I received a party chat from Siva saying they were waiting for me outside the 7-Eleven. Jess had finished her sub-class selection, and they had each gone in to make additional purchases.

  I really wanted to buy some things too, but I didn’t trust myself to face Eva. Not yet. At that moment, I just wanted to kill some mobs.

  As I walked toward them, I took deep breaths to calm myself. No need for them to see me like this. I took my time.

  When I arrived, they all turned to look at me, and it was Siva who asked, “How was it?”

  I told them I’d fill them in later, and thankfully, they didn’t push the subject.

  “You good?” I asked Siva.

  He nodded. He did look better.

  “Great. Let’s kill some mobs.”

  Shawn retrieved the Digger, and we drove around for a bit, looking for mobs to fight. I told them we needed to train, level up and get stronger. Truth be told, I just wanted to burn the frustration out of me. I kept my minimap open, scanning for red dots, the telltale sign of mobs.

  I had an idea of where we could find some and instructed Shawn to head for Sembawang Park. The last park we’d visited had been crawling with mobs, which we’d cleared out with Shawn’s previous party. Sembawang Park was also rumored to be haunted. We’d all heard the stories, and I wanted to see how the system would twist those stories into something real.

  We exited the truck and stepped into the park. As usual, the system had exaggerated nature’s features. The grass, trees, and bushes had become a wild, tangled mess, the undergrowth thick and unruly. Park benches lay broken, barbecue pits scattered and rusted. The place was a chaotic mockery of the beautiful park it once was.

  I kept my bow ready, eyes scanning the dense foliage. Shawn walked by my side, his expression focused. Siva had his katana drawn, every step measured and alert. Jess, unarmed, had cast a [Torch] spell, its bright light illuminating the path ahead.

  We made our way down to the waterline, the sand underfoot softening the sound of our footsteps. That’s when the first wave of mobs appeared.

  Giant manta rays, black as night and easily the size of a car, emerged from the sea. Their wings spread wide, each one sporting a wingspan of at least 25 feet. Three of them flapped toward us with a terrifying screech, their massive bodies slicing through the air like deadly kites.

  I didn’t hesitate. My first arrow found its mark, sinking deep into one of their bodies as I dove to the side. The moment I hit the ground, I rolled and was back on my feet, shooting another volley of arrows. The manta ray screeched, twisting in the air as it flapped away, narrowly avoiding my next shot.

  Siva and Shawn weren’t far behind. They charged into battle, but the manta rays weren’t so easily caught. They flew higher, circling above us like vultures, waiting for the right moment to strike. Every time one swooped down, I could feel the tension building, knowing that if it hit, we’d be in serious trouble.

  I kept up the barrage, arrows flying, but the creatures were fast, their black scales tough, and their aerial movements erratic. They’d swoop in close, only to retreat back into the air, gathering speed for another dive-bomb.

  Siva was up in the air with them now, his katana flashing as he fought mid-flight. He activated his [Air Walk] ability, feet no longer bound to the ground, giving him the freedom to slice through the air, dodging the manta rays’ strikes. Meanwhile, Shawn started hurling purple energy blobs from his hands, each one draining the health of a flying beast. It wasn’t enough to bring them down, but it was making a dent.

  Jess hung back, her morningstar gripped tightly, ready to swing it if any of the manta rays dared come too close. She wasn’t directly engaging, but her presence was enough to keep the beasts from ignoring her entirely.

  Despite our efforts, these mobs were proving far harder to kill than any we’d encountered before. Their tough hides absorbed arrows like nothing, and their speed kept them just out of reach. Soon, three more appeared, bursting from the sea, joining the initial three, and now we had six monsters to deal with.

  I shot a few more arrows to give me some space and quickly accessed my inventory, crafting [Flame Arrows] by combining a regular torch with an arrow. It wasn’t instant like my Quiver of Plenty, I'd have to manually retrieve it from my inventory and equip it.

  New notifications popped up in my HUD, but I ignored them.

  The flame arrows worked wonders. As soon as one hit, the manta ray was engulfed in flames, falling from the sky with a terrible screech. It hit the ground with a sickening thud, fast becoming a smoldering heap. Shawn was there in an instant, his scythe materializing in his hand, cutting the creature down for good.

  He continued to cast a spell on the dead creature, purple energy surging over the fallen manta ray as it reanimated. It floated, glowing faintly, and with a flap of its wings, it took to the air once again, this time on our side. Chunks of charred flesh fell from its body as it joined the fight.

  I caught a glimpse of Jess’s face, her features twisted in disgust at the sight of the reanimated creature. She looked away, clearly uncomfortable, but I didn’t have time to comment.

  Shawn wasn’t done. He reached out with his hand, pulling one of the remaining manta rays out of the sky, like he was using a Jedi force pull. The beast struggled, but Shawn held it in place, hovering just above us.

  “Siva!” he shouted.

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  Siva leapt into the air, his katana flashing in the dim light. He met the manta ray mid-flight, slicing it clean in half. The two halves dropped to the ground, landing with sickening thuds, their bodies twitching for a moment before going still.

  We fought on, systematically taking them down one by one. There was only one left, but then the air grew colder. A thick, white mist began to descend upon us, soaking into my clothes, chilling my skin.

  “Back up to the park!” I shouted, gesturing toward the higher ground. “Move, now!”

  We broke into a run, retreating inland away from the beach, gathering together as Jess made her [Torch] spell burn brighter, trying to pierce through the growing mist.

  But something about this mist wasn’t normal. It wasn’t just a fog coming in from the sea. There was something else, something that didn’t feel right.

  We could hear sobbing. Soft, mournful cries floating through the mist. We scanned the fog, trying to locate the source.

