Chapter 45 – Sea Legs and Poisoned Promises
Chapter 45 – Sea Legs and Poisoned Promises
The first thing Tyler noticed as he regained consciousness was the softness beneath him. A bed. Sheets. Pillows. Comfort. He blinked rapidly, confused at first, until he saw the familiar ceiling of the mansion he and Milo had built. His muscles tensed, expecting the strain and soreness from battle, but to his surprise, there was none. Instead, a tingling sensation hummed through his limbs—the unmistakable pulse of new power.
He sat up quickly and turned his head. On the bed beside him, Milo was fast asleep, his body sprawled across the sheets, breathing gently. His armour was dented and cracked in several places. Tyler glanced down at his own gear and saw similar signs of wear and tear, though their bodies were unscathed. Someone had healed them—or something.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. The air inside the room was calm, almost too calm. No alarms. No fighting. No ominous red glow of Shindeon’s wrath. Just the tranquil silence of safety.
“How did we get here?” he muttered. The last thing he remembered was collapsing on the battlefield. Then… nothing.
He pulled up his inventory.
“A pouch of gold, an ancient bone, two divine keys and some miscellaneous items—wait, two divine keys?” His brow furrowed. He hadn’t received a key from Shindeon.
“Right… he said he was only a shell,” Tyler murmured. “If he had the key, the other two would’ve reacted.”
He stared out the mansion window. The sky was pale blue. The massive beanstalk Milo had planted towered high into the clouds, swaying with the breeze. A surreal, peaceful world. But his mind buzzed.
“Level 102,” he muttered, pulling up his status. “I’m finally past 100… and yet, it still feels like the beginning.”
Shindeon had been just a fragment. A remnant.
Tyler clenched his fists.
“If that was just a shell… how much stronger is his true form? If I have to face that entity, I need to grow stronger, much stronger than now. And thinking of that, I think I’ve the perfect skill for that.”
He looked at his [Poison Mist] skill. Every time he used it, he thanked Myrrak internally. Now that he had even taken down a Primordial Beast—though just a shell—using that skill, he was more confident than ever about its usefulness.
Tyler stepped outside. The salty breeze hit him, carrying with it the sharp scent of the ocean. He walked barefoot across the sand, waves lapping gently at his toes. Beyond the shore, he could see distant islands scattered like forgotten jewels.
“Deserts, mountains, swamps, forests, tundra…” he listed aloud. “And now… the sea.”
With a deep breath, he waded into the water. Step by step, it grew deeper. The ocean tugged at his legs.
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“Shit, I forgot I can’t swim.”
The tide surged. Tyler slipped.
“HELP!! HEEELP!! I CAN’T SWIIIM!!”
Water filled his mouth. He flailed. Panic surged. He thought of Shindeon, of battles won, of divine keys—and then of dying like this.
SPLASH!
Strong arms grabbed him, pulling him up. Milo.
“Damn it Tyler,” Milo grunted, hauling him toward shore. “I just woke up, and the first thing I hear is you screaming for help!”
Tyler coughed, sputtered, and collapsed on the sand, gasping for air.
“But that was kind of hilarious not gonna lie.” Milo laughed as he looked at Tyler. “Haha this is how it feels to be biologically disadvantaged. I think now you understand why I’m uncomfortable with running.”
As Milo trudged back into the mansion, Tyler vowed under his breath, “I’ll conquer the sea one day… but maybe I should start learning how to swim first.”
---
Later that day, as Tyler practiced floating with minimal success, he spotted something across the water. A faint flicker of orange—a campfire. And beside it, a black flag.
“A new bandit faction?” he whispered.
He rushed inside. “Milo! Get ready. I found a new bandit camp. Black flag, looks different.”
“Yes, but how are we going to get there? You can’t swim and we don’t have a boat.”
“I can’t swim, but you can. I can, you know, maybe just you can give me a ride? Like a piggyback?”
“Yeah, I’m not doing that.”
“But I gave you a piggyback so many times? Remember when you were injured in a battle and I had to carry you out?”
“Yes, and just for your information, I was protecting you, when that happened. So you were just taking responsibility for your own benefit, not mine.”
“Ah I’m not even heavy! See my human body is much sleek and light as compared to that body of yours.”
“Okay okay! Fine! But just this one time!”
“Well after going there, we also need to come back too..”
“Okay fine! Just these two times!”
“Oh but, do you see there are more than one islands there. We might have to make multiple trips..”
“You know you’re really pushing it.”
“Aha well I’m kidding, I’m sure those bandits would also have some kind of boat, right? We might not know, maybe they also have some bandits who cannot swim and so they need a boat.”
“Really? Are you banking on that?”
“Well, we wouldn’t know until we find out, right?”
“Fine, let’s go. But I swear, if they don’t have a boat, I’ll leave you there and come back alone.”
“Works for me.”
With a deep sigh, Milo gave in. Tyler, disguised as a boulder using [Disguise], clung to his back. From a distance, it looked like a rock lazily drifting with the tide.
They reached the island. Palm trees swayed. Crabs scuttled across coral-patched sand. And tied to posts, miraculously, were boats.
“We got lucky,” Milo muttered.
Before he could say more, Tyler dashed into the camp.
[Entering Enemy Field: Riptide Bandit Camp]
[Enemies Identified: Riptide Bandit, Level 54 x6]
Tyler used [Poison Mist] and within a small amount of time, the bandits were reduced to mere experience points. Just the name and clothing was different, but the fundamental design of the camp, number of enemies and tents were the same.
Milo stood outside the camp dumbfounded, looking at Tyler entering a tent, using [Poison Mist] and then exiting soon after. He utilized this strategy for all camps besides the Bandit King tent. Even for the Bandit King tent, he didn’t bother using his sword or any other skills. He simply used [Poison Mist] thrice in a row, till the Bandit King also perished. The entire bandit camp was cleared within a few minutes. Tyler did it so fast, that Milo couldn’t even understand what was happening.
[Level Up! Tyler Level 102 → 105]
[Acquired Items: 600 gold, Riptide Faction Flag]
“What just happened?”
“Let’s go. It’s already done,” Tyler said.
Milo complained, “Why bring me here when you’re going to hog everything by yourself? Was I just your taxi?”
“Haha, don’t get emotional. I’ll let you take a few in the next one.”
Tyler set out his new boat and sailed towards another island. Tyler continued his attacks on bandit camps, but he did not keep his promise.
[Level Up! Tyler Level 105 → 118]
[Acquired Items: 2900 gold, Riptide faction flag x5]