But the undead could not be dealt with all at once. Just as Lily pushed back two of them, three more Rotting Marsh Zombies crawled out of the water, surrounding her in a triangular formation.
Lily was forced to retreat, but her foot suddenly tripped on something, nearly sending her tumbling.
Looking down, she saw it was the hand of a Rotting Marsh Zombie, deathly tight around her ankle.
“Damn it!” Lily cursed under her breath. Her rapier slashed down fiercely, instantly severing the rotting hand.
But that brief delay gave the nearest Rotting Marsh Zombie an opportunity. Its rotting claws reached for her shoulder as a foul stench washed over her.
In that critical moment, an arrow flew in from the side, accurately piercing the skull of the Rotting Marsh Zombie.
It swayed for a moment before collapsing heavily in front of Lily, struggling feebly on the ground.
Lily looked up to see Kieran standing not far away, his bow still held in a firing stance.
His face was full of anxiety as he shouted to her, “Lily, watch your step! Don't get careless!”
Before Lily could respond, another Rotting Marsh Zombie lunged at her. She immediately stepped aside to dodge the attack, her rapier piercing outward as she threw herself back into the battle.
In the chaotic fray, a Rotting Marsh Zombie’s claw suddenly grazed Kieran’s arm, its sharp nails leaving a deep wound.
Kieran groaned. Looking down, he saw the skin around the wound already beginning to turn black and swell.
“Don't panic,” Bai Xuan’s voice arrived just in time.
He rushed to Kieran’s side in a few steps, gathering holy light in his palm. Purifying Severance instantly covered Kieran’s wound.
The golden light slowly permeated the area, quickly dispersing the black Qi around the wound. The broken skin gradually stopped bleeding.
Kieran let out a long sigh of relief and rubbed his arm, saying with lingering fear, “Good thing you were here, or who knows how long this curse would have tormented me.”
The battle did not last long. With Bai Xuan present, the undead’s curses and toxins posed little threat.
Whenever someone was touched by the undead, he would immediately step forward to cleanse them with Purifying Severance.
Most importantly, he would use his iron rod to deliver finishing blows to several weakened undead, lightening the burden on his teammates.
When the last Rotting Marsh Zombie collapsed, the churning water surface finally returned to a calm state.
All that remained were scattered pieces of rotting meat and bone on the shore, along with the stench of rot in the air.
The group looked at each other, everyone looking quite worse for wear.
Simon’s shield was covered in dense claw marks, and even Owen’s heavy sword was stained with the severed limbs of the undead.
Kieran went around recovering his arrows one by one, wiping the rotten meat and black blood off them with a cloth before sliding them back into his quiver.
Once their breathing settled, Bai Xuan walked to the riverbank and crouched down. He tried to use his detection skill to check the situation underwater, hoping to find the exact location of the pollution source.
However, there were no status panel notifications—no information related to the pollution source, nor any markers for special items.
Even the aura of the undead had completely vanished, as if there were nothing beneath the water at all.
Bai Xuan frowned and slowly stood up, feeling quite puzzled.
Owen’s tracking tool clearly showed that the pollution source was in this area of water, and he could also feel a strange mana hidden beneath the surface, yet he could detect nothing.
He knew very well that Owen wasn't just looking for the pollution source; he was also searching for something specific in this water.
Owen had never explicitly stated what it was, and Bai Xuan hadn't pressed for answers.
The silence in the mining tunnel lasted for a long time before Lily was the first to break it.
“Captain,” she said, looking at Owen who was still staring into the depths of the water, her tone carrying a hint of exhaustion. “Maybe we should head back for today.”
Owen didn't move or look back. He only gave the group a tense view of his back, silently rejecting the suggestion.
After glancing at her exhausted teammates, Lily softened her tone and continued to persuade him. “After this series of battles today, everyone is in bad shape. If we go any deeper, I’m afraid something will happen.”
At this moment, everyone’s gaze gathered on Owen’s back.
Sensing the unanimous gazes behind him, Owen finally turned around slowly.
His expression was exceptionally grim, but it wasn't due to anger. It was a kind of suppressed urgency and unwillingness. His brow was furrowed tightly, and the aura around him was heavy.
“I know you're all tired, and I know it’s risky to keep going now.”
