Dreamland: Freedom (Terror Infinity, Ultimate Evolution)

Although Eden was confident, these were skilled Players. Analysis only allowed him to see Pure Stats, and Players of their level all had at the very least one Rare item, likely more, and some could even have a Super Rare, like Eden did.

Seeing him rushing at them, the two decided to split up, Isis moving towards the party, and Ergon to the other side. Eden chose to go for Isis, causing Ergon to take out a revolver in his free hand while he retreated and fired. The gun made a strangely high-pitched noise.

Although Eden could easily dodge the bullet, as he was not at the right angle for the bullet to possibly hit a member of the party, it would allow Isis to reach the party faster, so he decided to tank it instead, protecting the area with Cursed Energy, and slightly shifting his body so that it would hit the Super Rare Umbra Aegis.

The 120 defence, plus the forty from his amulet and cape, and the further addition of Cursed Energy to the lot, should have stopped the bullet there, yet it still dug into his side, going through the multiple layers of defence. It did not draw blood, but it hurt like hell. It had been aimed at his liver originally, so he could only imagine how much it would have hurt if he had not dodged. But because he took it, Isis did not draw any distance.

Mentally ordering Oona, whom he always had on watch, to swoop down and sneak attack Ergon, while the barbarian corpse he had following them along joined the party, Eden sent a Dismantle at Isis.

The female Player apparently had some extraordinary senses, as despite the invisible nature of the attack, she held out her palm, conjuring a light energy shield. It shattered upon impact with the Dismantle, but it protected her nonetheless.

Eden was upon her now, though.

He swung his sword at her, which she met with a staff. Although she was overpowered by his strength, which was boosted by Cursed Energy, she used the power behind his blow to revolve around, slamming her staff into his side in such a way that he could not dodge, despite seeing it coming.

He completely ignored it, not even coating his side with Cursed Energy as he concentrated his entire output into his knee instead, and he sent a flying knee straight into her face.

Her nose broke with a crunch, and Eden was relentless, launching yet another attack straight away. Every fight Isis had ever had with fellow Players made her slam her staff forward, to force him to dodge and take a moment to get her bearings together, but Eden willingly allowed it to slam into his chest, swiping his sword at her knee in exchange. Even though Eden used his Cursed Energy to reinforce his defence this time, his sword still cut halfway through her knee.

As Eden felt Oona die, meaning Ergon was free, Isis' leg gave out. However, as Eden attempted to stab her, her armor glowed with a deep blue light, and a swirl of water was created between them. The Rosa Estrellada buried itself in it, and it did not feel like a solid wall, but like quicksand instead.

Seeing Eden let go of his sword, and cock back his fist, Isis, who believed she finally had a moment, hurriedly put up her hand, lightning crackling at her fingertips.

Eden's movements did not slow down in the slightest as he slammed his fist into the barrier, shattering it and his fist carrying forward to hit her in the face.

Most of the strength behind the fist had been absorbed by the shield, but that was not the real attack anyway. The Cleave that came with it was.

Activating Cleave meant that Eden had to hit her lightning without reinforcement, since his entire output was placed into the attack. It hurt, but he had gone through far worse, and his other layers of defence helped.

As for Isis, her face was not cleaved in half, but a large gash was carved right into her face, making her scream bloody murder. Blood poured into her mouth through her cut-open jaw and blinded her eyes.

Despite all that, she tried to put up her defences, raising her arms, but Eden punched her in the chest with a reinforced punch, knocking the wind out of her and forming another gash in her midsection.

Finally, he picked up his sword as he fired a Dismantle at her unprotected neck.

[You have eliminated Player 'Isis'. Player Cache sent to your Inventory.]

A rather powerful Evil Spirit attached itself to Eden's body thanks to the Cursed Energy imbuing his sword. Eden looked at the party and noticed that while they pretty much all sported injuries, they were surrounded by the corpses of several goblins, as well as one weary hobgoblin.

Eden could end it there with a single Dismantle, but this was a victory they should have had, so Eden once more disappeared into the darkness, his eyes scanning everywhere for Ergon.

He managed to spot him, but he did not like what he saw. Ergon had reached the gate and was getting close to one of the few defenders left standing.

[Name: Wyll Ravengard]

[Title: Blade of Frontiers]

[Talent: ?]

[HP: 43/140]

[MP: 170/170]

[Strength: 8]

[Agility: 13]

[Physique: 14]

[Intelligence: 17]

[Wisdom: 10]

Eden leapt to fire a Dismantle, the goblins blocking his path on the ground, but Ergon reached the Warlock first.

His sword slammed through the icy shield surrounding Wyll's form, ignoring the icy counterattack as it slashed through his flesh like butter, splitting him in half at the waist.

An instant later, two instants too late, Eden's Dismantle reached Ergon, slamming into his side as it dug into his armor, drawing blood.

The Player held his bloody side, swinging his other hand with the gun at the rapidly approaching Eden, but Eden preemptively acted, throwing his sword into his shoulder, stopping the attack as he reached him and grabbed him by the face, empowering his arm with Cursed Energy, and slamming his head into the rocks.

