Hunting

A few days later.

Karl's group had already ventured deep into the city.

What was most common here was not ferocious beasts or Abnormalities, but Undead Creatures that had mutated after being corroded by yin energy.

They retained some of their instincts from life. They feared no pain, knew no exhaustion, and possessed increased speed and strength.

And they had an overwhelming craving for fresh flesh and blood.

Once they set their sights on someone, it usually ended in a fight to the death.

More importantly, if someone was scratched by these things and did not treat the wound in time, they too would mutate.

That was why few people were willing to provoke them.

"Uuugh..."

Several half-dead men came staggering down the street.

Their clothes were in tatters, their flesh pallid, and their fingers covered in calluses. They had likely been underground miners in life.

Do not be fooled by how slowly they moved now. Once they spotted a target, they would launch into a frenzied attack.

No weaknesses, no fatigue...

They knew only slaughter!

Whoosh!

Pfft! Pfft!

Several arrows tore through the air and buried themselves in the half-dead men.

White smoke rose from three of them as they let out piercing screams, but the last showed no reaction at all. It even sped up as it charged toward the group.

"Xiao Nan!"

Aya called out, "You forgot to dip them in holy water again!"

"I did." Sweat beaded on Xiao Nan's forehead. "The water must have dried."

Holy water contained divine power, but at its core, it was still ordinary water. If arrows were dipped too early, the water would evaporate as time passed.

When that happened, they would lose their effectiveness against undead creatures.

Just like now.

"Stop arguing."

Karl drew his broadsword.

"It's coming."

With that, his figure flickered as he swept forward to meet the charging half-dead man, his broadsword whipping up a fierce gale.

Thrust!

Sweep!

Cleave!

After several strikes, the headless corpse of the half-dead man fell at his feet.

Aya and the others swarmed in as well.

The half-dead men weakened by holy water were like slowly shuffling corpses, their threat greatly diminished.

The battle was decided in mere moments.

Aya took out a dagger and chopped off the little fingers of the half-dead men, using them as proof to exchange for supplies from the City Guard.

Karl, meanwhile, gathered up the soul powder on the ground.

"Hm?"

His ears twitched slightly. Karl rose and looked toward a dark alley not far away, his expression darkening as he raised a hand and activated a Fire Seal.

Whoosh...

The fireball screamed through the air and exploded in the darkness.

"Get lost!"

Karl's voice was icy. Shadows shifted in the alley, followed by a burst of noisy movement rapidly retreating into the distance.

"Uncle."

Aya walked over:

"Someone wants to take advantage of us again?"

"Mm."

Karl nodded.

"We're deep in the city now. Undead Creatures aren't the only danger—there are living people too. Let's call it here for today."

"Ah!"

Xiao Nan looked utterly disappointed.

"Uncle, it's still early. How about we search around a little more? We might find something else."

The others all nodded.

To them, with Holy Water weakening the Undead Creatures and Karl holding the fort, fighting was almost laughably easy.

Yet every time they had barely gotten going, Karl would call it off.

"People's energy is limited. Once you go on too long, fatigue is inevitable. If danger comes then, it will be hard to react in time."

Karl shook his head.

"Stay alert on the way back too. While we still have the energy, we should return as soon as possible. Don't be too greedy."

He only had one spare bottle of potion left, and the Holy Water needed replenishing as well. Besides, it truly was getting late.

The group had no choice but to agree.

Karl's group had ventured deep into the city without encountering much danger.

For one thing, the Holy Water greatly weakened the threat posed by Undead Creatures. For another, they worked together as one, and strength lay in numbers, sparing them plenty of trouble.

Others were not so fortunate.

On a certain street.

A pair of similar-looking twins had their path blocked by a group of people.

"Hand over your things, and you can leave."

The leader had a shaved head, his face covered in bizarre patterns. Holding a spiked club, he bared his teeth in a cold grin.

"Otherwise..."

"Throwing away your lives for the little bit you're carrying doesn't seem worth it."

The twins' expressions tightened. They exchanged a glance, then, with perfect tacit understanding, said nothing and turned to flee.

"Heh..."

The bald man shook his head.

"Fools!"

A moment later.

Two nearly identical heads had been cut off and hung from a flagpole, their faces twisted in savage ferocity.

"Cough!"

"Cough, cough!"

A man staggered forward with a strange longsword in hand, coughing up blood from time to time, yet he did not dare stop.

Only when no more sounds came from behind him did he lean against a wall and gasp desperately, his body shaking like a man with a violent chill.

"Those damned devils—how could there be a Paladin here?"

"I almost died!"

"Cough, cough!"

"Hm?" Just then, a surprised voice rang out. Immediately afterward, several people emerged one after another from the intersection ahead.

One of them laughed.

"Not bad luck. We just stepped out and a prey delivered itself right to our doorstep."

"Someone who's practically dead probably doesn't have much on him." Someone shook his head and approached with a great saber in hand. "I'll send him to meet the Underworld God!"

Pfft!

A spike pierced through the speaker's chest and burst out through his back, the slender barb drenched in blood.

What was strange was that...

The spike trembled gently as though it were alive, and the blood staining it was slowly devoured until it gleamed like new.

Clang...

The great cleaver crashed heavily to the ground. He had failed to send another to meet the Underworld God, only to take the first step there himself.

"Heh..." The man leaning against the wall lowered his head and chuckled.

"Honestly, what kind of trash are you? You dare strut around in front of me?"

Whoosh!

The man gave the slender sword in his hand a light flick.

In an instant.

Countless afterimages flashed past, and the corpse before him was evenly sliced apart like a block of tofu, its pieces scattering across the ground.

"Hiss..."

The man raised his head, his face brimming with pleasure.

"Fresh life force... it truly is intoxicating."

Only then did the others get a clear look at his face. Beneath his disheveled golden hair, his features were ordinary, but a bizarre scar ran from his forehead to his chin.

As if a sharp sword had split him in two.

"You..."

"He's Blood Thorn of the Shadow Alliance!"

"Run!"

Upon recognizing him, their expressions changed drastically. They had no desire to fight at all and turned to flee.

"Hmph!"

The cold snort rang out while he was still several meters away, yet by the time it faded, he was already at their ears, sword shadows flickering all around them.

The sword in the man's hand was thin and long, like a fine thorn growing from its hilt.

He strode forward, lightly swinging the slender sword in his hand. The people before him fell one after another.

No one could withstand a single strike!

"Don't!"

A woman cried as she fell to her knees.

"Please, don't kill me. I'll do anything you want!"

"Oh!"

Blood Thorn stopped, reaching out to pinch the woman's chin.

Her features were exquisite and her skin delicate—an extreme rarity in Black City. At this moment, she wore a fawning expression.

Her seductive eyes were soft as silk.

"Tsk, tsk..."

Blood Thorn clicked his tongue softly, then thrust out his sword.

The slender blade entered through the woman's mouth and emerged from the back of her head. With a light flick, it split her skull cleanly in two.

"Quite a pretty woman. What a pity."

On a distant rooftop, someone frowned and withdrew his gaze.

"Brother."

Seeing this, the woman beside him spoke.

"What is it?"

"I saw a madman." The man took the longbow from his back, drew it, nocked an arrow, and aimed into the distance.

"A madman?"

The woman shook her head.

She did not possess her brother's Eagle Eye Magic Seal and could not see that far, but she had her own strengths.

"Brother, Rat Woman from the Brotherhood is coming."