The Corpse

In the quiet, darkness was closing in.

Standing perfectly still, Arthur couldn't help feeling a chill creep through him.

Through the crack in the door, his keen eyesight let him clearly make out the thing on the other side.

It was a humanoid monster, its body deathly pale. It had a woman's face, but her complexion was so pale she looked like a corpse.

Endless negative emotions surged from its pupils, as if they were going to swallow Arthur whole.

"Ding! Unknown force field detected. Recommend immediate withdrawal!"

The Chip's mechanical voice kept sounding in Arthur's mind, repeatedly urging him to leave at once.

Hearing the warning, Arthur didn't move.

The room was completely sealed and sturdily built. Outside the door, the humanoid monster was blocking the way, and it certainly didn't look like it would let Arthur leave.

Besides, even if he did get out, the outside might not be any safer.

Arthur could already feel it. With nightfall, the world seemed to have changed. An eerie atmosphere hung over the outside, and a terrifying sense of danger was closing in.

A sense of dread welled up inside him. Arthur slowly reached for the sword at his waist and drew it, then held his position and met those eyes without hesitation.

He didn't dare move, or risk opening the door. All he could do was stand there, locked in a standoff with the monster.

Across from him, the corpse-like monster remained motionless, standing there like a statue.

Time seemed to stand still.

After an unknown length of time, a faint sound slowly came from behind him.

An icy chill spread through the area, rousing the middle-aged man among the three people behind Arthur.

The man seemed to be the most alert of the three. As soon as he woke and saw Arthur standing before the door, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

As if he had noticed something, terror appeared in his eyes. His expression twisted, as though he had seen something horrifying.

He immediately clapped his right hand over his mouth and held perfectly still, afraid that the slightest sound might wake whatever was out there.

At some point, the area had suddenly gone quiet. The faint sounds that had once come from outside gradually faded away, and the air grew oppressive.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A knocking gradually sounded from beyond the door, unnervingly clear in the silence.

Facing the door, Arthur could just barely hear faint breathing from outside as well, growing closer with every moment.

For a while, no one spoke.

But the intermittent knocking outside grew clearer and louder.

The door trembled lightly, as if it could no longer withstand the force and was about to be smashed open by the monster on the other side.

Feeling the change, Arthur sighed and finally took two steps back, tightening his grip on the Black Rui Steel sword.

Behind him, all three had already woken at the sudden turn of events. They stared at the door in shock, their eyes filled with terror.

"Why? Why did we have to run into something so bizarre?"

The woman among them watched the door shuddering over and over and spoke through gritted teeth, deep fear in her eyes.

Beside her, the middle-aged man seemed to have accepted his fate. He sighed. "The monster upstairs got out."

"Three years have passed. We all thought that corpse was completely dead. Who knew it would finish transforming? Our presence must have drawn it down here!"

Their eyes were filled with despair and terror. They knew all too well how frightening the monster outside was.

Unlike the mutated insect beasts outside, which were powerful but still made of flesh and blood, this thing was a true aberration—something humanity could never defeat.

Reanimated corpses like this were incredibly tough, and no matter what injuries they suffered, they could quickly recover, as if they were immortal.

Under normal circumstances, if a monster like this showed up, even a settlement of several hundred people would be doomed. It would slowly slaughter everyone there.

They were trapped in a cramped room, with a terrifying monster right outside the door. The fact that the three of them hadn't broken down was already a stroke of luck.

"I was careless after all."

As the noise at the door grew louder and louder, the thought flashed through Arthur's mind.

Feeling the familiar, eerie presence outside, he was ninety percent certain the monster out there was the one that had been locked in a room upstairs.

Earlier, he had vaguely sensed something strange coming from there. But since the monster had been locked in the room and showed no signs of getting out, he hadn't paid it any mind.

He hadn't expected it to come out tonight—and from the way things looked, it was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

BANG!!!

A deafening crash rang out. A deathly pale arm burst straight through the door, flinging it wide open.

Standing before the doorway was a corpse with a deathly pale body. Its cold eyes swept across the area before settling on Arthur.

A terrifying pressure bore down on him. Arthur shuddered, feeling as though something horrifying had fixed its gaze on him.

"Unknown force field surrounding target. Unable to analyze physical data!" the Chip's mechanical voice rang out in his mind.

The instant the Chip's voice sounded, a deathly pale arm suddenly appeared before Arthur's eyes.

CLANG!!!

A black sword flashed through the air and hacked into the corpse's hand, ringing like steel striking steel.

It was as if the blade had struck solid metal. The sword jammed against the monster's arm. Even a sword made of Black Rui Steel couldn't cut it off.

"Retreat two steps!" the Chip's warning sounded in his mind once more.

Arthur leaped backward, barely dodging the attack, then charged forward without hesitation.

This time, he held nothing back. He charged forward at full speed and brought his sword down hard on the monster's neck.

A tremendous force struck him and sent him flying.

Across from him, most of the corpse's head had been cut off, with only a little flesh still holding it in place.

Tiny sprouts of flesh kept growing out, joining the two sides. In just an instant, the horrific wound on the monster's neck had healed completely, returning to normal.

A figure darted forward and kicked the monster away, sending it crashing into the wall behind it and leaving a huge dent.

Roar!!!

A hoarse growl came from the corpse's mouth. Its eyes were filled with venomous hatred. Though it had taken that heavy blow, it seemed completely unaffected and immediately charged forward.