He spoke in a very low voice. “But if we don't continue today, this mission might not necessarily be ours tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Lily’s brow furrowed instantly, and she asked with confusion, “What do you mean?”
“The manager mentioned to me before that the White family hasn't put all their hopes on us. They're also contacting other adventurer teams to handle the mining area.”
Owen tightened his grip on the tracking tool. “If we fail to find the pollution source and produce results today, someone else might come to handle this tomorrow. When that happens...”
Then he softened his tone, trying to break the oppressive atmosphere. “But everyone, don't worry too much. We have Sir Bai Xuan with us.”
“With his healing and support, we can handle even the most difficult situations. What do you have to worry about?”
He then nodded toward Bai Xuan, his meaning already more than clear.
Without waiting for his teammates to answer, he asked Bai Xuan in a deep voice, “How is it? Have you found anything? Can you purify a path to the bottom?”
“I can purify a path, but the mana consumption will be very high.”
Bai Xuan pondered for a moment, estimating his own mana reserves before speaking honestly. “With my current mana, I might not be able to sustain it until we find the pollution source.”
Owen didn't hesitate for a second. He immediately pulled a small glass bottle from his chest and handed it to Bai Xuan.
The bottle contained a pale blue liquid; it was a Basic Mana Recovery Potion.
Bai Xuan looked at the potion and then at Owen, not reaching out to take it. He knew that while this potion wasn't overly precious, it was still part of the team’s supplies.
“Reimbursed by the team funds,” Owen said flatly, seeing through his concerns. “It won't be deducted from your share of the reward. Consider it material support provided by the team for this mission.”
Hearing this, Bai Xuan no longer hesitated. He took the potion, unscrewed the cap, and drank it in one go.
The cool liquid slid down his throat and instantly merged into his body. His somewhat depleted mana began to recover significantly faster, and the fatigue in his body lessened.
He took the Whispering Staff from his storage space and gripped it in his hand.
This staff was much lighter than an ordinary one, with a smooth grip that felt very comfortable. It also provided a small boost to magical effects.
Once prepared, he walked to the riverbank and slowly closed his eyes, beginning to gather mana to cast Purifying Severance.
Golden holy light slowly spread from the tip of the staff, covering a range nearly one size larger than before, steadily blanketing the water surface in front of him.
The area purified by the holy light was about five meters in diameter. The murky river water became crystal clear, revealing the sand and stones at the bottom. The water wasn't deep either, barely reaching their calves.
“Let’s go,” Bai Xuan said, opening his eyes and stepping into the clear water first.
The staff in his hand continued to cast Purifying Severance, maintaining the clean area.
The surrounding murky river water seemed alive, churning and colliding violently at the edge of the purified zone.
It seemed to be trying to break through the barrier of holy light to re-pollute the area, but it could never get close.
Owen followed closely behind Bai Xuan, gripping the tracking tool tightly and keeping his eyes fixed on it, providing low-voiced directions as they walked.
Simon and Karl walked on either side—one holding his shield, the other his axe. They were alert, ready to respond to any sudden situation.
Kieran and Lily followed at the back of the group, constantly watching for any movement behind them to prevent an undead ambush.
The group slowly waded deeper. The river water grew deeper, going from their ankles to their calves, and then from their calves to their knees.
As they continued to go deeper, the light on Owen’s tracking tool became increasingly intense. Clearly, they were getting closer and closer to the pollution source and that object.
“It’s just ahead,” Owen whispered, his tone carrying a hint of urgency as his eyes remained fixed on the murky water ahead.
In the depths of the mining tunnel’s waters, there was silence. No one spoke; only the faint sound of them stepping on the sand and stones at the bottom could be heard.
Bai Xuan walked at the front of the group, the Whispering Staff in his hand continuously emitting golden light.
Owen’s eyes were fixed on the cylindrical tracking tool in his hand. The patterns on its surface were blindingly bright; they had clearly reached the location.
His tone carried a mix of urgency and caution. “It’s right around here. Everyone, be careful.”
But as they looked around, the area was empty.
Aside from the stones at the bottom that had been worn smooth by the water over the years and a few jagged rocks protruding from the surface, there was nothing unusual.
The black mist in the air still floated above the water like a thin veil, blurring everyone’s vision.
