The black tattoo on Evelyn's arm suddenly peeled off and began to drip to the ground like dark blood. When the viscous fluid had all pooled, it began to rise and swirl, coalescing into the figure of a handsome young man with dark, short hair and crimson eyes, just like Evelyn's.

He was dressed in an elegant suit, distinctly resembling a butler, and he radiated an air of nobility.

He raised his hands, examining himself, before his gaze snapped to Evelyn, who was kneeling and covering her mouth, weeping as she stared at him.

"My lady?"

He immediately dropped in front of her, pulling her into a hug. While she clutched him tightly, tears streaming down her face, she repeated in disbelief, "You are alive, Julius. Thank goodness you came back… I thought... I thought I lost you forever."

They continued to embrace and murmur soft words to each other for a moment. While they were busy in their heartfelt reunion, I turned my attention to the side.

'Gamer Privileges…'

[Activating Gamer Privileges…]

'Pull up her stats.'

[Retrieving Character information.]

~~~~~~ Character Profile ~~~~~~

Character Name: [Evelyn Marcus]

Age: [17]

Level: [14]

Grade: [2]

Element: [Water]

Class: [Necromancer]

Exclusive Class Attribute: [Sanguimancy]

Bond Name: [Julius Salvador]

Bonded Ability: [True Vampire]

Exclusive Skills: [Blood Aegis - Lv8], [Eternal Covenant - Lv8]

EXP: [200 / 10,000]

~~~~~~ ============== ~~~~~~

'Necromancer? Mmm…'

That class was one with a lot of potential.

'Hopefully, her abilities prove helpful to us,' I thought, closing her profile. With the resurrection complete, I stood and left the party members, who were busy catching up, to a quiet corner. I needed to go to sleep as I was already drained and had a long day ahead of me in the morning.

I took out a sleeping bag from my inventory and collapsed into it, pulling the flap over my head. Barely a few seconds later, I was overcome by such profound exhaustion that I plunged instantly into a deep sleep.

***

I was still deeply asleep when Aika's voice echoed in my mind:

'How long do you plan to sleep for? Get up, we need to move soon.'~~

I shifted into a more comfortable position inside my sleeping bag. 'Just give me five minutes… just five…'~

For a moment, it was quiet, then Aika's voice returned, echoing louder:

'Punk! Do you want me to come wake you up myself?!'

I immediately sat upright and looked around.

I could see the others seated around the fireplace. They all seemed ready to move. The whisper-globe projected the map while Ino went through the final briefing with them, paying special attention to Julius and Evelyn.

In a corner away from the fireplace, Aika sat alone, puffing on her pipe.

I looked away and rubbed my face, then raked my fingers frantically through my hair. For some unknown reason, I was suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of deep depression and exhaustion. It felt as if all the positive energy in my life had suddenly vanished, leaving me hollowed out and depleted.

I sighed, slumped my shoulders, and stared into nothing.

After a few minutes or so, I heard Ino's voice near me:

"You okay?"

A few seconds passed before I finally looked up at her. She tilted her head, then added, while also drawing circles around her eyes, "Though you just woke up, you look like you haven't slept in a week, and lost a fight with a hangover."

I managed a small smile and waved her off. "I'm fine."

Ino stared at me questioningly for a moment, then shrugged. "If you say so. Anyway, the party is ready to head out, so we'll be moving now."

I glanced from her to the others, who were all standing, and nodded. "Alright."

"I'll be leading the way," she confirmed, then turned and walked back to the group.

With a grunt of effort, I pushed myself off the cavern floor. I then kicked the sleeping bag into the inventory and forced myself to stretch out my stiff limbs.

Then I turned and started walking wearily to join the others, who had already begun moving toward the narrow path leading to the cave entrance, with Ino in the lead followed by Dion.

But right as I took a few steps, I saw Evelyn suddenly turn and approach me with Julius walking silently behind her.

Just like her bond, Julius, she had this air of nobility around her. I paused narrowing my eyes to study her because she seemed entirely different from what I remember about her. Of course, she looked so much more confident than she was before at the Aziz Beautiful Garden. But that was not all. There was something palpably lethal about her. Her crimson eyes gave off a chilling, predatory glint, suggesting she was capable of and perhaps enjoyed violence.

Looking at her, I could tell that now that she had her bond back, her real personality had fully emerged, stripped of the vulnerability she had worn before she died.

When she stopped in front of me, she smiled and greeted, "Hey."

I returned the greeting with a simple "Hey."

She then lowered her head and began, "I heard from Dion that it's because of your ability that both Julius and I are alive. Thank you, thank you so much. I honestly don't know how I will ever be able to repay you."

It wasn't just her; even her bond, Julius, was lowering his head. "Thank you, Cedric, for reuniting me with my lady."

I alternated my gaze between the two of them, then finally spoke.

"There's no need to thank me. We are a party."

I paused for a beat, then added more seriously, "If you truly want to repay me, then try to be useful to the party."

Evelyn raised her head, then smiled again and said softly, "Of course. You can count on us."

I then gave a curt nod and turned onto the dark, narrow path leading to the entrance.

When I finally stepped out of the cave, I was immediately met by the overpowering, pungent stench of decay.

I coughed, reflexively covering my nose with one hand, but without slowing, I joined the others and we began our long trip northwest.

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