Chapter 269: Doom Explosion

Several undead roamed the Wild Zone, their guttural cries echoing through the ruined trees. A small horde, maybe ten in total, shambled straight toward the armored woman, Charlie. She didn’t bother fighting seriously. They were weak, far weaker than a Midnight Warden. Charlie sprinted forward, letting a few lazy strikes glance off her armor before raising her hand toward one of them.

[Mark of Doom activated]

Only she could see it: a faint, crimson seal blazing over her chosen target, sapping its strength and leaving it vulnerable. Charlie immediately pulled back, ignoring the creature’s clumsy attempt to claw her.

From the rooftop of a broken structure, Luke steadied his bow. He drew, loosed, and his arrow punched through the marked undead.

[You have slain a Dead Watchman – Lvl 10]

The corpse toppled backward, but before it even hit the ground, a soft light flared across its body, then it detonated.

[Princess Charlie has slain a Dead Watchman – Lvl 10]
[Princess Charlie has slain a Dead Watchman – Lvl 10]
[Princess Charlie has slain a Dead Watchman – Lvl 10]
[Princess Charlie has slain a Dead Watchman – Lvl 10]
[Princess Charlie has slain a Dead Watchman – Lvl 10]

Luke’s eyes widened. “Holy hell.”

Charlie’s new class skill, Doom Explosion, was insane. Not only did it sync perfectly with her own Mark of Doom, but with him as well. If she marked a target and Luke finished it with an arrow, the explosion still triggered. The experience from those chain kills… it all flowed into her. It made sense: the detonation only happened because her skill activated on the corpse.

It was twisted, cruel, and terrifyingly effective. Against large crowds, it could become a massacre engine.

One hundred mana per detonation. With her current pool, Charlie could manage nineteen, maybe fifteen safely, considering upkeep for Mark of Doom and other skills. That meant fifteen detonations, each one capable of ripping through surrounding enemies. Fifteen chain reactions in a single fight. The cost was brutal, but the payoff? Catastrophic.

Right now, they were testing it on pathetic level 10 undead. But against hordes of tougher creatures, say Midnight Wardens, the battlefield would become a fireworks show of carnage. It was a fantastic skill, no question. But Luke’s tactical brain immediately flagged the drawbacks. He needed more testing: would the explosions scale with the enemy’s level? Could one powerful enemy’s detonation wipe out another? Did higher-level corpses cost more mana?

“A perfect skill for swarms,” he muttered, imagining the ant hives or the endless waves of Midnight Watchers.

Then the flaw hit him.

“Short-range activation…”

For it to work, Charlie had to be close enough to brand the target with Mark of Doom. Against weak enemies, no issue. But in real fights, she’d have to step right into the maw of danger, surrounded by creatures that could tear her apart before the chain even began.

“That’s still way too risky.”

Skills weren’t just about raw power. You had to weigh them in every scenario: swarms, bosses, ambushes, attrition battles. And this one came with another problem he hadn’t voiced yet. If he wasn’t careful, he might get caught in the blast radius too.

If Charlie had to throw herself into the middle of a dangerous horde just to brand an enemy with Mark of Doom, the risk was obvious. She might not even get the chance to trigger Doom Explosion before being torn apart.

That was the flaw. But the flaw also sparked an idea. Synergy between skills, that was what Luke kept circling back to. Mason had explained it so casually, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. For nobles, maybe it was. For Luke, it had been a revelation. Skills weren’t just isolated tools. When combined, layered, and fused, their effects could grow into something far more devastating.

“Wait… synergy,” he murmured, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Charlie.

An idea began to form.

“Charlie, what do you say we try something?” Luke vaulted down from the ruined structure and strode toward her, already outlining the plan.

Through their bond of master and servant, he could feel it. The spark of excitement rising in her the moment she understood where he was going with this.

***

Charlie sprinted down a ruined street, nearly thirty undead soldiers thundering after her. The horde howled and attacked from range, some hurling stones, others loosing crude arrows. She kept her focus, following Luke’s plan, a combination of skills that, on paper, shouldn’t have worked this well. Her arm shot forward, and a spectral chain burst into existence, lashing out like a serpent. It hooked around a dead soldier and yanked him toward her with violent force. As the creature stumbled close, she branded it.

[Mark of Doom activated]

With a sharp twist, Charlie spun and hurled the undead straight back into the horde. The instant it collided, an arrow streaked down from above, Luke’s shot hitting with perfect precision.

[You have slain a Dead Watchman – Lvl 10]

The body never hit the ground. It detonated mid-air in a scarlet blast of gore and flame.