At that moment, a drop of viscous liquid suddenly fell, landing squarely on top of Kieran’s head.
His whole body stiffened, and he subconsciously reached up to touch the top of his head.
The liquid his fingertips touched was viscous and carried a pungent, nauseating stench of rot.
The unease in his heart flared instantly. He then snapped his head up, looking toward the rock ceiling shrouded in black mist.
Within the black mist, a massive figure was hanging upside down from the ceiling.
It was a skeleton clad in full heavy armor, its hands tightly gripping a massive battle blade wreathed in black mist.
At this moment, it was hanging from the rock wall like a bat, head down and feet up. Within its hollow eye sockets, two clusters of eerie green soul flames flickered strangely.
Kieran’s pupils shrank, and his heart skipped a beat. Before the warning could leave his lips—
The heavy armored skeleton let go of the rock wall, falling like a plummeting boulder. It lunged down with the sound of whistling wind.
A sharp blade-light instantly cut through the black mist, carrying the massive momentum of the fall as it cleaved straight down toward the defenseless Karl directly below.
Karl didn't even have time to look up and see what was attacking him before the heavy battle blade hacked into him.
There was the sound of a blade entering a body. The edge forced its way in from his left shoulder and sliced out from his right waist, the wound deep enough to see bone.
Hot blood instantly erupted, splashing onto the faces and bodies of the others nearby.
Karl’s body was like a torn sack, falling limply into the water with a splash several feet high. He then sank into the water without another sound.
Crimson blood slowly spread from beneath the water, merging with the clear river water into a startling, vivid red.
“Karl—!” Owen’s roar was heart-wrenching. Before the sound even faded, he had already charged forward with his greatsword, regardless of the danger.
A dull orange light lit up on his heavy sword as he activated his Wolf Strike skill with full force, hacking into the waist armor of the heavy armored skeleton.
The heavy armored skeleton was knocked back half a step by the massive force, and the armor at its waist was instantly dented, but it suffered no real injury.
Without pausing, it swung its blade back, the edge sweeping across with a whistling wind.
Owen instinctively leaned back. The blade-edge grazed his cheek, the sharp wind leaving a shallow bloody mark on his face that stung intensely.
At that moment, Simon charged forward from the side, his thick shield slamming hard into the back of the heavy armored skeleton.
He gritted his teeth, concentrating all his strength into the shield to knock the skeleton away, but the massive resistance of the water slowed him down significantly, weakening the impact.
The heavy armored skeleton only staggered forward once before immediately turning around and hacking a blow onto Simon’s shield.
With a sharp crack, Simon’s shield shattered from the center. The cracks spread rapidly across the entire surface before it completely disintegrated.
The momentum of the blade slowed slightly, but it still slammed heavily into Simon’s chest.
The massive impact sent Simon flying, crashing into the water several meters away. After a splash, there was no more movement, his fate unknown.
“Simon!” Lily’s scream was filled with despair.
But she did not pause for a second. Her Wind Pierce skill activated instantly, making her movements even swifter. Even in the highly resistant water, she was more agile than the others.
She quickly circled behind the heavy armored skeleton, aiming her rapier at a gap in the armor and thrusting it in.
The tip of the blade accurately pierced the connection between the shoulder and chest plates. Lily twisted her wrist, giving it a fierce stir before quickly withdrawing her blade and retreating to avoid the skeleton’s counterattack.
The heavy armored skeleton turned instantly, its battle blade sweeping out.
Lily hurriedly jumped back, but she was still a step too slow. The blade grazed the leather armor on her chest.
A long gash was cut across her chest. The cold river water seeped into the wound, bringing a sharp sting.
She staggered back, her foot slipping as she nearly fell into the water.
On the other side, Kieran was frozen in place, his hands gripping his bow tightly, but he couldn't pull the string. His whole body was shaking uncontrollably.
His gaze was fixed on the spreading red in the water, seeing a corner of Karl’s axe protruding from the surface, while the man himself was long gone.
Kieran’s mind was blank, and his ears were ringing. The memory of Karl’s usual hearty laughter and appearance flashed before his eyes, leaving him completely drained of strength.
“Kieran! Shoot!” Lily’s shout pierced the battlefield, finally pulling the dazed Kieran back to reality.
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