"Whew..."
Geralt ignored the blackthorn bushes beneath his feet, his white hair whipping in the wind.
Planting his right hand on the ground, he vaulted down the three-meter-high rock face.
His amber slit pupils locked onto Arwen, who was about to be dragged into the water.
Faster!
Bending his knees to absorb the impact, he shot forward, kicking up damp earth.
The twelve drowners still on shore noticed Geralt and turned in unison, their gazes cold.
"Hah!"
Roars rang out. As though commanded by the drowned dead, they howled and rushed to intercept the white-haired young man.
Silver light sliced through the darkness. A hideous drowner head flew into the air, foul blood spilling over the marsh.
The sword dance of the School of the Wolf witchers was born specifically to hunt monsters.
The drowners' encirclement did nothing to hinder Geralt's advance. Instead, he grew faster and faster.
His sword light spun like a full moon. The twelve drowners that had given Arwen so much trouble were all cut down in a single charge.
Without the slightest hesitation, Geralt gripped his silver sword and plunged into the water.
Violent splashing rang out before everything fell quiet again.
Vesemir quickly reached the bank as well, his catlike pupils narrowing to needles as black veins bulged around his eyes.
He had already taken a potion. In this darkness, he could see even more clearly than in daylight.
Even so, he could not see through the layers of river water.
Splash!
A figure emerged from the water. Moonlight spilled over his sodden white hair, making it gleam.
"How did it go?"
Geralt swam in the water, panting heavily. "I couldn't find him. It's too dark down there."
Without hesitation, Vesemir drew his sword and jumped into the water, ready to dive down and search with Geralt.
He was anxious.
Witchers were not adept at fighting underwater, and Vesemir was no exception.
Besides, Arwen was not fighting a drowner, but a drowned dead.
Without his help, Arwen would almost certainly be doomed.
He had to intervene. As for the rules of the witcher trials, he had long since chosen to forget them.
After all, he was now the head of Kaer Morhen.
A fierce gust swept over their heads.
"Wait."
Viris's voice sounded above them.
Geralt looked up and saw her flying down from the cliff, stepping onto the air directly above their heads, her white dress fluttering.
A sorceress...
As Geralt registered his surprise, Vesemir spoke.
"Viris, where is he now? We need your help."
Vesemir knew that with her intervention, finding Arwen would be effortless.
But they had to hurry. He did not want to lose an outstanding apprentice so easily.
Viris brushed her palm over the ruby at her chest. Her mental power spread a hundred meters around her, piercing the murky river water.
"Hm?"
A sound of surprise escaped Viris's lips.
Her mental power had remained on Arwen all along, but his condition was the exact opposite of what she had expected.
He was not struggling desperately in the water like someone drowning.
Instead, he was locked in a fierce, ongoing struggle with the drowned dead.
Even for a mutant, this completely defied common sense.
Vigorous exercise consumed large amounts of oxygen, and underwater, that consumption would be even greater.
Arwen was like a fish, seemingly able to breathe underwater.
"Viris!?"
"He's still fine. Don't disturb me!"
After shouting, Viris extended both hands and chanted softly. Magic gathered, and waves began rising in the river.
Underwater...
Cold river water enveloped Arwen. His cheeks bulged, releasing bubbles of all sizes.
[Underwater Breathing] continuously supplied him with oxygen by filtering the river water, but its duration was limited. It could only last twenty minutes.
Swish!
The sound of moving water came from behind him, and searing pain spread across his back.
The drowned dead had clawed him.
Arwen quickly turned around, his vision filled with murky darkness.
Neither his catlike eyes nor the night vision granted by the [Cat] potion was much better than nothing underwater.
Worse still, the necrophage oil coating his silver sword had long since dissolved in the river water.
Swish!
His adrenaline surged to its limit, and he could hear his own pounding heartbeat.
Arwen paddled his limbs, swimming toward the surface, but the sound of moving water kept coming.
The drowned dead was nearby, taking aim at him.
Arwen forced himself to stay calm, his eyes constantly searching for its figure.
"Hiss..."
Arwen bared his teeth in pain as the drowned dead clawed his calf again.
When he looked down, all he could see was its rapidly vanishing silhouette.
The drowned dead was toying with him, taking revenge, intending to torment him to death.
That damned beast!
The dark surroundings, a monster far more agile than him, the twenty-minute countdown.
The emotions that should have been suppressed by his mutations and potions came crashing through.
Panic engulfed him like a waterfall.
What should I do? What should I do!?
Arwen's breathing quickened. Suddenly, a voice sounded deep within him.
"Your left hand. Watch your left hand!"
It's Viris!
Arwen jolted. Like someone grasping at a lifeline, he swung his silver sword with such force that it cut a trail of bubbles through the water.
Clang!
Resistance traveled from the blade through both his arms, and a piercing scream echoed faintly underwater.
Arwen's spirits lifted.
Found you!
The muscles in his arms bunched. As he put more force into the slash, he also closed the distance between himself and the drowned dead.
To his surprise, the drowned dead clamped both palms around the silver blade. Even as its scales split and its flesh corroded, it showed no intention of letting go.
It suddenly pulled hard, dragging Arwen downward.
Arwen understood its intent.
It wanted to drag him into deeper water. There, [Underwater Breathing] would become far less effective, and the terrifying water pressure alone could cause his bodily functions to collapse.
I have to kill it now!
Arwen pressed down on the sword with his right hand, raised his left arm, and desperately threw a punch, slamming it into the drowned dead's head.
Crack!
Its two rows of sharp teeth broke, and blood made his vision even murkier.
Once, twice, three times!
Every punch landed hard!
The drowned dead's fishlike eyes grew bloodshot, stars bursting across its vision. It released the silver sword and flailed clumsily at Ar instead.
Its two rows of broken teeth repeatedly snapped at Arwen's face, only to be knocked back by his fists each time.
Arwen had only one thought now.
Stay alive.
I want to stay alive!
His left hand shot out and clamped tightly around the fin at the back of the drowned dead's head, completely ignoring its attacks.
He stamped a foot into its abdomen and used the leverage to pull the silver sword from its flesh with his right arm.
"Die!"
Holding the drowned dead's head in place, he swung his sword again.
Utter terror erupted in the drowned dead's pupils, until its vision went black and it lost contact with the body beneath its neck.
Even in death, it never understood.
Why could a human survive underwater for so long?
Was he some new breed of drowner?
[School of the Wolf Witcher Swordsmanship experience +10!] [Killed drowned dead (BOSS), chance of obtaining drowned dead mutagen: 100%]
The moon emerged from the clouds, shedding a little moonlight.
Viris stilled her hands and descended onto the bank.
Vesemir and Geralt looked puzzled, but saw the faint hint of a smile beneath her hood.
Water stirred on the river's surface, drawing everyone's gaze.
A black-haired boy slowly climbed out of the water.
His clothes were in tatters, his body covered in wounds, his steps heavy.
He held a silver sword in his right hand and carried an enormous drowner head in his left.
Water streamed from the black hair over his forehead and ran down the bridge of his nose, revealing gray slit pupils like a venomous snake's.