[Princess Charlie has slain a Dead Watchman – Lvl 10]
[Princess Charlie has slain a Dead Watchman – Lvl 10]
[Princess Charlie has slain a Dead Watchman – Lvl 10]
[Princess Charlie has slain a Dead Watchman – Lvl 10]
[Princess Charlie has slain a Dead Watchman – Lvl 10]
[Princess Charlie has slain a Dead Watchman – Lvl 10]

A crimson shockwave tore through the street, ripping the undead apart and flinging the survivors in broken heaps across the cobblestones.

Luke whistled low, dropping from the rooftop to land beside her. “That worked.”

Charlie’s posture straightened, her whole body radiating adrenaline and triumph. They smacked palms together, the high five echoing like a pact. They had just forged a new way to fight.

“Your mana’s running dangerously low,” Luke muttered, checking her system window.

That was when a dark blur swooped from the sky.

“Jerry!” the raven screeched, wings beating furiously as it swooped at them.

“Alright, you stupid bird. I get it. We’re moving,” Luke grumbled.

With a thought, he recalled Charlie back into his soul and fell in step behind the raven, heading toward his real objective.

***

Luke followed Jerry toward the meeting point. Earlier, the raven had already guided Jack to the chosen spot: the old church Luke once used as a hideout. It was one of the few places in the Wild Zone he trusted, quiet, tucked away, and familiar.

He moved cautiously through the ruins, eyes lifting now and then to track Jerry circling above. The bird’s flight patterns were a code of their own. If Jerry spun in tight circles, it meant enemies were near. If he drifted back and forth in long arcs, the area was clear.

Right now, the raven glided lazily across the sky. Safe. Satisfied, Luke pushed forward. Jerry broke away, heading back toward the fortress to keep watch on Bastion. If Bartholomew made any sudden move, they would know.

“Having a flying familiar really is a cheat,” Luke muttered under his breath as he reached the church doors.

The heavy wood creaked open, and inside he found Jack sitting on a chair, fingers twisting nervously in his lap. His face lit up the moment he saw him.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“By Saint Caelina!” Jack exclaimed. “Luke… it really was you behind that raven trick? For a moment I thought I was about to get kidnapped again.”

Luke leaned against the doorway, a half-smile tugging at his lips. “Technically, I’m here to kidnap you.”

Jack froze. “W-what?”

***

Luke guided Jack through the Wild Zone, a strip of cloth tied around the man’s eyes as they moved. The forest pressed in around them, humid, restless, alive, but Luke kept his focus straight ahead.

“I’ll apologize again,” Luke said quietly. His voice was low, almost swallowed by the rustle of leaves. “I really didn’t want to do this, but it was the safest way. Better I be the one to kidnap you than someone from Haven you don’t even know.”

“It’s fine,” Jack replied, steady as if the blindfold were nothing. “I’ve gotten used to it by now. And honestly… I’m relieved. The Goddess of Kindness really did help me when she put me in your path. This is the closest I’ve felt to going home.”

As they walked, Luke spoke in pieces, about the mechanisms, about Bartholomew, about the danger creeping closer with every step. His words weighed heavier than the blindfold.

“You’ve been locked up this whole time since I escaped the Safe Zone?” Luke finally asked.

Jack nodded beneath the cloth. “Yes. The moment they realized you hadn’t done it alone, they arrested the people you’d been seen with. Many women too…”

Luke cleared his throat, too quickly, as though brushing it off. “But they were released, right?”

“They were. Most of them only answered a few questions. Even Eddie and Layla were arrested, but they let them go after a couple of hours. Everyone realized they’d been deceived, so it wasn’t a crime. But me? I think because I’m a healer, they worried I’d desert.”

Luke’s hand tightened briefly on Jack’s arm before letting go. “At least if a scout sees us, it’ll look like you’re being dragged off against your will.”

Jack gave a short laugh. “Thank you for caring that much.”

“Don’t mention it, my friend. Just… hold your breath for a moment.”

“Hold my—?” Jack barely had time to protest before Luke shoved him.

“Ahhh!” Jack’s scream was cut short by the rush of air and the violent plunge into the river below. The water swallowed him whole, cold and merciless.

Luke leapt right after, cutting through the surface in a clean dive. The current dragged hard, but he seized Jack’s arm and fought toward the bank. When they finally collapsed on the muddy shore, both men were gasping as though the river had stolen half their lungs.

“Y-you nearly killed me with that stunt!” Jack sputtered, coughing river water.

Luke pulled off the blindfold, his hair plastered wet to his face. “We’re here. Just a trek through the forest and we’ll reach the fortress.”