Limitless Undead System! I can Copy all Undead attributes.-Chapter 75: The Choice with Bridges.

The group had finally started moving.

Silva and Brian took the lead, their figures cutting through the dim tunnel ahead while the rest of the main party followed closely behind them in a tight, cautious formation.

Steven, on the other hand, deliberately stayed toward the rear of the group, with Nott and Shawn trailing not far behind him. It wasn’t an accident, nor was it laziness. Steven preferred having eyes on everyone rather than trusting the people behind him.

They moved mostly in silence, boots scraping against stone, armor plates softly clinking with every step. The tunnels twisted unnaturally, curving and narrowing in ways that made it difficult to tell whether they were moving forward, downward, or simply in circles.

Steven could feel it, the weight of the gazes of the Cohort in front.

Glances were thrown his way when they thought he wasn’t looking. Some were sharp and filled with suspicion, others hesitant and unreadable, as though the owners themselves didn’t fully understand what they felt toward him.

’I’m not taking chances,’ Steven thought, his senses sharpened. ’Not again.’

At any moment, he was prepared to summon the Red Fang, muscles tense beneath his gear, his mind already calculating angles, distance, and reaction time in case one of them decided to turn back and attack him.

Fear made people stupid. Desperation made them worse.

They continued walking for a while longer, pushing through the winding twists and turns of the tunnels until, at last, they reached an end.

A way out.

The horrid, suffocating tunnels gave way to blinding daylight.

The sudden contrast made several members of the group flinch, hands instinctively rising to shield their eyes as the treacherous light of day spilled into the cavern mouth like liquid gold.

It was... serene.

Steven paused for a fraction of a second, watching the light seep across the stone floor and creep along the walls, illuminating the worn carvings and cracks that had gone unnoticed in the darkness.

’This is the first time in days I’ve seen daylight,’ Steven thought. ’In the Forsaken Ruin Castle, you can’t even tell day from night.’

The same realization seemed to strike the others as well.

One by one, the awakened stepped out of the tunnel in small clusters, emerging into the warm, basking sunlight. Some breathed out shakily, others straightened their posture as if the light itself gave them strength.

Steven, Shawn, and Nott were the last to exit.

They stepped fully out of the tunnel and into the open air.

They stood on a massive stone ledge suspended high above the clouds. Thick, rolling blankets of white stretched endlessly below them, hiding whatever lay beneath. The world felt distant, unreal, as though they had stepped outside the realm of reality itself.

Steven immediately recognized it.

’Just like before,’ he thought.

The ledge was eerily similar to the one he had first arrived on when he had been dragged into this nightmare. The same vertigo-inducing height. The same unnatural stillness.

But there was one crucial difference.

Floating several meters away, partially obscured by drifting clouds, was another island. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

An entire landmass hovered in the air, ancient stone and broken ruins faintly visible through the mist.

"Doesn’t this bring back memories?" Steven taunted lightly.

Nott’s helmet rattled as he turned his head sharply toward Steven, the metallic sound echoing faintly.

"You guys have been here?" Shawn asked, genuinely puzzled as he glanced between Steven and the floating island.

Steven shook his head briefly. "Well, not precisely... but we’ve been somewhere similar."

His tone was light, almost joking, as though the situation amused him.

That tone did not go unnoticed.

Some members of the party clenched their teeth. Others shifted uncomfortably, shrinking slightly in their stance as they found Steven’s casual demeanor unsettling, borderline mocking.

’We get the point,’ one of them thought bitterly. ’Why the hell is he mocking us...?’

Several placed their hands on their weapons, fingers tightening around hilts and grips. But none of them acted.

They waited.

Waiting for a final provocation.

It never came.

Steven didn’t give it to them.

At the front of the group, Silva had been surveying their surroundings with sharp, calculating eyes. A few others stood beside her as she reminded herself of the objective, getting off this island alive.

Between their island and the next floated three bridges.

Wrinkled, Aged and Ancient.

They looked like long, narrow paths carved from stone and bone, each lined closely beside the others, all leading toward the same destination.

Three bridges. One path forward.

"It’s like some kind of choice game," Brian muttered, breaking the silence.

Julius stepped forward, his face darkening as he stared at the bridges. He shook his head slowly.

"It’s not a choice," he said grimly. "It’s a trap."

Everyone turned toward him.

