Published at 12th of June 2026 6:25 am

Chapter 1797 The Ferryman

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A narrow boat drifted silently across the Screaming River.

Its dark wooden frame cut through the black waters without a sound. At the front of the tiny vessel hung a lone lantern, its pale light swaying gently as it illuminated the endless mist ahead.

Inside the boat sat a towering lich wrapped in ancient dark robes. A deep cowl covered his skull, hiding most of his hollow face beneath shadows. Yet the vertical black scar running across his eye socket and left side of the skull was unmistakable, giving him a striking appearance.

He calmly rowed the boat forward with very slow and steady movements. He quietly whistled a tune to himself as though he was simply taking an evening ride.

Beneath the black waters, countless dead souls twisted and drifted within the depths of the river. Their distant screams echoed endlessly through the mist. Yet something strange happened wherever the boat passed by.

The powerful souls lurking beneath the surface scattered away in fear!

The black water churned as they fled from the lich's presence, desperately creating distance between themselves and the ferryman crossing the Screaming River.

And all the while, he continued to whistle the same tune and sing.

***

Far across the black waters, on the banks of the Screaming River, Adam's eyes slowly opened.

His vision was blurred as cold mist drifted across the dark shoreline. Every part of his body ached unbearably, and even breathing felt painful.

Unbeknownst to him, he had lost consciousness sometime earlier.

The pain from his injuries, the exhaustion from the battle, and the crushing despair of being trapped in the Underworld had finally overwhelmed him.

As he lay sprawled on the barren earth and gazed at the ash skies above, he couldn't help but curse his misfortune. First, the Shadowmuir, and now, the Underworld.

At least, there had been a way to return from the Shadowmuir.

But the Underworld… No matter how he saw it, he just couldn't think of a way to return home. Thinking of the lich's parting words about how he was going to use Eddie as his vessel, Adam couldn't help but grit his teeth so hard that his gums started to bleed.

He covered his face and silently sobbed. He hated this feeling of being utterly helpless.

Suddenly, he sat back up and lowered his hands. His dark eyes flashed with light as he thought of something. But a moment later, his bruised face twisted into a scowl as reluctance seeped in.

He sat there on the banks of the black river in silence. If the Heavenly Demon could come to that conclusion, then so could he. The very thought of becoming an undead creature filled him with disgust. All his life, he had despised Necromancers and the abominations they created.

To him, the undead were unnatural creatures that should never exist in the world of the living. He had hunted them, burned them, and killed countless of them without hesitation.

And now, fate was forcing him toward the very thing he hated the most…

That thought alone made his stomach twist. Every instinct in his body rejected it. His pride, his beliefs, and even his sense of self screamed against the idea of discarding his humanity to become one of those monsters.

But a few moments later, his dark eyes erupted with savage resolve.

"I'll become a monster if it means leaving this place and ending you!!" He spat through gritted teeth.

He dove into his library of memories, searching through ancient texts for rituals capable of turning a living human into an undead creature. But he had only just begun when he suddenly sensed a faint disturbance in the distance.

Through the thick mist, countless silhouettes rushed toward him from afar.

Adam narrowed his eyes, his heart sinking as the seconds passed by. Finally, he realized what he was looking at.

A horde of undead creatures…

Hundreds of thousands of them!

Adam's expression immediately changed. Shock gave way to panic as he stared at the endless horde charging through the mist. The ground trembled beneath the sheer number of undead creatures rushing toward him, their distorted screams tearing through the air.

And among them, he could sense terrifying presences, their auras vastly beyond the Mana Core Rank. The pressure they emitted alone was enough to make his instincts scream in danger.

He realized why those creatures had been drawn to him. It was for one simple reason alone… he was alive.

The youth quickly looked around, searching for a way out. But there was none.

Ahead of him was a sea of undead creatures that could tear him apart in seconds. Behind him was the Screaming River, its black waters twisting with countless dead souls. Based on the little knowledge he possessed, stepping into that river would be no different from suicide.

For the first time in a very long time, he truly felt afraid. But the desperation in his heart and his refusal to die pushed him to instinctively attempt something he had only tried once before. He had no other choice but to gamble on it and hope it worked.

He willed the Faceless Mask to activate.

At once, his body began to writhe and churn. Flesh twisted beneath his skin as his muscles tightened and shifted unnaturally. His blood turned cold inside his veins, while parts of his organs seemingly decayed and reshaped themselves.

A sickly pale color spread across his body. His heartbeat slowed until it nearly vanished altogether. Then his aura changed. The presence of life surrounding him disappeared, replaced by the cold and deathly aura of an undead creature.

In only a few moments, Adam had shapeshifted into a zombie!

Then he simply lay there motionless on the riverbank, hoping the horde would mistake him for one of their own. His shapeshifting was enough to fool those at the same arcane ranks. But could it deceive those more powerful than him? He didn't know. He had never tried it before.

But then… something strange happened.

The massive horde in the distance gradually slowed to a halt. Countless undead creatures stood frozen in place as if sensing something strange about him.

The silence lasted only for a few moments.

Then the horde suddenly turned around and scattered in every direction.

Almost a minute passed in unbearable, suffocating silence before Adam slowly sat back up and looked toward the fleeting horde. At first, he was dumbfounded. But soon, relief washed over him.

Yet even that brief relief vanished almost instantly when a cold, unfamiliar voice echoed from behind him.

"How peculiar."

Adam froze.

He slowly turned around, and his gaze landed on a lich with a black line running vertically across the left side of its skull. The man's aura was vast and haunting beyond belief. Adam had only taken a single glance before his mind was instantly overwhelmed, his vision darkening as his eyes rolled back.

The flames in the lich's sockets flickered. Only then did he realize what had just happened, and he withdrew his overwhelming aura.

The lich slowly bent down, lifted Adam over his shoulder, and placed him inside the small boat. Then he pushed the vessel forward and began paddling across the Screaming River.

All the while, he continued to whistle and softly sing to himself.

"She waits for the day when the gates swing wide.

"When dead men rise like a black tide.

"And all the realms will come to hear…

"The sound of the Laughing God."

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