Red Tide Corpse Queen

"You can't go."

"Why not?"

"The Corpse Demon is too dangerous!"

"No matter how dangerous a monster is, it can still be killed! I have the courage and resolve to face the Corpse Demon."

"Dorothy, courage and resolve won't avenge him. They may only cost you your life."

"But... he was my brother."

A fierce argument echoed through the hall of the Lord's Manor.

"Roger, hurry and talk Dorothy down."

"She's come five or six times this month already. Every time, she asks the lord for permission to recruit people to hunt the Corpse Demon."

"Ever since Kane died, it's like she's become a different person..."

The two Guards explained the whole story in a rush.

Kane had been the captain of Tongma Town's former garrison. He had been a dependable man.

He had been one of Roger's few friends in Tongma Town.

He had accompanied Roger through the difficult early days of his life as an Adventurer after crossing over. Roger had always been deeply grateful for that and kept it in his heart.

A year ago, Kane had recruited a group of elite Adventurers in town.

They had set out in great force to exterminate the Corpse Demon that had plagued the region for years, only to be mysteriously wiped out.

Tongma Town had been badly weakened as a result. Last winter, the Moors from the north had nearly broken into its granaries.

During that time, quite a few townspeople had secretly blamed Kane for his recklessness.

Roger entered the hall.

A tall girl stood beside a marble pillar, fiercely arguing with the white-haired steward of the Lord's Manor.

She wore snug chestnut leather armor, with sharp daggers tucked into the straps at her waist and thighs.

Her skin was fair. Perhaps because she was too agitated, her forehead was beaded with dewdrop-like sweat, and even the veins that were usually barely visible stood out clearly.

She was Dorothy, Kane's younger sister and Tongma Town's current garrison captain.

"Roger?"

Dorothy noticed him, surprise flickering in her eyes.

Roger nodded lightly and strode over to the pair.

"Are you here to stop me?"

Dorothy noticed the two evasive Guards, and her gaze turned hostile.

"No. I'm here to accept the bounty on the Corpse Demon."

As he spoke, Roger casually pressed the bounty notice onto the desk before the old steward.

The hall fell silent for five or six seconds.

"Are you joking, Roger?"

The old steward shakily adjusted his glasses. Looking at the bounty notice in Roger's hand, he muttered, "Mad. You've all gone mad."

Dorothy stood frozen, her expression gradually becoming complicated.

The two Guards who had encouraged Roger to enter the hall were even more dumbfounded.

They had not noticed Roger tearing down the Corpse Demon bounty at all! In their minds, Roger was an exceptionally rare sort of honest, rule-abiding Adventurer.

Hunting monsters had never had anything to do with Roger.

"Wait!"

Dorothy suddenly came to her senses and grabbed Roger's arm.

"You can't go!"

"Why not?"

Roger asked.

"The Corpse Demon is too dangerous!"

Dorothy anxiously brushed back her slightly disheveled hair.

"No matter how dangerous a monster is, it can still be killed, right?"

"You're not the only one with resolve, Dorothy."

Roger spoke calmly.

Dorothy lightly bit her lip, looking thoughtful. "Are you trying to remind me to be more rational this way?"

"But that was Kane..."

"No, no, no."

Roger could not help rolling his eyes.

"Don't overthink it. I meant exactly what I said."

Then he looked at the old steward. "The Lord's Manor should have detailed information on the Corpse Demon, right?"

The old steward silently watched Roger. After a while, seeming to recognize Roger's determination, he said helplessly:

"We do indeed have detailed information on the Corpse Demon."

"But to prevent some Adventurers from misjudging the target's strength, we have added a prerequisite mission."

"Only after you complete the prerequisite mission will we give you the Corpse Demon's detailed information."

Roger considered it briefly, then nodded.

"What is the prerequisite mission?"

"The Red Tide Corpse Queen."

Without further delay, the old steward took a relatively new parchment scroll from a drawer and handed it to Roger.

"As long as you kill the Red Tide Corpse Queen on Cloud Terrace Mountain within three months, we will offer up the Corpse Demon's information with both hands, in addition to a reward of 300 copper tokens."

"We hope you understand. We truly do not want the town's able-bodied fighters to throw their lives away for nothing."

Roger gave the contents of the parchment a rough glance and nodded slightly.

"Understood."

"Farewell."

Amid the Guards' ghost-stricken expressions, he turned and left the Lord's Manor.

"Roger!"

Before he had gone far, Dorothy caught up with him, just as he had expected.

