Collecting Crystals

"That zombie really wasn't an isolated case."

After gathering enough knowledge and recording all the magic runes and the transmission pathways of several magic energy arrays, Taylor rose and left the cabin. He also took a simple map from one of the cabinets. Though he could not read the writing, he could still make out the basic routes.

Before leaving, he released the Two-Headed Vulture he had bundled up in spider silk. After feeding it a piece of rotten zombie flesh, the Two-Headed Vulture promptly died on the spot. It seemed the zombies had survived here for so long partly because of the deadly toxins they carried.

When he left the mountains and reached the main road, all he saw were zombies staggering and wandering around it—men and women, the elderly, children, and infants alike.

These zombies swayed as they walked down the road. Who knew how long they had maintained such a posture? Around them stood all sorts of steel creations. Based on Taylor's analysis of the magic patterns and runes engraved upon them, these were likely the means of transportation used by the people of this plane.

Taylor's appearance injected new vitality into every zombie on this road. The nearby beasts and magical beasts had long since been devoured by them, and these creatures driven by instinct had finally encountered a fresh, living being.

"Urgh, urgh, urgh~~~~"

"Roar..."

"Wuu, wuu, wuu, awoo, awoo..."

Upon seeing Taylor, the zombies gradually began moving in the same direction. Their hungry, greedy gazes fixed upon the only living creature on the road as they slowly formed a small zombie horde. Strange sounds rose from the tide of corpses, but one thing remained unchanged: the greed and bloodlust in their howls.

"Ah~~~~ So I'm being underestimated by a bunch of creatures ruled by instinct."

Taylor was displeased as he watched the zombies flood toward him. These walking corpses, these filthy monsters, actually regarded him as food.

Mental power surged from his mental space, commanding the magic within his body to activate according to the witchcraft models. Improved fireballs, hotter and more explosive, blasted apart large swathes of zombies. Even the gentle breeze became Death's scythe in Taylor's hands, transforming into one sharp blade after another.

Behind him, clumps of black fog spread outward, staining the area around him a faint shade of black. The zombies' keen hearing and sense of smell became useless within the black fog. Their mental defenses were so weak they were practically nonexistent, and they were immediately disturbed by the mental chaos contained within the fog, beginning to devour one another and slaughter each other.

Taylor now commanded gale, blazing fire, and black fog. He looked every bit like a demon king crawling out of hell. Fire elements continuously gathered into fireballs at his fingertips, which he casually tossed out, blowing zombies apart like high-explosive grenades.

Crescent Wind Blades nearly one and a half meters wide harvested zombie heads like reapers. These Crescent Wind Blades constantly carved neat, clean "straight lines" through the horde, lending a peculiar beauty to what appeared to be a massacre.

To cautious Taylor, his own safety could not be ignored. The Spider's Eye hanging from his chest shone brightly as strands of spider silk gathered before him into a buffer zone. A flame shield directly covered the top of his head, forming a pale red, eggshell-shaped dome.

Perhaps because this road was near the mountains and had relatively few people, it took around half an hour for Taylor to deal with every zombie gathered there, leaving behind only charred wreckage and shattered remains.

It seemed humanity in this world was nearly finished. Even the roads connecting settlements had zombies on them, so the cities likely had not escaped disaster either.

What exactly had happened in this world? Was it something specifically targeting humans?

After all, neither beasts nor magical beasts had changed at all along the way...

As he thought, Taylor searched for a usable vehicle. Wisps of breeze curled around him, transforming into ropes that pulled hexagonal transparent crystals from zombie remains and wreckage, dropping them into a bottle.

Taylor had not yet discovered what use these neat transparent crystals had, but he felt that since they were physical crystals containing vitality and mental power, they might be able to improve the physical condition and mental reserves of an apprentice like himself. Of course, they still required careful identification and experimentation.

After collecting all the transparent crystals from the zombies' skulls, Taylor mounted a single-person vehicle that looked like a motorcycle but actually had six wheels.

This single-person vehicle also embodied the characteristics of this plane. It was driven by magical elements, with built-in magic runes and magic arrays serving as its power source. However, the words of this world on the control panel gave Taylor some trouble. After pressing every button, operating it a little, and fumbling around for a while, Taylor finally figured out how to drive this "motorcycle."

As long as he followed this road, he would surely find a larger settlement, something like a town or even a city. Taylor rode the motorcycle as the scenery on both sides rushed past him. Only when he occasionally encountered wandering zombies would he slow down, send out a wind blade, cut off their heads, and retrieve their crystals in one smooth motion.

By the time he followed the road to the nearest city, the glass bottle he had brought with him was already half full.

It was a town that did not look particularly large. All Taylor saw were zombies shuffling forward with hoarse roars and black crows flying through the sky. The entire town was deathly silent.

After getting off the motorcycle, Taylor entered the town. After casually killing several zombies blocking his way, he headed toward the town center.

He passed clothing stores, baby stores, restaurants, diners, shops, and more. Looking at the dazzling array of goods and the magic runes and arrays still functioning, he could not help but feel regret for such a prosperous civilization coming to this.

Leaving behind a street full of zombie remains, Taylor departed the district and arrived at the true center of the town. There, he saw a bloated, enormous fat zombie rooted amid a pile of flesh and blood.

It appeared to weigh at least several tons and stood five meters tall. Its skin had been stretched until it burst and rotted away, emitting a thick, foul stench. It looked extremely troublesome. By his senses, its magic fluctuations were roughly as strong as four One-Eyed Spiders.

Not a big problem. He could still handle it.

The fat zombie stopped eating, tossed the flesh in its hands aside, then turned its vacant eyes toward Taylor, who stood at the entrance to the street.

"Awoo, awoo, awoo!!!"

As if it had seen the most delicious food in the world, the fat zombie charged at Taylor on all fours, moving almost as though it were crawling.

With a wave of Taylor's hand, several Crescent Wind Blades shot straight at the fat zombie's head. The zombie raised its arms, covered in rotten flesh and greasy fat, to block them. Just as it was about to charge onward, its feet became tangled in a mass of spider silk.

The zombie roared furiously and was about to tear away the spider silk wrapped around its feet when it lowered its head and a fireball exploded directly in its face.

The searing heat charred the zombie's face black. It swung a thick palm at Taylor, but a gust of wind rose beneath Taylor's feet. He sidestepped the blow, then turned and summoned several more Crescent Wind Blades, slicing chunks of rotten flesh from the fat zombie's body.

Taylor darted around the fat zombie, using spider silk to restrain its movements and keep it from moving. He continuously wore it down with fireballs and wind blades, attempting to blow its head apart directly.

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