The entire hillside, which rose at least five meters, shook, the Tieflings standing on it struggling not to fall. Ergon was still alive, if barely, thanks to his helmet, and while under the anger, Eden was strongly tempted to finish him with a Cleave, he let go of him, taking his sword back before slamming his palm in his neck. Without using Cursed Energy.

But even as Eden crushed his throat, Ergon still did not die, and even still had the strength to raise his gun. A bullet flew past Eden's face as he slightly tilted his head, and stabbed his sword into his heart.

[You have eliminated Player 'Ergon'. Player Cache sent to your Inventory.]

Coldly looking down at the body, Eden said, "I cast Undead Servant."

Unlike Evil Servant, Undead Servant was not limited to a single servant. Instead, the caster would have to dominate the will of those they returned. A single one was fine, but as they packed up, the wills would stack.

This was not much of a problem for Eden, as he not only had a powerful will by itself, but his Soul Overlord practically negated the opposing will. However, that did not mean he could stack them infinitely, as they also had a toll on his mana.

It did not reduce his total MP, but his mana could only afford to be connected to so many beings. Adding Ergon, whose highest attribute was at 35, the limit for Eden's spell, filled up a good part of that quota. He estimated he could support about five more of his caliber, which was a lot already.

The nearby goblins, the few out of the mists and close to the gate, had stopped, some even throwing down their weapons as they started realizing what they were standing against. Those in the cloud were still struggling to get out of it, and further away, Eden noticed that the hobgoblin was dead, and all the members of the party were in one piece. They were starting to get overwhelmed, but were still alive. Only the undead barbarian was left in pieces on the ground.

Since there were only these few goblins left, Eden activated Omen of Death, freezing the remaining ones as he went on a killing spree. His sword and Cleave never needed a second strike, as the few dozen goblins left might as well have been toddlers before Eden.

The goblins were mid Tier 0, while Eden, all things considered, was a peak Tier I, and both a mage and a warrior. Adding to this, the difference in equipment, even if Eden just stood there, he doubted the goblins could kill him.

As for the Players, it had not been so much a difference of power as it had been a difference of experience. Strictly speaking, their stats did not differ much. Of course, Eden had the massive advantage that was Cursed Energy, but even without it, the results would not have changed.

Eden had gone through life and death multiple times already, facing vastly stronger enemies dead-set on killing him, been forced to stake his life against terrible odds, and had come out on top. This was an invaluable experience that allowed him to never hesitate.

This utter and complete lack of fear in the face of death was something so foreign to Ergon and Isis that they had allowed Eden to use his somewhat superior strength to crush them in one go.

Eden believed this to be the result of the so-called 'Golden Path'. Dividing everything into paths was silly to begin with, in his opinion, be it golden, nightmare, or whatever else they came up with.

The big guilds monopolized these so-called paths. Actually, 'Tier V' and 'Tier IV' Guilds were pretty much the only ones to exist, and they created these ranks to satisfy their own ego, to place themselves above the rest of the Playerbase. Anyone below Tier IV did not deserve to create a Guild; if they did, their guild would be swiftly crushed by the top ones and absorbed.

Rarely faced with any real danger, these Players might amass power, but they did not have the will to use it. They were flowers raised in a greenhouse, toppling in the face of the wind.

Still, they did manage to challenge Eden. He had only received a few attacks, but Eden's HP had been lowered to about 100 from its

usual 320. That lightning attack must have dealt 75% of that damage.

As the last goblins fell to Eden's blade, there was no acclaim or happy celebrations for winning the battle. Eden's companions slumped against the rocks they had retreated against, from sheer exhaustion. Only Sylfine seemed to be in a better condition as she looked at Crush's corpse intensely.

Astarion, who was holding his side in pain, hissed at Shadowheart, "'Dodge it' she says. I'd like to see you try!"

Shadowheart, sporting her fair amount of injuries as well, rolled her eyes, her body accustomed to punishment, and she argued, "I had to prepare for the second attack. It worked, didn't it?"

Astarion huffed, and the Cleric turned to Gale, who was cradling a bleeding arm. Her hands glowed with a holy light, the wound closing itself as she sighed, "I don't have any juice left."

Gale groaned in comfort, "Thank you, Shadowheart."

Eden approached and noticed them staring at his charred chest. Though they did not comment on it, Sylfine pushed herself with her elbows, her Ki working to mend her injuries internally as she asked, "Were those the others?"

Eden nodded, stripping Isis' body of all her loot. Ergon also followed closely behind, still armed with his handgun and sword.

"They were. Not very strong ones, but part of larger groups."

Gale looked at the corpses strewn at the entrance, commenting, "You seemed angry when that Warlock was killed. Was he one of us?"

"He was. Wyll Ravengard."

Astarion sat up straighter, "Ravengard? As in Ulder Ravengard?"

"Yes, that was his son. A famed hero of the Sword Coast, the Blade of Frontiers. A valuable ally." Eden confirmed.

