[Chapter 153. Inside the Mist]

Iris stood motionless as the Greater Revenant advanced, its translucent form cutting through the mist with deliberate grace that defied its liquid nature. Her Eldritch Zweihänder pulsed with turquoise light, the energy within building as she tracked the spectral warrior's approach through the dense fog, her silver eyes narrowing to slits. When it was mere meters away, the indigo glow of its form intensifying with each step, she called upon her power, her voice steady despite the thundering falls that threatened to drown out all sound.

"Mystic Ward!"

The arcane barrier shimmered into existence before her, its surface rippling with turquoise energy that cast eerie shadows across the mist, distorting the surrounding waterfall spray into writhing patterns. The Revenant's ethereal sword struck the ward with a dull thud that vibrated through the barrier, ripples spreading across its surface as it absorbed the impact, giving her the opening she needed as the spectral warrior momentarily overextended.

Her Zweihänder descended in a deadly arc, turquoise light intensifying along its length as she channeled Arcane Strike through the weapon, the power crackling audibly in the humid air. The magical armor burst apart in a spray of water that caught the dim light in brilliant sparkles before falling to the stone walkway. Her enchanted blade continued its path, cleaving through the crystalline water with minimal resistance that felt more like passing through dense air than liquid.

The tip of her weapon sliced into the skull suspended within the Revenant's shifting depths, carving a deep gash that cracked its surface with a sound that echoed faintly through the mist, like ancient ice breaking under pressure. The spectral warrior's form convulsed violently, indigo light flaring wildly as the construct struggled to maintain cohesion before collapsing in one massive splash, its watery body dissolving into the shallow water of the walkway, leaving behind only scattered bones and armor fragments that gleamed faintly in the dim light.

Once again, Iris scanned the island at the lake's center where all five waterfalls converged, their combined spray creating an impenetrable veil around whatever awaited her there. She sighed softly, her breath forming a small cloud in the damp air that quickly dissipated, the exhaustion from constant battles beginning to weigh on her despite her enhanced physiology.

"This feels wrong," she muttered to herself before stepping into the crystalline water, the temperature of the liquid surprising her with its warmth despite the chilling cold of the Revenants' attacks.

The liquid barely reached her shins, its surface clear despite the constant churning from the waterfalls, allowing her to see the stone walkways beneath the submerged forms. The layout mirrored the terraces above, though the walkways here were submerged and slightly wider, their stone still visible beneath the shallow water as if preserved by some ancient magic. She glanced left and right at the two cascading waterfalls flanking her position, their misty veils swirling like ghostly curtains. When nothing emerged from their depths, she pressed onward, her boots making soft splashing sounds with each step.

As the island drew nearer, another form began to materialize within the waterfall directly ahead, its outline resolving through the shifting mist like a ghost emerging from the spirit world. With each step she took, its features became clearer—another Greater Tidal Revenant, its spectral armor already forming as it noticed her approach, the same Roman design she had come to dread, its indigo glow already beginning to intensify.

Her boots emerged from the crystalline water, touching down on the center island's stone with soft suction sounds that were immediately swallowed by the waterfall's thunder. The moment her soles made contact with solid ground, movement erupted from the three waterfalls ahead, their misty veils swirling violently as forms stirred within their depths. Iris clicked her tongue, watching as three shapes materialized from the cascading water, their forms growing clearer with each passing second—tall spectral figures with the same indigo glow that had haunted her journey through this level.

Iris dragged the flat side of her Zweihänder slowly across her Storm-Weaver's Gauntlet. As the dark metal slid over the gauntlet's weathered surface, sparks began to dance between the two materials, growing into vibrant arcs of energy that illuminated her face in the dim light, casting shifting shadows across her determined expression. When the blade's tip finally left the gauntlet, a single, continuous arc of lightning formed along its edge, crackling with barely contained power that made the surrounding mist shimmer and dance, the charged air filling her senses.

