Undead Creature

Chapter 4: Undead Creature

Ever since the Black Stone Vein had been discovered beneath Black City, the city had become Grand Duke Tedar's private territory.

The brutal, crazed Grand Duke Tedar had forcibly turned the entire city's population into miners, making them extract Black Stone for him.

Those who could leave had long since left.

Those who could not were still trying every possible way to escape.

Such a huge city had turned into a ghost town in a short time, inevitably leaving behind some good things.

Crafts and precious metals that had once been worth a fortune were far less valuable, in the eyes of people struggling even to eat and drink, than strips of meat that could fill their stomachs.

Karl made a round through the market and traded his remaining meat strips for several "exquisite little trinkets."

Born into an aristocratic family, he had attended all kinds of exhibitions and possessed some ability to appreciate luxury goods.

The items he had acquired should fetch quite a bit of money.

"Time to go!"

After wrapping the items in linen and slinging them over his back, Karl once again told Kolon to keep an eye out for news of the Breathing Technique before setting off.

"Thirty Gold Coins could buy a decent mid-range house in Signo City. If I chose a remote area, I might even be able to get a detached house."

"Mm..."

"Though Black City's atmosphere is oppressive and it has all sorts of inconveniences, there's no better place to make money."

He touched the bulging bundle on his back. The corners of Karl's mouth unconsciously curled upward, and his spirits lifted as well.

"Besides making money, it's easier to obtain a Breathing Technique here than in that other world. At least there are avenues to pursue."

"Unlike..."

"Hm?"

As his thoughts ran wild, Karl's eyes suddenly narrowed. He threw himself forward while reflexively gripping his sword and slashing backward.

Whoosh!

Rip!

The sound of something cutting through the air came with the sound of cloth tearing.

Karl felt a pain in his back. His broadsword seemed to have struck something, the contents of his bundle scattered across the ground, and the heavy mantel clock hit the ground with a loud bang.

Without time to check whether his belongings had been damaged, he rolled to his feet, turned around, and held his broadsword horizontally before him.

Gale Swordplay—Iron Gate Style!

Whoosh!

A black shadow lunged straight at him, moving as swiftly as a powerful arrow loosed from a bow, crashing into the broadsword with tremendous force.

Clang...

"Ungh!"

Karl let out a muffled groan and staggered back two steps. The incoming creature was also knocked flying by the broadsword.

Taking advantage of the opening, the black shadow's true appearance was finally revealed.

It was clearly a dog-like creature. Its pitch-black fur made it easy to overlook in the dim light.

It had been the one to ambush him from behind. Fortunately, the bundle on his back and the soft armor beneath his clothes had protected him from injury.

Dog-like?

Karl's eyelid twitched as he instinctively looked toward the street.

Sure enough!

The corpse that had been lying on the ground when he arrived had vanished at some point, replaced by this Undead Creature.

I was careless!

He had been so caught up in his excitement that he had forgotten to observe his surroundings. This was Black City, where people could die at any time.

Undead Creatures were Black City's specialty.

It was said that the Black Stone Vein contained "Death Aura." As the vein was excavated, the aura leaked out, and corpses eroded and infected by it would "revive" into Undead Creatures.

Not just corpses.

If living people stayed in the mine veins for too long, they would also become twisted and mutated, completely losing their sanity and turning into monsters.

After mutating, their speed and strength increased greatly. They felt no pain and retained only the instinct to attack living creatures.

They were similar to the zombies he remembered, but far more agile.

No one knew how many Undead Creatures lurked within Black City, making the city all the more dangerous and terrifying.

"Grr..."

The "hound," its body covered in rotting flesh, opened its jaws to reveal vicious fangs. Its eyes were crimson as blood.

Whoosh!

It pounced again, still astonishingly fast.

But Karl was prepared this time. He slid aside and dodged, then brought his broadsword down in a savage downward slash.

Splat!

The broadsword split through the "hound's" fur and sank deep into its rotten flesh before striking bone.

The impact sent the "hound" tumbling to the ground, while Karl felt his arm go numb and his sense of danger surged.

It's fast and strong. More importantly... this thing has none of the weak points of a living creature.

The "hound," struck by a sword, merely rolled over and rose as if nothing had happened.

The gash stretching from its back to its belly seemed to have no effect on it at all.

"Ha!"

Karl gave a low shout and drove off the ground, charging forward as his broadsword whipped up a fierce gust.

Rage Strike!

This was a killing move within Gale Swordplay. It could use the force of a forward charge to empower the blade and increase its striking power.

Karl had spent no small amount of effort mastering this move.

Undead Creatures did not tire, but he did. If he could not end this quickly, he would surely die once his stamina ran out.

After a brief moment of thought, he chose to attack first.

"Grr..."

The "hound" gave a low whine, seemingly sensing the threat of the move. It crouched on all fours and leaped to the side.

This showed that Black City's Undead Creatures had not completely lost their minds. At the very least, they retained some of the instincts from when they were alive and knew to avoid danger.

Clang!

The broadsword struck the ground with a crisp ring, yet strangely left barely any mark.

A feint!

Karl's seemingly ferocious strike had merely been meant to expose the "hound's" weakness. He seized the chance to raise his arm and launch a surprise attack.

His arm trembled lightly, and a sharp recoil sent his body leaning backward.

Wrist Dart!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Two dark streaks shot from his sleeves. In an instant, they pierced the "hound's" throat and front leg joint.

Kolon had not exaggerated. The Wrist Dart's power was astonishing. At close range, even a Knight Squire would find it difficult to evade.

But that was far from enough to kill an Undead Creature. At most, it threw the "hound" off balance.

"Hmph!"

Karl's eyes reddened as he lunged forward. His broadsword actually swept out several afterimages.

Combat Skill—Gale Slash!

Knight-level swordsmanship all came with corresponding combat skills, which could maximize the swordsmanship's killing power.

Generally speaking.

Only Knight Squires and Knights could master combat skills.

That was because combat skills were extremely complicated and demanded high physical ability, making them difficult for ordinary people to learn.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Like Karl.

With the help of that mysterious place, he possessed absolute rationality and precise control over his body, allowing him to master this Gale Slash.

Two afterimages and the True Form of the broadsword crossed through the air and slashed down. The "hound's" lunging body suddenly froze.

The next moment.

Fine cracks appeared across the "hound's" body before it scattered into chunks of flesh all over the ground.

Even an Undead Creature was thoroughly dead after that.

"Hoo..."

Karl let out a long breath. The hands holding his sword trembled slightly, as though he could barely keep hold of the broadsword.

"Go!"

He was nearly exhausted now, his heart full of lingering fear. Bending down, he hurriedly bundled up the scattered items and rushed off.

Only after returning to his "lodgings," shutting the door, and lowering the bar did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Smack!

Karl slapped his forehead lightly and belatedly said,

"Undead Creatures leave things behind after they die. They can be exchanged for Black Stone. I forgot to check just now."

Even so, there was no way he was going back.

After steadying himself, he returned through that mysterious place to his residence in Signo City. Before he could even sort through the gains from this trip, a familiar voice came from the living room.

"Uncle, why is he here?"

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(End of Chapter)