) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher level enemy.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

Phantom Harbinger (Level 1) has increased to Phantom Harbinger (Level 2).

Phantom Harbinger (Level 2) has increased to Phantom Harbinger (Level 3).

"This is just straight-up broken," he thought, shaking his head.

"Grinding levels like this feels almost ridiculous. The way experience was tied to the level of the creature you defeated was so arbitrary. I can finally understand some of Jerry's frustration with the system. It makes you feel cocky, overconfident."

As much as he enjoyed the rapid gains, a part of him wanted a real challenge: something closer to his own tier and level. "Or at least something in my tier but at a lower level... that way, I can properly gauge where I stand." He made a mental note to seek out such an opportunity. Understanding his true limits would be crucial.

Shaking the thought aside, he focused on his latest stat allocations, distributing the points from his recent surge of level-ups.

"Only two more levels until my next passive."

His fingers drummed against his spear as he glanced at his status screen.

"And I'm almost level one hundred..."

That had to be some kind of milestone.

[ Status ]

Name: Colm Arden

Race: Morvyn

Level: 93

Health: 1630 / 1630

Mana: 832 / 840

Strength: 110 (132)

Dexterity: 110 (132)

Intelligence: 155 (186)

Constitution: 151 (181)

Bonded Weapon: Abyssal Ledger (Tier 3, Level 4)

Weapon Ability: Abyssal Lance (Tier 3, Level 4)

Attunement: Tide

Attunement Abilities:

- Rising Current (Level 9)

- Wavebound Surge (Level 5)

Class: Spirit Warden (Tier 5)

Specialization: Resonance

Active Class Abilities:

- Phantom Warrior (Tier 2, Level 4) [Carver]

- Phantom Spearman (Tier 2, Level 2) [Lance]

- Phantom Archer (Tier 2, Level 4) [Robin]

- Phantom Harbinger (Level 3) [Herb]

- Empty

Passive Class Abilities:

- Lingering Vitality (Tier 2, Level 10)

- Spectral Persistence (Tier 2, Level 1)

- Phantom Sacrifice (Level 10)

- Empty

- Empty

Skills:

- Analyze (Level 9)

- Stealth (Level 7)

- Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 1)

- Hardened Skin (Level 10)

- Slash Resistance (Level 7)

- Spear Mastery (Level 10)

- Sprint Mastery (Level 10)

- Poison Resistance (Level 6)

- Stun Resistance (Level 6)

- Dual Wielding (Level 4)

- Infection Resistance (Tier 3, Level 10)

- Heightened Instincts (Level 3)

- Meditation (Tier 2, Level 1)

- Unarmed Combat (Level 7)

- Impact Resistance (Level 10)

Achievements:

- Through the Rift

- Champion of the Lucent Grove

- Bane of the Undead

- Echo Sprinter I

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