The three Revenants advanced, their spectral forms cutting through the mist with deliberate grace, their indigo lights pulsing in unison as if connected by some unseen bond. Iris dashed forward with inhuman speed, her movement blurring as she closed the distance between them, the lightning along her blade casting fleeting shadows across the stone. She swung her Eldritch Zweihänder at the nearest Revenant, the lightning arcing from her blade and bridging the gap mid-stride, connecting with the spectral armor in a brilliant display of turquoise energy. A deafening crack of thunder echoed across the island as the bolt struck the spectral warrior, vaporizing its armor in an instant and sending steam billowing into the mist in white plumes.

With a powerful leap that sent droplets flying in her wake, she launched herself upward, meeting the armorless Revenant as it reeled from the lightning's impact, its watery form distorting violently. Her blade sliced through the creature's watery form a fraction later, cutting it down before it could even register the attack, the indigo light within dimming to nothing as the construct collapsed. She landed gracefully on the slick stone just as the Revenant's form dissolved, its watery body collapsing with a splash that was nearly lost beneath the waterfall's constant roar.

The remaining two Revenants closed in, their ethereal swords gleaming in the muffled light filtering down from above as they advanced. They moved toward her with unnatural fluidity, their weapons descending in perfect synchronization. Iris had just landed on the treacherous surface, still fighting to regain her balance as the two watery blades struck her Mystic Ward simultaneously, the impact sending ripples across its shimmering surface that reflected the lightning still dancing along her blade.

The turquoise light of her Zweihänder flared violently as the barrier shattered under the combined assault, the sound like cracking ice swallowed by the waterfall's thunder. Her boots skidded across the slick stone, the impact with the condensed water armor halting her momentum instantly as if she had struck an invisible wall. Only her feet moved, sliding uselessly against the treacherous surface as she pushed against the spectral warrior's form with all her might, the muscles in her legs straining against the unnatural resistance.

As the Mystic Ward flickered and died like a dying flame, the full force of her Arcane Strike finally met its target. The gelatinous armor rippled violently before exploding into a spray of droplets that caught the dim light in brilliant sparkles before falling to the stone walkway. The sudden change in resistance made her stumble, her balance lost for a critical instant as her body pitched forward with unexpected momentum. With a swift adjustment born of countless battles, she recovered, the dark edge of her blade driving into the Revenant's floating skull with sickening finality.

A biting cold spread through her body like poison as she glanced from the convulsing spectral warrior to her own chest. Two watery blades protruded from her torso—one dissolving into a stream of water that ran down her already damp fur as the Revenant collapsed into a pile of bones with a clatter lost beneath the waterfall's roar. The other remained lodged, its chilling presence deepening with each passing second, the cold seeping into her very essence like frost creeping through cracks in armor.

She leaped backward with desperate speed, the blade sliding out without leaving a mark on her armor, yet leaving an invisible wound that screamed through her nervous system. Her entire body felt numb, frozen through despite the warm water at her feet and the humid air clinging to her fur. Breathing became a conscious effort, each inhalation a struggle as if buried beneath meters of snow, the cold making her lungs burn with every breath she managed to draw. The pale white light of her bracer cut through the mist, followed by a faint green glow that enveloped her in its healing embrace. The cold receded but not entirely—a lingering chill remained deep within, no longer overwhelming but still present.

Iris clutched her chest, her heart racing against the persistent cold gnawing at her from within, her fingers trembling slightly despite her enhanced constitution. The Revenant gave her no respite, closing the distance with speed that defied its liquid nature, its spectral form reforming with unnerving speed as water vapor condensed around it. Its blade descended, and she stepped back just as it elongated, stretching toward her with impossible fluidity that made it seem more like a living creature than a weapon. Without hesitation, she dropped to the ground, the stone cold against her palms as she flattened herself against it. The crystalline sword thrust over her head before retracting to its original form, its passage displacing air with a soft whoosh that whipped her fur against her skin.