Looking at the undead Ergon standing beside him, Eden still felt like slapping his head off. However, not all hope was lost. This was the world of Dungeons and Dragons, where death did not have to be permanent.

The rest of the Party joined him in the looting, grabbing whatever items appeared valuable. That hobgoblin apparently had a good weapon, though they kept it for selling.

Meanwhile, the gate they had protected opened after a while, and a group of Tieflings came out. They first inspected their dead, and their leader looked at a group of human adventurers, all dead, and cursed, "Those fools led them right to us!"

[Zevlor]

[Title: Hellrider Exile]

[HP: 71/150]

[MP: 170/170]

[Strength: 16]

[Agility: 14]

[Physique: 15]

[Intelligence: 17]

[Wisdom: 10]

The Tieflings approached Eden and his Party, thanking them, "If it weren't for you, I'm afraid we would have been overrun. We owe you our lives."

Astarion leaned forward, asking, "How about letting us in then?"

Zevlor said, "Of course! You are welcome inside. However, I fear it may not be for long. The druids are chasing us out, any outsiders that is, and this attack won't help our cause."

Astarion looked utterly indifferent to their plight, but Gale asked, "Surely they can be reasoned with?"

Zevlor shook his head with a sigh, explaining, "There is a massive goblin camp nearby, several hundred strong. This is only one of their teams. Their ranks have been bolstered with Drow allies as well. They are the reason why we are being pushed out, and if we are, they will exterminate us." He gestured at his fallen companions to prove his point.

Zevlor sighed and added, "I see the goblins got you good. You could try to speak to the druids, but I doubt they would help. Ever since Halsin left-"

Astarion exclaimed, "Halsin left?!"

The Archdruid was their reason for coming in the first place. If he was already gone, that meant this battle had been fought for nothing, in Astarion's eyes.

Zevlor looked back at the human adventurers, saying, "Yes, he left with this group to scout ahead, to help us. They were ambushed, and these foolish humans-"

He stopped himself, looking at Eden, apologizing, "Sorry, I did not mean anything by it. I-I'm just tired."

Eden reassured, "No problem, these are morons. Let me guess, they left the Archdruid behind, and led the goblins to your doorstep, causing this battle."

Zevlor nodded and said, "I am afraid you've missed him. But still, night is about to fall, you should come in. And while Archdruid Halsin may not be here, his disciple is. Look for Nettie. You might have a better chance with the druids than we did."

Finally, the party was allowed inside as they finished looting the corpses. Eden also sneakily picked up Wyll's corpse, putting it in his Inventory. They found a corner to set camp, and as they did, Withers somehow appeared. No one really knew when he got there, he looked like he had always been.

Once he spotted him, Eden approached, and before he could put in a word, Withers said, "I sense thou hast need of mine services."

Eden nodded, confirming, "Wyll Ravengard. Could you bring him back?"

Withers pointed back, "Are thou not capable of it too?"

Eden glared at Ergon, mumbling, "Not like that. I mean a proper resurrection. Something only the strongest of mortals can do, or those who stand above them."

"Stand. What a curious expression. Does thou not walk the same grounds?"

Controlling his urge to roll his eyes, Eden looked around before he took out Wyll's bisected body, "Funny how those tethered to the physical ground are so attached to the metaphysical, and how the opposite is true."

Withers hummed, thinking his words through. Whatever he thought of them, he examined the corpse and said, "The ring and the armor."

"The ring and the armor?"

Withers nodded matter-of-factly, and after a second, Eden took out the armor and ring Isis had been wearing. He did not have the time to inspect everything he had gotten, but Isis had yielded a full set of armor, a battle staff, and a ring. Of course, there was also her Inventory, but he had not opened that yet.

Taking them out, Eden was tempted to inspect them, to see what they could do, but he managed to stop himself. That would only cause him heartache.

If Withers had chosen them out of everything he had as the price for the resurrection, they had to be valuable.

But as valuable as they could be, Eden would still rather bring Wyll back.

These items could not be something of Sukuna's Fingers' caliber, considering who had worn them. The most likely thing was that they were either Rare or Super Rare items. Eden figured at least one of them had to be Super Rare at least.

But Wyll brought far more to the table. Eden wanted to save all the companions.

And this was not just for the potential side objective for his main mission, or each character's side quest that brought their fair share of rewards. This played a role, but not the biggest.

The most important aspect of them was their strength. Their potential strength, to be precise.

Right now, the companions were weak, weak enough that Eden could kill them just as easily as he did with the goblins. But the further they went, the stronger they would become, until the point where they very well might become stronger than him.

By then, one less companion would mean one less powerhouse at his side, one less powerful ally to fight against the numerous bosses of this world, and the Players and their schemes.

So Eden did not analyze the items and simply passed them to Withers.

They disappeared at his touch, but a golden light appeared at his fingertip as he chanted, "By doom and dusk, I strike thy name from the archives! Rise!"

The magical light coalesced around Wyll's form, seeping into his wounds and closing them, his two halves reattaching as life force filled him.

Then, Wyll woke up with a gasp.