"The Red Tide Corpse Queen... I'll go with you."

She said.

Roger answered decisively, "Fine."

"Tomorrow morning, north of the Pumpkin Field. I'll wait for you."

Dorothy froze again. She had expected Roger to refuse, but he had agreed so readily.

She looked Roger up and down once more, as if she were seeing a stranger.

"It's a deal."

Dorothy let out a breath, then asked with lingering doubt:

"Where are you going now? This is the road to Cloud Terrace Mountain."

"Oh, I'm going to gather herbs."

Roger said.

More than an hour later.

Outside a valley halfway up Cloud Terrace Mountain.

Roger moved steadily along the steep rock wall, his breathing even.

Waist-high Weeds severely obstructed his vision.

Fortunately, he still had the "Qi Divination Technique."

In Roger's field of vision, thin Crimson Qi Pillars rose skyward ahead.

Above the gorge hung an ominous mass of scarlet Blood Cloud that refused to disperse.

That meant there were a great many monsters in the gorge!

Roger quietly stopped.

Not far ahead, a lone crimson qi pillar ceased moving.

It was a Red Tide Zombie.

Red Tide Zombie LV4 Health 35 Defense 5 Weak to Thunder

After glancing over the data obtained through the Qi Divination Technique.

Roger gently untied the Greatsword from his back and gripped it firmly in both hands.

This type of Greatsword was standard equipment for Tongma Town's garrison. It was somewhat smaller than common two-handed swords and relatively more agile to wield, making it well suited for small-scale combat.

Kane had given this Greatsword to Roger.

In a territory like Tongma Town, which did not produce steel, it had been a valuable gift.

Suppressing his thoughts.

Roger adjusted his breathing and suddenly activated Ambush! His figure shot forward like lightning.

Within the Weeds.

The Red Tide Zombie sluggishly tried to turn around, but Roger was already upon it. The blade in his hand swept horizontally toward the monster's waist!

With the boost from Charge Up, this strike could unleash 500% of its power! Whether it was Attack Power, damage, strength, accuracy, or the Cleave Check.

They all received a 500% effect! Splurt!

Like a sickle cutting through straw, the sharp blade severed the Red Tide Corpse at the waist without the slightest resistance.

The monster silently split into two. It struggled on the ground for a brief moment before dying completely.

"It really is this smooth!"

Roger exhaled in relief.

He skillfully pulled out a piece of burlap and wiped the yellowish blood from his Greatsword clean before setting his sights on the second target.

Amid the waist-high grass, the silent slaughter slowly continued.

With the precise positioning of the "Qi Divination Technique," Roger was like a reaper of souls, taking the lives of isolated monsters one after another.

You killed 1 Red Tide Zombie. Total Red Tide Zombies killed: 9

You gained 1 XP

Your Pain Resistance has slightly increased

Before making his move, Roger had cast Sin Mark on the Red Tide Zombie.

This kind of monster provided a rather good attribute gain: resistance to pain.

Unfortunately, monsters like Red Tide Zombies did not possess the reproductive ability of Magic Explosion Frogs. Otherwise, Roger really would have considered maxing out his Pain Resistance before leaving.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! The wind from his blade stirred the grass.

Roger cleanly cut off a monster's head, then casually wiped the sweat from his forehead.

His brows furrowed slightly.

"This is too slow..."

"And it won't be easy to find lone Red Tide Zombies anymore. The rest are gathered in the valley."

At that moment, four halves from two Red Tide Zombies lay before him.

He had originally intended to kill only one, but had accidentally alerted the other.

Fortunately, with his current skills, taking on two at once was not difficult.

But this made Roger realize that continuing this way would not only be too inefficient, but also unsafe.

Groups of Red Tide Zombies could pose a threat to him.

"I need to change strategies."

"First, I'll take a look at the situation in the valley!"

Roger planted the Greatsword in the ground, hung a coil of rope from his waist, then traveled light. Before long, he nimbly climbed the cliff on the eastern side of the gorge.

His "Climbing" skill was at 49 points—the limit of LV5—more than enough for terrain like this.

After reaching higher ground, he raised his eyes and looked into the distance.

Deep in the gorge, groups of three to five Red Tide Zombies moved about irregularly.

The next second, Roger's eyelid twitched.

Among the zombies, he actually spotted a perfectly intact tent!

A fat, towering zombie emerged from the tent.

As if sensing something, she suddenly glanced toward the rock wall outside the gorge.

The rock wall was completely empty.