Iris rose to her feet, her muscles protesting with each movement as the chilling presence of the Revenant's attack lingered deep within her bones, a cold that seemed to radiate from her marrow despite the healing light of her bracer. Her gaze flickered to the periphery of her vision where her mana reserves glowed—dangerously low, barely enough to fight and not enough to use the bracer again. The realization settled like a stone in her gut, heavy and cold. One miscalculation now would be fatal, and the specter of defeat loomed larger than the mist around her.

Her silver eyes narrowed, focusing on the spectral warrior's core—the floating skull suspended within its swirling depths, the weak point she had identified in previous encounters. The Revenant advanced with unnerving confidence, its water blade rising for another strike.

With a surge of will that felt like tearing at her very essence, Iris channeled her mana into her Zweihänder. The dark metal blazed with turquoise energy so intense it illuminated the mist around her, casting elongated shadows that danced across the stone walkway like writhing spirits. She thrust forward, the weapon moving with deceptive speed despite the substantial drain on her reserves, her grip tightening until her knuckles turned white.

The tip of her blade struck the spectral armor with explosive force. The condensed water barrier shattered like glass, droplets spraying outward before falling to the stone walkway, each droplet seeming to hang suspended for a moment before gravity claimed it. Her weapon continued its trajectory unimpeded, piercing directly through the exposed skull beneath with a sickening crack that echoed through the mist.

The Revenant's entire form convulsed violently, indigo light flaring wildly as the construct struggled to maintain cohesion, its watery body distorting like a reflection in disturbed water. Before its body could collapse, before the bones could clatter against the stone walkway, a familiar blue notification materialized before her eyes, its text stark against the backdrop of mist and cascading water.

The lingering cold from the Revenant's spectral touch still gnawed at her bones like an invasive frost, a persistent ache that refused to yield despite her constitution. As the Boss Chest materialized on the island, Iris stood motionless, the mist clinging to her dark fur like a second skin, weighing down her limbs as the roar of waterfalls continued unabated around her. Level twenty. The numbers swam before her silver eyes, their significance taking time to process amid the damp chill that still permeated her body, making even her thoughts feel sluggish. She could feel the vibrations of the cascading water through the stone beneath her boots, a constant reminder of the domain she had conquered.

The chest shimmered into existence before her, its wooden surface dark with moisture that beaded and ran in rivulets down its sides, glistening in the dim light filtering through the mist. With a thought, she opened it, the lid lifting silently as if weightless. Inside lay the expected rewards: one Lodestone that pulsed with faint energy resonating through the air, two E-Grade Skillstones that glowed with their own inner light, and a small pouch of coins that clinked softly as she nudged it with her gloved fingers, the sound barely audible above the waterfall's thunder.

"Level twenty," she whispered to herself, the words barely audible above the thundering falls, her voice hoarse from exhaustion. "Now I can be useful." The phrase felt hollow even as she spoke it.

Without further examination, she collected the items with a simple thought, each vanishing into her Minor Storage Ring with a faint shimmer that seemed to absorb the mist around it. The persistent cold continued to ache within her, a chill that seemed to settle deep in her marrow.

As she exited the dungeon, the world shifted around her in a dizzying swirl of color and sensation that made her stomach lurch. One moment she stood on the mist-shrouded island with water thundering around her; the next, she was submerged in the river, the shock of the cold water striking her after the warm currents of the dungeon she had just left. The water reached her thighs, its flow gentle compared to the thundering falls, yet the sudden temperature change sent a shiver through her entire body, making her teeth chatter.

She emerged slowly, water dripping from her fur in steady streams that formed small puddles at her feet as she made her way to the riverbank, where she tossed out a blanket. Her body sank onto the fabric with a soft thud, the sun's burning heat seeping into her damp clothes and skin, chasing away the last remnants of the Revenant's chilling influence. Her eyes closed against the blinding brightness, her mind finally allowing the weight of her achievement to settle over her, exhaustion creeping in now that the adrenaline had faded. Each breath she took felt like a victory, the simple act of breathing without the constant threat of death a luxury she had not fully appreciated until now.

All that remained was to wait for Searanox, the thought bringing both comfort and unease as she lay there, healing in the sun's warmth while anticipating his arrival and his assessment of her performance.