  A woman appeared, stumbling toward us through the thickening mist. She was dressed in a baju kebaya, the traditional Malay dress, her hair a disheveled mess as tears streaked down her face. She collapsed into Siva’s arms, her cries echoing in the heavy air. Behind her, more women came running, all in a similar state. They were all crying, their expressions full of terror.

  A sweet, almost intoxicating fragrance filled the air as Shawn and I rushed to help them up, scanning for any injuries.

  Where had they come from? Were they survivors? The urge to help them overwhelmed me, to comfort them in whatever nightmare they had been through. I… I suddenly felt a strong urge to be with them.

  I opened my mouth to ask them where they had come from, but before I could, the world around us shifted.

  Without warning, Jess’s [Holy Nova] spell detonated. A golden dome expanded outward, a pulse of shimmering light engulfing everything. As the women were thrown into the air, their bodies twisted and changed, their faces contorting into grotesque masks of rot. Their eyes glowed red, and their fangs bared in a vicious snarl. The traditional dresses they wore morphed into burial shrouds, their skin sickly and decayed.

  “They’re Pontianaks!” Jess shouted, her voice a mix of horror and recognition.

  What the hell… Really? So that's how the system was integrating local myths?

  Pontianaks, the vengeful spirits of women who died during childbirth. They were said to roam the earth, seducing men before eventually draining their blood. Local vampires, if you will.

  We had only moments before Jess’s protection spell would run out. I counted five of them hovering just outside the golden dome, their rotting forms snarling and testing the barrier with razor-sharp nails, trying to tear through.

  “Shawn, how do we kill them?” I shouted, adrenaline making my voice sharp.

  “What the hell are you asking me for?” he shot back. “I’m not Malay, if you couldn’t tell. How the hell should I know?”

  Jess stepped forward, her gaze focused and sharp as she studied the Pontianaks. We only had a few precious seconds before the golden dome would collapse.

  “Erm… They’re incorporeal,” she muttered, her tone low but firm.

  “What does that mean?” Siva asked, turning to her, brows furrowed in confusion.

  “It means we’re fucked,” I replied, frustration creeping into my voice. I knew what incorporeal meant, our weapons couldn’t touch them. At least, not mine or Siva’s.

  Shawn, surprisingly, didn’t seem fazed. A grin spread across his face. “Ah! Well, that changes things,” he said, stepping forward to join Jess. “You ready to do this?”

  Jess slowly nodded, lifting her morningstar with steady hands. A soft golden glow enveloped her body, radiating with an almost ethereal light. It was both beautiful and terrifying.

  Above us, the last remaining manta ray circled ominously in the sky, its massive wings casting a shadow over the battlefield.

  “Once the dome breaks, you and Siva handle that last flying fish,” Shawn said, his voice cold with purpose. “Leave these ladies to us.”

  “Three... two... one!” Jess counted down, and we ran. Siva and I made a beeline for the beach as the last manta swooped toward us. It banked in mid-air, narrowly avoiding both my flame arrows and Siva’s slashes as he ran across the sky once again.

  This last manta was proving to be a far more agile and elusive target. It darted and swerved, dodging our attacks while trying to impale us with its razor-sharp tail. I could see Jess and Shawn holding their ground against the five Pontianaks. Thankfully, the undead women were focused on them, leaving us a moment’s respite. Their weapons were doing their job, two of the Pontianaks had already fallen, leaving just three.

  I looked up just in time to see the manta dive at us. Without thinking, I raised my hand and cast [Shockwave]. The blast hit the creature with such force it flew across the beach, slamming into a tree branch, impaling its body. Siva took the opportunity, running forward to slice it clean in half.

  Just as the manta’s death thrashing died off, I heard the last shriek from one of the Pontianaks abruptly stop. I turned quickly to see Jess standing over its lifeless body, her morningstar buried deep in its skull.

  We jogged over to join Shawn and Jess, both of them catching their breath. Shawn grinned, but Jess was still visibly unsettled, her face pale from the fight.

  “What happened? How did you know you two could hurt them?” Siva asked, looking between them.

  “My scythe can cut through incorporeal mobs. It’s a necromancy class feature,” Shawn explained, his grin widening. “As for her... Why don’t you tell him?”

  Jess shifted uncomfortably but managed a wan smile. “My sub-class is Paranormal Investigator. It... gives me buffs against ghost class mobs.”

  We regrouped with our backs to the sea, surrounded by the wreckage of the fight. Jess stood quietly, eyes fixed on something beyond the horizon.

  All our HUDs pinged at once.

  [NEW QUEST UNLOCKED]

  Title: A Whisper in the Walls

  Location: Sembawang Colonial Bungalow

  Objective: Investigate abnormal spiritual residue

  Warning: Paranormal Threat Detected - Class II

  Reward: Unknown

  Jess frowned, already stepping forward. “That place up the hill,” she said, nodding toward the fog-shrouded silhouette of the colonial house. “I saw it marked on the minimap earlier.”

  “It’s a real place,” I said quietly. “The old naval officer’s bungalow.”

  Shawn cracked his knuckles. “Ghost hunt, huh? Feels like being back in school.” He clapped Siva on the shoulder.

  Siva blinked at him, confused.

  “You’ve never gone looking for ghosts after a barbecue? Night crawl?” Shawn asked.

  “Erm… no…” Siva replied.

  “My friend, let me tell you what you’ve missed out on…” Shawn said, arm across Siva's shoulder already leading him up the hill.

  I looked up at the red dot blinking on our HUDs.

  A quest. Our first.

  I wasn’t sure whether to be excited… or very, very worried.