"One bridge might be stable," Julius continued. "The other two are likely faulty. A defensive mechanism."

His eyes narrowed.

"If the king escaped the island and destroyed the main bridge, these would stop pursuers. The faulty ones would hold weight long enough to lure enemies halfway across... then snap."

A few swallowed hard.

"Killing them all."

Silva had reached the same conclusion.

’I can’t see the fate of the bridges,’ she thought, frustration creeping in. ’They’re inanimate. Not alive. Not part of the realm.’

Her skill simply wasn’t designed for this.

Her gaze slowly traveled across the gathered awakened, until it finally locked onto Steven.

He stood apart from the group, striking exaggerated, sarcastic poses while conversing quietly with Shawn and Nott. From their expressions, the three of them looked almost... relaxed.

Too relaxed.

"Steven! Come over here!" Silva called out, her voice firm and loud enough for everyone to hear.

Steven sighed audibly, his shoulders drooping as if burdened by the mere act of being summoned. He turned toward her with tired, unimpressed eyes.

After saying a few more words to Shawn and Nott, he finally began walking toward the group.

Julius frowned.

So did Brian.

The two clearly harbored deep resentment toward him.

’I get Julius,’ Steven thought as he approached. ’But this other buffoon? I didn’t even do shit to him.’

His gaze hardened slightly.

’I’ll have to get rid of them both.’

"We need your skill set," Silva said once he arrived. "The way you found the door during the Eldritch King encounter. Can you do the same here?"

Steven followed the direction of her hand, eyes settling on the bridges.

"I’ll try," he replied, his tone uncertain.

Whether the uncertainty was genuine or fabricated, none of them could tell.

Silva, Brian, and Julius all tensed.

They knew their relationship with Steven was strained at best. Up until now, they hadn’t truly acknowledged how much power he held in this situation.

Silva felt a chill crawl up her spine.

Steven was hiding something from her. She knew it. And he was actively trying to surpass her in strength—just as she was doing the same.

If Steven wanted to, he could send them all to their deaths by directing them toward the wrong bridge.

The thought made her chest tighten.

She didn’t let it show.

Julius clenched his teeth, memories of his dead comrade burning fresh in his mind.

’Not again,’ he thought. ’I won’t let my eyes be wasted in the hands of this commoner.’

He watched Steven closely, his posture, his breathing, his eyes, all searching desperately for signs of deception.

Brian was the most tense of all.

Not because of long-standing hatred or any meaningful grievance. At least, not meaningful to Steven.

’If he kills me,’ Brian thought, ’he won’t have competition over Silva... He likes her. I can see it in his gaze.’

Who the hell thinks like that?

Steven ignored them all.

He stepped to the edge of the ridge where the middle bridge began, boots stopping just short of the drop. He inhaled slowly and scanned the bridges with deliberate care.

{Affinity to the dead has been activated}

The sensation crawled through his veins like cold fingers.

He made quick, subtle glances across all three bridges, careful not to stare too long. Then, on his second pass, he lingered on the middle bridge.

Something felt... off.

He shifted his gaze to the last bridge, studying it for a few seconds longer.

His lips curled slightly.

"I can see the right one," Steven said, turning back toward the group.

Instead of relief, he was met with dread.

Every face stared at him with suspicion. Fear. Doubt.

His delay. His confidence. His choice of words.

Steven laughed inwardly.

’It’s funny how scared they are,’ he thought. ’They know I’ve got their lives in the palm of my hands.’

"Which one?" Silva asked, barely managing to keep her composure intact.

"It’s the middle," Steven replied immediately.

Too immediately.

The speed of his answer sent a wave of unease through the group.

Thoughts spiraled wildly, whether to trust him or not.

Julius snapped.

He stepped forward and grabbed Steven’s shoulder hard, fingers digging into the armor.

"You lying bastard!" Julius roared. "Do you think I don’t know your schemes? Do you think I’m stupid?!"

"Actually," Steven said calmly, tilting his head, "I know you’re stupid."

A soft clang echoed as steel met steel.

Julius froze.

A massive hand had clamped onto his shoulder, grey armor, heavy and imposing.

The Grey Knight’s eyes burned with fury.

Julius recoiled instantly, pulling his hand away from Steven and staggering back.

He spat on the ground.

"Bastard!"

Steven smiled faintly.

"Now," he said, turning toward the bridges, "shall we begin crossing?"