Charles sank deeper and deeper into the water, the cold gripping his chest like an invisible claw.
His arms flailed desperately, searching for something—anything—to grab onto, but he found only more water.
The darkness was absolute, and the weight of his soaked tunic dragged him down mercilessly.
He couldn't feel the bottom, and that terrified him.
Each passing second drained the air from his lungs, and panic clouded his mind.
He tried to scream, but only a useless gurgle escaped, stealing more of his oxygen.
He couldn't speak, couldn't call the system for help, and the blue arrow glowing in his vision seemed to mock him, pointing to a spot even deeper in the water.
'Damn it!' he thought, his heart pounding so hard it felt ready to burst.
His legs kicked aimlessly, but they couldn't propel him upward.
Suddenly, Charles remembered what the system had said earlier about using his electric power to overload the lantern.
