Chapter 153: War Before the War

Luke collapsed sideways. Not from physical exhaustion — the system had already restored his body completely. But from the sheer mental weight. Now that the adrenaline had drained from his veins, his heart was settling back into a steady rhythm.

He had really believed he would die, but the race level-up had saved him.

Slowly, he got to his feet and looked around the cavern. The mist had fully cleared. That was the confirmation. He hadn’t just manipulated fog — he had bent mana itself. In the absolute brink of survival, he had crossed a threshold.

His gaze shifted to the fallen body of the Midnight Warden. What he saw now wasn’t the terrifying dark knight, but a corpse. Rotting brown flesh. Simple clothes. Just another undead. The imposing armor had vanished, along with the weapon — likely soulbound items, lost with their host. It was strange, knowing that beneath all that overwhelming presence… there had only been a zombie.

“It was just a damn zombie.”

But Luke was starting to understand why it had been so dangerous.

“The gear… the weapons and armor. That’s what made it powerful.”

He recalled the Orc General. Naturally strong. The Midnight Warden didn’t have the same skillset, not even close. But what made it truly threatening was the full armor set and that enchanted spear. It was a level 40 undead. Way higher than Luke’s current level. But still, just an undead. Not a lightning manticore. Not an orc general. Just another walking corpse. Like a high-tier orc, but dead.

Luke checked the system notification. A single class level-up. One race level. That was it.

“Did Charlie deal most of the damage to that thing?”

It made sense now. The majority of the XP was probably credited to her. And when she died, that potential gain vanished. Luke was left with scraps.

Luke rose, placing a hand on the storage pendant hanging from his neck. The moment his fingers touched the surface, his mind stepped into the white chamber — his personal dimensional storage. Everything he owned rested there. And in the far corner of that quiet mental room… was Angelica’s body.

With a single thought, he covered her with a blanket. He wouldn’t bury her in that cursed world. If he ever made it back to Earth, he would take her with him. She deserved that. He owed her more than he could ever repay. Her death — the bitterest choice — had granted him the experience needed to level up his race. Without it, he likely would’ve died to the Warden.

Even in death… she had saved him. Sitting down, Luke opened his system interface. Three new items waited there. He tapped the first one.

[Angelica’s Bow (Common)

Description: A simple training bow, issued during Boot Camp when the individual Angelica chose the Archer class. Though basic, it marks the beginning of her journey into precision and discipline.]

Luke bowed his head. Reading those words made the guilt heavier than ever.

He took a deep breath and opened the second item.

[Simple Quiver (Common)

Description: A basic, functional quiver used to store physical arrows. It can also generate mana arrows when infused.

Enchantments:
[Mana Arrows(Common): When infused with mana, the quiver can generate up to 20 standard arrows for immediate use.]

“I’m going to kill Paul.”

That was all he said as he stood up and looked toward one of the tunnel mouths high up on the cavern wall. He’d need to climb to reach it. Finally, he tapped the third item.

[Midnight Warden’s Chestplate (Ultra-Rare)
Description: A reinforced black steel chestplate once worn by one of the feared Midnight Wardens. Incredibly heavy, yet unmatched in durability, it serves as a living wall in combat.

Enchantments:
[Mana Repair (Rare)]: If damaged, the chestplate can repair itself by absorbing mana. No need to remove or return it to inventory.

Bonus: +50 Strength, +40 Endurance
Requirement: Level 20 in any Fighter class.]

He finally understood. Charlie had absolutely carried part of that fight. Every time she hit the Warden while in Berserker Mode, her attacks burned from the inside out. She was melting the creature’s body, and even damaging its equipment. But the armor kept regenerating.

That’s what gave the illusion that nothing she did was working, like the Warden was shrugging it all off. But in truth, it was spending a massive amount of mana just to stay intact.

Luke clenched his fists, replaying it in his mind. He only managed to land the finishing blow by destroying the helmet, and only because Charlie had forced the Warden to burn almost all of its mana just repairing the chestplate.That was the real weakness.

“It is possible to kill a Midnight Warden. You just have to drain all its mana.”

***

Paul was returning to the camp as the darkness of night slowly gave way to the first light of dawn. The chaos within the Safe Zone had been contained. Bartholomew’s soldiers moved swiftly across rooftops, hunting down the last of the ant creatures hiding in the shadows. In the streets of the Haven, monster corpses littered the ground. Fighters reorganized barricades while civilians helped pitch makeshift tents and gather the wounded.

When Paul appeared, everyone turned to look at him. The weight of uncertainty hung heavy in the air, and in that void of leadership, all eyes were on him. Waiting for direction. For comfort.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

He smiled inwardly.

This was it. Everything he had wanted. Vulnerable, fragile people staring at him like he was their only hope. He took a slow breath, keeping his eyes downcast. He painted sorrow across his face like a mask.

“Paul, are you alright?” someone asked, visibly shaken.

He kept looking at the ground, his eyes closed. His lips trembled on the surface, like a man barely holding back tears. Inside, he savored every second.

“I… I don’t have good news,” he said, voice trembling, perfectly rehearsed. “I went into the mine to help the team that went down… but when I got there… all I saw were bodies.”

Gasps. Whispers. A few heads turned away.

“I searched every tunnel I could reach. But every step deeper… just more death. I’ll be honest… I couldn’t go any further. I didn’t want to see any more. The tunnels began to collapse, and I pulled back. But… I feel guilty. I should’ve gone back.”

He paused, breathing in as if overwhelmed by the memory.

“I want to form a search party and return. Just in case… someone’s still alive.”

“We already know what happened,” said a man stepping forward. “Or at least some of it. One of ours made it back. Thiara’s treating her now.”

Paul froze for a moment.

“Someone… survived?”

“Yeah. She got here about half an hour ago. Barely walking. They took her straight to the infirmary.”

Damn it. Not the kind of surprise he wanted.

“Who made it back?” he asked, doing his best to maintain his composed, concerned expression.

They led him toward the infirmary. On the way, people kept stopping to report losses, ask about loved ones, or offer help rebuilding the camp. Paul nodded when necessary, but most of it passed through him like background noise.

When they arrived, he immediately recognized the figure lying between layers of cloth under dim healing lights.

“Allison…” he murmured, his tone drenched in feigned emotion. “You… you made it.”